Keri watched him go, then buzzed again for the nurse, who helped her make another call, this time to Detective Edgerton.
He’d hit a wall trying to access info on the laptop. Apparently it shut down if you entered either the wrong username or password ten times. He was up to eight and was afraid to try again. Keri thought about it for a moment, picturing Pachanga straddling her, his eyes ablaze with manic ecstasy as he preached his unhinged manifesto. Then an idea popped into her head.
“Can I make a suggestion? If I’m wrong, you’ll still have one more chance.”
“I don’t know, Keri,” Edgerton said reluctantly.
“Listen. I was with him. He talked to me. He was baring his soul. I’m pretty sure I know this guy.”
There came a long silence. Then:
“One guess.”
She breathed deep.
“Okay. For the username go with TRUESELF. For the password, use HOMEBASE.”
She waited while he typed. There was a long, uncomfortable silence, her heart slamming in her chest, praying she wasn’t wrong.
“It worked!” Edgerton shouted. “Oh my God! Holy shit, Keri. This is the mother lode! I’m seeing it now…multiple chat rooms on the dark web…wait a minute, it’s loading…that’s it! We’ve got access to them all. Holy shit! This could help break dozens of cases! I’ve got to let you go so I can concentrate! This is amazing.”
She was about to ask him if he saw the name “Collector” anywhere but he’d already hung up. It was probably for the best anyway. She wanted to keep that detail to herself for now.
The nurse hung up the phone for her and lowered the hospital bed. Keri wanted to thank her but she was wiped out and drifted off before getting a word out.
*
The press conference was just as Hillman predicted. Important people blathered on. The Penns thanked her. Mia sounded genuine through her tears. Senator Penn put on a good show but Keri could tell he despised her. Even if she had saved his daughter, his career was in ruins and he seemed to hold her responsible.
Finally she was wheeled up to the microphone.
She’d thought about what she was going to say while she listened to the others. After a while, a plan formed in her mind. She would never have a bigger platform. And she was going to use it.
She started by thanking all the right people and expressing how glad she was that Ashley was okay.
“That young woman fought for herself until others came to help. She showed bravery and toughness and an unrelenting will to survive. In fact, it was her quick thinking that helped save my life. I’m proud of her and I know her parents are too.”
Then Keri paused for a second before deciding to go for it. She held up a photo displayed on her phone.
She saw out of the corner of her eyes Hillman shaking his head furiously at her, warning her not to do it.
But nothing would stop her now.
“This is my daughter, Evelyn Locke. We called her Evie. She was abducted five years ago next week when she was just eight years old.” Keri swiped the screen to reveal another image. “This an age-progression sketch of what she might look like now at thirteen. I appreciate all the kind words of thanks today. But all I want is my little girl back. So if this image looks familiar, please contact your local authorities. I miss my daughter and just want to hold her again. Please help me do that. Thank you.”
She was flooded with a sea of questions, all the attention shifting from the Penns to Evie, and she felt her heart warm.
Maybe they’d find her after all.
*
An hour later, Keri sat in a chair at Ray’s bedside, waiting for him in the silence to wake up. Her thoughts drifted to what she would do once she was fully recovered. She was toying with the idea of moving out of the houseboat. It was a place for people, she realized, living in a holding pattern. She now realized that. And she felt like she needed to move on if she was going to have any kind of life.
Maybe she’d get an apartment, one with two bedrooms, so Evie would have a place to sleep once she found her. And she’d start seeing Dr. Blanc more regularly. She hadn’t had a missing time blackout since the surgery, but she didn’t trust that they were gone for good. To make that happen, as much as she hated to admit it, she’d need help.
And maybe it was time to really face up to her feelings for Ray. They’d been doing this delicate dance for a while. She knew he wanted to get closer but she was afraid of letting him in, terrified of allowing herself to truly care for another person who might get ripped away from her. She didn’t want to lose him too.
But then it hit her.
