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Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

Cam studied the man seated at the metal table. By all accounts, Lindsey Gill's boyfriend, Andrew Dodson, looked devastated. His eyes were bloodshot, his face gaunt with worry and exhaustion.

"What do you think?"

For the past several minutes, Cam and Sawyer had watched the footage currently being recorded in the interview room, studying the man's actions. "Emotion like that is pretty hard to fake, but…" Sawyer shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first time."

"Let's see what he has to say."

Cam entered the interview room, Sawyer at his heels. Dodson glanced up at them, his expression creased with worry.

"Mr. Dodson, thank you for coming in." Cam dropped into the chair across from him and introduced himself and Sawyer. "We understand this is a difficult time for you."

Andrew nodded, swallowing hard. "I'll help however I can. Please—I just want to find Lindsey."

Sawyer took a seat next to Cam, his sharp eyes assessing Andrew's every movement. "We'd like to start by establishing a timeline of events leading up to Lindsey's disappearance. You mentioned you were with her the night before?"

"Yes," Andrew confirmed, his voice trembling. "She came over to my place after work. We had dinner then watched a movie."

"What time did she leave?"

"Around eleven, right after the movie was over. I asked her to stay, but…" His voice cracked, and he trailed off, his eyes misting over as his gaze dropped to his hands where they rested on the table, fingers laced tightly together.

"Did she mention any plans for the next day?" Cam asked, jotting down notes in his notepad.

Andrew cleared his throat, then shook his head. "No, she just said she had to go home early because of work. I... I didn't think anything of it."

Reed leaned in slightly. "When was the last time you spoke with her?"

"That night. The night before she…" Andrew trailed off, his eyes welling up with tears. "She called me when she got home, just to say goodnight. That was the last time I heard from her."

Cam glanced at Sawyer before continuing. "She's a nurse, is that right?"

"That's right. She works in the ICU over at Danbury General."

"Did Lindsey ever mention anyone who might want to harm her? Any threats at work or unusual behavior from anyone?"

"No," Andrew said, his voice hoarse with emotion. "Everyone loves her—patients, coworkers. She's great at what she does, and she loves to help people. She has the biggest heart of anyone I know. I can't think of anyone who would want to hurt her."

Sawyer folded his arms on the table. "Mr. Dodson, we're doing everything we can to find Lindsey. Any information you provide could be crucial."

Andrew reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, his hands shaking. "I have our conversations. You said you want a timeline. Maybe it can help?"

Cam gave him an encouraging smile as took the phone, then scanned through the recent call log and message history. As Dodson had stated, he'd spoken with Lindsey the night before her abduction. The call had lasted a little over seven minutes, and there was no further communication between the two.

"This is helpful, thank you." He passed the phone back to Dodson. "Can you confirm where you were the morning she disappeared?"

Andrew nodded vigorously. "I was at work. My shift started at seven—my boss will confirm that."

Andrew gave them the company's information, and Cam nodded. "Thank you. Is there anything else you remember? Did she mention running into any old acquaintances recently, or experience anything out of the ordinary?"

"I don't think so." He swallowed hard. "I just can't imagine who would do this. She's…" His voice cracked. "She doesn't deserve this. Please bring her home."

Sawyer nodded. "We'll do our best. We're not giving up on her."

The man raked a hand through his hair, his eyes haunted. "What do I do now?"

That was a question Cam couldn't really answer. He understood the helplessness, the combination of fear and hope people felt when something happened to a loved one. "Keep thinking of anything that might help and let us know, no matter how small. We're looking at every option right now."

Cam saw Andrew Dodson to the door, then returned to the small office he shared with Reed. The detective turned away from the whiteboard he'd been studying and met Cam's gaze. "We need to get a search warrant for Lindsey's phone and social media accounts. Maybe there's something there that can lead us to her."

Cam nodded. "In the meantime, let's do another sweep of her house. Maybe we missed something."

* * *

Less than an hour later they pulled up to Lindsey Gill's quiet suburban home, the area still cordoned off with yellow tape that danced in the slight breeze. Cam unfolded from the driver seat, his gaze scanning the surrounding homes. Someone must have seen or heard something.

