Page 86 of Whispers at Dusk
She’d been assigned here before. While not like a native, she knew the terrain. It was like home. Dangerous reptiles to watch out for, mosquitos that could be annoying—or deadly. She’d learned as a child to leave alligators alone and never go near a nest.
She knew Jackson had asked her to join the team dealing with the Midnight Slasher because she would be careful. She had earlier worked with a team who had assembled to find and arrest bank robbers who had disappeared from Baton Rouge after killing a guard and seriously wounding a teller and a customer.
An alligator slipped silently from the embankment, and startled egrets flew into the sky. The chirp of insects around them and the moss that dripped from the trees gave the area a haunting atmosphere, one that was strangely peaceful, and yet one that invited depths of humid darkness, places where even in sunlight shadows could hide endless sins.
In time, Mason said, “We pulled in here before. The shack where the Midnight Slasher was holding a girl was straight through that grassy trail.”
“But you said he won’t be there,” Fremont said.
“He won’t. But he’ll be near,” Mason said. He looked at Della. “He’ll expect us to check the shack. Detective Fremont, if you’ll do that, I believe he’ll be watching. He’ll also be watching to see what Della and I do—”
“How will he even know you’re here?” Fremont asked.
“He’s been waiting for us,” Della told him.
“All right. I’m a decoy?”
“Something like that,” Mason said. “I’m—”
“Don’t be sorry. I’ll be happy to be a decoy if it gets us where we need to go.”
“Thank you!” Della said.
“We keep in contact. I’ll split from Della, but I’ll be close. And your men—”
“Already filtering in,” Fremont said. “They’re searching, but also waiting for word. I promise you, I picked a good team. Several on this team grew up in the area. They know it the way few others possibly can. We want to find these young women alive.”
“Yes,” Della murmured.
Della was glad she chose her boots for her daily wear. As much as she did love wilderness areas, there was something there that was a little edgy about stepping into water where snakes and other dangerous creatures might be hiding just below the surface.
They stepped back into the marshy grass that led to the poor trail to the shack. There were others, interspersed with the trees.
“I’m going to head up to that shack. Hey...look. There are still some remnants of crime scene tape around it. You think this guy may be using the exact place?”
“No, but check it out,” Mason said.
“You can look for others. Some of the old places have caved in. Fishermen still use a few, and hell, some are older than dirt and part of the landscape. I think maybe, though, we should have stayed in the city. At least we could have grabbed a drink somewhere on Bourbon Street,” Fremont said.
“Well, we can get back there,” Mason said. “Della and I will choose different paths, cover more territory. At the very least, we’ll have checked out the Midnight Slasher’s place.”
They had both spoken loudly, Della knew, because...
Were they crazy? Could Dante really be expecting them, waiting for them?
Or had they read too much into their own beliefs about the man? Were they too certain they knew someone who could possibly change his ways, like his appearance, in a split second?
“Lots of hidey-holes out here you might never find!” Fremont called. “Unless you’re a gator!”
“We’re good! Hey, we’ll divide and conquer!” Della called out.
Fremont waved, then seemed to blend into a smattering of oak growing by what was almost a trail.
He’d said it. There were so many possibilities out here.
The killer was using one of them, she was certain.
But then again...
