Page 67 of Hidden Sins

Tai cocked a finger at him like a gun. “Hasn’t been seen since. The parents weren’t aware that he’d blown off his appointment until we showed up. They have permission from Billy to confirm his visits, but he’s been really regular lately so they stopped checking. They haven’t tried to confirm them in over a month.” He paused to devour a cookie. “When he didn’t get back, they figured he stopped somewhere between Buttermilk Valley and home to hike. Apparently he does that a lot. They called the shrink while I was there. Billy was a no show today.”

“Paige?” Bridger called out.

But the woman was already typing away, her pixie-ish features lit with an inner fire. “On it.”

She shook her head. “Peckham’s phone stopped registering at oh-nine-hundred this morning, so that’s a no-go for now. But I’ve got some interesting data on Zack Myles. Just before his phone got smashed, he received a text.” She read it out loud.

Knock. Knock.

I’m at the back door.

Come out now, or your wife dies.

Yeah. I found her.

Tai groaned. “That’s not good.”

“You think?” Bridger couldn’t help the bite in his tone. No wonder Myles opened the door.

Hands on his hips, he paced the floor, letting the text sink into his brain. Why not kill the pastor where he stood? The guy had been making threats. He could have ended it right there. He made a face. “Our perp’s not finished playing with his prey.”

Fenn snatched one of Tai’s cookies and zoomed out of reach. “The guy wants to make a statement. Putting a bullet in the preacher would fall kinda flat. No drama, right?”

“Seriously.” Tai agreed.

Everything Peckham—or whoever they were chasing—had done had been over the top. The bomb at the parsonage. The rock through the window. Their guy wanted to make a point.

That would take time and planning. And opportunity.

Bridger snagged the last cookie off the tray, waggling it as he considered the various elements. The bolt of recognition hit him hard, the way it usually did on those excellent occasions when all the puzzle pieces fell into place.

The room had quieted. The team—and Jane—were watching him.

He snapped his fingers. “I think I know where the perp took the pastor.”

But Paige wouldn’t have access to live satellite feeds for another half an hour. Way too long to wait to confirm his suspicions.

They’ll have to confirm his hunch the old fashioned way. Boots on the ground.

Tai stuffed the last of his cookie into his mouth. “We heading out?”

“Affirmative.” Bridger pointed at Mason. “You and Paige hang here with Jane. Stay out of sight. Stay silent.”

He didn’t have to tell the professional bodyguard his business, but this was Jane they were talking about. Luckily, Mason didn’t take offense, he merely nodded and pulled his sidearm out of its holster.

Jane’s eyes narrowed and her lips flattened into a line of displeasure. “You might need us.”

No. He wouldn’t. Not her. Especially not her.

“I need you here,” he said, making full eye contact. “I need you safe. It’s the only way I can do my job.”

His words obviously startled her. She’d clearly been prepared to argue, but for whatever reason, she backed down, her body relaxing. Okay. One less battle to fight.

Tai crossed his arms over his chest and shot Bridger a steely look. “You wanna clue us in here, boss?”

Before he could open his mouth, Paige shot to her feet, waving her hand like a kid in school. “You think they’re at the church.”

He blinked in surprise, though he had ample reason to respect her deductive skills. More than ample reason. The petite analyst had saved the team’s bacon on more than one occasion.

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