“You’re the one who said to go back to the beginning. If Russell is the shooter, the beginning is whatever happened inside that house yesterday. The crime scene still doesn’t make sense.Maybe if we walk it with Russell in mind, we’ll figure out exactly what happened.”
“I—”
“Giddy up, Dr. Archer.” Emmy walked back up the row of computers before Jude could tell her no. She found Cole and Barbara sitting on one of the couches at the front.
She handed him the CD. “Log this into evidence. Take it back to the station. Make a copy. Put the original in the safe. If you can figure out how to watch the copy, I want you to write up a transcript of the video.”
He knew that she was throwing him a bone. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Let me know where you’re staying tonight. You can find me on my phone.”
Jude was waiting for her by the front entrance. Outside, the temperature had dropped another few degrees. Emmy suppressed a shiver. She got into the cruiser. Waited for Jude to put on her seat belt. Emmy couldn’t shake the cold. Her heart fluttered in her chest.
Jude waited until they were outside the city limits to speak. “I booked my flight for two tomorrow afternoon. That should give me enough time to say goodbye and drive to Atlanta.”
Emmy gripped the steering wheel to keep the world from sliding away. “When you said before—I didn’t think it would be so soon.”
“It’s temporary,” Jude said. “You’re close to the finish line, but you’ve got a lot of work to do on this case. I don’t want to get in the way. When you’re ready to talk, call me, and I’ll be on the first plane back. Okay?”
“Okay.” Emmy swallowed the glass in her throat. Questions floated in and out of her brain, but she couldn’t latch on to any of them because she didn’t trust herself to speak.
She took a hard turn into Clifton Gardens, bringing up her arm to wipe her eyes. She coasted through the empty streets. It was almost midnight. The only lights came from a few corner bedrooms. Emmy forced herself to breathe—in through her nose, out through her mouth. She thought about the watch in her pocket. The fact that it didn’t have a second hand. She could still feel the mechanism working, a pulsing tick-tick-tick against her leg.
Allison’s Toyota had been towed from the driveway. Only the porch light was on at her house. All the windows were dark, almost black. The garage doors were closed. Mandy’s bike was gone from the front yard. Emmy parked on the street. She got out of the cruiser. She felt like she was moving fast, trying to get ahead of whatever Jude wanted to talk about.
The anxiety caught up with her at the porch stairs. She turned around. Jude was still in the driveway. She was looking up at the house. Emmy turned to look, too.
A flashlight bounced across the bedroom ceiling.
Her heart punched into her ribs.
Shane Russell.
Emmy ran toward her cruiser at a low crouch, popped the trunk to retrieve her duty vest. She called Julian on her phone. “Possible sighting of Russell at Allison’s house. Send backup. Lights, no sirens. Secure the front and back. Seal off the neighborhood.”
“Yes, boss.”
Jude reached into the trunk and grabbed the shotgun. “I’ll cover the rear.”
Emmy couldn’t risk her getting shot at again. “No, cover me.”
Jude pumped a shell into the shotgun. “Let’s go.”
Emmy two-handed her Glock as she jogged toward the house. She saw the flashlight moving in the upstairs windows, heading into the hallway. Police tape sealed the front door. Emmy used her house key to slice it open. She gently pushed the door. Checked to make sure the foyer was clear. Shadows danced around from the streetlights. Emmy followed her training, narrowing her eyes, trying to force her pupils to adapt.
Jude bolted ahead before Emmy could stop her. She ran up the stairs, disappearing into the darkness. Emmy chased after her. Saw Jude swing around the shotgun at the top of the hallway. The only light came from Allison’s bedroom. The low beam of the flashlight danced along the crack in the door. Jude started to move. Emmy tried to overtake her, but it was too late.
Jude shouldered open the door. “Police!”
Emmy crouched, Glock out in front of her. She saw the flash-light drop to the floor. The intruder was blanketed in darkness.
“Drop it!” Jude shouted. “Let me see your hands!”
Emmy reached for the light switch.
Bill Garrison stood in the middle of the room.
Emmy was too shocked to do anything but point her gun at his chest. Had she got it wrong? Was Bill the shooter? Had she spent the last thirty-six hours spinning around like a dog chasing its own tail? Was her entire squad out looking for Shane Russell for no reason?
