CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
May climbed in her cruiser and sped away from the hotel’s premises. It was now after five-thirty p.m. and she hoped Lewis would still be at the warehouse. And that he was still alive.
She raced through town, then turned left onto the main road out of town that would take her to Misty Hills.
The killer had to be Sam, the ex-employee, May decided. Sam would have known the ins and outs of the hotel. And the killings had been very carefully planned and stealthily done.
May knew that getting to the warehouse as soon as possible was crucial. She didn’t want to take any chances that Bert Reed might put two and two together and decide to warn Lewis, after finding that Jolene was no longer at the hotel. She wanted to get there before Bert had the chance to make any calls.
She pushed her foot down hard on the accelerator and flew along the road, weaving around the slower vehicles. As she sped on, she wondered what she would find when she reached the warehouse. May knew she needed to be prepared for any eventuality.
There was the industrial estate up ahead. The industrial area of Misty Hills was very small, just a couple of blocks in size, and Appletree Road was a short one, with only five neat warehouses along it.
She turned into the street and wove through the warehouse lots until she spotted the one she was looking for.
She had no time to waste.
There it was. Number four.
Was he here? There were a few cars parked nearby, but the parking area looked to be shared. She couldn’t tell if he was here. It was time to go inside and see what she could find.
May walked up to the warehouse. The door was closed. But when she pushed it, it swung open.
So someone was inside. She felt extremely nervous as she stepped in.
The place smelled musty, with a hint of alcohol infusing the air. It was a spacious warehouse, with rows and rows of boxes and barrels and stacks of cans lining the tall steel shelves.
“Hello? Lewis Brooks?” she called out.
May waited. No answer.
Was anyone here? Did something happen?
She paced through the warehouse, feeling more and more jumpy with every step she took. She had the feeling something had gone wrong. Why was nobody around? Where was Lewis? Had Jolene lied to them or deliberately sent them in the wrong direction?
Her heart sped up as she worried that her side, a critical part of the operation’s success, would prove to be the weak point that brought the whole operation down.
What if she was to fail while her sister succeeded? May couldn’t bear the thought of that happening. Now she was beginning to think her decision to involve the FBI hadn’t been so intelligent after all.
And yet, what option did they have? Rescuing the trafficked women was the priority and that was firmly under the FBI’s jurisdiction. Even if she had ended up pursuing the more difficult and elusive lead as a result.
What if he was here, but already dead?
A shiver went through May at that thought. She began peering more closely into the aisles, looking for any sign that a body might have been abandoned.
Those big beer vats would be the ideal dumping ground for a body, especially since this killer seemed to use any container he or she could find for the step of drowning. The idea made chills rush through her but she knew she had to explore it.
May walked to the row of beer vats, checking each one carefully.
She jumped as she heard a clang behind her, and spun around.
But it must have been a bird landing on the steel roof, because the warehouse was empty and silent.
She carefully checked the rest of the warehouse. She walked past the beer vats and the row of barrels and cans. She looked at all the tall shelves, filled with boxes and crates. She even looked behind the motorized racking.
Nothing.
She was getting more and more worried that she was too late, and that something had gone wrong.
Maybe Jolene had made a mistake. Perhaps Lewis wasn’t really here. Maybe he’d changed his schedule. Or maybe he was dead.
May shook her head, trying to stop herself from spiraling down that particular path. She couldn’t afford to worry about that possibility. There was no sign of a fight or a struggle at all. Not in here. But there was also no sign of Lewis.
“Lewis Brooks?” she called again. But there was no reply. She’d now reached the other end of the warehouse, with no sign of his presence at all.
He must have gone somewhere else, or been forcibly taken. And she had no idea where that might be.
There was nothing else to do. If she was going to track him down, she was going to have to call Owen and ask him to ask Jolene if she had any other ideas where this man might be.
Standing uneasily in the empty warehouse, she dialed Owen’s number, hoping he’d pick up. Time was ticking by. She felt desperate that she was going to mess up her part in this vital operation.
Please answer, she worried, as she listened to the phone ring.
Then Owen grabbed it, sounding breathless. “May! What’s happening? Have you found him?”
She could hear the panic in her own voice as she updated him.
“He’s not here! I have no idea where he is! Owen, is there any way you might be able to ask Jolene for other ideas? How’s it going that side?”
“Well, everything here is going at full speed,” Owen said. “Your sister has arrived, and a team from the FBI Minneapolis office is about ten minutes away. She’s organizing things as we speak so that there are no delays. The raids are all on track. They’ll be setting off any minute. I’m joining the team to raid the Mount Amethyst as we’re still two officers short.”
“That’s all sounding good,” May said, feeling sick inside.
It was just her letting the team down. Just her! It wasn’t her fault, but she had to fix it.
“Jolene is in one of the interview rooms. She’s given me some very interesting information. She says she’s been here two months and is very worried about some of the things they’ve been doing. She actually told me she sent an anonymous tip-off to Emily, asking her to investigate the hotel, because she thought there was underhanded business going on. But every time she asks questions, she’s threatened with being fired and being sued. So she’s kept quiet until now.”
“That’s interesting,” May said. Now the pieces were starting to fit together. It also meant Jolene was honest, and would try to give them reliable information.
“I’ve taken her phone away. She’ll remain in the police station for the duration of the evening and she’s happy to give evidence. I’ll go in again and ask her about this.”
May waited, shifting from foot to foot. How could this be happening? How could she be the weakest link?
Perhaps Jolene would know. May held her breath as she waited for Owen’s reply.