He had the perfect place in mind where he was certain she would not be found.
There were even flowers nearby. He'd noticed them yesterday. Beautiful flowers, in shades of pink and purple.
He would take her to the place he planned, and she would wait there for him. It would make the process even more exciting. Nobody would find her and she would not escape. He would attend the meeting and then he would return to her.
Waiting longer would only make the experience more pleasant.
At the point where he should have driven to the school, he flattened his foot on the gas and took the other route, speeding away, ignoring her frightened cry, because she was his now.
She was his victim. She was his queen.
His plan was working perfectly.
He'd captured his final prize, and now, he would take her somewhere, where she could wait for him. The future was ahead. He had everything planned out. He wanted to savor this last moment of having this beautiful girl in his possession.
This was going to be his ultimate sacrifice, the experience he would cherish forever.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
May headed out of the house, her tiredness forgotten, adrenaline spiking because she could well be on her way to the killer.
Automatically, she reached for the phone to call Owen as she climbed into the car.
And then she hesitated.
She wasn't sure that would be the best decision after what had happened between them last night. She felt this needed more time to settle.
But then May told herself not to be ridiculous. Of course Owen needed to be there. She couldn't let the personal predicament between them affect the way she did her job. Lives were at stake! This was no time to be a wilting flower because of what had happened yesterday. She'd just have to toughen up and set her emotions aside.
Taking a deep breath, she dialed his number.
"Hello?" he answered on the second ring, sounding snappish. Her stomach plummeted. It was as if he was a stranger.
"I got information on Coach Adamson from Kerry, and it's not looking good for him," May said. "He has been operating under a false name, and has a record of statutory rape.”
Owen gasped.
“We need to go and speak to him as soon as we can. He lives in Floral Ridge."
"I'll be there. But it won’t be soon. I wasn’t home last night. I was on the other side of the lake."
It really was just like talking to a stranger. She felt terrible. Had he gone to a friend for company? What had happened last night? Normally he’d tell her, but not this time.
"I'll give you the address," she said. "You can meet me there, and I'll call in some other backup so we don't waste time."
"Alright.” He cut the call abruptly as soon as she’d read out the address.
With an effort, May put the emotional entanglement of this situation firmly out of her mind. There wasn’t time for it right now. On the trail of a suspect, every moment counted.
With Owen delayed, May decided to call the local police department in Floral Ridge.
She got on the phone again immediately.
"I'm on my way to pick up a suspect in a murder investigation, and I need some help," she said. "The suspect's name is Graeme Adamson, and he resides at number 4 Boardwalk Street. Could someone meet me there in fifteen minutes?"
"Sure, we'll be there," the local cop said.
At this early hour, there was no sign of the Monday morning traffic that May knew would clutter up the roads within the next hour or so. Right now her headlights cut the gloom as she sped along almost empty roads. She didn't bother with the sirens, just drove as fast as she could.