Chapter 40

CHAPTER FORTY

There wasn’t a single damn connection between the women—not their jobs, their hobbies, or their history. Several of the women had been in car accidents, but there was no crossover with mechanics, car rental agencies, or the other drivers involved… What the hell were they missing?

Sawyer scrubbed a hand over his face. There was a loose thread somewhere, he just had to find it.

The day had been dragging on, and the relentless hum of activity at the station was beginning to wear on Sawyer Reed. He sat at his desk, tapping a pen against a stack of paperwork that seemed to be growing by the minute. Cam had stepped out for a moment, leaving Sawyer alone to field any calls that might come in. He barely noticed the phone ringing until the third chime.

“Reed," he answered, fatigue creeping into his tone.

"Uh, Detective Reed? This is Mr. Swanson," came the voice on the other end said. "I was trying to reach Detective McCoy. Is he around?"

Sawyer sat up a little straighter. "Cam’s out at the moment, but I can take a message or help if you need anything."

There was a brief pause, and Sawyer could almost hear Mr. Swanson weighing his next words. "Well, Detective McCoy stopped by a few days ago asking about any car accidents Hilary might have been in. I didn't think much of it at the time, but there’s something that’s been bothering me since then."

Sawyer’s grip tightened on the phone. "What is it?"

“About a month before Hilary was abducted," Mr. Swanson began tentatively, “someone broke into her apartment near campus. They stole her laptop and some other things. She contacted both the campus police and the local precinct, filed a report, and even reported it to her insurance.”

He hesitated for a long moment before continuing. “Insurance refused to pay out—said her door wasn’t locked. She swears it was.”

Sawyer's mind immediately jumped to Brynlee and the flood at her salon, a disaster that insurance likely wouldn’t cover due to supposed negligence.

In his experience, insurance companies would do just about anything to avoid having to cover damages, but still… Something didn’t feel quite right.

"They refused to pay because they claimed the door wasn't locked?"

"Yeah," Mr. Swanson confirmed. "It didn’t make sense to me. Hilary was always careful, and something about the whole thing just felt off. I didn’t think about it until now, but it’s been bothering me, especially with everything that’s happened."

"Mr. Swanson," Sawyer said, keeping his voice calm despite the rush of thoughts racing through his head, "do you happen to remember the name of Hilary's insurance company?"

"Yeah, it was Sterling Assurance," Mr. Swanson replied without hesitation.

"Sterling Assurance," Sawyer repeated, committing the name to memory. "Thank you, Mr. Swanson. I really appreciate your help.”

After a few more words of reassurance, Sawyer hung up the phone, his heart beginning to pound in his chest. He quickly turned to his computer, pulling up Jayla Simms' file and scanning through her records. His breath caught when he saw it—Sterling Assurance, the same company.

Sawyer’s fingers flew across the keyboard, pulling up Lindsey Gill’s file next. He scrolled through the details until?—

There it was. Sterling Assurance.

He leaned back in his chair, staring at the screen in disbelief. All three victims—Jayla, Hilary, and Lindsey—had used the same insurance company. This was no coincidence. His gut had been right; they’d finally found a connection, a lead that could crack the case wide open.

Sawyer’s heart raced as he grabbed the phone again, this time dialing the number for Sterling Assurance. When the call connected, he quickly explained who he was and the urgency of the situation.

"I’m Detective Sawyer Reed with Brookhaven PD," he said, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "I’m investigating a series of murders, and I believe they may be connected through your company. I need all the information you have on these claims—anything you’ve got could be crucial."

The voice on the other end stammered for a moment before agreeing to process the request as quickly as possible. Sawyer could feel the tension coiling in his chest as he hung up.

He jumped up from his desk, his long stride carrying him swiftly across the station to where Dare Jensen sat in his office reviewing some files.

“Hey, I think we’ve got something. Jayla, Hilary, and Lindsey all used the same insurance company—Sterling Assurance. I just spoke with them, and they’re pulling everything they’ve got."

Dare glanced up at him and nodded. "If that pans out, we might finally have a lead that connects these cases."

Cam walked by, looking curious. "What’s going on?"

Sawyer quickly filled him in on the new discovery, the words tumbling out as he explained the link between the victims and the insurance company.

“This could be it.” Cam nodded. "If we can trace this back to someone within the company—or someone with access to their data—we might be able to finally nail this guy."

Sawyer nodded, the adrenaline surging through him. They’d come so close to dead ends so many times, but this felt different. They had a direction now, a tangible lead that could lead them to the killer.

"Now we just need to wait for the information to come through," Sawyer said, glancing at the clock. Every second felt like an eternity, but they were closer than they’d ever been.

The station hummed with a renewed sense of purpose, the weight of the investigation heavy but manageable now that they had something concrete to hold on to. All they could do now was wait—and hope that this was the break that would finally bring justice to Jayla, Hilary, and Lindsey.