Chapter 54

ERIC

I looked up when the meeting room door opened. A knot tightened in my stomach.

"I have bad news," Russell announced as he spread the contents of a folder across the desk. "Two bodies have been found. It looks like Chapman isn't working alone."

The carnage in the photos made my stomach churn. Whoever killed these women had gone berserk, decapitating one and cutting the arms off the other.

"Do you know who did this?" I asked, my voice strained.

Russell pulled two more photos from the pile. "Security cameras caught one of the women being kidnapped. It's the same guy who was in the Internet café. The FBI's involved. They're using facial recognition software to identify him, but it could take a few days to find a match."

"We might not have a few days if he kills again," I said, my frustration mounting. "When were these women murdered?"

"Between two and four days ago. Their bodies were found in New Haven and Stamford."

I picked up the crime scene photos, feeling a cold dread settle in my chest. "Why do you think Chapman was involved?"

"He told us where to find the bodies. Chapman can't be in two places at once, and we know for a fact he was in Broomfield when at least one of the women was murdered. CSI is doing DNA and fingerprint analysis of each crime scene."

The door opened again and a detective I'd met earlier walked into the room. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but you'll want to know this. The man in the security footage has been identified. It's Jaydon Chapman, Leith's stepbrother."

I scowled as the pieces of the puzzle clicked into place. "The NYPD has already spoken to him. He wasn't a person of interest."

Russell opened the folder the detective handed him. "Why wasn't he identified sooner?"

"The detectives who interviewed him have been in training for the last week. As soon as they opened the file, they recognized him."

"Where is he now?" I asked, my anxiety spiking.

"He flew into Broomfield yesterday."

My cell phone beeped and I checked the message. I frowned when I saw who it was from. "Riley has a visitor. Who is Special Agent Gareth McDonald?"

Russell and the detective exchanged a worried glance.

"I'm onto it," the detective said, racing out of the room.

I followed him into the open-plan office area. The detective typed something on his keyboard and waited for a reply. "No one by that name works for the FBI."

"We need to get to the cottage," Russell said, his voice urgent. "Send all available police and highway patrol units to Eric's address in Sunrise Bay. Possible kidnapping and murder suspect on the loose."

My hand shook as I sent an email to Russell. "I've just sent you a recent picture of Riley."

"Got it. Taylor, send this photo to all responding units along with a picture of Jaydon Chapman." Russell quickly tapped something into his phone, grabbed his jacket, and headed for the door. "Let's go."

I followed him outside, my heart pounding. We were at least thirty minutes away from Sunrise Bay. In desperation, I prayed there was someone closer who could help Riley before it was too late.