We’d only met her once—the day we’d gone to interview the CEO of Southern Hospitality Tours, Lonny Horwitz—but she’d seemed so nice. Sweet even. Sure, the two of them made an interesting couple, but not a killer couple.
And why William? He was by all accounts a star employee. Was it connected to the job at Boone Hall, after all?
“She didn’t have murder eyes,” Dane said.
We turned in a circle to see more of the crowd. “Murder eyes? What are you talking about?”
“All the murderers you highlight on the podcast have serial killer eyes.”
Dear, lord. “Yeah, that’s because we pick pictures where they look crazy. Everyone has at least one murder eyes picture.”
“Do you?” he asked.
I smacked his arm with my free hand. “Yes, and you too. That photo of you from Florida in 2018? Murder eyes.”
“You stalked my social media?” he asked, as if he didn’t expect that from a woman who researched murderers for a living. “I’m proud.”
“Where would she go?” We’d have time to discuss the other things on his timeline—like a weird obsession with the Detroit Lions—later. Right then, we had to find Donna Lee.
Dane thought for less than a second. “Not the office where we know they work.” No one is that dumb.
“No, definitely not.” Only a moron would run back to the tour office. “Let me find her address.”
Thank God for the internet. Addresses were one of the easiest things to find. I had Donna Lee’s home address in less than two minutes.
“Got it,” Dane said at the same time as me. “Let’s go.”
I stole a glance at the map directions on his phone. “It will be faster to run there.”
Dane cut right through a group of families. “Google says less than a ten-minute walk. We can cut it down with speed.”
He put his long legs to work, and I struggled to keep up. His power walk looked more like my quick jog.
“We’ve got to be smart about this,” Dane said without a struggle.
I sucked in air, trying not to die as I kept pace. “Yeah, but fast.”
Smart and fast.
If we snuck up on Donna Lee and caught her off guard, she’d be more likely to say something she’d regret later. And if she had nothing to hide, she wouldn’t mind a quick visit from two paying customers.
Dane’s phone rang. He put it to his ear as if we were on a simple stroll. I hated it. “How far out is our closest man?”
No way was I stopping to wait for the SEALs to converge. Donna Lee might be halfway to Florida by then. “What are you doing? There’s no time,” I said.
He pretended not to hear me. “I’m in a mayday situation.”
The person on the phone said something, but I was too far away and winded to hear.
“See if you can get Eli here. Pinpoint me based on my phone,” Dane said.
I pointed ahead at a tall, old Victorian-looking home in the middle of a block right off from the tourist areas. “We’re here.”
Dane slowed. “I’ve got to go. Get Eli in pursuit.”
“I’m not waiting for Eli,” I said with my sights set on the house. We were so close. I wouldn’t let Donna Lee get away from us now.
Innocent people didn’t run.