Sawyer on his heels, Cam headed up the concrete walkway to the small front porch and cracked the tape sealing the door. Inside, the house was eerily quiet. Everything remained in its place, just as it had the first time they searched. No sign of forced entry, no signs of struggle. It was as if Lindsey had simply vanished into thin air. Cam's gaze swept over the living room, taking in the small details: a framed photo of Lindsey and Andrew on the mantel, a half-finished book on the coffee table, a pair of running shoes by the door.

Sawyer had worked the scene the day of the abduction, but it had been hectic, with multiple deputies all eager to find something. "I'm going to check the kitchen again, see if I can find anything—notes, calendars, anything that might have been overlooked."

Cam nodded, then turned his attention back to the living room. The morning of the abduction, a neighbor had found Lindsey's front door wide open. When she'd called out to the woman and hadn't gotten a response, she'd notified the sheriff's office. Lindsey's purse and coffee cup were still sitting on the kitchen counter next to her keys, like she'd been getting ready to walk out the door.

There was no sign of force entry anywhere in the house. Had someone knocked on the door to get her attention? Cam played out the scenario, walking toward the front door and pulling it open. Lindsey's driveway ran parallel to the right side of her house, and a small, detached garage sat at the end of the drive, tucked slightly behind the house. From the road, visibility to the garage was mostly obscured. It was possible the man had pulled into the driveway, then smuggled her out in his vehicle. That seemed to be the most likely option.

Lindsey's house was near the end of the street, with only two other homes to her right. Too many people lived in the neighborhood; the man would have had to work fast and efficiently to avoid being seen. The only other way to transport her would be through the woods that connected the subdivision to the back of Earl Weaver's farm. That was a long way to carry a body, and they'd seen no tire tracks to indicate an ATV had recently passed through.

Cam closed the door and moved toward Lindsey's bedroom. The bed coverings were slightly rumpled, as if she'd hurriedly tugged them back into place when she woke up. A discarded sweater had been slung over a chair in the corner, and the faint scent of her perfume lingered in the air. He searched through her dresser, rifling through neatly folded clothes and personal items, hoping to find something—anything—that would point them in the right direction.

"Find anything?" Reed's voice interrupted his thoughts, and Cam quickly made his way back to the living room where Reed stood by the window.

"Nope. You?"

Reed shook his head. "We need to talk to the neighbors again," he said, his troubled gaze scanning the quiet road. "Someone must have seen something."

They exited the house and began their rounds, knocking on doors, showing Lindsey's photo and asking the same questions they had before. The responses were mostly the same: kind words of concern but no useful information. Finally, at end of the block, they got a potential lead.

An elderly woman who introduced herself as Helen Patterson invited them onto her front porch and offered them each a glass of iced tea.

"I didn't think much of it at first," Helen said as she replaced the pitcher on the table, "but a few days before Lindsey went missing, I noticed a dark-colored sedan parked along the curb, just over there." She pointed toward a yellow house across the street, about a hundred yards from Lindsey's home.

Cam took a sip of his iced tea. "Can you remember anything else about the car, ma'am?"

The woman shook her head. "I never saw the driver, but we don't get many unfamiliar cars around here. I thought at first maybe it was a visitor, but whoever it was didn't stay long."

"How long was the car there?"

"About fifteen minutes," she responded matter-of-factly. "I was sitting right here the whole time."

Reed nodded. "And do you know about what time that was?"

She glanced upward in thought. "It was just after my show ended, so… maybe one o'clock?"

Cam leaned in, interest piqued. "Was there anything about the car that stood out? A dent, a sticker—anything at all?"

The woman furrowed her brow in thought. "The windows were very dark. And… I believe there was a small insignia in the back window, but I couldn't tell what it was." She let out a soft sigh. "My eyes aren't what they used to be."

"Thank you, this is helpful," Cam said, handing her a card as he stood. "If you remember anything else, please give us a call."

"I will." Helen offered them a smile. "Good luck, officers. I hope you find her."

"Thank you for the tea." Sawyer dipped his chin at the older woman then fell into step beside Cam as they walked back to their car. He cleared his throat as he slid inside. "A dark-colored sedan with tinted windows and a small insignia."

Cam exhaled. "Supposedly."

He cranked the engine, his gaze sweeping the area once last time before he pulled away from the curb. Lindsey Gill was out there somewhere, and they wouldn't rest until she was found.

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