Page 21 of Night Moves
He shook his head. “No call is completely untraceable especially since we’re dealing with a cop. I have a fresh phone, and it would take Gentry a long time and a lot of luck to trace the calls. But since there is even a chance, I won’t risk making a call from here unless it’s a life or death situation.”
“Thanks for explaining.” She flipped open the iPad case and held it so tightly her fingertips turned white.
He wanted to do something to help her let go of her fear, but that was going to be up to her. She’d have to trust him and his brothers to keep her safe, and that would take time as she got to know them.
She tapped the screen with her free hand, her tongue peeking out the corner of her mouth as she concentrated. She looked like an adorable kitten, and the cute sight belied the rigid set to her shoulders.
She took a sharp breath and looked up. “Kirk’s wife went missing about a month ago. He said she took off, didn’t want to be a mother and wife anymore. But I always got the feeling that something bad happened to her, and he was involved.”
She paused and took a long sip of the coffee. “So tonight, when I was putting Willow to bed, I had a creepy conversation with her about her father polishing her nails. From there she revealed the fact that he hid their basement by installing a bookcase where the door was once located.”
Okay, weird.“So you went into this basement?”
She nodded, her eyes tortured. “And I found the belongings that he reported his wife as having with her when she disappeared. Here’s a picture of her things.” She handed him the tablet.
The picture on the screen was of a large wooden shelf. It held a pink tote bag with the name Tracey embroidered in the canvas, a small purse in some designer fabric he couldn’t name, and a blue rain jacket.
Drake met Natalie’s gaze. “So it looks like she might not have taken off. Could even mean Gentry killed her, but that’s not as extreme as being a serial killer.”
Natalie set down her mug, and a hint of coconut rose up to greet him.
“I also found this.” She swiped to the right on the iPad and looked up at him.
The next photo she revealed displayed a multi-compartment storage case similar to the one where he stored screws and other small fasteners out in his workshop. It was sitting on a crowded workbench. The drawers were pulled out, and each drawer held a bottle of nail polish, all different shades.
“They’re in order of the colors used on the women The Clipper murdered,” she said, her tone flat and emotionless as she dropped back down to the couch.
What in the world?Could she be right? Was this guy The Clipper?
Drake could hardly wrap his head around the idea, but he called up what he knew of the investigation. The nail polish details hadn’t been in the news. Of that, he was certain. He and his brothers had been following the case closely. Very closely, as it was the biggest investigation to ever hit Portland, and each of them wanted to be in on it.
How could a social worker possess this information?
He watched her, waiting for any sign of duplicity, but didn’t see any deceit in her eyes. “How do you know the order?”
“I overheard it. I didn’t mean to listen but…” She shrugged. “I was in a PPB detective’s office to talk about one of my children they’d arrested. He’s one of the detectives on The Clipper task force. He got a phone call and stepped into the hallway to take it. But he didn’t close the door all the way as he discussed the list of colors.” She rubbed her forehead. “He doesn’t know I heard him, and I haven’t told anyone other than you and Malone.”
That detective should’ve been more careful, and Natalie shouldn’t have listened, but Drake would’ve likely done the same thing.
“And you’re sure this is the correct order?”Or are you wanting it to be? Want to be one of those people who attach themselves to a famous investigation?
“Positive.” The single word rang out in the room, and she glanced up at the stairs.
Her adamant tone spoke to something deeper. Maybe as a female, she was empathizing more with the victims than he could. Or it could just be because she knew Gentry and now suspected him of heinous crimes.
Either way, Drake believed her and believed that he was now looking at protecting her from a man who’d killed four women and maybe his wife too. A serial killer who a major joint agency task force that included highly respected FBI agents had been working hard to find and had struck out. A seriously bad dude.
This news changed things.Everything.
Drake needed time to plan, but one thing was clear. Crystal clear. There might be a task force investigating The Clipper, but they wouldn’t have the resources to protect Natalie and the kids, and Drake and Erik alone couldn’t keep them safe from a cunning killer. They needed their brothers on the job.
He started pacing. Thinking. On one of his trips past the couch, he stopped to look at Natalie. She peered up at him, those unusual eyes boring into him. Into every emotion he was feeling right now and intensifying them.
His phone signaled an email, and he grabbed it from his pocket to see a message from Malone. “Excellent. Malone is working with Detective Londyn Steele. She’s one of the members of the inter-agency task force hunting down The Clipper.”
“I’ve worked with her before. Seems like you think it’s a good thing Malone called her.”
“She’s an excellent detective. Tough but fair. My parents have been friends with her family for years. They own Steele Guardians and provide security guards for businesses in the area.”
