One Last Step by Sarah Sutton (free e books to read TXT) 📗

“Well, what do you think?” he asked.

Tara remained silent for a moment, trying to determine what she should say. She didn’t quite know where to go next, and neither did he, and it caused a panic to swirl within her. But there was one detail about the case that constantly resurfaced in her mind. She took a sip of her coffee and placed it back down on the table. It was the message on the tree. They had already explored the compasses, but the message had to mean something.

“Maybe the message left at the crime scenes has a meaning,” she replied. “I feel like it has to.”

Warren nodded. “But that could take us in so many different directions,” he urged her.

Tara knew he was right. However, she didn’t know where else to start.

“Maybe we should go back to the crime scene, see if we missed something?” she suggested.

Warren nodded again, but his phone soon interrupted their conversation and he picked up instantly.

His face looked as if it got a shot of life as he listened to the voice on the other end. But as the conversation carried on, his face morphed again into disbelief and he quickly stood up out of his chair. Before he even hung up, Tara knew what he was about to tell her—there had to have been another victim—and her heart sank.

The call was short, and he soon hung up as he threw some money on the table. The waiter was walking back with a new cup of coffee, but then stopped and stared, confused by their sudden departure. But they didn’t have a second to explain. Warren was already walking away and Tara quickly caught up behind him.

“What is it?” she asked.

“They found another crime scene,” he confirmed, as they stepped outside into the parking lot.

Chapter Twenty Three

Tara sat in the passenger’s seat in silence. She knew the ride was short, but it felt like their longest ride yet. When they got into the car, Warren had informed her that the crime scene was found six miles south. One mile outside of where the trail was closed. A hiker stumbled upon it, he had said, around the same time two teenage girls were reported missing in the same area. The crime scene had the same description as all the others and they both knew it was without a doubt connected.

The realization sat like toxic air in the car. They still had no leads, and it was evident that this killer was in no way slowing down. But, if they did learn one thing, it was that the compasses were undeniably pointing to where the killer would strike next. However, with a trail that covered over 2,000 miles, they needed more than a compass’s direction to have a concrete lead.

As Tara stared out the car window, she heard the buzzing of Warren’s phone and her heart pounded. She had a feeling it was Reinhardt. She turned her head at the sound and for a split second met Warren’s eyes, which revealed that he too knew this call was coming. He looked at the caller ID and confirmed that Tara’s suspicions were correct. Tara gulped as he put the phone on speaker.

“Are you with Mills?” Reinhardt asked abruptly.

“Yes, she’s right here, I have you on speaker,” Warren confirmed, before looking at Tara.

Reinhardt took a deep sigh. “Listen, I don’t know what it is about this case. I don’t know if it’s the two of you working together, or whatever it is, but it seems that you both are not getting anywhere.”

“We are working as hard as we can, sir—” Warren started.

“I understand that,” Reinhardt cut him off. “But whatever you’re doing isn’t working.” He then paused. “Mills?”

Tara leaned in closer to the phone, her heart drumming inside her.

“I’m here, sir,” she replied.

“I’m starting to think that this case might be too difficult for you to start with.”

The words hung heavy in the car and Tara didn’t know how to respond. Her heart sunk. This was her worst fear coming to life. She was being pulled from the case, and she knew that was a horrible look to starting her career.

“It’s not her, sir,” Warren defended, and Tara looked up at him in surprise. “This case is probably one of the hardest I’ve worked on, but in all honesty, Mills has shown more promise than our more experienced agents that you would put me on this case with.”

Tara stared at Warren as her heart steadied itself. He was saving her.

There was silence on the other end for a moment.

“You know if I keep her on this case and you don’t have answers soon, this will reflect negatively on you too, right?” Reinhardt asserted.

Warren held the phone in his hand for a moment before he spoke. “I’m certain, sir.”

Reinhardt sighed again. “This is on you now, Warren. You have twenty-four hours,” he added before hanging up the phone.

“Thank you,” Tara said before Warren even had time to place the phone down. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“You don’t need to thank me.” He turned his eyes toward her, darting them between her and the road in front of him. “I see a lot of promise in you, Mills. This case has shaken me too, I’m not going to lie.” He gripped the steering wheel harder at his words. “But Reinhardt is wrong,” he added. “It’s not you, it’s this case, and you don’t deserve to get pulled from it.”

Tara nodded. She didn’t even know what more to say. He had just saved her career and she couldn’t help but notice how much his thoughts on her had shifted—from him questioning her experience when she was first assigned the case, to now defending why she needed to stay on it. It all made her realize that even though she had been struggling through her own demons, she had still somehow proved herself to him.

Warren then spoke again. “But we do only have twenty-four hours, so we need