Page 40 of Ruthless Possession
"He kills them too," Matthew finishes.
"And Charlie?" I ask, dreading the answer.
Techy is quiet for a moment. "I found birth records for Charlie showing only Harris listed as the parent. No mother's name."
My blood goes cold. "What does that mean?"
"Either the mother wasn't listed, or…" Techy hesitates. "Or Charlie isn't biologically his."
The implications hit me in waves. "You think he took her? From one of the victims?"
"It's possible," Techy admits. "We're checking now."
I hand the phone back to Greyson, my mind reeling. If Charlie isn't Evan's biological daughter, if he took her from one of his victims…
"We need to find her," I say, my voice tight with urgency. "Now."
The truck speeds down the highway, the landscape blurring outside the window. I think of Charlie, of her shoes, of the way she'd looked at her father when she thought no one was watching.
She knows, I realize. She's always known.
Ahead of us, police lights flash in the distance. Greyson slows the truck as we approach a roadblock with two patrol cars angled across the highway, officers checking vehicles.
"That's our exit," Greyson says, gesturing to a side road. "The gas station sighting was just up there."
We pull off the highway, following a narrow road that winds through increasingly rural terrain. Small farmhouses dot the landscape, separated by wide fields and patches of forest.
"He could be anywhere," Matthew says, frustration evident in his voice.
"Not anywhere," I correct him, studying the map on my phone. "He needs supplies. A place to hide."
"Like a motel," Trenton suggests.
I shake my head. "Too public. He's been doing this for years. He has a plan."
We pass the gas station where Evan was last spotted, a small building with flickering neon signs. Police tape marks off the area, officers moving with purpose.
Greyson pulls over, and we approach the scene. Ethan is already there, speaking with a uniformed officer.
"Anything?" I ask when he notices us.
Ethan nods. "Security camera caught him filling up. Paid in cash, left heading south."
"With Charlie?" I need to know she's still with him.
"Yes. She looked… tired, but unharmed."
Relief washes through me, quickly followed by a fresh bout of anxiety. "Where would he go from here?"
Ethan gestures to a map spread across the hood of his car. "There's a small community about five miles south. A few farms, a general store. Beyond that, mostly wilderness."
I study the map, tracing the roads with my finger. I feel like I'm missing something.
"The women," I say suddenly. "The ones who disappeared. Where were they last seen?"
Ethan points to several locations on the map. "Two at the community center. One at the general store. Two more at a local diner."
My finger stops on a spot just outside the small community. "What's here?"
