Page 91 of Shadow of Hope
“No.” Micha sat forward. “Not without Dev.”
She could wait that long, right? Yeah, with a little pacing she could handle it. “Okay, then send her a reply. Tell her we’ll meet in Medford.”
“First I need to find a neutral location where I know you’ll be safe.”
“Okay, well, do that. Quickly.” She shooed him with her hands, hoping he’d search the internet for such a location.
“It will take as long as it takes, Ava. I won’t compromise on your safety.”
“Fine. Okay. You do what you have to do.”
“Starting with a call to Reid to see if he has a suggestion of a meeting place.”
“Good. Call him. Then when Dev gets back, we go meet up with Fran in Medford, and maybe we’ll learn something useful that gives us the killer’s name.” She returned to her chair even though she felt as if she might bubble over with excitement for this new lead.
Her phone rang, and she retrieved it from her pocket. “Another unknown number.”
Micha held out his hand. “Let me start the recording.”
He took the phone but held it out.
“Here we go.” He tapped the answer button on the screen and put it on speaker.
The creepy music started. Then the distorted voice.
In the darkness whispers fall,
I’ve found you again, now heed my call,
Turn yourself in and don’t you bail,
Or in the stillness, nightmares will prevail.
Too bad Ava wasn’t handling the recording. Then she would have something other than the creep’s threat to focus on. Why couldn’t they find out who he was?
Please let Colin be able to unscramble this man’s voice so we can figure out his identity.
He finished the song, and she leaned close to the phone. “Can we meet and talk about this?”
Silence.
“Please.”
Click.Call ended.
Why had she even spoken? She’d sounded desperate, telling him he was winning.
Why had she done it? Just why?
Now he knew how much his calls were impacting her. Encouraging him to call back again. Great. She would add that to her mounting panic, maybe really lose it when he called back. She needed to let Micha handle the next call, keep her big mouth shut, and remember that she was in the right place for right now, even if it didn’t feel at all like that could be true.
19
Fran wasn’t hard for Micha to identify. Even though her features weren’t similar to Layne’s, she glanced anxiously at the restaurant door each time it opened. Fifteen minutes ago, he’d left Ava in the SUV with Dev and came inside to scope out the place Reid had recommended. To check the restrooms. The dining area. Even the kitchen, with the owner’s cooperation. He’d claimed he was protecting a celebrity who’d received death threats, and he needed to be sure she was safe.
From his seat at the short counter with attached stools, he could see the entire dining room of the Big Bear Family Restaurant. It was a traditional-looking restaurant except for a few things and was located near the highway. The first wall by the front was filled with stuffed bears for purchase, and the back wall had a large, stuffed black bear. A friendly-looking bear, kind of like the cartoon bear Yogi the Bear.
But those were the only oddities in the room. No obvious threat. Satisfied Ava could join them, he hurried through the downpour to her car door and pulled it open. He leaned inside. “Straight inside and to the back table by the restrooms.”
