Page 61 of Roughing
I gave her a quick hug and checked the time on my phone. “I have to get ready for work. We’ll talk more tonight.”
“Okay.”
I wanted to ask what had happened during the time she’d fallen off the radar, but questions like that would be a waste of time. She wasn’t talking. Since I didn’t know her well, I wasn’t familiar with the person she was before her disappearance. Maybe someday I’d get that answer, but we’d have to build trust first.
I’d always thought women in her line of work would be more hardened and bolder, but Heidi was neither. Being so small and frail probably attracted a lot of clients who were into a certain type of woman. I shuddered at the thought of poor Heidi being abused by some asshole. Being beaten by Gordon had almost broken me, and I was stronger than Heidi.
I mentally chastised myself for making assumptions about Heidi based on her profession. I hated it when I was stereotyped because of the color of my skin, and here I was, doing that same thing to her.
I arrived at work with thirty seconds to spare. Carla was seated at her messy metal desk and already working the phones. I sorted through a stack of papers and assembled them in a reasonable order while I waited for her to hand out my assignment for the day.
Carla ended the call and turned toward me. One look at her face and I saw it written in bold letters. Something had happened since I’d last seen her.
“What is it? Is it about the body they found a few nights ago?” Alarm peppered my tone as I waited for her response. I’d mentioned the incident to her last Friday.
“Yes, they’ve identified her.”
“Is it Pria?”
“Unfortunately, no. They believe it’s the last victim. Symone Walters.”
“He abducted her a week ago. Usually his victims aren’t discovered this quickly.”
“Not usually, but he left this girl where she’d be easy to find, naked and with her wrists and ankles bound. She was posed for maximum shock effect.”
“How was she killed?”
“Portland PD isn’t saying.”
“But you know, don’t you?”
She nodded. Carla had her connections and wasn’t afraid to use them. “Let’s just say the manner of death is similar to the other bodies they’ve discovered. Portland PD is on the verge of officially announcing we have a serial killer roaming the streets.”
A cold chill slid through me as I let that information sink in.
“There’re too many similarities. I realize we’ve both assumed there was a serial killer, but Portland admitting to it is a big step. They’ll probably form a task force and put more staff on it. Not to mention more coordination of efforts on similar cases. The FBI might be called in.”
“That’s all good, right?”
“Yes, very good.”
“I still think Gordon is a possibility.”
Carla studied me with zero expression. “I know you do, but don’t let that cloud your ability to investigate other leads. And he’s definitely on the Portland PD’s radar as a person of interest.”
Gordon was still my prime suspect. He had a history of abusing women, a sexual appetite not easily satisfied by one woman, and a cruel streak. I’d been lucky to escape that man alive.
“One more thing…” Carla said, and I jerked back to attention. “We couldn’t tell with the other two bodies, but this one was fresh enough. It appears Symone was kept alive and tortured for a few days before he killed her. The body wasn’t decomposed as much as it should’ve been by now. They’ll know more after the coroner’s report.”
“Will you get that?”
Carla grinned slyly. “I’m not supposed to be privy to such information.”
“But in other words, you’ll know the contents.”
“I might.”
ChapterTwenty-Two
