Never Run (May Moore Suspense Thriller 1)

"Exactly," Kerry said. "You need to keep the town safe from any other crimes."

"But I'm the county's deputy sheriff," May protested. "That doesn't just mean directing traffic or talking to folks about their parking tickets. I need to be out there, searching - "

"That's not your responsibility anymore," Kerry interrupted. "Keeping the town functional and calm is."

Just as May thought, Kerry hadn’t noticed that she was now in the official county deputy role, and it meant nothing to her. May felt a coldness grip her.

She was being sidelined, it seemed. And Kerry wasn’t taking this seriously. Surely she should have been working until all hours last night, not signing off at eight p.m. and going to dinner?

"I've got local knowledge and local knowledge is valuable. It means something," she argued.

Kerry shrugged, looking smug.

"Local knowledge is exactly why they brought me in. If you do come across any leads, or anyone comes forward with information, you can call us, of course. That'll be another important role you play. You can monitor the hotline. Any good leads, pass on to us. Any weak or nonsense leads, you’re welcome to check out so that the callers feel validated, and know they are a valued part of the community. Now, are we ready to start here?"

She turned away, and May saw her give a few hand signals to the cameramen.

"Good morning, good people. I'm FBI Special Agent Kerry Moore from the Behavioral Analysis Unit, and this is my partner, FBI Special Agent Brent Adams. We were urgently called out by local police yesterday to solve this case, as it's clear that a serial killer is terrorizing your community. I'm going to make some announcements about the disappearance of Cassandra Cole, and the murders of Savannah Knight and Shelby Ryan, and brief you on our plans."

A respectful silence and thankful murmurs met Kerry's words. Cameras flashed in the gray morning.

"We're not expecting this to be easy. A serial killer is a violent, dangerous person. And we have to catch him before he can kill again. Our main priority is to find Cassandra Cole and bring her home, alive and unharmed. We've set up a toll-free number that anyone can call with any leads. If you have any suspicions at all, reach out to us. Local police will be manning the line. Callers can remain anonymous if they wish."

She glanced around in May's direction.

“We've been in touch with the other local police and will be coordinating the wider response also. We're already busy profiling this killer, and our forensic specialists are standing by to process any evidence. We are here, in this town, for as long as it takes to resolve this case. I hope it will not take long. Our goal is to have Cassandra safely home with her parents soon, and to give our grieving families the fastest possible closure."

A round of genuine applause followed her words.

"Now, I'll take some questions, but please be brief as we have to get onto the hunt," Kerry concluded.

"Is the killer in this town?" a man asked, sounding anxious.

"We don't know," Kerry said. "But yes, it is possible that he is. All the evidence points to him being locally based in one of the towns near the lake. We are assuming it’s a man, due to the physical strength that was necessary to carry and transport the victims. We can't take any chances, so make sure you lock your doors, and if you see anything suspicious, call us."

May knew it was wrong to feel jealousy at such a time, but she couldn't help feeling desperately jealous of Kerry, and as if the entire scenario was unfair.

"Now, another question?"

A woman was already raising her arm.

"Cassandra Cole, the missing girl. Is it possible she's already dead?"

"It's a possibility, but since this killer seems to hold victims for varying amounts of time, we're working on the assumption that she's still alive."

Unable to listen to any more of this, May turned and walked back into the police station.

It was quieter inside. Just one phone was ringing. As she watched, Owen answered it.

Returning to her desk, May found she had a question of her own, one that she couldn't ask but which was burning in her mind.

Could this unknown killer be the same person who had taken Lauren, ten years ago?

She had disappeared without a trace, just as these girls had done. Her body had never been found - but maybe, just maybe, that meant she was still alive somewhere.

Once the idea had occurred to her, May couldn't get it out of her mind. She was finding herself fixated on it.

Kerry had said nothing about earlier cases. It hadn't seemed to occur to her sister that there might be parallels in these disappearances.

Outside, another scattered round of applause signaled the press conference was wrapping up.

A moment later, she saw the shiny Lexus accelerate past the police department building, heading for the highway.

At that moment, May resolved she was not letting this go. Whatever it took, she was going to pursue this.

She was not going to hand the case over but was going to work in parallel with her sister.

If Kerry found out, she knew there would be trouble. But May decided she was willing to handle it.

She walked over to Owen, and whispered, "I need to speak to you in the back office. I have an idea."