Chapter 27

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Cam guided the car into the lot of the sheriff's department, pulling into the spot next to Dare's familiar SUV. They stepped out almost in tandem, and Cam's brows drew together as he glanced over at Dare. "You didn't have to come."

Dare waved him off. "I heard there was another homicide and wanted to be here to help."

Sawyer moved next to them. "We can handle it if you want to be with Ainsley."

Dare lifted one shoulder. "The engagement party was winding down anyway. Besides, she understands."

Cam's brows knit together with worry at the thought of Kinley being alone. Dare seemed to read his thoughts, because he clapped a reassuring hand on Cam's shoulder. "The ladies are hanging out at my place for now."

Cam slid a look at Sawyer, who appeared faintly relieved to hear that Brynlee was safe with her sisters. Sawyer had been uncharacteristically quiet since they found the body.

Cam spoke as they walked inside the station. "Harry Ballard went for a hike and found a woman on the trail. We got a hit on her prints—Hilary Swanson, abducted seven months ago from Cloverdale."

Dare cocked a brow. "Asphyxiation?"

Cam shook his head. "No clear cause of death yet."

Dare made a low humming noise in the back of his throat as he turned into his office and dropped into the chair behind his desk. Cam and Sawyer followed suit, sitting across from him.

"The body was posed, just like Jayla Simms," Sawyer spoke up. "Different MO, but victimology is similar. They both had blonde hair and blue eyes—same as Lindsey."

Dare stroked his chin. "He could be experimenting. Assume for now they're all connected. Let's see what we can find out from the scene photos and initial reports. We need to get ahead of this before it spirals."

Cam nodded. "Agreed. We need to talk to her family and friends, see if anyone can give us a direction to go in."

"Sir?"

The men turned toward Tony Webb, who hovered in the doorway, blue folder in hand. "I have the information you requested."

"Thanks." Dare pushed from his seat and extracted the file from the man's outstretched hand, then passed the file to Cam. "Her address and next of kin information. Her parents still live in Cloverdale. I'll contact the officers over there so they can notify them, but you'll need to follow up. I've requested a copy of the original police report, so I'll pass that along as soon as I get it. We need all the cooperation we can get."

"We're on it." Cam dipped his chin and left the office, Sawyer at his back. He tossed a look at the detective as he dug his keys from his front pocket. "Let's hit her place first, see if her roommate is home. Maybe she'll be able to tell us something."

They piled into the cruiser and headed toward the apartment Hilary had shared with her friend, Lisa. The apartment was located in a modest building on the edge of town. They climbed the narrow staircase to the second floor and knocked on the door. A moment later, it opened to reveal a young woman with questioning eyes.

"Lisa Morales? I'm Lieutenant Cam McCoy," he introduced himself gently. "This is Detective Sawyer Reed. Do you mind if we come in for a moment? We'd like to talk with you about Hilary Swanson."

"Sure, of course." Her brows drew together as she closed the door behind them and gestured toward the living room. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"No, thanks." Cam dropped onto the couch next to Sawyer and glanced at Lisa, who settled gingerly on a plush armchair across from them.

"You said you wanted to talk about Hilary?" She wrung her hands nervously in her lap, hope and fear mingling in her dark eyes. "Did… did you find her?"

The details of Hilary's death had been released to the media this morning after her parents had been notified, but apparently Lisa hadn't yet heard the news.

"Actually, ma'am." He rested his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward. "That's what we'd like to speak with you about. I'm sorry to tell you this, but Ms. Swanson passed away."

Her eyes went round and she jerked back as if he'd slapped her. Shock flitted over her features, immediately followed by despair, and her face crumpled.

Cam glanced around the room, searching for a box of tissues, and found one just a few feet away. He held it out to Lisa, who silently slipped it from his fingers, tears sliding down her cheeks.

Cam and Sawyer exchanged a look, giving Lisa a moment to compose herself. Finally, she cleared her throat enough to speak. "W-What happened?"

"We're not entirely sure yet," Cam replied softly. "But I'm hoping you can help with that."

Lisa nodded a little but didn't speak, and Cam continued, "I know this is a difficult time, but I need to ask you some questions about Hilary."

Lisa nodded again and swiped at her eyes. "Of course. Anything to help."

"Can you tell me about Hilary? What was she like?"

"Hilary was... amazing," Lisa said, her voice trembling. "She was kind, always helping others. She volunteered at the animal shelter and was studying to be a teacher. She didn't have any enemies. I can't imagine who would do this to her."

"Did she have a boyfriend? Anyone she was seeing recently?"

