But if there was a chance of saving a life in the meantime, May knew that as a local cop, she had to do her duty for the community.
“We’ve got to go, I think,” she said to Owen.
“That’s what I’m thinking, too. We have to see if she’s there.”
What to do about Kerry? May wondered, as Owen tapped keys on the laptop, bringing up an area map.
Her sister had stated very firmly that there were to be no more interruptions. She was at a critical psychological moment in her questioning. And so far, May and Owen had no proof, only a strong theory.
“I think we shouldn’t interrupt Kerry during her interrogation. Not unless we’re sure,” she decided, and Owen nodded, looking relieved. “And we’re not sure yet. For a start, we have two different suspects. So, let’s head out on our own and find out more about them both.”
“The problem is that they are in completely opposite directions. These two locations are about thirty miles from each other, and the one in the woods will take a long time to get to, as it will be over very rough tracks.”
May saw what he was saying.
Going together to each location would take them a couple of hours. It would waste precious time, which they might not have, because this killer was speeding up his interval.
“We’re going to have to split up,” she said.
Owen nodded. “Yes. We’re going to have to do that to have the best chance of saving her if she’s out there.”
“Which one do you want to take?” May decided to give him the choice. She couldn’t see there was much of a difference. Both were isolated, rural spots. Both of them might end up with May and Owen coming face to face with people who distrusted the law. There was potential danger in both situations.
But May already knew which one Owen was going to choose. She knew without a doubt that he was going to volunteer to go to the stepfather, because he had a criminal record.
Having a record made him more potentially dangerous and a more likely suspect.
“I’ll take Abner Delaforte, if you don’t mind,” Owen said, confirming what May had thought. She felt a twist of worry that he was putting himself in danger. The only positive was that Mr. Jackson’s cabin was closer to where they were now, even though it was going to be a rough drive there. If she got there, and it checked out, she could rush to help him, even if it took a while.
“I’ll go out to Mr. Jackson and check his place. Let’s stay in touch every step of the way and do what we can.”
May knew that wouldn’t be much. This was a small police department. There was no readily available backup that could be called out to support them on what was no more than a hunch.
It would be only herself and Owen, heading out into possible danger.
But perhaps, if they were lucky, one of them would find the captured victim before she, too, was killed.
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
May gripped the wheel as she neared the woodlands cabin where she hoped Mr. Jackson might be found. Trees scraped and brushed the sides and roof of the car as she headed in and out of the dappled shade.
She drove as fast as she could, feeling anxious about Owen. She wanted to be able to rule this suspect out in time to help him, if he needed her help.
She felt worried that her partner was heading out to come face to face with a man who had a criminal record, and who had lost his wife as well as his stepchild, due to the disaster of the Chestnut Hill High bullying.
She was not downplaying the likelihood that she might also confront the killer, but she was very aware that Owen would have put himself in the path of the most dangerous scenario.
Make sure you take care, Owen, she thought.
May didn’t know what it was like to lose a child, but she knew what it was like to lose a sister. The pain, the memories, never left you. And perhaps it had taken the killer years to recover from the pain and to plan his revenge.
Or perhaps it was just that there had been a few recent incidents of bullying in the news, and it had pushed him over the edge mentally, pushed him past breaking point, into a murderous mindset where he’d gone on a killing spree because in his own damaged mind, he felt it was the only way to stop this.
May gunned the engine, but then braked hard as she reached the point where she had to turn off the worn, potholed blacktop and onto the sandy, rutted track that led to the cabin. She tried to make sure that her mind was calm and clear, not distracted and bogged down in worry. She had to be at her most focused now. She needed to be a sharp cop, one who could make the right decisions.
But right now, May felt vulnerable.
She felt vulnerable not only because she might be facing a man who had killed multiple times, but because she was going into it alone. That meant a lot of responsibility rested on her shoulders. She didn’t want to fail. She could not afford to miss a detail that might lead her to the captured girl, and she could not afford to mess up.