Hide & Seek - Nicole Edwards Page 0,81

house. “One bedroom looks like it’s lived in; the other’s merely storage for a bed. We saw Collins come in last night, carryin’ what looked like two meals. Those were still sittin’ out on the table, both finished off. But we watched the house the entire night. The brother never left.”

“Or if he did,” Reese added, “he left through the back and we didn’t see him.”

It was a possibility and Reese was doing his best to hold on to that rather than to give in to the idea that was forming.

“What’s the house like?” JJ asked.

“It’s almost like it’s a safe house,” Reese mused. “Or for appearances only.”

“You think he’s got another?” Baz asked. “Somewhere he stashes his victims?”

“If he does, it’s not in his name,” JJ said quickly. “I’ve already done a complete workup on the guy. Credit score’s for shit, but he does show to be the owner of the current residence. He’s got three other addresses on his record. The address his parents were at the longest, the grandparents, and then the house the uncle left him. He sold the latter, bought the one he’s in now.”

“You said the brother’s name was Jake, right?” Brantley asked.

Reese held his tongue because that fed right into the off-the-wall theory that was forming.

“Only according to the detective’s notes on one of the first cases back in Pleasant Grove. The detective took Collins’s statement and the name was noted on there. Can’t find it anywhere else.”

“Well, keep lookin’,” Brantley instructed. “We’re gonna swing through McDonald’s, grab some food, then hit the hotel for showers.”

“Probably need some sleep, too,” Baz suggested.

Brantley sounded grim when he said, “Sleep’s overrated.”

“It’ll wait,” Reese said. “If what Collins said is accurate, we’ve got until Saturday before Shelly Masters’s time is up. I’m not willin’ to let that happen. Which means we’ve got to find somethin’. He’s got to be somewhere.”

“We’ll keep diggin’,” JJ said, her tone reassuring. “Our priority is to find the brother. In the meantime, when you get a chance, check your email. I sent you some information you might find useful.”

“No, our priority is to find the women,” Brantley corrected. “But we will find the brother and we will nail him and whoever else is helpin’ him.”

“Understood. We’ll hit you back when we know somethin’,” Baz said before disconnecting the call.

Brantley glanced over. “What’s on your mind? You’ve got a theory, I can tell. You wanted to say somethin’ but you held your tongue.”

Reese had no idea how Brantley knew that, but the guy did have a super sense when it came to reading people.

“You no longer think it’s the brother?”

Reese stared out the front windshield, let all the information he knew run through his head.

“It’s crazy,” he muttered.

“Talk to me,” Brantley urged. “And go with your gut. I don’t think it’s steerin’ you wrong.”

Reese exhaled, dropped his head back against the headrest. “I think we’re lookin’ in the right place.”

“But not for the brother.”

This was the weird part. Reese rolled his head to the left, stared at Brantley’s profile. “I’m startin’ to think we were right in the beginning.”

“That Collins is responsible. Why’s that?”

Reese sighed, decided to go with his gut. “I don’t think there is a brother.”

“No?”

“I think they’re one and the same.”

Brantley came to a hard stop at a red light, his head snapping over. “Are you sayin’ he’s makin’ up the brother? Or are you sayin’…?”

They were both quiet for a second, Reese giving Brantley time to process what he was inferring.

“Based on the house,” Brantley said, “there’s no reason to think there’s anyone else livin’ there. And the meals coulda been staged for our benefit. I’m sure Collins hasn’t made it this far without bein’ astute. Hell, he may be keepin’ an eye on us.”

“Or the meals weren’t staged,” Reese said.

Brantley frowned, hit the gas when the light turned green. “I know where you’re goin’ with this, and I can see it playin’ out in my head but can’t wrap my mind around it yet.”

It was a leap, Reese knew.

“Explains why there’s only been mention of a brother, no actual sightings, no record of his existence. At least…”

“Outside of Collins’s head,” Reese said for him.

“Multiple personalities,” Brantley breathed out.

“Dissociative Identity Disorder,” Reese clarified. “If this theory’s right, Detective John Collins is also his brother, Jake. I’m no expert by any means, but if that’s the case, it could be John is the identity that took over to protect them. He became a cop, used his resources to cover