“She was struggling, thumping her bound feet against the floor,” she said. “I crossed to her immediately. Normally, I would have secured the scene, but she was turning blue. Her time was almost up. I cut the plastic from her face, and she sucked in a breath. It reminded me so much of that day I found you.”

“I remember seeing your face, and all I wanted to do was cry.” Avery rubbed her palms together.

“Did Walker do that to you?” Jordan asked.

“I was thinking about that night this morning. I never heard a name, but I think there was a second man. His voice was a hoarse whisper. I think he’s the one that shoved the plastic in my mouth.”

“You refused to go to the emergency room. I wanted a rape kit done.”

“I know, and I couldn’t face that.”

“Where was Walker when this second man might have been there?”

“He’d split. And then you showed.”

“Do you remember anything else?”

“No.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

“If this is the same guy, why didn’t he kill you? Your death would have solved a lot of potential witness problems for him.”

“If he’s been sending me messages, murdering me would end the game.”

“What game?”

“No idea.” Jordan turned toward the room, inhaling and exhaling as she listened to the drip of water from a pipe, a scurrying mouse, and the creak of floorboards as Avery shifted her weight from foot to foot. She opened her cane and moved across the room, noting the wood floor changed to a cracked laminate. The kitchens in houses like this were generally small, so it took only six steps to cross the length of it. She ran her hand over the wall until she felt the door handle.

Jordan opened the door. “What’s out back?”

“A shed.”

It had been too dark for her to see that night, and any outbuildings had been the last thing on her mind.

“Did you know he was there before he struck?” Avery asked.

“I assumed, but I didn’t see him. The panic in Casey’s eyes tipped me off.”

“Did you hear anything?”

“Footsteps.”

“Smells?”

Jordan closed her eyes, allowing herself to relax.

“Did he say anything?”

Jordan tapped her finger against her thigh. “He said, ‘Too smart.’”

“He wasn’t expecting you to find Casey so soon?”

“I drove like a bat out of hell, but I wouldn’t have found her in time if I didn’t have Find a Friend,” Jordan said.

“He expected you to discover Casey’s body, eventually.”

“Yes.”

“If he holds to his pattern, then he’d leave Casey’s body where it will be discovered, but so far she’s not turned up,” Avery said.

“Instead, he killed Emma Powers.” Was Casey still alive? Was this killer keeping her somewhere, expecting to use her again?

“Do you think Casey can identify him?” Avery asked.