CHAPTER TWENTY

“ We have a dead body in a hotel room in Lexington,” said Hiro . “She’s the daughter of the sheriff. Worked a night shift at a local steakhouse and was seen leaving with a man fitting the description of Archie. Hotel cameras have them walking in together and then him leaving around 0300. Alone.”

“Shit,” muttered Jonas. “Will the father speak with us?”

“ He’s at the hotel with detectives gathering evidence now. We haven’t told him anything yet.”

“Thanks, Hiro. We’ll head that way now.”

By the time they arrived, Carl, Aiden, and Ham were already speaking with the sheriff. He was distraught but also ready to track down the man that killed his only child.

“We’re terribly sorry for your loss, sheriff,” said Aiden.

“She was a good girl. Worked as a teacher during the day and at that steakhouse at night to pay for her college loans,” he said, shaking her head. “I didn’t judge her sex life. She was an adult.”

“No one judges that,” said Aiden. “We believe we know the man who did this. We’ve been tracking him for a while now. He’s wanted in the death of a woman and her unborn twins from several years ago.”

“I’ve seen that come across my desk several times,” he frowned. “You think he’s the one that killed my daughter?”

“Cameras say it was him,” said Jonas, looking at the man.

“Why haven’t I seen that footage yet?” he asked with suspicion.

“We’re able to access some of that without going through all the red tape,” said Jak. The sheriff stared at him, cocking his head. “Sir, we’re members of the Voodoo Guardians Security Agency.”

“Holy shit,” he murmured, shaking his head. “This guy must be something else if you’re here for him.”

“It was my wife and twins he killed,” said Jonas. “My current fiancée used to date him. She was the emergency room doctor that turned him in, and now he’s after her.”

“I can’t believe this,” he said, taking a seat in the lobby. “Detectives are gathering evidence upstairs now. I can’t go up there and risk destroying anything or contaminating the scene. You’re welcome to send a few men up there.”

Carl nodded at Rett, Conor, and Sebastian who immediately took the elevators upstairs.

“Sir, I know that this will be difficult for you and your men, but we will get this man. I need to ask you to hang back.”

The sheriff stood quickly, shaking his head. He paced back and forth, then stared at the group of men who had said nothing else. They did understand what they were asking and that it was a nearly impossible task for the lawman and his team.

“I’m not stupid. I know that I’m too close to this. If I see him, I’m going to want to shoot him, and that won’t help anyone. I want him to pay for this and for what he did to your wife and children. I won’t like it, but I’ll stay back.”

“You can help us,” said Garr. “Anything you can do from your office would be very helpful. We’re accessing traffic cameras right now to find the direction that he went when he left the hotel.”

“I might be able to help with that,” said a young man, walking toward them. “I work the desk at night. When he left, he dropped off the keys. I knew he was leaving early and asked if everything was alright with his room. He said it was wonderful but that he needed to leave earlier than expected because of business he has in Nashville.”

“Did he say what kind of business?” asked Jonas.

“No, sir. Just that he was headed to Nashville. I asked if he wanted hotel recommendations, and he said he would find something suitable.”

“That’s very helpful,” said Carl. “He’s not going to stay in something low-budget. He likes his luxuries, and that’s what he’s going to look for.”

They saw four men get off the elevator in uniform, Rett, Sebastian, and Conor following them. They spoke in low voices, the men shaking their heads.

“Anything?” asked Carl.

“She was strangled to death,” said Conor. He looked at the sheriff. “I’m sorry, sir.”

“I want this man brought in. I want to face him,” he said.

“We’ll get him,” said Jonas.

“It appears that they were intimate, but initially, there didn’t seem to be any reason to believe it wasn’t consensual. Unfortunately, it looks as though that might have changed later in the evening. Your text messages were on the screen of her phone. She had a photo of the two of you together. If he saw that, he might have gotten scared,” said Conor.

“Damn,” he said with trembling lips. “We were so close. She was such a good kid. Worked her way through college, then insisted on paying off her debts herself by getting another job. I never worried much about her. I knew when she was supposed to leave the restaurant and when she would usually get home.

“Last night, when she didn’t come home by one, I started to get really worried and texted her several times. She said she was having drinks with a friend but would be home soon. When I didn’t hear from her again, I started texting. This is my fault.”

“It’s not your fault, sir,” said Jonas. “A father worrying for his daughter is the most natural thing in the world. You couldn’t have known what she would encounter. I think we have to make this guy’s face appear, as it is now, all over the country. We need to make this so that he can’t get into a hotel, resort, motel, travel lodge, nothing! He’ll be so frustrated, he’s liable to do something stupid, and that’s what we need.”

“I can help with that,” said the sheriff, wiping his eyes. “I can make sure that his face is plastered all over the country. Every law enforcement agency will know what he looks like and what he’s done.”

“There’s no evidence that he’s carrying a weapon, but we believe he most likely is. Make sure that the post says he is armed and dangerous and to approach with caution,” said Carl. “We would prefer that any information be fed to you and your team, then to us. Can you do that for us?”

“I can definitely do that for you,” he said, nodding. Jonas stepped forward, shaking the older man’s hand.

“I’m so sorry for your loss, sir. I promise I will not stop until I get this man.”

“I know you’ll succeed, son. There’s nothing more dangerous than a man hunting with a vengeance.”