LaRoche was convinced, though. And the way he asked me how I knew about it tells me he wasn't too pleased at the idea of co-parenting with a woman he didn't even want people to know he was seeing. Far too many women are killed because of an unexpected, unwanted pregnancy. It wouldn't be a leap to think that would lead LaRoche to kill her, even if there was the slim possibility he cared for her at one time.
For the next few hours, I pace through the cabin, occasionally glancing out the window at Daniel's car. Each time I do, he looks right back at me through the windshield. He doesn't leave. He doesn't sleep. And neither do I.
My phone rings just after the sun comes up. It's the last person I want to talk to, but I can't avoid him.
“Hello?”
“What the hell is going on, Griffin?” Creagan demands. “I turn on the news this morning to find out I've sent an agent undercover to find a serial killer and someone else died.”
“He's missing,” I point out quickly, feeling the strange compulsion to put that out into the world. “There's no body.”
“But you know there's a lot of blood because you're the one who found the scene,” he says. “What was going on between the two of you?”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“Everyone's saying the two of you were an item. I didn't send you on this job so you could fill the void in your life. You're not being paid to date the townsfolk.”
“I don't have a void in my life, Creagan. Jake and I have gotten close since I got here, I'll admit that. But if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't know a fraction of what I do about this town and the people in it. He's made it possible for me to be accepted around here so I can do my job,” I tell him.
“And now he's another victim. You didn't do your job. I knew you weren't ready to go back out into the field. You got there and were too distracted to do what you needed to do, and it's cost the town another life. I'm shutting this whole thing down. Pack up. As soon as the police there say you're free to go, you're coming back.”
Panic jumps into my throat.
“No,” I say defiantly.
“Excuse me? What did you just say?”
“I said no. I'm not coming back there now, and you're not shutting this down. I'm close to getting you exactly what you need,” I say.
“It doesn't matter. You had your time,” he tells me.
“And you're going to give me more,” I push back. “This isn't just about the original victims. This is personal now. I've been in touch with Eric, and as soon as I know we can put together a strong enough case, I'll call you in.”
“I'm not just going to leave you on your own anymore,” Creagan says. “Look where it's gotten you. The police department wasn't doing its job investigating, but at least the bodies stopped piling up.”
“Two more days,” I demand through gritted teeth, trying to stop myself from lashing out at him for the way he is dismissing the victims. “Give me two more days. If I haven't done what I came here to do, I'll go back, and you can handle the case however you see fit. But this is mine. I've been putting in the work, and now someone close to me has been victimized. I'm not walking away from this.”
Creagan hesitates but finally relents.
“Two days, Griffin. But know if you come back here, and I have to fix the mess you left behind; your badge is mine.”
The call ends, and cold, steely resolution flows over me. I take a fast shower in a blast of stinging water to wake myself up and clear my mind, then get dressed and walk out of the cabin. Daniel opens the door and stands up, pulling a blanket close around him.
“The night's over. You don't have to watch me anymore,” I tell him.
“The chief hasn't given me instructions,” he says.
“I am. You can go home now. I'm sure your shift was over a long time ago.”
He watches me walk over to my car and takes a few steps closer.
“You aren't supposed to leave,” he says. “LaRoche says no one was supposed to go in or out.”
“You can take it up with him. I'm sure he'll be where I'm going,” I reply.
Unlocking my door, I get into my car and drive toward Teddy's. Daniel is close behind, and I can see him talking into his radio, undoubtedly telling LaRoche I've left the cabin and am on the move. It doesn't matter. He's not holding me anymore. I've gotten answers to some of my questions, and then those answers just created more questions. I'm working on borrowed time now, and I'm not willing to give up my badge for someone like this man.
Police tape draped across the front of the bar isn't a deterrent. I duck under it and walk past the officer coming to stop me and into the bar. LaRoche stands close with a man in a suit beside the bar, and he looks up when I walk in. Excusing himself, he comes toward me with an expression that says he's losing patience with me.
“You are supposed to be at your cabin,” he growls. “Daniel was supposed to ensure that.”
“He did. He kept me there all night. But it's morning now, and I'm not staying there anymore. I want to know more about Cristela Jordan.”
LaRoche looks around almost frantically and leans closer.
“Someone is going to hear you,” he hisses.
“Is that what you were worried about?” I ask. “You didn't want anyone to know about the two of you?”
“Come with me,” he says, guiding me toward Jake's office again. He shuts the door and turns his glare directly at me. “I don't know what is wrong with you, but you need to let go of this notion that I have anything to do with Jake's disappearance, Cristela's death, or any of the others.”
“Her autopsy doesn't say she was pregnant,” I point out. “Did you do that on purpose? When you had her tied up, did you make sure you destroyed any evidence of the baby so no one would find out and possibly do testing? You knew if they did, it would show you were the father of her baby.”
“Tied her up?” he asks. “What are you talking about? They found Cristela's body by the train tracks. She wasn't bound.”
“She had marks on her and a bruise around her neck consistent with something tied around it. Like a dog collar. Convenient, one was tied to a tree not far from where they found her and then disappeared. I heard you have a dog you like to walk around out in those woods.”
“I have a dog I like to walk out there. Not one I like to tie up out there. I would never put my dog on a collar attached to a tree. I don't know what you think you know, but it's far off base. Cristela thought she was pregnant. She told me just a few days before she died. We hadn't even really had the chance to talk about it. Neither one of us were expecting that, but it's not like we're teenagers. I'm not afraid of my responsibilities.”
“But you're afraid of people knowing who you're sleeping with,” I point out.
“There's a difference between being afraid and not wanting my personal life broadcasted out to the entire town. I don't want to settle down. At least not now. So, I keep a girl or two on the side. That might not make me the most upstanding man in the world, but it also doesn't make me a murderer. I would never hurt Cristela. And I had nothing to do with Jake's disappearance.”
“And how am I supposed to believe that?” I ask.
“Because I was with Andrea last night. You can call her if you want to. She's still at the hotel.”
Chapter Thirty
I feel like all words, thoughts, and sense have been pulled out of me for an instant. I blink and shake my head, trying to bring myself back into the moment.