A Dark Place _ The Hunt For The Van Gogh Killer Begins m - Mary Alford Page 0,6

other than she and Lizzy were roommates?”

“Very little right now,” Olivia told him. “She’s thirty and works in the city for an architectural firm that’s doing some mid-city renovating.”

Asher headed through his house to the front room and grabbed his jacket and put it on before reaching for his keys. “We need to speak to the parents right away. I’m on my way in now. I’m—” He checked the time on the phone. “Ten minutes out.”

“No need. Open your front door.”

Confused, Asher jerked the door open and saw his partner standing there with the phone to her ear and two cups of coffee in one hand.

Asher ended the call and pocketed his phone. “What’s going on?” he asked when his partner handed him one of the coffees.

“I wanted to speak with you in private after what happened earlier.” Olivia came inside and closed the door. “I don’t trust Holden not to be bugging our calls.”

Asher took off his jacket and hung it on the coat tree by the door. He waited while Olivia did the same. Her long curly red hair was knotted on top of her head in a bun. She was almost as tall as his six-foot-four frame and physically more fit than he was. A marathon runner, she was as competitive as all get out. If his partner had come all the way here to speak in private, there was more to the story than what she’d said on the phone.

“It wasn’t the sheriff who sent the message from the killer. It was Lizzy.” Olivia sipped his coffee and waited for what she said to sink in.

Asher confirmed with a nod. “I figured. So, they’ve been in touch with the sheriff.”

Olivia nodded. “There was a message and two other photos on the original text from the killer.” His partner held his gaze. Asher knew what hadn’t been said. Both Olivia and the sheriff had a possible location of where Lizzy and Will were hiding with the rest of Strike Force.

“What did the message say?” His thoughts spun. By withholding evidence, Olivia could get into a lot of trouble. Asher wasn’t about to let his partner face Holden’s wrath alone.

“That she—meaning Lizzy—had made him do this. She took something important from him, and so he was going to take something from her.”

The words were chilling. “He blames Lizzy for Buckley’s death. Doesn’t he know it was Collins who took Buckley’s life?”

“He has to. He was probably there at the compound watching.” Olivia took another long sip of coffee.

“I’m in, partner. After what we witnessed with Holden earlier today, I’m convinced that man has his own agenda, and it has nothing to do with justice. He’s working for the people who are trying to frame our president and Strike Force.”

Olivia didn’t blink. “I agree, but are you sure? There’s no plausible way to deny your involvement once you hear the rest.”

Asher didn’t hesitate. “I’m sure.”

Olivia smiled. “Good. Come on. I’ll tell you everything I know on the way to the office.” She grabbed her jacket and handed Asher his.

They stepped out into the predawn filled with snow flurries and single digit temperatures. Overnight, another three inches of snow had fallen over the city.

Olivia hit the key fob to unlock her SUV, and they climbed inside. As she pulled away from his curb, Asher kicked up the heater. “Declan and Luke are on their way to speak to Sylvia’s parents now. Hopefully, they can shed some light on what Sylvia was doing in the hours before she was taken.” Olivia briefly turned his way. “I sure hope we find her before. . .”

Asher nodded because there were no words to describe how much he hoped for the same outcome. He couldn’t imagine having to wake the family and tell them their child had been taken by a serial killer. “Did you speak to the sheriff?” He wanted to know everything.

“I did. He sent the photo of Sylvia to my phone. I called him on a burner that couldn’t be traced just in case. The message actually came in on Lizzy’s phone.” She shook her head. “There were two other photos as well. They both were taken of Lizzy at the new location for Strike Force.”

“We can’t tell Holden or the rest of the team any of this,” Asher said. He had no doubt Holden would smell something was off. “He’ll question the sheriff.”

Olivia smiled. “Yeah, I know. I warned him. We talked about what’s happening at length. He’s in agreement