to have to start making some educated guesses and going with hunches because he’s not leaving any evidence behind.”
“Hunches get you nowhere,” Peterson said. “Somewhere along the way he’ll make a mistake. You watch.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Chapter Six
Stacey wasn’t happy with her parents’ decision to take her out of school and back to St. Petersburg with them, but she understood. Before she left, she’d had a long conversation with Detective Jansen.
“Your parents are making the right decision,” Danni had told her. “I have a daughter who is only ten years old, but I don’t want her living here. If I could send her away, I would. Your parents have no choice after what happened to you.
“I know it seems like the end of the world, but we’ll catch this guy soon and you’ll be back here before you know it.”
Stacey had just nodded, but as the days went by, she’d thought about what Danni had said. It made sense so she decided to accept her parents’ decision and not be angry with them. Besides, she still had a lot of friends back home who were going to the junior college, and there were plenty of opportunities for fun.
Saturday night always brought a party and tonight’s party was on Snell Isle at one of the estates on the water. Stacey was standing on the seawall talking to Jason, whose last name she couldn’t remember. Jason had been a few years ahead of her in high school, and she’d had a crush on him for the longest time. Now he was finally paying attention to her, and she wasn’t all that interested.
She had walked out to the seawall to be alone for a few minutes. The grounds were so large she could hardly hear the revelers inside. Jason had followed her a short time later. It was a little awkward since they really didn’t know each other that well. Jason thought the conversation might go a little more smoothly if alcohol was involved.
“Can I get you a beer?” he asked.
“Sure. Make it a light beer.”
He’d been gone only a few seconds when someone else showed up—a tall thin guy with short black hair. Stacey didn’t recognize him from school or the neighborhood.
“Beautiful night, isn’t it?” the new guy said.
“Yeah,” Stacey replied. “This is perfect Florida weather.”
“Especially out here away from the crowd and the lights. You can really see the stars out here.”
“Too bad there’s no moon,” Stacey added.
“Having no moon makes it perfect,” he said as he inched closer to her. “I just wish I had the luxury of taking my time with you.”
Stacey was puzzled by the remark. As she turned toward him, she started to understand too late. He was next to her now, plunging the knife deep into her belly while capping her mouth with his left hand. The second stab penetrated her chest right into her heart.
“Not so tough tonight, are you, honey?” he said as her body sagged to the ground.
As he walked toward the seawall with two bottles of beer in his hand, Jason wondered where the hell Stacey had gone. Had she ditched him already? He didn’t identify the large dark object lying in the grass until he was upon it. He saw the bulging eyes first, then the mouth agape, and the blood…He dropped the beers and opened his own mouth to scream, but no sound came out. His mind told him to turn and run, but his legs wouldn’t move.
Chapter Seven
Danni was up early on Sunday morning making sandwiches and packing the cooler. She and Hannah were going to Whiskey River Springs for the day. They both needed it. Danni hadn’t taken any time off in a month, and some days she worked round the clock. Thank God her sister Mary was a stay-at-home mom and was willing to watch Hannah. Otherwise, Danni would have had to quit her job.
Hannah was a little lost without her mother around constantly correcting her, keeping her in line, and loving her to death. Dad lived in town but he was usually “tied up” with work or, worse yet, a new woman. Whiskey River Springs was Hannah and her mom’s special place. They’d swim and hike and just hang out together. They almost weren’t mom and daughter at the Springs. They were girlfriends.
The doorbell rang as Danni was filling the cooler with ice. She first checked to make sure she had her gun.
“Who is it?” she called out from a distance. Hannah was still asleep, but