never-ending nightmare.”
“God, Derek, who could have killed Shiloh Whitman?”
He hugged her to him and nuzzled her cheek, his actions comforting. “I don’t believe it’s possible that anyone from the outside could have somehow gotten through security and into Griffin’s Rest.”
“I think you’re right, so that means . . .” She paused, obviously reluctant to say aloud what they both knew to be true. “That means whoever killed Shiloh is either working here or lives here.”
“I’ve spent most of the afternoon going over the personal files on every guard and every agent who is here at Griffin’s Rest right now.”
“I can’t believe that it’s one of the agents. It couldn’t be.” Maleah lifted her head and looked at Derek, her eyes wide and round. “What about one of Yvette Meng’s proteges?”
“I seriously doubt that one of them killed Shiloh.”
“No, I didn’t mean I thought one of Shiloh’s fellow students killed her. What I was thinking, wondering really, is why didn’t Yvette or any of her other students sense that Shiloh was in danger? They’re a group of psychics, aren’t they? You’d think one of them would have seen it coming.”
“I’m not sure I can explain it,” Derek told her. “But as far as I know, neither Yvette nor any of her proteges claim to be able to see into the future and predict events that haven’t happened.”
“I don’t understand all that psychic stuff.”
“Psychic talents are like any other talents, no one person can do everything. Just as other people are sculptors or painters or writers or musicians, these people have specific gifts, too, and it all falls under one heading.”
“I guess that makes sense.”
“And it is my understanding that Yvette strictly forbids her students to intrude on the private thoughts of others. She’s trained them to control any mind reading or empathic abilities.”
Maleah laid her head back on Derek’s shoulder. “Do you think the killer could be one of the guards?”
“Possibly.”
“I refuse to believe that the killer could be one of the agents,” she said adamantly.
“I think at this point, the only people we can rule out completely are you and me, Griff and Nic, and Yvette, Sanders, and BJ.”
“It doesn’t make sense. What possible reason would anyone have to kill Shiloh? Why her?”
Maleah burrowed closer into Derek, as if she could draw strength from his body. He stroked her silky hair and pressed his cheek against the top of her head.
“I’ve given it a great deal of thought,” Derek told her. “And the only thing that makes sense is that Linden or York or whoever is running this horror show forced one of the guards or one of the agents to kill.”
“How could he force them to kill against their will?”
“I’m not sure. He would need some type of leverage.”
“A threat, maybe.” She lifted her head. Her gaze locked with Derek’s. “If he has threatened to harm someone they love, a member of their family, then that type of threat would be some mighty powerful leverage, wouldn’t it?”
Luke had gone through three traffic circles and headed due north from St. Albans, straight toward the next village—Harpenden. And that’s where they had been for the past few hours, driving up one street and down another.
Hunting.
Up High Street until it turned into Luton Road. Then they had back-tracked toward town, taking side streets to investigate every psychic twitch Meredith had. Vaughn Road. Leyton Road. Bower’s Parade. And all the while, they had both been on the lookout for a black Mercedes.
Searching.
“It’s nearly midnight,” Luke told her. “I say we call it a night, check into a hotel and get a fresh start in the morning.”
“No, Luke, please. I know I’m not wrong about this. I know they’re here somewhere. We can’t give up.”
“We’re going around in circles now,” he said. “I’m surprised the local police haven’t stopped us to ask what the hell we’re doing. I saw what looked like a really nice hotel right off High Street, someplace called Eagle Glenn Manor.”
“Another thirty minutes,” she pleaded. “Take one of the roads leading out of town. I think if they were in town anywhere, I’d have sensed it by now.”
“Thirty more minutes isn’t going to matter. I’m tired. You’re exhausted. I don’t think you’ll last another thirty minutes.”
Disregarding her pleas for them to continue tonight, Luke headed for the hotel. Just as he turned off High Street onto Townsend Lane, his phone rang. He pulled into the hotel car park and stopped.
Meredith stared at him, her eyes suddenly bright with speculation, as if she knew the call was important. Or maybe she just hoped it was.
“Yeah, Sentell here.”
“We’ve got an address,” Mitchum said, then gave Luke the information. “It’s about a mile outside Harpenden. From the real estate photo, it’s a small cottage situated in a wooded area that is fairly secluded.”
“You’re sure about this?”
“The house was rented by a Zachary Fairweather for an entire month.”
“Son of a bitch.”
Meredith tugged on Luke’s arm. “He’s here, isn’t he? He’s in Harpenden or somewhere close-by.”
“Go ahead and put everything into play on your end. I’ll take it from here,” Luke told Mitchum. “And thanks.” He turned to Meredith. “I’ll check us into the hotel and get you settled before I leave.”
“Damn it, Luke Sentell, you’re crazy if you think you’re leaving me behind. I’m going with you.”
“Like hell you are.”
“Like hell I’m not.”
“I have a job to do, and your coming along for the ride will only complicate matters. Do you understand?”
“There is a child involved. When you rescue her, she’s going to be very, very scared. It will make things easier for her if I’m there, because I’m a woman and she’s more likely to trust me than you.”
As much as he hated to admit it, her lopsided logic made a weird kind of sense. “No way. You can do your nurturing female thing when I bring the child back here with me.”
“No.”
“What do you mean no?”
“I mean that I’m going with you and that’s that.”
“Meredith, I can’t do my job and worry about something happening to you.”
“I swear that I will stay in the car, with the doors locked. I’ll even lie down in the floorboard and hide if you want me to.”
“We’re wasting time arguing.” He held up his index finger and wagged it in her face. “You will stay in the car and out of my way, no matter what you hear or see.”
“I swear I will.”
“And when I bring the child out to the car, you will not ask me any questions about what happened.”
“I won’t. I swear.” She looked him square in the eye. “You’re going to kill him, aren’t you?”
Luke didn’t answer. He put their vehicle in reverse, drove out of the car park and back onto Townsend.
Chapter 35
Luke parked the Volvo sedan on the side of the road, about a hundred yards down from the driveway leading up to the rental house. When he had driven by, he hadn’t seen any sign of a vehicle. More than likely the black
