“As long as I think she’s alive, he knows I’ll do whatever he says,” Melina said. “And he’s right.”

“Which is exactly why you can’t do anything he says,” Ramsey said. “He’ll kill her and you regardless, if we’re not very careful.”

Another text chimed. Melina. Date night. Do you think you can find me in time?

She looked at Ramsey. She texted back. Where are you?

You figure it out. Tick tock.

She gripped the phone. Ramsey showed no traces of worry or concern as he carefully took it from her. He was focused solely on the mission.

“I’ve got to go to Elena,” Melina said.

He nodded carefully, and she imagined he was rising above the fray and staring at everyone as if they were pieces on a chessboard.

“Not alone.” His tone was hard, unwavering.

“I have to do whatever Mecum demands, for Elena’s sake,” she said.

Ramsey’s expression was unreadable, but his jaw tensed with frustration. “You are not going. He will kill you.”

“He might let Elena go,” she countered.

“You aren’t thinking clearly.”

“I have to save her.” Her desperation resonated in her tone.

He reviewed the video again. “She appears to be drugged. That explains the turned-down sheets in the motel and why no one reported a child screaming.”

“They found liquid sedatives in Bonnie’s car,” Melina said. “If she dosed the kid, she’s been out for most of this.”

“And the quieter Elena remains, the longer she’ll live,” Ramsey said.

Melina rolled her shoulders. “She could be waking up soon. I have to go.”

He studied her a beat before nodding. “Okay. You’ll go. Tell him you’re coming.”

“Alone?”

“Yes.”

With trembling fingers, she typed the text and hit send.

Mecum’s reply arrived a minute later. Can’t wait.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Friday, August 28, 4:00 p.m.

Melina and Ramsey drove to the Mission, and as soon as he parked, she immediately got out of the car and rushed to push the intercom button. “Melina?” Sarah’s voice sounded over the speaker.

“Can we come inside?”

“Yes.” The door lock buzzed open, and as they stepped inside, Sarah came out of her office. “What’s going on?”

Melina updated her quickly, explaining that Sam was dead. Sarah closed her eyes for a moment and appeared to say a prayer.

“Sam did so many good things for the Mission,” she said softly. “He was a friend.”

“There’s another man who could be far more dangerous,” Melina said. “His name is Edward Mecum.”

“Mecum?” Sarah asked. “I know that name.”

“How?” Melina asked.

“He was just here this morning.”

“What are you talking about?” Melina asked.

“He rang the bell just after 7:00 a.m. I saw him on the video camera and asked what he wanted. He said he had a donation for the Mission.”

“Did you let him in?” Melina asked.

“He showed identification and seemed legit. So, yes, I let him in. He gave me a check for one hundred thousand dollars. The check cleared and I sent a thank-you email with a receipt to his address as he requested.”

Melina ran a steady hand over the top of her head. She tried not to think about what could have happened to Sarah. “Did he do or say anything out of the ordinary?”

“No, he seemed pretty normal. Who is this guy?”

“We think he might be the Key Killer,” Melina said.

Sarah’s face paled as she stared at Melina. “Why would a guy like that give me a check?”

“To get control of your computer.” Ramsey reached for his phone. “I have an agent in Quantico who can remotely take control of Sarah’s computer. Do you mind if she does it?”

“No. But how could he get my computer? He never touched it,” Sarah said.

“The email address you contacted would have sent a virus to your computer,” Ramsey said. “You could have inadvertently granted complete access to your computer. Once he was in, he was able to comb through your files and discover Melina’s and Sonny’s identities.”

“But nothing weird happened after I sent the email,” she said.

“If he was clever enough, you never would have noticed him poking around. Can my agent do the same?”

Once Ramsey gave Andy the password, she was in the Mission’s computer in seconds. Sarah stood back in horror, watching the cursor move on its own, opening files and programs at a rapid pace. Melina walked up and down, and Ramsey knew the waiting was clawing at her insides.

Ramsey’s phone rang. “Andy.”

“I got him.”

Mecum had gone on dates with mothers twice before. They had been some of his best. They had a reason to live and to fight. They had a tendency to hold on longer. Melina was not the child’s mother, but he would bet his last dollar she had a tender heart and would fight to save the kid.

He looked over at the girl lying on the couch in his cabin. She was starting to stir and would soon awaken. He crushed one of his pain pills into a fine powder and sprinkled it into a glass of water. He sat beside her and smoothed his hand over her forehead.

She blinked slowly, and when she looked up at him, her eyes teared.

“There, there,” he said softly. “No need for tears. Drink this, sweet girl.”

Obedient, she drank. When she had drained the glass, he gently eased her back on the pillows and waited for her to fall asleep again. Her eyes drifted closed and her breathing slowed.

“That’s a good girl.”

Melina had seen his text two hours ago. She must be in agony as she wondered if the girl was alive or dead. How frantic was she now as she scrambled to figure out where he was hiding? He could drag this out for hours, if not days, if he had the time. When this was all over, she would know that she had not gotten the best of him.

He took another video of the girl. The viewer could see that she was alive and moving. Poor Melina would be so relieved to know this precious child was unharmed.

He ended the recording and attached it to a text. “Kid, I’ve kept you alive this long,” he said. “No marks or bruises on your little body. That’s got to count for something.”

He wanted Melina to know, to understand, that he was serious. If she did not join him, Elena would be her proxy.

This time he typed the address of his location along with a warning to come alone. Never killed a kid before. But always a first time. Come talk me out of it. Alone.

He hit send. And waited.

Melina leaned against the wall, watching as Ramsey and Sarah stared at the computer screen. Her mother had texted her several times asking for updates on Elena, and each time it had broken her heart to report she had nothing. When Sonny’s phone chimed with a text, she braced for the worst before she looked at it.

Drawing in a breath, she glanced down at the display as dread crept up her spine. She opened it and nearly wept when she saw the video of Elena stirring. And then she read the attached words. Never killed a kid before. But always a first time. Come talk me out of it. Alone.

“Ramsey, look at this,” she shouted as she rushed to him.

He watched the video and read the text. “You aren’t going alone.”

An anguished cry rose up in her. She had brought this on Elena, and knowing the child was suffering because of her ripped through her soul like a dull knife. “You can go with me, but I approach Mecum alone.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Friday, August 28, 7:00 p.m.

Melina drove west, pushing beyond the speed limit as she raced toward the address Mecum had given her after she had agreed to see him. She gripped the steering wheel, trying to calm her breathing and regain focus. But each time she thought she had gotten a handle on her emotions, images of Elena popped into her mind.

Andy had traced the address Mecum had supplied and located it on satellite imagery. The land was overgrown with a thick canopy of trees that hid the house. Property records that dated back to the 1980s listed a single-story, two-thousand-square-foot house. There was no telling what modifications Mecum had made since.

“I’m coming, Elena. Hang tight.”

Anyone watching would not have realized that Ramsey had ridden in the trunk until they were about a half a mile from the entrance to Mecum’s driveway. She stopped, popped the trunk, and watched in the rearview mirror as he rolled out in full tactical gear. He quickly darted into the woods. They were both mindful that Mecum could very well have surveillance cameras on the property.

“Can you still hear me?” he asked.

The voice came through a small earpiece. He barely sounded winded as he ran. “I can.”

Agent Jackson had assembled a tactical team that was now gathering a mile behind her in a church parking lot. Ramsey had been dropped off near the base of Mecum’s driveway and was moving up through the woods toward the cabin with a long rifle.

“Good. Remember, talk to him. I should be in position in five minutes. Go as slow as you can up the driveway. When you arrive, I’ll key off what you tell me.”

“Understood.”