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But it was the thought of the killing afterward that really got him cranked up.
And now everything was in place. He literally rubbed his hands together and laughed aloud when he realized it. He couldn’t wait for the lovely Detective Dunbar. He envisioned her lying on her back, tied down, writhing for him, while he stood by and watched her.
An unwanted thought sizzled across his brain, shattering his delicious fantasy, infuriating him. It was his secret lover calling. I know what you’re thinking.
Charlie’s teeth ground together. Bullshit. No one knew what he was thinking. His thoughts were his own. He was getting tired of her and her game playing. She was just toying with him, not letting him see her. To hell with her. He was going to play the game on his terms, not hers.
He could feel his carefully constructed Charlie mask start to crack and split on his face.
You getting wet, bitch? he asked her. Getting ready for me?
Name the place, was the answer that came back to him, faintly haunting, carried on the wind.
He clamped his mind shut. No! Not yet. He wasn’t going to let her see his perfect plan. First, he was going to have his time with the hot detective; she could just goddamn wait.
He hated her, this sneaky secret lover. He didn’t like being watched from the shadows.
After the detective, she was next. He would lure her out, and then they would see who the master game player was.
Savannah phoned Lang as soon as she got to work. When he didn’t answer, she called him every hour on the hour, knowing she was being flat-out annoying, uncaring that she was. She wanted answers from him. She’d sent him the report; the least he could do was get back to her about something.
Detective Hamett had phoned again, and this time she’d taken the call. He’d asked her a number of roundabout questions that all had to do with Hale, which ratcheted up her anxiety, even though she knew the routine. She told him that she felt Kristina’s killer could be the mysterious lover her sister had met at the Carmichael house. She was debating about telling him about Kristina’s liaisons at the Donatella house, but he was called away before she could go into the story, so she settled on writing down the information instead.
Finally, Lang called back in the late afternoon. “Looks like Woodworth isn’t the only missing employee. Jacob Balboa’s been gone since Saturday.”
“Balboa,” she repeated. The next name on the list. “But he did work Saturday?” Savvy asked, thinking of the cold eyes that she’d felt staring at her from afar at the RiverEast Apartments construction zone.
“Yeah, he was there. Apparently, he even talked to Woodworth about you. One of the other guys thought he overheard them mention a female detective.”
“I noticed one of the workers staring at me from a distance.”
“Bet it’s the same guy.”
“Where does he live?” Savvy asked.
“Some place south of Oregon City, more rural country. I’m heading there with Curtis now, and we’ve contacted the sheriff. I don’t know. . . .” He sounded uncertain.
“What?”
“I don’t like thinking they had a conversation about you and now they’re both missing.”
Savvy felt a flutter of fear travel up her spine but said, “I’m fine. Maybe Balboa’s worried that I’m on his trail.”
“Stay close to the phone,” he said.
“Hey, I’m like a teenager in love, waiting all day for you to call.”
She scared a chuckle out of him, which had been her intention. “Okay. I’ll let you know what we find at Balboa’s.”
She hung up slowly, feeling like they were getting close. Was Balboa Charlie? Had he killed DeWitt and possibly Henry . . . ? She thought of Nadine, how she’d sounded on the edge of panic that Henry was missing. Did she maybe suspect something? She’d still been filling in at Bancroft Development. Maybe she knew Jacob Balboa and sensed he was dangerous.
Maybe he was Kristina’s lover . . . Mary’s son, Declan Jr.?
She jumped when her desk phone suddenly rang, another call through the switchboard. She picked up the receiver. “A Victoria Phelan wants to speak to Detective Savvy somebody or other,” Cho told her.
Victoria? “Put her through,” she said, immediately worried about the baby. As soon as she heard the click that confirmed they were connected, she said, “Victoria? This is Savannah Dunbar. Is there something wrong?”
“Yes . . . ,” the girl said on a gulp.
