Hide and Seek (Criminal Profiler #1)(94)

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Thursday, November 21, 11:00 p.m.

The air in the car was thick with frustration and anger as Macy and Nevada drove down the back road furrowed with potholes. Nevada’s jaw was clenched, and when he rounded a final bend, he said, “Speaking to the press like that was stupid. You’ve now made yourself a target.”

“Maybe if I make him mad enough, it will take his mind off Bennett.”

“We’ve already excluded Younger’s DNA. We have Shaw’s DNA, but no results yet. And I will get a sample from Kevin Wyatt.”

“Wyatt is still not answering his phone.”

“You should not have baited this killer.” He pressed the accelerator. The engine roared and the tires spun faster. “The house Younger mentioned should be around the next turn.”

“Let’s park here and walk in so no one hears us coming.”

He pulled to the side and shut off the engine. Macy got out of the car, quietly closing the door before checking her weapon. They moved side by side for the last few hundred yards. Her leg and hip were tightening up the entire way, but she pushed through, knowing Bennett was running out of time.

As the small gray house came into view, she thought about the house in Texas where she’d found the unmarked graves. On the heels of that memory was the sound of a revving truck engine seconds before it plowed into her body. She flinched but shoved the surge of fear aside.

She put one foot in front of the other. She needed to focus and provide cover for Nevada.

As they approached the small house, they detected activity. There were fresh tire treads and footprints. The prints appeared to have been made by a man’s athletic shoe.

Nevada raised his finger to his lips as he moved past her. As much as she wanted to be the one to take this guy down, she had to be practical. They would be most effective if she provided cover while he took point.

He tried the front door and discovered it was locked. She always carried a lockpick set in her kit. Not wasting a moment, she identified the lock as a pin tumbler. After pulling out a wrench and pick, she worked the pair into the lock until all the pins were set and the lock clicked open.

Nevada arched an amused brow before saying, “Stay behind me.”

She nodded, and the two moved into the central living room of the house. Her gaze swept the room, searching each of the closed doors that fed into it. A padlock noticeably secured one door.

While she watched the door, Nevada swept the one-story house for signs of anyone else. When he gave the all clear sign, she moved to the padlock, holstered her weapon, and picked it faster than the first lock. She quickly removed it, flipped open the latch, and pushed open the door.

The room was dark, and the cold air was heavy with the scent of sweat. Her heart slammed against her ribs, and she tightened her hold on the grip of her weapon. She listened for the sound of breathing or movement, but couldn’t hear over her own quick breath.

Nevada cast his light into the room until it rested on Bennett’s body. “Shit.”

Macy holstered her weapon, ran toward her, and knelt beside her. Carefully, she rolled her on her back and pressed her fingertips to the black-and-blue skin of her neck. For a moment, there was only stillness, so she repositioned her fingers and prayed. And then she felt the faint pulse. Tears burned in her eyes.

“She’s alive,” she said.

Nevada was already dialing for assistance.



Macy rode to the hospital with Bennett in the back of the ambulance. The wail of the siren and the rocking rhythm of the ride reminded Macy of her own ordeal as paramedics shouted Brooke’s name and tried to get her to open her eyes. Macy knew Bennett would have a long road ahead of her if she survived this.

They rolled into the university hospital’s parking lot, and personnel were on hand to admit Bennett. As staff quickly pushed the gurney toward the emergency room, the paramedics recited Bennett’s vital signs to the doctors.

Macy hustled behind, following as far as the swinging doors. A nurse dressed in scrubs blocked Macy and informed her she would have to wait in the lobby.

“I need to know who did this to her.” Macy hadn’t been able to stop shaking since they’d found Bennett.

“And I need to save her,” the nurse retorted before she vanished.

Running her hand over her head, Macy turned to a lobby crowded with people filling out forms, reading magazines, and watching televisions mounted on the walls. She replayed her actions since she’d arrived in town. Why hadn’t she been more aggressive with Kevin about the swabs? Could she have pushed Greene even harder?

Unable to sit, she paced, and when her phone rang, she reached for it, thinking it was Nevada. She was surprised to see Faith’s name on the display.

She walked to the window overlooking the parking lot and faced away from the people in the lobby. “How did you know something was wrong? Is this some kind of twin symbiotic thing?”

“Damn right, sis.”

That coaxed a small smile as she watched an ambulance drive off. “I’m standing in the emergency room. Another cop was injured.”

A door clicked closed in the background. “Who?”

“She’s one of the deputies in the county. She was attacked by a guy we’re chasing.” She pressed her fingers to her closed eyes, willing tears to stay in check. “I’m trying, but it might be too little, too late.”