The Stranger You Know (Forensic Instincts 3)

He scooped her up, carried her to his car and threw her inside.

Turning on the engine, he texted Glen.

Package on its way.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Hutch was out of the car before Brian had come to a complete stop.

“Casey!” Hutch hit the pavement running, yelling Casey’s name as he grabbed the steel door handle and yanked on it. “Casey!” He pounded on the door, then pressed his ear against it, listening intently to see if there was any sound.

Nothing.

He turned around, his head whipping to one side and then the other as he studied the deserted area. No sign of anyone.

“Hutch?” Brian was squatting down, holding a damp handkerchief. He brought it close to his nose and took a sniff. “Chloroform.”

“Shit.” Hutch’s heart sank, even though he wasn’t surprised. He knew Fisher wasn’t going to keep Casey in a warehouse whose address she’d probably passed along. This had just been the capture point.

Nearby, a cell phone rang.

Hutch raised his head. “That’s Casey’s ring tone.” He followed the sound. “It’s coming from the Dumpster.” He hurried over and rummaged around in the garbage until he found Casey’s purse.

He pulled out the cell phone. Ryan’s caller ID.

Hutch punched on the phone. “Neither of them is here,” he informed Ryan. “They dumped Casey’s purse and cell phone in a Dumpster. We found a chloroformed handkerchief on the sidewalk.”

“Fisher has her.” There was a note of panic in Ryan’s voice. “Fisher has them both.”

“Yeah.” Hutch rubbed his forehead. “And we don’t have much time to find them.”

“Are you coming back?”

“We’ll check out the area. Then I’ll head back to the office.”

“Bring the phone with you,” Ryan said. “Maybe I can find something else on it—anything that could tell us where she is.”

“I’ll bring the whole purse. But we both know it’s not going to do us any good.”

“What will?” There was a note of desperation in Ryan’s voice.

“I have an idea.”

* * *

Patrick got the phone call as he was driving in from New Jersey. He tensed when he saw from caller ID that it was Hutch.

“You found something?” he asked.

“Not a thing.” The road noise said that Hutch was back in the car. “But we’ve got a couple of hours, tops.” He didn’t need to specify what he was referring to. They both knew he meant until Claire and Casey were raped and killed. “I came up with a plan. But I need your help.”

“Name it.”

“It’s time to call in the favor your friend Captain Sharp owes you. I need him to assemble a SWAT team—now. Can you make it happen?”

“I’ll find a way. What’s it for?”

“I’ll explain in the office. How long until you get there?”