“I’ll be in town in a few minutes. I’ll see you at the hotel,” he’d written.
She shoved the phone back into her pocket.
“Well? That took a long time,” Jeremy said. “You must have had a lot to talk about.”
Rachel got into the car, and Jeremy drove off. “Can you drop me at the hotel?” she asked.
“Sure. So, what happened in there?”
She turned and studied Jeremy a moment. The thought that maybe, just maybe, he’d been the killer and not Keith had occurred to her more than once. But why? What would it have benefited him? But then, did a killer need a reason?
“What?” Jeremy asked gruffly.
“Oh. Nothing.” Rachel turned away.
“She told you, didn’t she? Why there’s a restraining order against me so I can’t even see my own children without permission. Well, don’t judge me too harshly. After all, there are always two sides to every story.”
She nodded. “True enough.” Rachel turned to Jeremy again. “We think we’ve figured out who the murdered girl is.”
“Who?” They were stopped at a red light, and he gave her his full attention.
“Luna’s cousin, Leticia Hernandez. She disappeared the same day as the murder. And she was wearing the bracelet Luna had made. The one that was the same as mine.”
Jeremy looked like he was pondering this as the light turned green, and he drove on. “They were the same age?”
“Yes. Same age, build, and hair color.”
“Same as you,” he said.
“Yes.”
Jeremy shook his head. “They never reported it. I suppose her parents were here illegally, and they didn’t dare.”
“Right again,” Rachel said.
He sighed. “Makes sense.”
“Will you set it up so Luna can have her DNA tested and compared to the dead girl’s? I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a match.”
“Yeah. Sure. I’ll have her go to the clinic today, and they can do it,” Jeremy said. He pulled up to the side door of the hotel just as his phone rang. Looking at it, he grimaced. “What?” Jeremy bellowed into the phone.
Rachel watched him as he listened impatiently to the caller. “Just hang tight. I’ll be at the office in a minute.” He clicked off the phone. “Stupid Archie,” he mumbled. Looking up at Rachel again, he asked, “Is Avery nearby?”
“He’s on his way here right now,” she told him.
“Good. I’ll send an officer over, too, just in case. Once news of this new lead gets out, the press will get aggressive. Do you want me to walk you up to your room?”
Rachel watched him carefully. “What are you afraid will happen?” she asked.
His brows rose. “You’re my responsibility until this is all over. Nothing can happen to you.”
“Do you know anyone who’d want to hurt me?”
Jeremy let out a breath as if he’d been holding it in a long time. “No. But better safe than sorry. After all, someone wanted you dead thirty-five years ago.”
Chills ran up Rachel’s spine. Had they wanted her dead? Or had they just picked a random girl to kill? Apparently, Jeremy thought it was the former. “I’ll be fine. Thanks.” She stepped out of the car and used her key card to open the side door. Once she was inside, Jeremy must have thought she was safe because he slowly drove away.
Rachel went through the next door and walked down the long hallway toward the elevator. She was deep in thought about all that had transpired. She was also eager to tell Avery everything she’d learned this morning and was looking forward to hearing what he’d found out.
Glancing up, she saw a bulky man walking straight toward her. She didn’t recognize him at first, but as he drew nearer, she realized who it was, and the hair on the back of her neck rose. Rachel turned and ran, but she wasn’t fast enough. The man grabbed her from behind and covered her face with a rag. Rachel struggled as he clamped the cloth tighter over her mouth and nostrils. The smell was strong, but Rachel continued to fight despite the tight grip he had on her. Finally, everything went dark.
***
The first thing Rachel was aware of as she came out of her stupor was the sound of splashing water. The smell of wet earth assailed her nostrils, and her head ached. Rachel tried to move and felt the hard rocks beneath her. As she attempted to sit up, she realized her hands were caught behind her. Opening her eyes, Rachel focused on a tree, then the sky beyond. That’s when it hit her that she was lying on the ground, somewhere near water.
The park! Panic crept over her. She must be on the river trail in the park.
Again, she struggled to move, but she couldn’t get her hands free to give her leverage. Her foggy brain slowly realized that her hands were tied. A man snickered, and she turned her head in his direction. Her focus cleared, and she looked up into the smug face of Archie Talbott.
“You’re not going to get away this time,” he said, then laughed. He held a large rock in one hand and a pistol in the other. “This time, when I bash your head in, I’ll know for sure it’s you.”
Rachel's heart pounded, and she cringed at the glee in his voice. Archie was insane. She could see it in his beady eyes and the look on his face. “Why?” she asked, her voice sounding more like a screech. “Why would you want to kill me?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” he asked, looking at her like she was the crazy one. “I screwed up the first time. When I followed Keith and the little girl into the woods that day, I thought the girl was you. She looked just like you. I figured Keith was going to scare you or hurt you in some way. He had no idea I was following him. But when he just looked at
