“I see why Gabriel likes you so much. You’re brilliant.”
Calvin flushed and turned his attention back to the screen. “I kind of like to think outside the box, ma’am.”
“How long would it take you to pull all the murder files on Salyer and start that map?”
“Do you want me to work forward or backward?”
“We need to find Bethany Phillips. I’ll leave it up to you on which way you think is best.”
“I’ll start on it tonight.”
The door opened, and Gabriel entered, followed by Max. One look at Max’s face told me all I needed to know. I can’t trust him anymore.
“You guys need to see this.” Calvin switched on the TV in the conference room.
“Is Dakota Dale following the body count, or does the body count follow Dakota Dale? That’s the question this news reporter is asking.” Rowena smiled at the camera. “Rowena Sparks reporting for CRQ News. I’ll be watching her, and you should too.”
“Turn it off.” I pushed back my chair. “Personally, I think someone should be watching her. She’s far too interested in Christian Salyer and not in a good way.”
“Good thing she doesn’t fit the profile.” Max shook his head. “Stupid bitch. If she goes missing, I won’t lose any sleep over it.”
“She doesn’t have to fit the profile to be used by Salyer.” I walked to the table along the wall and refilled my coffee cup. “The girl he used when he was holding me was blonde.” I met Max’s curious gaze. “I might agree with your assessment, Max, but no one deserves to die or suffer what Salyer puts them through. Not even her.”
Gabriel ended the call he was on. “That was the ME. We’ve got an identity on the victim—Cindi Johnson, and she’s local. Calvin, go to work and pull everything you can find on her. I’m going to head over and talk to her family. Dakota, Max, care to join me?”
Max shook his head. “I’ll stay here and help Calvin.”
“You go with Gabriel. I’ll stay and help Calvin. It’s not a good idea for me to go with him.” I sipped my coffee. “Things tend to get ugly after a news report like that one.”
Gabriel frowned. “What do you mean, ‘ugly’?”
“Mobs come out. Things are thrown and not just accusations. Garbage dumped. Cars vandalized.” I turned away from him. “I’m used to it. You’ll be better off if we’re not seen together.”
The room was quiet, but I could feel the ripples of anger emanating from both Gabriel and Max. They were waiting for me to turn around, and I wasn’t going to give them that satisfaction. What I’d said was true, but it wasn’t the reason I wasn’t going. I can’t trust either of them.
“Let’s go, Max.” Gabriel stomped to the door, and seconds later, it slammed behind them.
I turned and smiled at Calvin. “Let’s go to work.”
16
Gabriel climbed into the passenger seat of the van. “You can drive, Max. I need some time to pull myself together. If I don’t get a cigarette, I may wind up killing Rowena Sparks with my bare hands.”
Max pushed buttons and levers to lower the lift and move the front seat out of the way.
Gabriel shook his head. “I’ve never seen a van like this.”
Max grinned. “I modified it. All it took was taking out the back seat and installing runners for the one in the front. I’m waiting on the patent for the design to make me rich.” He moved into position behind the wheel and started the van. “Let me have one punch before you do Sparks in. I saw what the media did to Dakota before. She acts like it doesn’t bother her, but it does. Type in the address in the GPS, and let’s get this over with. Always hated this part of the job.”
“At least we’ve got that much in common.” Gabriel punched in the address and read over the notes he’d taken from the ME. “Father’s in construction. Mother’s a housewife. Cindi was their only child.”
“You’re just a little bluebird of sunshine, Browne.”
Gabriel glanced up from the notes. “I know you’re pissed about the chief’s plan, but get over it. Bottom line here is protecting Dakota and finding Salyer. Karen will be here tomorrow.”
Max made a sharp right. “She’s already screwed up. She doesn’t need another shrink messing with her head.”
“She knows where he held her. With the right therapy, she’ll remember.”
“Did it ever cross your mind she might be better off not remembering?”
Gabriel sighed. “I read the physical injury file. I know what Salyer did to her.”
Max slammed a hand on the steering wheel. “You don’t know shit, you son of a bitch.” Tears filled his eyes. “I knew about Emma. Salyer killed her and videotaped it. He set up mirrors around the cage and played it day and night. That’s how he broke her, and if you do this, you’re gonna break her all over again.”
“Pull over.”
Max eased over to the side of the road and stopped. Gabriel hopped out, retching, then vomited up the coffee and liquor he’d consumed earlier. Minutes that felt like hours passed before Max tossed him a roll of paper towels and a bottle of water.
“How did you know? That wasn’t in her file.”
“I hacked into her medical records and removed it. You can lock me up if you want to. It’s not the only thing I destroyed.”
“What else?”
Max waited until Gabriel was seated then moved back onto the highway. “There were several tapes.” He swiped at a tear. “It’s why she can’t stand to have mirrors around.” He pulled up in front of a two-story frame house. “I destroyed all of it so she never had to see it again, and if God is merciful, she’ll never remember it either.”
“What about the picture in the video? Dakota was positive that was Emma.”
Max shook his head. “I think that’s an early picture of Dakota. I think she’s still hiding things from me too. Things she’s remembered.”
“I’ll talk to Karen and have her steer clear of the baby. We’ll concentrate on where she was kidnapped and where he took her.” Gabriel clenched his fists. “And until we know for sure, we’re going to go forward as if Emma is still alive. Because if she is, we have to find her.”
“Miss Dale, there’s a guy up front that says he needs to talk to you.” Calvin hung up the phone in the conference room. “You want me to go with you?”
A cold chill washed over me, and the scar along my abdomen felt icy. “Did they say who he was? I don’t really know anyone here.”
Calvin shook his head. “Guy wouldn’t give his name. Said he would only talk to you.” He fiddled with the computer and brought up a picture of the front desk. “That’s him. Do you know him?”
I studied the man pacing in front of the counter. He was young, possibly early twenties, tall, and had wavy black hair, but what made him really stand out were the muscles bulging beneath his T-shirt. “I’ve never seen him before. Call them back and tell them if he doesn’t want to give his name, then I’m not talking to him.”
“We could have him brought back here. I’ll stay with you if you want me too.”
I glanced at the board the two of us had set up with pictures of Cindi Johnson and the information we’d gathered so far. “Okay, but turn the board around. I don’t think he needs to see that. I made a fresh pot of coffee. Do you want some?”