“I know,” Krista said. “I just hate for this man to rob you of your dreams and goals.”
There was a long moment of silence. Then Megan said, “I don’t have dreams anymore, Krista. I think he beat them out of me.”
Krista would never get over the tragedy of that. “Will you still let me take you to the airport?” she asked Megan.
“Sure,” she said. “My flight’s not for a few hours, but I’m all packed up.”
“All right,” she said. “I’m heading over to get you right now. You can hang out with me until it’s time to go.”
Fifty-seven
Krista Carmichael had stayed in most of yesterday, from what he could tell. He had watched from his car for several hours, parked on the curb several houses down, trying to determine if she was alone. It was hard to tell, because they kept the garage door closed, and he couldn’t see if her father was there or not.
Since he couldn’t watch her house constantly, because of his work and the expectations of others, it was possible her father had left at some point during the day. But since he hadn’t seen him go, he’d had to wait.
Now he saw her garage door going up. He started his car, watched as she backed out of her driveway. When she drove toward the neighborhood entrance, he followed at a distance.
The baseball cap and sunglasses he wore provided some cover, though he knew she wouldn’t know who he was even without them. No, when he finally had her where he wanted her, she wouldn’t know what hit her. She’d searched so hard for Ella’s killer. She’d finally fulfill her dream of meeting her sister’s killer. Wouldn’t she be surprised to learn she was his next victim?
He followed her across town, his heart pounding with the thrill of the hunt. He was ready to force her into his car if she got out in an isolated area. But he was a patient man. If not today, then tomorrow.
If it couldn’t happen today, he was all set up to make his hunt easier. If he couldn’t get to her without being seen, he’d wait until she parked her car. Then he would put a transponder under it, so he could track her via his computer. He’d know where she was at all times, even when he wasn’t nearby.
She took the exit for Rice University, which gave him pause. Where was she going? He slowed as she pulled onto the campus and headed to one of the dorms.
His mouth went dry. This wasn’t a safe place for him to be. If Megan Quinn saw him, she could identify him.
He didn’t park, but circled the dormitory as Krista went in. He came back around, and thought of parking somewhere some distance away, and taking the opportunity to put the transponder on.
But it was too dangerous for him. No, now wasn’t the right time.
When he came back around the block a second time, he saw her at the trunk of her car with another girl.
His heart jolted. Megan Quinn.
So this was where she’d moved. He had no idea that Krista and Megan knew each other. But of course they would. They had a lot in common.
He slowed as he drove the block again. Megan was on crutches, and Krista loaded luggage into her trunk.
Was Megan going home to New York?
He’d hoped to find her and kill her before she identified him. It was just too good to be true…having them both together like this. He laughed out loud as he came around the block again and saw them pulling out of the parking lot.
Now he had a new urgency. He had to act while they were together. Almost giddy, he followed them back to the interstate.
Fifty-eight
Krista’s phone rang as she and Megan pulled onto the interstate. She checked the Caller ID. “It’s Ryan,” she said to Megan. “Do you mind if I get it?”
“No,” Megan said. “Go ahead.”
Krista clicked it on. “Hey, Ryan.”
“Hey there,” he said, his voice soft. “I just wanted to check in with you. See how you’re feeling today.”
She thought of last night, the kiss, the way he’d comforted her. “I’m better today,” she said. “I’m with Megan. She’s decided to withdraw from school and go home. Her flight’s in a few hours.”
Ryan paused. “I’m so sorry we haven’t been able to figure out who the killer is yet. I wish we could have given her that peace.”
“Me too.”
“But this morning Ian downloaded the GrapeVyne and Willow employees’ directories, with the pictures they have on their badges. I was thinking that maybe Megan could come by and look at them all, and see if she recognizes anyone. Would you mind bringing her here to do that before she leaves? We’re staying at the Hampton Inn.”
She glanced over at Megan and started to repeat the invitation. But Megan had heard him.
Her eyes rounded with hope. “Yes, we can go. Can we do it now?”
Krista nodded. “All right, we’re coming,” she said. “See you in a few minutes.”
Fifty-nine
Ryan hung up the phone and rubbed his eyes. They felt raw as he tried to focus on his computer screen. He and Ian had been up all night, reading every article they could find on each of his board members, trying to determine if any of them had been behind his murder attempt. Then they’d finagled a way to download the employees’ directories and had begun to research the other top executives at Willow, to see who might want them dead.
“The idea of it being a conspiracy that involves several people is just too preposterous,” Ryan had told Ian last night. “No, whoever wanted us dead has to be only one person…or two at the most.”
“I don’t know,” Ian said. “It’s bizarre that the dude who’s been texting Megan Quinn might have some connection to GrapeVyne or Willow, and here we are looking for another person who tried to have us killed. It’s just too coincidental.”
Ryan mulled that over. “Maybe it’s not really a coincidence. Maybe it’s the same person.”
Ian shook his head. “Don’t think so, man. We’ve got a crazed predator who’s killing girls…and an angry board of directors that’s mad because we’re uncovering some industry secrets. I don’t see how the two can be related.”
