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Amber hoped so too, because a lifemight depend on it. She stood there in front of Arquet’s desk, staring at thenote as if she could will it to give up its secrets. She didn’t have the skillsto interpret a birth chart like this, though. It wasn’t a puzzle that she couldtease apart for answers, wasn’t something that simple logic and backgroundknowledge would let her work out.
That made it frustrating to waitthere, knowing that, even as she did so, the killer might be closing in on hisnext victim.
She felt Simon’s comforting handsettle on her shoulder. “He said tonight,” Simon said, obviously guessing whatshe was thinking. “That gives us several hours of daylight yet to try to get tohis victim before he does. If we play this right, we can even be waiting forhim when he comes.”
That should have comforted Amber,but in truth, all it did was remind her of the time she’d spent waiting forColm O’Rafferty in one location, while he was busy killing Sinead Ballor inanother
“We’ll do this, Amber,” Simon said.Amber could still feel the touch of his hand there on her shoulder and shestarted to sink into that touch almost automatically, the memories of lastnight still fresh in her mind.
Simon pulled back then, though, asif realizing that things were starting to go too far. Did he not even want torisk touching her now, in case it somehow pushed the two of them over whateverline he was trying to draw between them?
Amber was still wondering aboutthat when Detective Arquet came back, bringing Alonzo in handcuffs to his desk.Alonzo gave Amber a pointed look.
“So, you want me to do more of yourjob for you?”
“Think of it as offering the FBIyour cooperation, so that it looks good with the DA,” Amber said.
“How good?” Alonzo asked.
Simon stepped in. “Before you startasking for a deal, remember that there are other astrologers out there. Itwould simply take us time to find one and get them to help us. But it would alsotake time to get a deal approved by the DA. So how about this: you help us,and we tell the DA that you cooperated at every stage of our investigation?Alternatively, we go find another astrologer, and tell them that you didn’t cooperate.”
Alonzo looked momentarilysurprised, then angry, then resigned. “All right, all right. I’ll help, let melook.”
He sat there for a minute or two infront of the birth chart, making notes.
“April 23rd,” he said atlast. “And the individual this birth chart is for would be thirty. Is that goodenough for you?”
Amber hoped so. She pulled up asearch engine on her phone, looking for any local sculptors with that date ofbirth. Unlike before, there was only one name in the results, and as Amberclicked on the sculptor’s website to see an image of a tall, dark-haired womanstanding there in front of a slab of marble, she realized with growing uneasethat she was now looking at the killer’s next victim.
“Loretta Kane,” Amber said. “That’sthe name of the sculptor. She has a studio next to her home in town.”
“Then we need to get there,” Simonsaid. “Before the killer can.”
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
Amber clung on as Simon skidded thecar around a corner, lights flashing as they cut through the traffic aroundKeystone. They wove around a truck, ignoring the blaring of a horn as they keptmoving.
It was obvious that, even with adeadline set for tonight, Simon wasn’t taking any chances. Nor were the twopolice cars following them, the three vehicles forming a convoy that hurriedthrough the town, trying to get to Loretta Kane’s home as quickly as possible.Some cars moved out of their way; others were too slow, so Simon simply dartedpast them, not slowing down for an instant as he followed the route that led tothe address they had for the sculptor.
Amber could see that address ahead,in the middle of a row of older houses in one of the suburbs of the town. Thehouse was white painted, although it had been allowed to weather to somethingmore worn. The garden in front of it was dominated by a couple of sculptures,one of a crouching tiger, another abstract and swirling, composed of movingparts that shifted in the breeze. At least it made the house easy to find.
Amber could feel the adrenalinebuilding inside her as Simon brought the car to a halt outside Loretta's house.Amber jumped out, not waiting for the two police cars following them to catchup. She needed to get eyes on the artist as soon as possible to know that shewas safe. There was a beat up old pickup truck in the driveway, which Ambersuspected that Loretta used to move the smaller pieces of her work around. Shehoped that meant that the sculptor was home.
Amber hurried up to the door to thehouse, ringing the bell. She resisted the urge to reach for her gun, no matterhow fast her heart was beating in her chest. If the killer was planning tostrike tonight, then it was better not to panic his next potential victim. Theyjust needed to get to her and persuade her to accept police protection untilthey could catch the man doing this.
There was no answer from inside thehouse, so Amber tried again, calling out as well.
“Ms. Kane. My name is Amber Young.I’m with the FBI. We need to talk to you urgently. We believe that you may bein danger.”
Still, there was no answer, andthat only served to fuel Amber’s growing sense of worry.
“Let’s check around back,” Simonsaid. “Maybe there will be some sign of her.”
Amber nodded, starting to move withhim into the yard of the house. She peered through the windows as she went,looking for any sign of Loretta Kane, but the house appeared to be still andempty.
There was a workshop out back witha couple of unfinished works in front of it. The workshop door was open,revealing the interior of an artist's studio. Sculpting tools hung from thewalls, while clay and blocks of stone stood, waiting for Loretta's attention.There was no sign of her there, but Amber could see that several things in theworkshop seemed to have been knocked over. There were the remains of ashattered statuette on the floor, fragments of stone scattered across it. Atable had been upended.
Amber felt a wash of horror at thesight of it. At what that might mean. “Are we too late?” she asked Simon. “Hashe already come here?”