We lose everyone eventually. It’s what we do with our time here together that matters.
She smiled at the thought, sighing deeply. It was the most relaxed she’d felt in a long time. She glanced up and saw that Ray was conscious and smiling at her, his warm eyes twinkling. She didn’t know how long he’d been awake, but the thought of him watching over her gave her comfort.
“How ya doing, Big?” she asked softly.
His voice was weak and raspy but she understood him anyway.
“Better now, Tinkerbell.”
NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER!
A TRACE OF MURDER
(A Keri Locke Mystery--Book #2)
“A dynamic story line that grips from the first chapter and doesn't let go.”
--Midwest Book Review, Diane Donovan (regarding Once Gone)
From #1 bestselling mystery author Blake Pierce comes a new masterpiece of psychological suspense.
In A TRACE OF MURDER (Book #2 in the Keri Locke mystery series), Keri Locke, Missing Persons Detective in the Homicide division of the LAPD, remains haunted by the abduction of her own daughter. Encouraged by the new lead that has landed, the first in years, she pursues it with all that she has, determined to find her daughter and bring her back alive.
Yet Keri, at the same time, receives a phone call from a frantic husband, a famed Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, who reports that his wife has been missing for two days. A wealthy socialite with no enemies and little reason to leave her life, he fears the worst has become of his wife.
Keri takes on the case, assigned a new partner whom she hates, as Ray still recovers in the hospital. Her investigation leads her deep into the elite Beverly Hills world of the idle rich, to encounters with lonely housewives, and those with shopping-addicted, empty lives. Keri, in over her head in this world, becomes increasingly puzzled by the conflicting signals: did this woman, with a stalker and a lurid, secret past, run away, or was she abducted?
Or did something far more sinister happen?
A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, A TRACE OF MURDER is book #2 in a riveting new series—and a beloved new character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night.
“A masterpiece of thriller and mystery! The author did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side that is so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.”
--Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone)
Book #3 in the Keri Locke series will be available soon.
A TRACE OF MURDER
(A Keri Locke Mystery--Book #2)
Did you know that I've written multiple novels in the mystery genre? If you haven't read all my series, click the image below to download a series starter!
Blake Pierce
Blake Pierce is author of the bestselling RILEY PAGE mystery series, which include the mystery suspense thrillers ONCE GONE (book #1), ONCE TAKEN (book #2), ONCE CRAVED (#3), ONCE LURED (#4), ONCE HUNTED (#5), and ONCE PINED (#6). Blake Pierce is also the author of the MACKENZIE WHITE mystery series, the AVERY BLACK mystery series, and the KERI LOCKE mystery series.
ONCE GONE (a Riley Paige Mystery--Book #1), BEFORE HE KILLS (A Macke
nzie White Mystery—Book 1), and CAUSE TO KILL (An Avery Black Mystery—Book 1) are each available as a free download on Amazon!
An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Blake loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.blakepierceauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.
BOOKS BY BLAKE PIERCE
RILEY PAIGE MYSTERY SERIES
ONCE GONE (Book #1)
ONCE TAKEN (Book #2)
ONCE CRAVED (Book #3)
ONCE LURED (Book #4)
ONCE HUNTED (Book #5)
ONCE PINED (Book #6)
ONCE FORSAKEN (Book #7)
MACKENZIE WHITE MYSTERY SERIES
BEFORE HE KILLS (Book #1)
BEFORE HE SEES (Book #2)
BEFORE HE COVETS (Book #3)
BEFORE HE TAKES (Book #4)
AVERY BLACK MYSTERY SERIES
CAUSE TO KILL (Book #1)
CAUSE TO RUN (Book #2)
CAUSE TO HIDE (Book #3)
CAUSE TO FEAR (Book #4)
KERI LOCKE MYSTERY SERIES
A TRACE OF DEATH (Book #1)
A TRACE OF MURDER (Book #2)
A Trace of Death (A Keri Locke Mystery--Book #1) Page 20
