The Hunt

CHAPTER 21

Nick sat in the far corner of the Clerk and Recorder’s Office above the courthouse and pored over damn near a thousand parcel maps from the region of the county where the Butcher hunted.

While he had told Qui

He could have assigned a deputy to this tedious task, but after Eli Banks’s article questioning his competence and the fiasco of a press conference, he needed to step away.

He didn’t believe Qui

Nick had been second-guessing every decision he’d made over the last three years. It was completely unproductive. But last night, unable to sleep, Nick had made a list of every major turn in the Butcher investigation since he’d been sheriff. He wouldn’t have done anything differently; every avenue they’d explored was logical and followed the little evidence they had. But every path led to a dead end, and he didn’t see it changing now.

He was glad he’d called in Qui

Nick couldn’t help but feel a little like a bumbling country cop when standing next to the sleek city investigator.

And then there was Miranda.

He’d gone to the Lodge last night just to confirm what he’d already suspected. That Qui

It hurt because he loved her, but he’d get over it. All he really wanted was her happiness and peace. If Qui

He had to focus on something productive, something that might make a difference in the investigation. He was tired of looking like a fool in the press. Of questioning every decision he’d ever made, not only since he’d been elected sheriff, but since becoming a cop.

He knew he was a good cop. But the extraordinary crimes of the Butcher pushed the limits of his experience.

He’d looked into land records in the past, but only current ownership. The seven victims, including Rebecca, had been found on land owned by different people. Three were on government land. What about ten years ago? Twenty years ago? Was there some commonality to the Butcher’s hunting ground?

Nick had his personal map at his side and began plotting ownership records. He pulled the history on every parcel himself because he didn’t trust the staff at the Recorder’s office to keep his interest in the property records secret.

And if nothing came from it, he certainly didn’t want to see another failure highlighted under Eli Banks’s byline.

Qui

They’d met up at search headquarters well after the di

Instead, she told him her father would have something waiting for her. Since they both pla

He tried to ring Nick, but he didn’t answer his cell phone or pager. Not a surprise; when Qui

The priority was finding Ashley van Auden.

Qui

It could lead nowhere. But at this juncture, unless Olivia found something in the evidence to point them in a different direction, he was out of ideas.

He couldn’t count on JoBeth Anderson regaining consciousness. Or, if she did, that she would be able to name or describe her attacker. He hoped it would happen, but witnesses popping out of a coma at just the right time to finger the killer only happened in B-movies.

Still, he prayed she would fully recover and have information leading them to a suspect. Before Ashley van Auden died.

He glanced over at Miranda as he turned down the long paved drive that led to the Lodge.

“You okay?”

“Twenty-four hours since he took Ashley. I feel like I’m counting down. Time is against us. We can’t possibly cover every grid on the map.”

He hated the defeat in her voice. “Don’t do this to yourself. Don’t start imagining the worst.”

“It’s hard not to, Qui

Qui

He reached for her; her body was rigid. “Miranda, I wish I could take the images and feelings for you. I would do anything to erase the pain in your heart. You know that, don’t you?”

She looked at him. The artificial light reflected off her eyes, making them appear bottomless. He wanted to kiss her, to hold her and tell her everything was going to be all right, to take her to bed and keep her nightmares at bay.

He reached out and touched her cheek.

“I never stopped loving you.”

Miranda’s heart rate quickened as she stared into Qui

“Qui

He blinked, a wave of hurt crossing his face. She didn’t want to hurt him. She didn’t know what to do.

Qui

They couldn’t go back. She was a different person today than ten years ago when she was a naÏve wa

His light caress gave her an electric co

She stared at him, wanting so much to share her feelings, to be held, to make love. Slowly, tenderly, the way he’d made love to her the first time.

She turned her lips to his hand and kissed his palm. It was all she could do not to fall into his arms.

But she had to think about these feelings. Think about the repercussions. Could she trust him? Did he trust her?

It hurt that she didn’t have an answer to these questions.

“Good night,” she whispered, and jumped out of the car before she changed her mind.

She heard Qui

“I’ll walk you to your cabin,” he said.

She shook her head. “Dad waited up for me.” She nodded toward the lights in the Lodge.

She walked through the brisk evening air the few feet to the rear door. She felt Qui

But what if he used her emotional vulnerability against her? Took her off the search, took her away from the case? Even as she thought it, she realized he’d been nothing but supportive after the first day. If he had any doubts about her, he was keeping them to himself.

But she had doubts. For ten years she’d been certain that Qui

It was better to put a little distance between herself and Qui

She still felt his touch on her cheek, and she longed for so much more.

She closed the cabin door, shutting Qui

Qui

She was driving him crazy. He couldn’t stop thinking about her, didn’t want to stop. He wanted to sit her down in a chair and talk it out. But Miranda wasn’t the type of woman to have a reasoned conversation. She acted on instinct, reacted on emotion.

He’d explained his actions at Quantico in painstaking detail in a letter she’d returned unopened. He’d tried to talk to her then; he had to find a way to make her listen now. If he could just find the right words, he knew she’d understand and forgive him. But both his decision and her subsequent actions had snowballed into a huge web of complex feelings he didn’t know how to untangle.

He was so proud of what she’d accomplished this last decade, both professionally and personally. But the Butcher still haunted her and she wouldn’t let anyone in to help.