He’d stood in her house. Touched her table. Taken what he wanted.
Scout followed her line of sight, something in him settling into a colder resolve.
Somewhere out there, the man who had walked into her home was already planning his next move.
And somewhere in the dark, Sara Parker was still waiting.
30
Operations Room — Morning
A large map of Jackson County covered the wall, pushpins marking every evidence point, every possible suspect.
On a yellow index card, Tessa wrote:
TRAIN WHISTLE — 10 A.M. / 7 P.M. — Lauren, Day 79
Burke gestured toward the map.
“Lauren heard a train twice a day while she was held. Ten in the morning. Seven at night. That narrows it. Sinclair and Keller could both hear it from their properties.”
He tapped one pushpin.
“Raines’s house sits right on the railroad.”
Tessa studied the pin marking Raines’s home.
Close enough to rattle the windows.
“He’d hear it loud,” Scout said.
“Clear enough to set a clock by,” Burke replied.
He handed off a file. “Scout, Tessa — take the college. We’ll talk to him at home next. Let me know if anything feels off.”
Drive to Jackson Valley University
Water streaked down the cruiser’s windows as Scout drove.
“You think Raines is our guy?” he asked.
Tessa shook her head. “Something about him is off — but so are the others. Still, a house that close to the tracks makes this worth a look.”
Silence settled.
“You get any sleep?” he asked.
“Not much.”
“It helped knowing someone would come if I needed them,” she said.
His hands tightened slightly on the wheel.
He didn’t answer.
Raines’s Office — Jackson Valley University
A knock on the frosted glass.
