The Devil's Daughter (Hidden Sins #1)(26)

“That’s not an answer.” If he had known, he wouldn’t be the first good old boy to push something like this under the rug. People didn’t like to admit that abuse of all varieties happened in their perfect little towns, and she’d seen local cops go to extreme lengths to cover it up and pretend it never happened. It didn’t matter that doing so only did further damage to the victims.

He set his fork down and sat back. “If I’d known, Michael Perkins would be in jail. Or, if that wasn’t an option, I would have found a way to get the girl out. That kind of thing is never okay.”

No telling if he was being truthful or not, but it was hard to fake the fury that came over his entire being. Martha could have, but her mother was a master at lying with every part of her body and voice. Call her crazy, but Zach seemed pretty transparent.

Or maybe she was just trying to cling to the one person in the middle of all this mess who might actually be good.

Need to rip the bandage off this awkward conversation and get us on the same page. She mirrored his move, sitting back and crossing her arms over her chest. “I think it’s time we were completely frank with each other. I’ll go first. My timing for showing up here makes me suspicious, and I respect that. But I can’t go into Elysia like I did today without knowing everything you do. I played the damn fool, and I don’t even know what I’m looking for. Do you think the girl’s father had something to do with this?”

“He was an abusive asshole, and if he murdered his daughter, I’ll be the first in line to arrest him.” He sighed. “Hell, my life would be a whole lot easier if he did do it. But, to be blunt, Michael Perkins isn’t smart enough to pull it off and frame the Elysians. If he knows about the tattoos, I’m going to be really surprised.”

“I’d like to be there when you bring him in.”

He raised his eyebrows. “You’re not officially part of the investigation.”

“No, I’m not. I can’t be. But I also have a unique skill set that can be valuable to you—and the investigation.” She didn’t say anything else. Zach had checked her out. He knew her credentials, and she’d bet he’d looked into her track record, too. They wouldn’t be having this dinner if he still suspected her of having something to do with the murder. Oh, he didn’t trust her, and rightfully so.

He just didn’t think she was a killer.

He leaned forward and started eating, waiting until she’d done the same to start the conversation again. “You can observe, but you can’t take part in the interview. We might play a little fast and loose with the rules sometimes, but when we find the killer, I need this wrapped up as pretty as a present.”

It was better than she had hoped for. “Deal.”

A slow smile pulled at the edges of his lips. “You don’t get told no very often, do you?”

“Not when I want something.” And she wanted to wrap this up as prettily as he did. “And I want this unsub found and stopped.” For so many reasons.

Something cold came into his blue eyes, and it sure as hell wasn’t surprise. “You don’t think this is a one-off.”

No, but she hadn’t realized he shared that belief. Eden frowned. “You don’t, either. Why?”

He hesitated, and that was all she needed to realize he’d kept something from her. She frowned harder. “Remember what I said about needing all the pieces to be effective? I think now’s the time to start with that. Why the hell do you think this might happen again?”

“You wouldn’t have heard because we’ve kept it quiet, but there’s another girl who’s missing.”

Shock temporarily stole her voice. Part of her had been expecting that there would be another abduction and murder, but not so quickly. Serial killers, especially budding serial killers, usually rode the high of their kill for anywhere from weeks to months to years. Whoever had murdered this girl should be spending all their free time reliving the kill and the events leading up to it. Relishing every last detail.

But the unsub hadn’t.

He—or she—had already potentially taken a second victim.

“Missing.” She did some quick mental calculations. It had been only a few days since the body was found—even if this girl had disappeared on the same day, they were barely outside the required forty-eight hours to report it. “Since when?”

Zach stirred his fork through his food, then set it to the side. “Her parents reported her missing the same morning the body was found, and I’m having a hell of a time pinning down who saw her last.” When she didn’t say anything, he continued. “She’s a little wild—likes to give her parents gray hair—and she’s done things like this before. There’s no reason to think they’re connected.”

He was too smart to really believe that. He should have been too smart to keep this fact from her, too.

She took a sip from her soda because the alternative was to yell at him until he realized that she was here to help. She felt as if she’d been blindfolded and was being led around with one hand tied behind her back. Part of it was being back at Elysia after all these years. Part of it was not being able to be directly involved with the investigation.

Either way, taking it out on Zach right now would be a mistake.

“You should have told me.” She kept her voice even and professional, letting none of her frustration through.