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Yet she couldn’t begin to comprehend why this was happening. Had the shooter targeted her simply because she’d bumped into him before the parade?
Because she’d drawn the sketch of his likeness that had been flashed all over every news channel, locally and nationally?
Or was it just because she was one that got away?
“You okay back there?” the cop behind the wheel asked.
“Yes.” No, of course not. How could she be okay? How could anyone be okay after something like this?
Elly closed her eyes and sought peace in prayer, the way her parents and Rhy had taught her.
Please, Lord Jesus, keep us all safe in Your loving arms. Amen.
* * *
Joe hated leavingElly in the squad, but he had a job to do. The only way to keep Elly safe from harm was to find this guy ASAP.
“He had to have been up in a tree,” Joe said to Steele as they crossed the parking lot toward the ridge of mature trees lining the opposite side of the parking lot from the building. “The angle of the bullet that hit the mattress indicated he was above the second-floor landing, shooting in a downward trajectory into the room.”
Steele whistled under his breath. “The goal was to kill Elly.”
“Yes. I have no doubt about that.” It didn’t make any sense, but this guy was clearly twisted, having absolutely no conscience as he ruthlessly killed innocent people. “I’m thankful Elly was in the bathroom.”
“You think he used a scope?” Steele asked as they split up, walking about three feet apart into the wooded area.
“Must have.” Joe scanned the ground searching for footprints. “Although if so, I would have thought he’d have noticed Elly wasn’t there.”
“Maybe he didn’t look closely enough to realize the pile of blankets and pillows weren’t a person.” Steele shrugged. “He may have been too eager to take action.”
“Maybe.” Although he found that difficult to believe. This guy had proved himself to be a cold-blooded killer. Not a hyped-up kid dealing with a rush of adrenaline. “He’s not the typical active shooter, that’s for sure.”
“Yeah, I’m getting that.” Steele glanced at him. “Highly unusual for an active shooter to stalk a witness.”
“Exactly. And how did he find her here?” Joe scowled. “I don’t like it, Steele. Not one little bit.”
“Agreed.” Steele paused, then glanced upward. “This tree doesn’t have a direct line of sight to the motel room. His position must have been closer to where you are.”
Joe nodded. He forced himself to take a deep breath, then dropped to his haunches. He couldn’t rush this. As much as he hated to admit it, their perp was smart. He’d taken extra precautions to avoid being caught. Which meant he would have taken care not to leave evidence behind.
Yet he’d also fired off several rounds. The chances were slim that he’d have been able to pick up all his brass. He’d heard Raelyn had found shells at the Christmas parade too. None with prints, unfortunately, but it was something.
He’d take whatever they could get.
A glint of brass caught his eye. A surge of satisfaction hit hard. “I have something. I need an evidence bag.”
Steele crossed over to join him. “Here.”
Using the bag as a glove, he picked up the shell casing. Then found another one. Only two, but that was a good start. Enough to match them as the same make and model Raelyn had found at the parade.
“Looks like he made another mistake,” Steele said with a grim smile. “I believe he’ll make more.”
Joe didn’t doubt that they’d find him. The question was when. It was already going on ten hours from the initial shooting event at the Christmas parade. They needed to find and arrest this guy, before he killed anyone else.
He was sick to his stomach knowing sweet Elly was in the center of this guy’s crosshairs.
“Joe?” A male voice caught his attention. Rising to his feet, he turned to see Gary coming toward him, a look of alarm etched on his features. Joe inwardly winced, thinking about the damage that Gary’s motel room had sustained.
“I’ll pay for the repairs,” he said quickly. “I’m sorry, Gary. I did not expect this guy to find us here.”
