“Did the caller get a license plate?” Tracey asked.
“No, he just saw what looked like a body roll out of a car and then the car sped off. All he said was it was a dark color, black or maybe dark grey or blue,” she replied.
“He was so angry with Georgia he couldn’t even stand to have her in his presence any longer than was necessary.”
“Maybe he killed her not long after he took her, but only just got around to dumping her,” she contradicted.
Tracey shook her head. “No, she hadn’t been dead more than a few hours, probably around midnight.”
“Killing her this soon wasn't part of his plan. He took Tillie the same day he killed Jeannie. And he took Georgia the same day he killed Tillie. But this time around he might not be so prepared. He probably has more victims picked out, but he might not have them groomed enough that they’re ready to meet right away. We might actually have some time to get ahead of him before he snatches his next victim,” Rylla said, and desperately hoped it was true.
* * * * *
6:45 A.M.
Mila stretched, yawned, and rolled over in bed. Even though it had been eight months since she had separated with her husband, she still wasn't used to sleeping alone, and tended to stay on one side of the bed. Eventually she would adjust, or maybe she wouldn’t even have too.
There was a guy.
A special guy.
Possibly the sweetest, kindest, most thoughtful, gentlemanly man she had ever met in her entire life.
She had met him on the internet. When she finally realized her marriage was crumbling into a state of disrepair and could never be rebuilt, nor did she want it to be, she had started hanging out on dating websites. Not really because she was interested in finding a partner, she had been looking forward to spending some time alone, to really figure out who she was and what she wanted out of life, but because she had just wanted to meet some new friends.
Then she had stumbled upon the Happily Ever After Club. The whole premise of finding a Prince Charming had appealed to her. Her soon-to-be ex-husband was not even close to Prince Charming, although she supposed back when they’d met, she had thought he was pretty dreamy and the fulfiller of all her desires. Thirteen years and two kids later, she no longer saw him that way. Now she saw all his flaws, and all the things that should have stopped her from marrying him in the first place. It wasn't really that he was a bad guy they just weren’t compatible.
Unlike Sinbad Charise.
He was exactly what she had been looking for. In fact, he was a lot of things she hadn’t even known she was looking for. For the first time in a long time, she was actually excited about her future. It was so nice not to just be going through the motions, stuck in a relationship that sucked the life out of her.
Her alarm buzzed, and simultaneously her phone chimed.
A message.
She knew who it was even before she reached over and picked up her phone from the nightstand.
It was SC.
She was smiling—grinning like a lovesick puppy—as she read his message. That grin managed to grow even bigger when she saw what it said.
He wanted to meet.
Tonight.
Butterflies fluttered in her stomach.
Meeting in person.
They had talked about it a little in the two and a half months they had been corresponding on the internet, but they hadn’t talked anything definite. Was she ready to meet him? It would make everything so much more real. She loved talking to him, it was one of the bright spots of her day, but she wasn't even divorced yet, and she had two kids to think about. Bringing a man into their lives was something she would only do if she was completely serious about that man.
So was she?
Was she completely serious about SC?
Was she confident that he could be someone that she would end up marrying?
Mila knew what answer was in her heart, but she had to make sure that the same answer was in her head. She couldn’t make another heart choice like she had with her ex. With him, she had let herself get swept up in the moment, let the passion and excitement overwhelm her to the point where she hadn’t thought of anything else.