He appreciated her attempt at humor, hated to crush it. “They didn’t have to attend the dance for long. Whoever slipped something into your drink only had to be there long enough to see which glass you were drinking from and drop something inside. Then they could have hung around outside to offer to drive you home or simply grab you when they thought no one was looking.”

He made a mental note to run a check on this Lenoski character and also to see if the tox results were back yet. He was convinced Darby had been sedated, but he wanted proof.

Darby’s eyes went huge. “Maybe that’s why they killed Martin. I mean if they drugged me for whatever reason, and then Martin decides to let me sleep it off on his couch? It would have ruined their plans.” She shuddered. “He wouldn’t have hesitated to drive my truck back to his place.”

“Was he drinking?”

“He’d had a few beers, but he was a tall guy and we were there for a long time.” She frowned. “But if it was someone who lived in my apartment complex, they could grab me in the corridor or stairwell anytime.”

That was risky. Someone might see. Or the police might question them if Darby’s truck was parked outside. Plus, assuming they killed her, they’d have a body to dispose of. The idea made his stomach churn and he didn’t speculate out loud.

If the UNSUB grabbed her somewhere else, they’d be less of a suspect. Eban wasn’t willing to rule anyone out just yet, but he wanted to explore what might have happened at the dance a little more.

“What if, outside the dance hall they see Martin taking care of you, and maybe they offer to drive you home, but Martin tells them no. Not only does Martin foil their plans, but he can also identify them now.”

“They follow us to his place?”

“Yeah, unless they already know where he lives.” Most of the people at the Institute seemed to know one another pretty well. “They see him helping you inside his house and watch for a little while from the woods.”

It might explain the footprints in the snow outside the neighbor’s house. Someone watching Martin’s house from a distance because they didn’t want to be seen.

“They wait for Martin to fall asleep, knowing I’ll be unconscious, then come inside and kill him?” The scenario made perfect sense and was obviously scaring her to death.

It scared him too.

“I don’t understand why they left me alone,” she said quietly.

He spotted a moose in the woods off the side of the road and slowed to pass the giant beast. “Me neither, except at some point they decided to frame you for the murder. Was that to punish you in some way or to deflect attention away from themselves? Or both?”

He glanced at Darby who was pale enough to match the snow.

“You know what,” he declared suddenly.