enough.
“Good morning.” Emilia thrust one of the coffee mugs toward Bennett. “Here, this is for you. Your mom swears you’re grouchy without it, and we can’t have that.”
He rolled his eyes. “Don’t believe a word my mom says.”
“Anything new on the case?” Emilia scratched Duke behind the ears. His tail thumped against the floor.
“As a matter of fact, yes.” Bennett sipped his coffee and then waved her back. “Come into the office. I have something to show you.”
The office had stained-wood walls and a sealed-concrete floor. A desk sat facing a large window overlooking the pasture.
Emilia ran her hand over a bull riding trophy. Bennett’s name was engraved along the edge. “I didn’t know you were a bull rider.”
“Only for a bit while in college.” He flashed a heart-stopping smile. “Then I traded my spurs for a lawman’s badge. Mom was disappointed. She hoped I would pick a less adventurous career.”
“Considering we were shot at last night, I can’t say I blame her.”
The mirth left his expression as Bennett gestured to a whiteboard running along the far wall. “This is what I wanted to show you. Claire heard from the surrounding counties. Ten additional women meet our parameters. All of them are active missing person cases.”
Emilia’s hand tightened around her coffee mug. Photos of the women were hung on the whiteboard with magnets. Dates were underneath each picture, indicating when they’d disappeared. Bennett had also added Alice’s photo, along with the three victims attributed to Derrick.
Fourteen women in total. It made her heart ache. Why, God? Why?
“Most of the cases weren’t investigated thoroughly because the women engaged in high-risk behaviors,” Bennett continued. “Drug use, abusive boyfriends, homeless, etc.”
“That would make it easier for police to believe they had simply run off. Like Alice.” She tapped the young woman’s photograph. “She’s still the first victim.”
Bennett nodded. “So far, yes.”
“None of the women’s bodies have been recovered.” Emilia scanned the board, thinking out loud. “That means the killer—or killers—have a graveyard somewhere. Or they dumped the bodies in the woods, deep enough they haven’t been discovered yet. What happened to the land and the cabin Derrick owned after his death?”
The cabin she’d been held in. Nearly killed in. All the missing women—including Alice—could be buried in the vicinity.
Bennett frowned. “I was curious about that myself and looked it up this morning. The land was bought by a corporation, Ignite Development. They own several parcels around the lake including the one next to Derrick’s property.”
“Who owns the corporation?”
“No idea. It’s based out of Delaware. That state allows the owners to be anonymous. However, the attorney listed as a point of contact is Sheriff King’s son, Malcolm.”
Emilia arched her brows. “Small world.”
“Malcolm’s a friend of mine. He handles most of the civil work in the county. Buying and selling property, business investments, probate. His dad and I have had our differences, but Malcolm’s different. He’s a good guy and an excellent lawyer.”
“We should make a formal request for access to the property so we can search it using cadaver dogs. I doubt we’ll get it, since Ignite is probably owned by Derrick’s partner. He used the corporation to hide his identity. Still, it’s worth a shot. I guarantee those missing women are buried on that land.”
Emilia had almost been one of the victims. Her mind flashed back to the nightmare. Running through the woods, being chased, the fear so thick it choked her.
Bennett placed a hand on her arm. His palm was warm, even through the thick fabric of her sweater. It jolted Emilia from the dark train of her thoughts.
He dipped his head down to meet her eyes. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.”
She gave herself a mental shake. She’d survived Derrick’s attack. Now these women needed Emilia to be their voice.
She wouldn’t rest until justice was served.
Bennett hadn’t planned on discussing the case before church, but Emilia asked. He wouldn’t lie to her. She’d had enough people in her life let her down and hurt her, starting with her parents. Bennett refused to be one more. Still, the dusky shadows under her gorgeous eyes bothered him. She hadn’t slept well.
Emilia stepped to the whiteboard and tapped Alice’s photograph. “We made mistakes last year. I want to make sure we get it right this time.”
The mistakes hadn’t been theirs. Sheriff King had denied them access to important case files and ignored their advice. But Bennett understood what she meant. This time, they wouldn’t stop working until there were answers.
She turned to face him. “I reviewed the