Page 105 of Rangers Unexpected Return

Judy closed her eyes briefly.

“I’m investigating a serial killer with children.”

“We’re helping,” Trigger said.

“You’re flirting with your wife across an active crime scene.”

“It keeps her calm.”

Rylie smiled.

“He’s right.”

Judy looked at me.

I lifted my hands.

“I just got here.”

“That excuse has an expiration date.”

Will photographed the string.

“He opened the window after dark,” I said.

“Because he wanted us looking outside,” Wolf added.

Judy turned toward the alley.

“He wanted to prove he could reach her.”

“No,” I said.

She looked at me.

“He wanted us awake.”

“Why?”

“To wear us down.”

Wolf nodded.

“He knows we’ll watch her in shifts. He wants every Ranger tired and looking in different directions.”

Judy stared toward Main Street.

The buildings were dark. The courthouse clock showed eleven thirty-seven. Two sheriff’s vehicles waited at opposite ends of the road.

The Keeper had turned the entire town into a defensive position without stepping anywhere near it.

“He’s studying our response,” she said.

“Then we stop showing him everything,” I answered.

“How?”

“We make him believe we’re doing what he expects.”