job. Jim's job.
He dialed Jim's cell number. No answer.
Jim always answered. Unless his cell was no longer in his hands, as Eve Duncan had claimed. Damn, that scared him.
He punched the number for Torrance with the highway patrol and while he was waiting he called out to Annie Burke in the front office. "Get that report Jim requested on Joe Quinn." After he had read the report, the sheriff had thought Quinn might have valid reasons for suspecting Kistle and had started the surveillance on him. He needed to know everything Jim knew.
"Ten minutes," Annie said. "I'm on my lunch break."
"Now!"
Annie would probably give him hell later. He couldn't worry about it. Torrance had picked up and Dodsworth was telling him what had to be done.
"By whose authority?" Torrance asked. "I'm not about to send my guys off on a wild-goose chase at this time of night."
"Sheriff Jim Jedroth," Dodsworth lied. "I'm just relaying his orders."
"Got you." Torrance hung up.
Annie was standing in the doorway holding a folder. "You lied to him. What's got into you, Charlie Dodsworth? Jim's going to have your ass."
"I hope he does." Dodsworth got up from the desk. "I haven't got time to read that report. Walk me to the patrol car and fill me in, Annie."
"Where are you going?" She fell into step with him as she took out the report.
"I can't get in touch with Jim."
"He could still be okay. That doesn't—" She broke off, her gaze scanning the report. "Joe Quinn is a lieutenant with ATLPD. Lots of commendations, formerly with the SEALs and FBI. There's a photo."
He glanced at the picture. Quinn appeared to be in his late thirties, brown hair, square face, broad mouth, and wide-set brown eyes.
Annie went on, "He went to Harvard and is supposed to be very, very smart. He lives in a lake cottage outside Atlanta with an Eve Duncan."
He punched the elevator button. "Tell me about Eve Duncan. Is there anything on her?" Annie nodded. "Yeah, evidently they've worked together on several cases. She's a forensic sculptor, one of the best in the world, and does work for police departments all over the country. Several years ago her daughter, Bonnie, disappeared and was presumed killed by a serial killer who was later executed. Her body was never recovered and later it was suspected that the man who was executed for her death was innocent of that particular killing. Though he was guilty of several more child murders. Eve Duncan went back to school to study forensic sculpting and has been searching for the killer and the remains of her murdered daughter ever since. Joe Quinn has taken several leaves of absences from the department over the years to investigate possible suspects."
"Like Kistle," Dodsworth said grimly. "And this time he may have hit the jackpot." He was going down the steps toward the patrol car parked in front of the building. "Why the hell couldn't he have stayed out of our town?" He jumped into the car. "If Torrance calls back, cover my ass, Annie."
She frowned. "What's happening, Charlie? Where are you going? It must be pretty serious if you're willing to risk your job like this."
He backed out of the parking spot. "Dead serious."
FLASHING LIGHTS. HIGHWAY patrol cars drawn across the highway ahead. Roadblock.
This was farm country and a roadblock was big stuff, Kistle thought. Those cops weren't going to be checking for seat belt violations.
He stomped on the brake, made a U-turn, and pressed the accelerator to the floor. He could hear the sirens behind him.
He should have had more time. He'd hidden the sheriff's body and he should have had a chance to get out of the county before the police were able to martial their forces. Eve Duncan had done this.
He knew he'd shaken and sickened her, but she must have rallied quickly, to get this fast a response. He felt a thrill of excitement as he went around a curve in the road. He could feel the blood pumping in his veins. He hadn't been this close to capture in a long time. He'd forgotten
He dialed Jim's cell number. No answer.
Jim always answered. Unless his cell was no longer in his hands, as Eve Duncan had claimed. Damn, that scared him.
He punched the number for Torrance with the highway patrol and while he was waiting he called out to Annie Burke in the front office. "Get that report Jim requested on Joe Quinn." After he had read the report, the sheriff had thought Quinn might have valid reasons for suspecting Kistle and had started the surveillance on him. He needed to know everything Jim knew.
"Ten minutes," Annie said. "I'm on my lunch break."
"Now!"
Annie would probably give him hell later. He couldn't worry about it. Torrance had picked up and Dodsworth was telling him what had to be done.
"By whose authority?" Torrance asked. "I'm not about to send my guys off on a wild-goose chase at this time of night."
"Sheriff Jim Jedroth," Dodsworth lied. "I'm just relaying his orders."
"Got you." Torrance hung up.
Annie was standing in the doorway holding a folder. "You lied to him. What's got into you, Charlie Dodsworth? Jim's going to have your ass."
"I hope he does." Dodsworth got up from the desk. "I haven't got time to read that report. Walk me to the patrol car and fill me in, Annie."
"Where are you going?" She fell into step with him as she took out the report.
"I can't get in touch with Jim."
"He could still be okay. That doesn't—" She broke off, her gaze scanning the report. "Joe Quinn is a lieutenant with ATLPD. Lots of commendations, formerly with the SEALs and FBI. There's a photo."
He glanced at the picture. Quinn appeared to be in his late thirties, brown hair, square face, broad mouth, and wide-set brown eyes.
Annie went on, "He went to Harvard and is supposed to be very, very smart. He lives in a lake cottage outside Atlanta with an Eve Duncan."
He punched the elevator button. "Tell me about Eve Duncan. Is there anything on her?" Annie nodded. "Yeah, evidently they've worked together on several cases. She's a forensic sculptor, one of the best in the world, and does work for police departments all over the country. Several years ago her daughter, Bonnie, disappeared and was presumed killed by a serial killer who was later executed. Her body was never recovered and later it was suspected that the man who was executed for her death was innocent of that particular killing. Though he was guilty of several more child murders. Eve Duncan went back to school to study forensic sculpting and has been searching for the killer and the remains of her murdered daughter ever since. Joe Quinn has taken several leaves of absences from the department over the years to investigate possible suspects."
"Like Kistle," Dodsworth said grimly. "And this time he may have hit the jackpot." He was going down the steps toward the patrol car parked in front of the building. "Why the hell couldn't he have stayed out of our town?" He jumped into the car. "If Torrance calls back, cover my ass, Annie."
She frowned. "What's happening, Charlie? Where are you going? It must be pretty serious if you're willing to risk your job like this."
He backed out of the parking spot. "Dead serious."
FLASHING LIGHTS. HIGHWAY patrol cars drawn across the highway ahead. Roadblock.
This was farm country and a roadblock was big stuff, Kistle thought. Those cops weren't going to be checking for seat belt violations.
He stomped on the brake, made a U-turn, and pressed the accelerator to the floor. He could hear the sirens behind him.
He should have had more time. He'd hidden the sheriff's body and he should have had a chance to get out of the county before the police were able to martial their forces. Eve Duncan had done this.
He knew he'd shaken and sickened her, but she must have rallied quickly, to get this fast a response. He felt a thrill of excitement as he went around a curve in the road. He could feel the blood pumping in his veins. He hadn't been this close to capture in a long time. He'd forgotten
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