CHAPTER 26

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"What do we know?" Wyatt asked as he sped along the road.

Adam glanced at his tablet before relaying the information.

"The call came in around seven thirty. A female who didn't want to be identified. She said she saw the woman on the news. The operator asked for the address. The caller gave the address and described Rose."

"The caller didn't say anything else?"

"After giving the address, they hung up."

That seemed a bit suspicious to Wyatt, but he knew the people calling in usually never cared for lengthy conversations. Most asked for a reward though.

"How sure are we that it's her?"

"From the description given, it sounds like her. But it could be another prank call," Adam warned.

Wyatt nodded.

He hoped this wasn't another prank call. He still didn't understand what one gained by calling and giving the police wrong information. Where was the fun in that? Especially since these hot lines didn't offer a reward. Why would someone go out of their way to make a false report?

"Let's hope we get lucky this time. We're running out of time to find her," Wyatt said, pressing the car to go faster.

It would be another ten minutes before they arrived, even at the pace he was driving at.

"Did you inform the agents?" Wyatt asked, suddenly remembering them.

It wasn't unusual he had forgotten them. He honestly spent most of his time not thinking about them. It wasn't like they were contributing anything useful to the case. For Agents from the National Intelligence Agency, they were completely useless. It would better if they left, and Wyatt was allowed to work on this case alone.

"I did. Chief insisted I did after I told him about the call. I called them after I called you."

"Are they meeting us there?"

Adam fumbled a bit.

"Uh, they said they would sit this one out," he mumbled.

"Is that really what they said?" Wyatt asked surprised.

They seemed so interested in every clue that he had found so far, he found it difficult to believe they would stay back now.

"Well, they said that they didn't want to be running after another tip that didn't pan out. They said to call them if something interesting popped up."

"So basically, they want me to do all their work for them and then they can come in and claim all the glory?"

Adam didn't respond. Wyatt didn't need him too. He knew that was exactly what the Agents were going to do.

He could grumble all he wanted about it, but he knew there was nothing he could do about it. They were in a higher rank than him. If they wanted him kicked off the case, they could have had that. But so far they had let him be. Mainly because he was solving the case for them.

Not that Wyatt cared. Well truthfully he cared a bit. But at the end of the day, once the killer was caught, he didn't care who claimed the glory.

Wyatt pulled into the rundown motel address. The exterior was covered in mold and weather-beaten white paint. He was sure the spot he was looking at was actually the wall, there was no more paint there. It was safe to say that the rates here would be something a mere criminal could afford.

"Did the caller say what room she saw Rose go in?" Wyatt asked, as he shut the car off.

"No. Only the address of the motel was given," Adam answered.

"Alright, let's find the reception desk."

Both men got out of the car and walked around. There were only two other cars in the lot, both cars in states of decay. One was missing a door and the other it's entire roof. The inside of the car was covered in leaves and debris.

The reception desk was easy to find, with a sole young man sitting behind it. His head was buried in phone, as he chatted animatedly. From the various shoot, shoot and then run he was shouting, it was easy to deduce he was playing some game.

Wyatt knocked the table.

The young man jumped up to look at them.

"Sorry, I didn't see you," he said, closing whatever he was playing on his phone.

"Can I get you a room?" he said his gaze taking in both Adam and Wyatt.

"Is there a woman staying here?" Wyatt asked.

The young man watched him closely.

"I don't see how that's any of your information," he answered haughtily.

Wyatt couldn't help but smile. He thought the kid would have given the information easily.

He took his badge out from his pocket and placed it on the counter.

"You going to answer my questions now?" Wyatt asked.

The kid looked at the badge and then back at Wyatt. He looked as though he wanted to argue more but nodded.

"Great. So, is there a woman staying here?"

"There's quite a few. You're going to be more specific," the kid answered.

"Show him a picture," Wyatt told Adam.

Adam pulled out his phone and showed the kid the picture of Rose. It was the most recent picture they had of her.

