“Can you tell if her eyes have been physically damaged?” Jordan asked.

“They don’t appear to be,” Lucas said. “But I’ll let the medical examiner remove the tape.”

“I don’t think his intention was to attack me,” she said. “Emma said the assailant apologized for hitting me so hard.”

“Why didn’t he kill you?” Spencer asked.

“Maybe he thought I was dead,” she said. “Maybe he didn’t have time. You were close to the driveway as I entered the house.”

“Why did he take Casey?” Spencer asked.

“He didn’t get a chance to finish the job,” she said. “Seeing his victim die is an important part of the ritual.”

“So, he takes her somewhere else, repeats the process, and kills her,” Spencer said.

“He might not kill her immediately, but he won’t keep her alive for long.” Jordan’s sightless gaze shifted in the direction of his face. “Have you considered another press conference?” she asked.

“Not with you.”

“He’s already sent me a message with the tape and roses. Give me a chance to send a message back to him.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I won’t take that risk.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Thursday, April 22

3:30 p.m.

Jordan felt helpless. She listened to the sounds of the crime scene technicians and officers, but without her vision to process the sights, she was not receiving enough data to make a difference. Using the voice-activated software on her phone, she called her sister, and when the phone actually rang, she felt a sense of victory.

Avery picked up on the second ring. “How goes it?”

“Not great,” Jordan admitted as she turned her back to the scene. “Could you come and pick me up?”

“Sure. Where’s Spencer?”

“Knee deep in the investigation. I’m of no use to anyone here.”

“I don’t think that’s true.”

“I know my limitations. But if you pick me up, we can visit Casey Andrews’s mother.”

“She’s the girl that’s missing.”

“Correct.”

“Of course. I’ve been tracking you on Find a Friend just in case, so I can be there in twenty minutes.”

“You’ve been tracking me.” Jordan was annoyed and impressed.

“You used to track me.”

But that was different. She was the older cop sister. Was. Now she was the older sister with limited vision that might not ever improve. “Fair enough. See you soon.”

Jordan slid her phone in her pocket as a new vehicle arrived. Doors opened and closed; feet thudded onto hard-packed dirt as the pair moved around to the back, opened another door, and gurney wheels jangled. The medical examiner’s team had arrived to collect the body.

Spencer and Lucas spoke to the medical examiner attendants in subdued tones that she might not have noticed before. It was not like she had superpowerful hearing now, but she was already keying in on sounds, smells, and textures more.