“What if it’s not the industry secrets that they’re really mad about? What if it’s something deeper?”
“That they’re murdering girls?”
“Not they. Him. Maybe one person.”
“So how does the Data-Gather stuff fit in?”
Ryan stared at his coputer.
“Maybe this person is using that information to find and stalk his victims.”
Ian had stared at him for a long moment. “Dude, I think you’re onto something.”
Now he hoped Megan would be able to help. Maybe when she scanned the faces of the Willow and GrapeVyne employees, she would find her attacker.
Ian came out of the hotel bathroom in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, his hair wet from his shower. “Did you find out anything else while I was showering?”
Ryan shook his head. “No, but Krista’s bringing Megan over to look at the directories.”
Ian looked distraught. “Chicks? Why don’t you tell a guy so he can shave?”
Ryan looked around. The small suite was a nightmare of clutter. “Pick something up, will you? They’ll be here in a minute. I can’t let them think we’re pigs.”
Outside, the killer was watching from across the parking lot as Krista got out of the car at the Hampton Inn. Megan got out with her, hobbling toward the door on crutches.
Who could they be visiting here? Were Megan’s parents staying here? Maybe they had come to get her.
The parking lot was too visible from the street, so he couldn’t make his move here. But he was pretty sure he could get under Krista’s car without being seen. There was a security camera on one corner of the building, but if he parked around the corner and came at the car from the other side, he wouldn’t be seen.
He opened the box on the seat next to him. He got out the transponder, mounted on a magnet to hold it in place. Opening his laptop, he checked to make sure it was working. A map came up on the screen, with
a triangle pinpointing the transponder. Yes, it would work beautifully.
He pulled on gloves, just in case the transponder was found and fingerprinted, and wiped it down with a handkerchief.
He pulled around the corner, parked, and got out of his car. He bent as though looking for something, making sure he was hidden by the cars he passed as he made his way to her Kia. Then he knelt, and quickly placed the device inside her wheel well.
He checked to see if anyone had seen him. There was no one near, and none of the traffic passing by had slowed enough to watch him. Heart racing, he went back to his car. He got in and opened his laptop, and checked the device again.
Perfect.
He would always know where she was, even when he couldn’t follow her. He could trail her without ever getting close enough to be detected. And sometime soon—sometime in the next few hours—he would be able to make his move. Megan was the icing on the cake…
As he entertained the possibilities, his appetite intensified.
Soon it would be satisfied again.
Ryan was startled by Megan’s appearance as he let them into the hotel suite. He had expected her to be more healed from her wounds, but she looked almost as bad as she had in the hospital. The brace on her leg, the crutches, the bruising and stitches…
Krista looked like she still hadn’t slept, and her skin had a chalky, pallid color. Ryan wondered if she’d eaten anything since the pizza last night.
He smiled at her as he let her in, and Krista’s cheeks blushed pink. He gave her a quick hug. But Megan’s body language was stiff and unaccepting, so he only patted her shoulder.
“I’m glad you guys came by,” he said. “Megan, this is Ian. He helped me start GrapeVyne.”
Ian gave her an awkward salute. “Hello.”
“Nice to meet you,” she said softly. “I’m sorry about your firing.”
“Yeah, well.” He combed his fingers through his wet hair. “Sorry for being all wet. I just showered. Didn’t know we were having company.” He moved his laptop off the couch, set it on the table. “Have a seat.”
Megan and Krista sat down. “Can I see the directories?” Megan asked.
Ryan handed her his laptop and sat down on the other side of her. She opened it while he explained. “There are thumbnail pictures of everyone here that you can scroll through,” he said. “If anyone looks familiar, click on the picture, and a larger view will open.”
She swallowed and began scrolling down, looking intently at each face.
As they waited, Krista looked at him. “You guys okay? Has anything else happened?”
“No, I think we’ve managed to keep our whereabouts a pretty good secret.”
“You should change hotels tonight. Just in case.”
“Yeah, we were thinking about that.”
Ryan glanced at Megan as she scrolled through the faces.
“And you haven’t heard anything from the police?” Krista asked.
“No, nothing. I hope they’re working on it.”
Suddenly, Megan sprang up, dropping the laptop.
“Whoa!” Ryan caught it before it hit the floor.
Megan’s face turned crimson. He thought she was choking. “You okay?”
Pointing, she said, “Him.”
“Who?” Ryan asked.
“That man…” She sucked in fast, shallow breaths. “It’s him…”
Krista’s face went white, and she grabbed the computer. “Him who? Which one?” She saw where the cursor was on the screen, clicked the thumbnail picture. A face came up, with a name beneath it.
“Henry Hearne?”
Ryan’s heart jolted. “What?”
Megan was hyperventilating. “Call…call the police.”
Ryan couldn’t grasp it. “Are you saying he’s the one who attacked you?”
Ian took her shoulders and looked into her face. “Megan, are you saying Henry Hearne is the killer?”
Megan’s legs wilted under her, and she leaned against Ian and almost fell. “Yes!” she whispered.
Krista grabbed her phone out of her purse and began to dial.
