I finished the coffee and poured three cups as my cell rang. The number wasn’t one I recognized. “Hello.”
“Dakota Dale?”
“Yes, who is this?”
“Sorry to bother you, ma’am, but I need to talk to Gabriel. Is he there?”
“Yes, he’s here. Just a minute.” I walked to the dining room doorway. Max and Browne were hunched over Max’s computer. “Phone call for you, Gabriel.”
He raised an eyebrow but didn’t take his eyes off the screen. “Did they say who it was?”
“Tell him it’s Calvin. It’s an emergency.”
I held out the phone. “It’s Calvin. He says it’s an emergency.”
Browne took the phone and walked into the living room. He was back in less than a minute. “We need to go. Amanda Clark killed James Day.”
“He’ll be watching.” I broke the silence that had settled over the three of us as we headed toward the Clark residence. We’d opted to take the van so Max could come. He was better with electronics than anyone the police department would have on hand.
“Salyer?” Browne took his eyes from the road for a moment. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“It will. Remember when I told you there were a lot of things not in the file?”
He nodded, his hands tightening on the wheel.
“After the first killing, when Salyer became interested in me, he would send videos of the girls he was torturing. James Day was an idiot. Salyer would have videoed the whole thing. All he had to do to get rid of Day was send the video to Amanda.”
Max leaned forward. “If the media finds out Salyer is alive, they’re going to make it look like Dakota let him go. We won’t be able to move for them flagging us.”
“What exactly are you suggesting, Max?” Browne pulled between the posts and flashed his badge to the officers on guard before driving forward slowly.
“We find the phone and take it with us,” Max said. “See if we can trace where the video came from or if there’s anything in the background that might give us a clue on where Salyer is.”
“It won’t work.” As much as I wanted to find Salyer, I couldn’t throw Amanda to the wolves. Enough women had died because of me. “Amanda is going to need that video. Without it to support her story, she’ll be arrested for murder. With the video, a good attorney can go for temporary insanity.”
Browne parked behind a cruiser as two stretchers were carried out of the house. Both were covered. “I don’t think we’re going to have to worry about Amanda. When we get inside, I’ll interview the staff. You two see if you can find those cell phones.”
8
“Put your hands through the bars.”
I moved farther into the cage, placing my hands behind me. “Why?”
His eyes darkened, his face contorting, erasing the handsome features and revealing the demon that hid below the surface. Or at least that was how I saw him. “Why do you always make me hurt you?”
He reached for the cattle prod, and I shivered, moved forward slowly, and placed my hands through the bars.
His face relaxed as he placed the handcuffs around my wrists. “That’s better. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
That was part of his torture routine—leaving me to wonder what he was about to do. The camera was rolling, and I dug deep to control the fear edging its way up my spine as my body began to tremble. How long have I been here? I glanced at the wall where I’d scratched off days until they’d all become a blur of pain and humiliation. Two weeks? Three?
The trembling increased as the door opened and Christian entered, smiling. He was carrying a tray. “Relax, darling, I’m not going to hurt you. I’m just going to give you a manicure.”
Browne entered the house while I waited for Max to retrieve his portable ramp for the stairs. It would be faster if I could help him. I’d tried that once, but the hurt in his eyes had torn a new hole in my soul.
My eyes strayed to the sheet-covered stretchers as memories kept invading my mind. “I’m going to take a look at Amanda’s body.”
I strolled toward the van as a paramedic opened the door. “Hold up a second. Which one is Amanda Clark?”
“This one.”
I reached for the sheet and pulled it back, avoiding looking at her face. My heart was racing as the hands appeared. I touched the crimson color of the nails, and it smudged. “Damn it, he’s here.”
Racing for the house, I took the steps two at a time, jerking my gun from the holster on my belt. Two officers were posted on the door. “I need to see Gabriel.”
Maybe it was the gun I was holding or the underlying tremor in my voice, but one of them opened the door, and I rushed through. “Gabriel!”
Footsteps pounded from the direction of the parlor. “What’s wrong?”
“He’s here.” I held up the finger with the crimson stain. “He painted Amanda’s nails.”
Strong fingers wrapped around my wrist as he pulled me into a small alcove off the hallway. “Keep your voice down. She could have painted her own nails. I thought the idea was not to raise suspicion that Salyer is still alive.”
Max came through the front door as I placed my free hand on Browne’s chest and shoved. “Don’t you ever touch me again!”
Browne let go, holding up both hands in mock surrender. “They were dead a few hours before the maid found them when she went to call them for dinner. She found Day first and called the police before going to find Amanda. That’s why Calvin only told me about Day. If Salyer was here, he’s long gone by now.”
The rhythm of my heart began to slow, and sanity began to return. “It wasn’t Amanda. Salyer used some special paint on the fingernails that wouldn’t dry for days. He wanted us to know it was him. Where did they find the bodies?”
“Day in his bedroom. Amanda in the back garden. The gun was lying beside her, and she used a silencer. I was getting ready to question the housekeeper about any visitors today. Do you want to sit in?”
“No, we’ll look for the cell phones. Ask her about any recent new hires that only worked a few days.” I holstered my gun. “You’ll also need to have the paint on Amanda’s nails compared to that in the cases in Beaufort. It’s going to match, so keeping the fact that Salyer is still alive hidden isn’t going to work.”
Pity flashed in Browne’s eyes before he turned away and headed back to the parlor.
Max came closer. “You okay?”
“I overreacted. I was thinking about Salyer, remembering when he painted my nails. That’s the reason I checked Amanda’s hands.” I didn’t have to explain to Max. He’d seen my outbursts before when he touched me at the wrong time. “Check down here, and I’ll take the upstairs.”
“I brought you roses, darling.” Christian placed the vase near the door of the cage. “Dark crimson.” He knelt, sniffing the flowers. “Sweet. Did you know they signify sadness and mourning?”
I licked my dry lips, the water in the vase a sweeter smell than the roses. “Please, Christian, may I have some water?”