Chapter 45

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

Cam sat in his office, his mind racing with unease. Something gnawed at his gut, a deep-seated worry he couldn't shake. He had messaged Kinley multiple times, but there had been no response. It wasn't like her to ignore his calls or texts, especially after the recent unsettling events.

He drummed his fingers on the desk, eyes flicking to the clock. Time seemed to drag, each second amplifying his anxiety. He had to do something.

He couldn't shake the suspicion that David was behind everything that had happened to her. The handyman Hayes' murder, the strange occurrences at her house—it all pointed back to him. David was the common denominator.

Cam pushed back his chair and grabbed his jacket. He had to see Kinley, make sure she was all right. He drove toward her house, his mind a whirlwind of worry. Up on the front porch he knocked hard on the door, only to be met with eerie silence. He knocked again, harder this time.

Maybe she hadn't heard him. Or maybe she was in the shower. He swallowed hard. He couldn't risk it. He needed to see her—now. His heart pounded as he unlocked the door and stepped inside.

"Kinley?"

His voice echoed through the empty house. He moved through the rooms quickly, scanning for any sign of her. When he reached the top of the stairs, his heart dropped to his toes. The door had been broken in, splintered wood littering the floor. The room was in chaos, personal items scattered in disarray, a clear sign of a struggle.

Oh, God. Where was she? What had David done? He pulled out his phone and dialed Sawyer's number.

"Sawyer, Kinley's gone. The house is a mess," he said, trying to keep his voice steady.

"Damn it," Sawyer muttered. "You think it's David?"

"Who else?" he asked angrily. "He's our only lead at this point."

"All right. I'm headed your way right now."

Cam glanced around the room, desperate for any clue that might lead him to Kinley. His eyes landed on her nightstand, where her phone charger lay empty. If he could track her phone, it might give them a lead.

"We need to find Kinley. I'm going to try to track her phone."

Hanging up, he pulled up the app that connected Kinley's phone to his. His stomach tumbled wildly as he waited for the data to load. He had to find her. She had to be okay. There was no alternative.

His heart leaped as the small pulsing dot appeared on the screen. He switched screens and dialed Sawyer. Cam sprinted out of the bedroom and was halfway down the stairs before the call connected.

"What—?"

"I've got an address," he said before the other man could finish his sentence. "The phone coordinates put her on Elm Street."

"Elm?" Dimly, Cam heard the soft squeal of rubber on pavement as Sawyer presumably whipped the cruiser around to head in that direction. ""I'll call it in and meet you there."

Cam's mind whirled as he launched himself out the front door, barely remembering to close it in his haste to find Kinley. Elm Street was in a commercial area—a few fast food joints, a grocery store, and gas station. Why the hell would he take her there?

Cam's heart beat double time as he raced toward the opposite side of town. He pressed down on the accelerator, one eye on the pulsing blue dot as it moved steadily, turning onto the road that led to the highway.

Far up ahead, the red glow of taillights cut through the black night. Cam's pulse sped up, and he watched on the screen as the distance between his vehicle and the blue dot slowly closed. Switching screens, he called Sawyer. "There's a vehicle ahead, getting ready to enter the highway. We need to check it out."

"Be there in two," came his reply.

Cam ended the call, then hit his lights as he approached the truck. The driver slowed and steered to the side of the road. Cam's pulse raced as he waited for backup, and a moment later the sound of sirens cut through the air. Sawyer arrived next, followed by a deputy.

They circled the truck, their flashlights cutting through the shadows. A middle-aged man emerged from the truck's cab. "Can I help you officers?"

Cam flashed his badge. "We're with the sheriff's department. We need to search your truck."

The driver looked taken aback. "Search my truck? What's going on?"

"We're tracking a phone signal linked to a missing person," Sawyer explained. "It pinged from this location."

The driver shrugged and stepped aside. "Go ahead, officers. I've got nothing to hide."

Cam nodded toward the deputies who began their search, checking every nook and cranny. It didn't take long for Turner to spot something shiny on the bumper. He picked up the object, recognizing it immediately.

"Over here," he called out, holding up Kinley's phone. "He must've put it here to throw us off."

