But it was too late now. He’d chased her until she’d come to a ridge overlooking the river, the water crashing below. Then she’d thrown herself over. Death was better than going back to that hellhole.
She snapped her eyes open, her heart pounding. Where was she? Not in her bed. Not in the river.
Her body ached, her limbs felt weak and she could barely breathe for the sharp pain in her chest. Machines beeped. An oxygen tube was threaded through her nose. A cart clanged somewhere. And voices…
A hospital, she realized. She was in the hospital.
The nightmare… it was real. She’d been running from the man who’d abducted her. She’d dived into the river to get away from him—preferring to die than to face him.
Fear suffocated her, but she managed to claw at the bed and find the nurse’s button. She had to talk to the police. She had to tell them what she knew.
One Hundred Twenty-Eight
Haints Bar
Leaving Finton in the cell and the deputy on duty to watch him, Derrick went to Haints to talk to the sheriff. Just as he parked, he got a message that Kennedy Sledge had regained consciousness. The sheriff’s car was in the lot.
A killer was on the loose, and he was sitting around drinking whiskey?
Fury made him clench his jaw as he strode into the crowded bar. Country music rocked the room while the scent of beer and fries permeated the air.
Even with the warning they’d issued to women in the area, a few had come to the cop bar, as if a ruthless serial killer wasn’t out there.
At the bar, Bryce was chowing down on a burger and flirting with a young brunette. Derrick tapped him on the back.
“Sheriff, we need to talk.”
Bryce looked annoyed.
“Where’s Ellie?” Derrick demanded.
At the mention of Ellie’s name, the woman seated next to him rose, carrying her drink to a table with two other women.
“I asked you a question, Sheriff. Where’s Ellie?”
“How should I know? She doesn’t exactly keep in touch or follow orders.”
“I got a message from her after she found the latest victim. She said she was coming back to Stony Gap to confront you.”
Bryce shoved his food away. “Confront me? Hell, I’m going to fire her ass for letting McClain out of jail against my orders.”
“Don’t fucking lie to me, Waters,” said Derrick, gripping his arm. “If you did something to Ellie, then you’d better fess up.”
“What does that mean? If I did something to Ellie?”
Derrick hated to play all his cards, but every minute counted. “She left me a message saying she liked you for the crimes. If you’re the Weekday Killer, saving Ellie and the deputy will go toward leniency.”
“Shit. You’re serious, aren’t you?” Bryce said, dropping his glass down so hard that beer sloshed over the sides.
“Dead serious,” Derrick said. “The last thing she told me was that she was going to talk to you and now she’s not answering her phone.”
Outrage darkened Bryce’s eyes. “That’s absurd. I’m going to call your superior and tell him––”
“Tell him what? That Ellie suspected you for some reason? That you were drinking on the job while the rest of us were hunting for a serial killer? That you had a vendetta against the deputy and Ellie because you have an aversion to strong women?”
“You’re way off base, Agent Fox. Way off.”
“Then prove it.”
“I don’t have to prove anything to you.”
“The hell you don’t. Either come with me or I’m going to arrest you.”
“You’ll be sorry you said that,” Bryce said.
“Come with me now or I’ll handcuff you right here in front of everyone in this bar you like so much.”
Bryce spit out another curse word, then tossed some cash on the bar and stood. He peeled Derrick’s fingers from around his arm and led the way back outside.
“Give me your weapon,” Derrick ordered when they reached the car.
“You’ll regret this,” Bryce snarled. But he lifted his service revolver, handing it over.
After checking the safety, Derrick gestured for Bryce to get in his car.
“Where are we going?” the sheriff snapped.
“To the hospital. Kennedy Sledge woke up.”
One Hundred Twenty-Nine
Bluff County Hospital
Derrick led the way into the hospital, a steaming Bryce by his side. On the way over, he’d asked the sheriff about the tension between him and Ellie, but Bryce had told him it was none of his business. Derrick had furtively recorded his voice to play to Kennedy Sledge, in case she could identify him.