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None of them could outsmart him.
He would have two more girls before leaving Black Rock Falls. He craved to hold Emily Wolfe’s life in his hands despite her father being a deputy, and then to kill the sheriff slowly—although not the age he preferred, she would fight well and be worth the effort. Cloaked in shadows, he leaned casually against the doorframe, his gaze resting on the wide walkway sloping down toward the promenade.
“I’m waiting for you, Julia.”
Fifty-One
Moving through the mass of hot bodies and inhaling a variety of odors, Jenna made it out the exit and followed the brightly lit pathway to the restrooms. The line of women waiting went halfway back to the hall. She walked to the end of the line, pushed inside the bathroom, and called out Emily’s name. No one answered. Noticing Susie Hartwig on her way out of the building, she caught up and walked beside her. “You haven’t seen Shane Wolfe’s daughter, Emily, have you?”
“Yeah, she was waiting some ways back with Julia. I guess they went to the restrooms over by the main arena. They’re under the stands and I heard a few women saying they were heading over there. We all warned them not to go because the lighting isn’t good but they wouldn’t listen and went off in a group. They thought if they stuck together they’d be okay.”
Worried the two girls might be wandering through the fairgrounds alone, she needed to cover all bases. “Are there any other restrooms close by they might use?”
“Oh yeah, there is another one down by the promenade. Do you know where the souvenir and food stalls are set up during the day?”
Jenna nodded. “Yeah, I know the place. Thanks.”
She hit her mic button and contacted Wolfe. “She is not at the restrooms outside the hall but people have seen her and Julia. I’m heading to the main arena restrooms now. If she is not there, I will look at the ones by the promenade. Go and check the food and soda lines in case she has returned.”
“Roger that. Wolfe out.”
She hit her mic again. “This is Sheriff Alton, is anyone in the vicinity of the main arena or the promenade?”
One of the Blackwater deputies responded, “Yes, ma’am. I’m at the far end of the promenade near the entrance.”
“Keep your eye out for Deputy Wolfe’s daughter and her friend. Call me if you see them.”
“Yes, ma’am”
Breaking into a jog, she headed toward the main arena. People clumped in small groups, chatting or wandering around, likely cooling off after dancing, but at the main arena, the place looked deserted. The lights were out but the summer sun still offered a bright twilight. A rush of fear hit her in the pit of the stomach the moment she entered the dark walkway under the grandstand. Would two girls be stupid enough to go here alone, especially as Emily knew the current danger? Gathering her wits, she listened intently in the hope of hearing voices over the thumping music belting from the dance hall. Going into a dark corridor with a serial killer on the loose was unnerving, hand-to-hand combat training notwithstanding. Taking out her cellphone, she accessed the flashlight and moved swiftly along the dark corridor toward the sign above the ladies’ restroom. The moment she arrived, the muffled voices coming from inside calmed her nerves. She pushed open the door to find a small line of women waiting to use the facilities. “Emily Wolfe, are you in here?”
When no reply came, she looked at the line of women. “Has anyone seen a girl with long blonde hair recently?”
The women wore terrified expressions and shook their heads in the negative. “Keep together, don’t leave anyone behind when you return to the hall.”
She turned and ran out the door and back to the main arena. She hit her mic. “Wolfe, no luck at the main arena, heading toward the promenade now. All deputies with the exception of Rowley be on the lookout for Emily Wolfe. Alton out.”
Fear cramped her gut but s
he took off at a run toward the promenade area. Dancing advertising signs illuminated the entrance to the fairgrounds and banners with various events flapped in the breeze. She noticed a fall of blonde hair and jogged toward a group of teenagers chatting by a refreshment stand, her gaze doing a visual scan of everyone in the area. The blonde-haired girl in the group turned around and gave her a wide-eyed stare. She smiled then bit back despair at not finding the girls and changed course.
After contacting Rowley to make sure he had eyes on Provine, she headed back to the hall. Emily was mature and levelheaded. Causing her father so much worry seemed out of character. When she placed herself in danger at the computer shop, she made sure her father had her back. She must be okay or she would have activated her tracker.
As she reached the hall, Kane, Wolfe, and Rowley walked outside. “What’s happening? Who is watching Provine?”
“Walters is chatting with him now.” Kane’s gaze moved over her face and he handed her a bottle of water. “We’ve done a recon of the hall and Emily isn’t there.”
Jenna drank greedily from the bottle. “I want everyone else searching for her. Break the fairgrounds into sections and get the deputies to check in once they’re cleared.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Kane’s gaze moved over the fairgrounds. “Where do we start?”
Panic welled in her belly. Everything was moving too slow. She couldn’t just stand there, she had to do something. “Get them organized, Kane. I’m not waiting. I’m heading to the backlot—that’s where I’d go if I wanted to murder someone.”
When Kane started issuing orders into his mic, she looked at Wolfe’s drawn face and started to jog toward the back of the fairgrounds with the deputies on her heels. “She hasn’t activated her tracker yet?”
“Nope.” Wolfe’s pale gaze moved across the mass of buildings spread out in all directions. “I hope she is just cooling off somewhere and chatting with friends. She’s met quite a few since we moved here.” His cellphone let out a piercing ringtone. “That’s her tracker brooch signal. We’ll be able to hear her but it’s not a two-way. I’ll put my phone on speaker, move away from the noise.”
“Daddy? I know the name of the killer.”