“Bathroom,” Megan gasped. “Gonna be sick.”
Ian pointed. “In there.”
Krista thrust her phone at Ryan and helped Megan into the bathroom.
Putting the phone to his ear, Ryan stared at Ian. “Henry Hearne.”
“No way,” Ian said. “No stinkin’ way. If he’s the killer, and we were uncovering all the data he was collecting…then he’s the one who wanted us dead too.”
As Ryan heard Megan purging her terror, the detective answered. “Detective Pensky. Hello?”
Ryan tried to steady his voice. “This is Ryan Adkins,” he said. “We know who the killer is.”
Sixty
Henry Hearne heard the sirens as they approached the Hampton Inn. Were they coming for him?
He pulled out of the parking lot and drove away as fast as the speed limit would allow. He stayed away for fifteen minutes, but then curiosity compelled him to go back.
He drove past the hotel, saw four police cars in the parking lot. None of the cops loitered there, so they must have gone in.
Maybe it wasn’t about him. He kept going and parked in the lot of a grocery store a few blocks down. Watching that triangle on his laptop, he waited for Krista to leave.
Finally, the triangle began to move. He pulled out in traffic and followed her route. When he went back by the Hampton Inn, the police cars were gone.
The uneasiness returned.
He followed a mile behind her, watching the triangle on his computer navigate its way down streets and around corners. Finally, it came to a halt.
As it did, he realized where she was. The police station.
Something had happened. Had they figured out who he was? Surely not. He had covered all his bases, and there was no way they could trace him. He had used different vehicles for every incident. He’d even hired thugs to chase down Ryan. He kept a low profile, despite his money and his position. He hadn’t had his picture taken in years, and he never did interviews.
Megan would have no way of stumbling upon his image.
No, she probably just wanted to talk to the cops one more time before she left town. If her parents were indeed the ones she’d gone to see at the Hampton Inn, then maybe they had called the police to encourage them to look harder for him.
It was nothing to be afraid of, and he wouldn’t let it distract him from his goals.
It wasn’t wise to go to that area, so he turned at the next red light and headed back to Krista’s house. He would wait there, watching to see when her father left home. If he did, he would go inside.
Maybe, if he was lucky, Megan would come home with her.
Sixty-one
The revelation of who the killer was sent the police department into a tailspin. Krista sat with Megan, Ryan, and Ian, as the police chief himself questioned them. He seemed reluctant to believe that a man as rich and powerful as Henry Hearne could have done such horrific things.
But it all made sense. Hearne had gathered all the data he needed to target the girls he would torment. That data had made him aware of Ella. And she had played right into his hand.
The knowledge gave Krista no relief. Instead it inflamed her grief, and she wanted to go sit in a dark room and rail out her anger to God. At some point during the questioning, she called her father and told him. Within minutes, he was at her side. His hand was icy as he held hers, yet sweat glistened on his face. His eyes looked glazed and haunted.
When the questioning died down and the police force had been dispatched to pick up Henry Hearne, Krista had the presence of mind to ask Megan if she still wanted to fly home.
“I think so,” she said. “The flight’s not for three hours.”
“We can wait at my house for word,” she said. “You can put your leg up and eat something. It’ll be more comfortable than sitting here.”
Megan agreed, and the two of them left. Her fat
her stayed behind to talk to Detective Pensky. Ryan and Ian were being interviewed by the FBI about the information they’d uncovered.
As Krista and Megan walked out to her car, Krista fought the rush of emotion. She didn’t want to upset Megan more than she already was. But as she got behind the wheel, tears assaulted her.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “It’s just all hitting me. That man…what he did to my sister…to you and to Karen. And who knows how many others?”
Megan’s eyes were red and puffy from crying. “I hope they put him in the worst prison with the most vicious criminals. I hope he gets a taste of what he’s done.”
Krista started her car. “I hope he gets the death penalty.” She pulled out of the police department’s parking lot and started home. By now, they may have already found him. Maybe he was at work when they arrived at his office. Maybe they’d paraded him out of Willow in handcuffs. She hoped the press would show up and capture his stunned expression.
Soon everyone would know.
“So much makes sense now,” Krista said. “Ryan said Hearne never does media for Willow, so his face hasn’t been on the news or in the papers. He keeps this low profile, acting too humble for the limelight…When all along, he was hiding from people who could identify him.”
As she drove, she tried to think how he did it. Yes, he’d learned of Ella’s and Megan’s whereabouts by reading their Thought Bubbles, but he hadn’t been on their Friends Lists. He’d been watching from behind the scenes, not even needing to masquerade as a Friend. That was how he’d gotten Megan’s new phone number. He’d read her private GrapeVyne emails.
Megan leaned her head back and closed her eyes. “If they find him, if they can keep him, maybe I can stay. Maybe I can finish my degree.”
“Oh, if they find him, they’ll keep him. Between your identification and the evidence Ryan and Ian turned over about his activities with GrapeVyne, he won’t get away with it. Maybe now we’ll all have some closure.”
Megan looked out the window. “I have a feeling closure is not all it’s cracked up to be.”