One Last Breath by Sarah Sutton (speld decodable readers txt) 📗

The information helped, but Tara also knew that teenage boys could have deep voices as well. “Do you have any clue who it could’ve been?”

The sister shook her head as her parents did the same, and Tara turned to the friend.

“She never mentioned anything to you? Anyone she seemed afraid of?”

The girl looked as if she wanted to burst into tears at the question, but her mother encouraged her to answer. “No,” she revealed with shock still in her voice. “Everything seemed fine.”

“Was she dating anyone?” Tara looked from the friend to the parents, but they all shook their heads. “She didn’t have a boyfriend,” the mother replied. “She was a softball player, and it took up all of her time and interest.”

Tara continued to ask more questions. If she knew the other victims. If she ever worked at the coffee shop or kayak rental store, but each question was answered with a no. Tara asked them for some places where Sofia could’ve gone, and after the mother insisted her daughter didn’t run away, she gave some ideas—the batting cages, the softball field. Tara would make sure that the cops searched those areas.

When they finally exhausted their efforts, Tara and Warren stood outside.

“Let’s make sure Sheriff Patel knows to check those places the mother mentioned,” Warren said. Tara nodded as she reached for her phone in her pocket, about to make the call, but before she punched in the number, they needed to determine their next move. They could both feel the pressure weighing heavy on them, almost to the point of suffocation. They had no lead, and if there was any chance of finding Sofia alive, they needed one soon.

“I have a feeling we were on to something before,” she finally said, referring to the theory that the killer was law enforcement or someone who knew a thing or two about investigations. “I think the killer knew how long he could stay on the phone before being tracked, and he knew not to call back. He’s clearly mocking us.”

Warren nodded. “Let’s head to the station,” he replied. “We can brainstorm there.”

Tara agreed, and they quickly headed to the car as Tara made a call to Sheriff Patel. As she took a seat in the car, the sun shined brightly into her eyes. She pulled the visor down as a frustration bubbled in her stomach. Another day had come, another victim taken, and they did not have answers. She refused to let the sun rise again the same way.

***

Tara and Warren sat in the police station once again, with case files spread across the table. They had called Sheriff Patel, and still no body had been found. They still had some ground to cover, but it was looking more likely that if a body was buried, it wasn’t at Dewey Beach. Tara told him of the places to check for Sofia. His team had already checked some, but he agreed that he would have them keep a close watch.

Now, they sat in silence. An immense guilt sat heavy on Tara’s conscience. The killer had gotten another victim, and she couldn’t help but feel responsible. She stared down at the case files, but her mind was also focused on something else. If they were right, if this killer knew a thing or two about investigations, he would never bury a body in the same place where the others were found.

“Maybe we should have them check other beaches,” she finally said. She explained her reasoning.

“I agree,” Warren admitted as he reached for his phone and called Sheriff Patel. He was only on the phone briefly before he hung up. “He says they’re checking neighboring beaches within a ten-mile radius. They brought in other departments from other towns for the search.”

Tara was glad to hear it. They certainly needed help to cover so much ground. But while Sheriff Patel and the other cops were busy searching for a body, Tara and Warren needed a plan to find Sofia and the killer.

Warren sighed. “I think you’re right,” he started. “We may have been on to something when we were searching for someone with law enforcement experience, or who has some knowledge of investigative procedures.” He leaned his elbow on the table, letting his hand hold the weight of his head. His fingers were clenched, almost digging into his scalp.

“Maybe we should do another search,” Tara replied. They had asked Patel to expand his search; maybe they needed to expand theirs. “Maybe we need to look at other towns.”

They decided to call Grace, who was already working on the initial report—they just needed her to expand her search. But when they called, she was already on it.

“Almost done,” she said. “I’m gathering a list of ex-police officers with a record in the past three years in towns within a ten-mile radius.”

Grace always thought ahead, always anticipating what an agent would need next, and Tara was grateful that they wouldn’t lose any time. Tara thanked her and hung up the phone. They now just had to wait, and while they did, they dug deeper into each case file, trying to find any other connections among the victims. But after going through each, they had yet to find a correlation other than the way they were abducted, how Alyssa and Reese’s bodies were found, and the connection in where Reese and Alyssa worked for a short time. They all had attended different schools. Alyssa was from out of town. Reese and Sofia attended neighboring school districts.

After some time had passed, Grace called. She had their results. Tara and Warren moved to a computer and were soon looking over a very short list of names of only two officers. One was a DUI, and Tara immediately scrolled over him, but the second pulled her in: an officer in his late forties who had been on the force for twenty years. He had been fired last spring, right before the summer Alyssa