Lisa shook her head. "Not really. She dated a few guys, but nothing serious. She was focused on her studies and her volunteering."

"Did she mention anyone who made her uncomfortable? Any unusual behavior or people she was worried about?"

Lisa thought for a moment. "Not that she ever mentioned. She was always so outgoing and nice to everyone. I always warned her that she came off as flirtatious sometimes, but…"

She trailed off, and Cam gave her a gentle smile. "Thank you, Lisa. This helps a lot. You said she volunteered at a shelter—Do you have the name?"

Lisa relayed the information and Cam jotted it down.

"Please find who did this." Lisa's voice cracked on the heartfelt plea. "Hilary didn't deserve this."

"We'll do everything we can," Sawyer promised, standing up. "If you think of anything else, please call me."

Sawyer passed her a card, and Cam nodded to the young woman before making his way to the door. Outside, he tossed a look Sawyer's way. "No boyfriend, but I wonder if she was seeing anyone."

"I'll put in a request for her phone records, see if we can find anything."

Sawyer dug his phone from his pocket as Cam slipped behind the wheel and cranked the engine. Cam entered the name of the shelter into the GPS, then pulled into traffic.

When Sawyer ended the call, he turned back to Cam. "With any luck, we'll find some correlation between the women."

Cam's lips pressed into a firm line. "We need something, because so far we don't have jack shit. There's no overlap. Jayla worked at a bank. Lindsey was as nurse. Hilary was studying to be a teacher. Aside from their looks, what the hell do they have in common?"

Nothing, as far as he could tell. They'd been digging into every aspect of the women's lives and had come up empty. They were all from different cities, all had different professions and hobbies…

So far, there wasn't a damn thing tying them together. They'd checked everything they could think of from yoga studios to hair salons to stores they'd frequented.

Cam drove to the shelter, the sky darkening as low-hanging clouds settled over them. The sign on the shelter door read that it was closed, but a middle-aged woman lingered behind the counter.

Cam knocked on the door and the her head snapped in his direction, her brow furrowing. She gave a little shake of her head, her mouth forming the words "We're closed."

Cam flashed his badge through the large glass window. "Ma'am? It'll just take a minute."

She bustled out from behind the counter, then unlocked the door to let them in just as the rain overhead let loose.

"Just in time," the woman said before closing the door against the driving rain. What can I do for you, officers?"

"I'm Lt. Campbell McCoy," Cam introduced himself before tipped his head toward Sawyer.

"Detective Sawyer Reed."

"I'm Karen Mills, the manager here."

He nodded toward the woman. "Thank you for staying late. I was hoping we could ask you some questions about a volunteer who used to work here—Hilary Swanson."

The woman's face fell. "I just heard the news. Poor thing. Hilary was a wonderful volunteer. We were all devastated when she went missing."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Cam said sincerely. "I'm hoping you can help us with our investigation. Hilary's roommate mentioned she worked here. Did you ever notice anything strange when she was here—anyone who might have had an interest in Hilary?"

Karen thought for a moment, then led Cam to a small office. She rifled through a stack of visitor logs and pulled out a few pages. "We've had a few people come by regularly. There was one man… He didn't give his name, but he seemed particularly sweet on Hilary."

Cam took the pages and examined the entries. "Do you have any security footage or anything that might help us identify him?"

Karen shook her head. "I'm afraid not. We're a small operation and don't have the budget for that kind of security."

"Anything else you can tell me about him? Physical description, behavior?"

"He was tall, maybe six feet, with dark hair. He seemed very interested in the animals, but not in a way that felt genuine. More... detached, if that makes sense."

Cam nodded. "Thank you, Karen. This helps a lot. If you think of anything else, please contact me."

Back in the car, Sawyer frowned. "It's not much, but it's a start. Let's head back to the station and see if we can cross-reference this with any known suspects or similar cases."

Back at the station, they spread out the visitor logs and began the painstaking process of cross-referencing the descriptions and patterns with their database of known offenders and suspects. Hours passed as they sifted through the information, looking for any connection that might lead them to their killer.

"This guy is careful," Cam said, rubbing his tired eyes. "He takes his time, plans everything out. We need to find a pattern, something that links his victims."

Sawyer nodded, his own exhaustion showing. "Agreed. We need to look at similar cases, even ones outside our jurisdiction. This guy could have done this before."

"We'll get him," Cam said, his voice filled with conviction. "We have to."

Sawyer nodded in agreement. "Yeah. We will."

As they prepared for the day ahead, their minds were already racing with the possibilities, the clues, and the relentless pursuit of justice for Hilary and the other victims who might be out there.