A faint line had appeared between Atlas’s eyes.“Put it on speaker,” he ordered.
She did, swiping her finger over the screen in time for him to hear Sloane say?—
“—if this perp killed Tonya Johnson, if he is eliminating the people on our list, then the next person, just in terms of being physically close to you and your location in Dallas, that would be Hatch Davis, in Oklahoma City.That’s about three hours away.”
Hatch Davis didn’t know that his biological father had been the Spring Break Strangler.Another ridiculous moniker because the press liked to sensationalize everything.But, during one long, hot spring twenty years ago, Hatch’s father Jeffrey had spent his time along the Florida and Alabama coast.He’d strangled five different women and tossed their bodies into the water.When the first body washed up, with a shark bite on the woman’s side, the local authorities hadn’t thought of foul play.
But the ME in the area had been damn good at his job, and he’d been very, very thorough.
She was dead before she hit the water.
Then another body had washed up…this one with distinct bruising around her throat.
And another…
And another…
For victim number five, Jeffrey had been caught in the act of dumping the body.He’d been locked away.Given a lethal injection in a Florida prison five years ago.He’d died, and Hatch had never known that when his mother went down to the Gulf Coast for spring break with her sorority sisters so long ago, she fucked a killer.
One who let her walk away even though she looked exactly like all of his other victims.
When Sherry Lee had come back home, she’d immediately married her high school sweetheart.Greg Davis might even believe that Hatch was his son.And Hatch…he’d been the high school valedictorian.He’d gotten a full ride to college.He volunteered with special needs kids.He cooked at a soup kitchen on Saturdays.He’d never even gotten a traffic ticket.
Lily’s breath left her in a hard rush.“Hatch isn’t guilty of anything.If this is the perp who took me and Atlas—he wouldn’t go after Hatch.Hatch isn’t guilty,” she repeated.
Atlas’s jaw hardened even more.He’d missed the first part of the conversation, and she’d have to fill him in, ASAP.
But for now… “And why would the killer come back here, to Dallas?”Lily asked.“If he wants someone close to Shreveport…” She closed her eyes and envisioned the map she’d made long ago.A map that had been on her laptop.“New Orleans.It’s five hours from Shreveport, and Westin Blanchard is down there.He got out of prison for armed robbery three months ago.”Westin was well aware that his father was a convicted serial killer.After all, they’d been in Angola together during Westin’s recent stay.Father and son had always enjoyed a very close relationship.In and out of prison.
“Two choices.”Sloane hummed.She hummed when she was in deep-thought mode.Sometimes, she would literally hum a whole song and not realize she was doing it.“Okay, okay, if this is a punishment-focused killer, then he has to go after Westin.Westin’s last victim needed facial reconstruction because of what he did to her in that robbery.Hatch has never hurt anyone a day in his life.So, we need to send the Feds to him.We need to give them a warning, and—dammit.They are calling my flight!Look, I will be there as soon as I can, okay?Call your ex.I know you don’t want to do it, but you have to let Gage know what’s happening.He’ll take credit, like he always does when you solve cases and he gets promotions because he’s an asshole like that, but stopping a killer is more important than his bullshit, am I right?”
“Yes,” Atlas answered flatly.“You are right.Stopping a killer is more important than bullshit.”
Silence.Then.“When you answered the phone, you used your sleepy voice, Lily.Were you inbedwith Atlas Bennett?Because that is him, speaking, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” Atlas said.
Just that.
Ahem.Yes, to both of Sloane’s questions.“Get on your flight.Stay safe.I’ll brief Gage.”
“Youstay safe,” Sloane huffed back.“I’m not the one having sex with a potential serial killer and getting engaged to him.”
“Sloane.”
“Sorry!Sorry!That slipped out!I swear it did.I’m worried, and I’m running through the airport, and everyone is looking at me like I am crazy.Just please, pleasestay safe.”
“I have her,” Atlas said.
“Thatis what worries me.Part of it.There are lots of worries right now, honestly.”
“She will stay safe,” Atlas assured her friend.“I promise you that.”
“Sloane.”Lily kept her tone calm.Flat.With an effort.“I thought you congratulated me on my engagement before.”
“Yes, well, that was when I thought you were finally in love and that he understood you were amazing and would love you forever.You told me that wasn’t the case, so now I’m back to being worried.”Sloane’s rush of breath carried over the line.“I am worried because I care about you, Lily.”
She knew that Sloane cared.