"I may have seen her," the kid grudgingly said.

"May have? Be more specific."

The kid obviously didn't want to give out any information. Working in a place like this, he must see unsavory characters all the time. But it wasn't his place to judge. Just give them a room.

"She rented a room a few days ago. She was here earlier today."

"Is she here now?"

"I'm not sure. I don't pay attention to the goings and comings."

"Does your cameras?" Wyatt asked, noticing the camera above the reception desk.

"Most don't work. Only the one in the parking lot and this one works," the kid answered.

"Can we still get a copy of the tapes?"

"I guess," he answered shrugging.

"Which room is she staying in?"

After the kid gave them the room number and a key, Wyatt and Adam made their way over.

"Do you think she's here?" Adam asked.

"It would make life a lot easier," Wyatt said as they reached her door.

There was no noise on the other side, but he could see light shining out the bottom of the door. He pointed it out to Adam. Someone was inside the room.

Wyatt knocked.

There was silence.

He knocked again.

And again no one answered.

"Rose Monte. This is the Mayberry PD. Open up!" Wyatt shouted.

Again, there was silence.

Wyatt took the spare key and inserted in the lock. He pulled out his gun and looked over at Adam to make sure he had as well. When Wyatt was sure they were ready, he turned the lock and pushed the door open, going in with his gun up.

It only took them a few seconds to sweep the small apartment and realize it was empty. The lamps by the bed had been left on, which explained the light Wyatt had seen.

"Damn, she's not here," Adam exclaimed, holstering his gun.

"Would have made it too easy for us," Wyatt said shaking his head.

"Look around and see if there's anything to point at where she went or who's her next target."

Both men spent the next half hour in silence as they took apart every inch of the apartment looking for a clue. Anything to help them locate her. Or save another poor, innocent family.

Rose's stuff was everywhere. Her clothes filled the closet and there was a suitcase on the side of the bed that still hadn't been unpacked. It was clear that she planned to return. There was no sign that she had abandoned all her things here.

Wyatt opened the suitcase and the first thing that caught his eye was a photograph. There were two young girls, they couldn't be more than seven or eight. One with light brown hair and the other with hair, just a shade deeper. It didn't take a genius to realize that this was Cassidy and Rose.

Both girls wore bright smiles with their arms wrapped around each other. Where had all this happiness gone, Wyatt couldn't help but wonder. Where had the girls in this picture gone? Had their father killed the possibility of these two girls ever finding pure happiness?

He placed the picture on the bed and went through her other belongings. A flat iron, some girl products, and more pictures. All of which were of Cassidy. But these weren't baby pictures. They were recent pictures of Cassidy.

One showed her outside her apartment, another at the bakery. There was one of Cassidy's mother and father and even Seth. Rose had been stalking them. Pictures of them at home and at work, so many pictures. What was Rose's fascination with her sister?

Cassidy mentioned that she had been looking for Rose for the past five years. It looked as though Rose had found her in that time. Why had she never made her presence known? Why had Rose been hiding from Cassidy this entire time?

"Wyatt, you're going to want to see this," Adam said urgently.

Wyatt looked up to see Adam had removed a panel in the wardrobe.

"I felt an uneven piece and it pulled free. It looks as though she made this herself though. I don't think the motel would have a hiding place in one it's room."

Wyatt didn't put it past them with the kind of people that usually stayed here but he kept silent.

"What'd you find?" he asked, a bit excited.

Was this a clue on Rose? There had to be a reason she had hid it.

"An envelope. There seems to be something in it."

Adam walked over to the bed and dumped the contents on the bed. More pictures fell out, but also papers.

Wyatt grabbed the papers as Adam looked at the phots.

It looked like someone's schedule. What time they worked, when they were home, when they had school.

"It's a family. Of three," Adam softly murmured.

"And this is their schedule," Wyatt said, holding out the papers.

"Is this what I think it is?" Adam whispered.

Wyatt nodded.

"I think we just found her next victims."


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