"Goddamn it!" Cam slammed his fist agains the hood of the car, frustration and helplessness washing over him.

Sawyer placed a hand on his shoulder. "Cam, we need to stay focused. David is leading us on a chase, and we're two steps behind. We need to think. Where would he go?"

Cam took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing thoughts. "He's not at Kinley's house. We don't know where the hell he's been staying. We don't have a goddamn thing to go on."

Forester spoke up, his voice calm and analytical. "We need to consider his motives. Why take her? What does he want?"

"Fuck if I know," Cam seethed. "Everything started when Kinley said she'd been having trouble at her house."

" His house," Sawyer said slowly. "They moved soon after Misty disappeared. Remember what Yvonne said? David came home from school one day and everything was all packed up."

Forester stared at him, but Sawyer nodded emphatically. "There's something in the house."

At Cam's glare, Sawyer elaborated. "Think about it—he's been trying to get Kinley away from the house. He tried scaring her out first. When she hired the handyman, David had to get him out of the way so he didn't find whatever was inside. It's not Kinley he's after—it's been the house this whole time."

"That's great and all, but that doesn't tell us where the hell she is," Cam snapped.

"Let's think about this logically," Sawyer said evenly. "He needs a place that's isolated, somewhere he can control the environment."

"That makes sense." Forester glanced at Cam. "But where would he take her?"

"I don't know!" Cam yelled, shoving his hands through his hair.

"We'll find her." Sawyer laid a hand on his shoulder. "I know you're?—"

"You have no fucking idea how I'm feeling right now." Cam whirled on Sawyer, rage thrumming through his body. "We need to find her."

"I understand that, but you're not thinking clearly," Sawyer said, a hard edge to his voice. "If you can't control your emotions, maybe you should head back to the office and let us handle it."

"Fuck you!" Cam shoved at Sawyer's chest. "You can?—"

Forester threw himself between them. "Enough! Take a deep breath.

Cam glared at Sawyer but stepped away. "This is bullshit."

"Maybe Sawyer's right," Forester said, lifting a hand Cam's way when he scowled. "Maybe you should go back to Kinley's house and see if you can find anything that might tell us where they went."

Bitter helplessness weighed on Cam's shoulders. "I love her." His voice cracked on the words. "I can't let anything happen to her."

"You won't," Sawyer replied quietly as he stepped forward. "I won't let that happen."

"What if…?"

"No what ifs," Sawyer cut over him. "Let's start from the beginning. You said Kinley was having issues with the house, which is the same house David grew up in. We know he came home at least twice the day she disappeared."

"And now that we know she was murdered…" Cam ventured.

Sawyer nodded. "The stab wounds say it was a crime of passion, not premeditated. He was only seventeen at the time, so he likely would have tried to cover it up as quickly as possible."

"So he made it look like she'd run away." Cam nodded. "Packed up her things, took the body and the car, dumped them in the lake."

"But we never found the murder weapon," Turner chimed in.

Cam glanced his way. "That's probably what was in the house. He would have hidden it where he thought it would never be found. Even if his prints washed away, it would still have Misty's blood and DNA on it."

"Until now." Forrester's mouth turned down in a grimace. "When we found Misty, he knew he had to tie up the loose ends."

"So that brings us back to Kinley." Sawyer glanced at Cam. "Where could he go that he wouldn't be noticed?"

Cam's mind spun with possibilities. There were a thousand ways to dispose of a body, but the easiest was to use an existing location that wouldn't be disturbed later. There was a landfill outside of town, though that was risky. There were also several active construction sights on the outskirts of town. "There's that new housing allotment going in—Briar Cove. Turner, Forrester, check it out. Sawyer, head over to the landfill. I'll check the lake, just in case he went back there."

"Copy." Forester called it in on the radio as he slipped into the car and he and Turner took off.

Sawyer tossed a look at Cam. "You sure you're good?"

He nodded. "I have to be. Let's find her."

Cam sprinted back to his car and threw it in gear, his mind fixed on Kinley. Come hell or high-water, he was going to find her—even if he had to tear this whole damn town apart.