Never Run (May Moore Suspense Thriller 1)

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

Kerry Moore strode out of the interview room, closing the door behind her. She wanted to slam it. She was furious and frustrated that, at the last possible minute, this case was veering away from the quick, successful wrap-up she’d hoped for.

Edgar Boone was stubbornly refusing to confess to the crimes. And despite using every one of their interrogation techniques, neither Kerry nor Adams had learned the whereabouts of the two missing girls.

"He's not going to break," Kerry hissed, as Adams came out from the interview room, too. "He's adamant he's going to plead not guilty to everything."

"He's putting up a good front," Adams muttered.

"Yes, I have never met a killer in such denial. Most times, when they’re caught, these serials are proud of what they’ve done. But he’s the opposite. And now he’s refusing to say anything more until his lawyer arrives."

"It’s really concerning that we can't get him to tell us where the missing women are," Adams said.

Kerry sighed. "I don't know what else we can try. I feel angry and frustrated that we're not getting anywhere. And I'm wondering if we're missing something."

"I'll go and get us a cup of coffee," Adams said. "Maybe he just needs a chance to cool off and think about things."

Kerry shook her head. "I don't want a coffee. I don't want to sit around here, twiddling my thumbs, waiting for him to crack. What's the status on searching his house?"

"The forensic team from the FBI Minneapolis office have just arrived there. Most likely, that will take a few hours," Adams said.

A few hours? That seemed like an impossible timeframe to Kerry.

And meanwhile, she was stuck in this oppressively small police department, with the sheriff fending off shouted questions from the angry crowd outside.

Kerry sighed.

If only they had the location for two missing women!

"I'm going to have to go in and question him again in a minute," she said. "Damn it! I'm not giving up on this."

Adams shook his head. "I feel we've exhausted every single avenue. What do you think the chances are we'll find anything else?"

"We have to be creative. Something will come to me. Unless it’s too late, and that’s why he’s not telling us where they are," Kerry snapped, not wanting to think about that possibility.

Muttering to herself, Kerry headed back to her desk in the department's back office. Glancing out of the window, she saw it was almost dark.

She needed to check her notes before going back inside, to see if there was anything she'd missed. She sat down at her desk and reached for the notes she'd taken during the interview.

As she did so, her phone beeped.

Kerry grabbed it, hoping it would be the forensics team with some real information they could use. Her blood pressure briefly spiked as she saw the message was from May.

She'd thought May was somewhere inside the police department. She’d seen Owen at the front desk, and had assumed May was there, too. Why, then, was she messaging Kerry?

Frowning, Kerry opened the message.

"I'm on the trail of the killer. I'm outside his farmhouse. I think that's where he is keeping the victims. His name is Josh Evans. Here are the coordinates for the farmhouse."

Kerry blinked in astonishment as a pin drop location opened.

"Adams!" she yelled.

In a rush of footsteps, her partner appeared.

"What is it?"

"My sister thinks she's found the killer."

Adams glanced back at the interview room. Then he stared at Kerry.

"Seriously?" he said, sounding incredulous. "Your sister? She wasn't even supposed to be on the case? How'd she do that? Is she telepathic or what?"

Kerry didn't miss the note of derision in his voice.

Adams didn't believe May.

The problem was that, combined with the utter lack of progress they'd been making in the interview room, Kerry did. A lot more than she wanted to. She knew May. Her sister had always been proud. She had integrity and would not want to mislead anyone at such an important time. If May was messaging this, then Kerry knew that May herself was sure of it.

"Yeah. She says the killer’s holding the girls captive in a farmhouse, south of here, outside a town called Pitcher. His name is Josh Evans."

"Is she sure?"

"If she sent the message, I believe her."

"Well, that's a pretty wild theory," Adams said.

"I know," Kerry replied. "But she could be right. I don’t know how she got to that conclusion, but I think she might be onto something."

"I think it's a wild goose chase that will produce nothing," Adams said, shaking his head doubtfully.

Kerry could feel her blood pressure rising, her irritation growing.

"I feel we should take this seriously," she said.