and said, “Isn’t it annoying? I made Billy stop twice on the way here.” He nodded and rolled his eyes.
I said, “It got worse after I had my daughter. Do you have children?”
“Just a dog.”
Billy snorted. “Tyson’s not a dog. He’s a human in a Rottweiler suit.”
Sandy laughed. “He’s a handful.” She met my eyes. “And I’m sure Ally keeps you busy.” For a moment I was surprised they knew Ally’s name, then I realized they probably knew everything about me. My bubble popped. This wasn’t a social call. These people were here to catch a serial killer.
Billy had a thick file in his hands and started to flip through it. He dropped it, and I moved to help him gather the papers, then recoiled when I saw a photo of a woman’s pale and bruised face.
“Oh, my God, is that…” I looked at Sandy. She was watching beside me but made no comment. I glanced back at Billy, who was casually placing photos back in the file.
“Sorry about that,” he said. I sat back in my chair and stared hard at him, wondering if he’d dropped it on purpose, but he looked genuinely apologetic.
Sandy said, “This must be very overwhelming for you.”
“It’s pretty crazy.” They were both watching me now, so I added, “It’s not quite the situation I was hoping for when I decided to find my birth mother.”
Sandy’s eyes were sympathetic, but her fingers tapped on her knees.
Billy said, “Have you heard from him again?” He leaned forward and his biceps bulged as he rested his elbows on his chair. The lamp in the corner cast a glow on the right side of his face and his eyes looked almost black in the dim light. I pressed farther into the couch, fiddling with my engagement ring.
Sandy cleared her throat.
I said, “Just the calls I got Monday night. I already told Sergeant Dubois about them—I gave him the phone numbers.”
Billy looked at Sandy, then back at the file in his hands. It made me nervous, which made me mad.
I said, “I didn’t answer because Sergeant Dubois said you guys were going to coach me on what to say, but the number’s still on the call display if you want to check.”
“You handled it perfectly.” Sandy’s voice was calm. “The next time he calls we’d like you to answer. Let him guide the conversation, but if there’s an opening, try to see if he’ll give you any information about the earrings, the victims, where he’s calling from, anything like that. Even small details can help us determine whether he’s actually the Campsite Killer. But if he becomes agitated, change the subject.”
“What if it’s really him?”
Sandy said, “Then you might be able to establish a relationship with him and—”
“You want me to keep talking to him?” My voice rose in panic.
Billy said, “Let’s just take this one step at a time. We’re not going to ask you to do anything you don’t want to do.”
Sandy said, “That’s right, for now we just need to know who this person is and why he’s calling.”
My body relaxed, slightly. “Do you have any idea where he might be?”
Billy said, “The calls have been coming from the Kamloops area, but the pay phones he used were in remote locations and wiped clean, so he’s being careful.” I was relieved to hear he was an hour and a half ferry trip and a few hours’ drive from my home.
“Billy and I are staying in town,” Sandy said. “We’ll give you our cell numbers so you can call us the minute you hear from him—any time of day.”
We were all quiet for a moment, then I said in a hushed voice, “Summer’s coming. Do you think he’s still, you know … active?”
Sandy said, “We never know when he’ll hit, but as long as he’s out there it’s always a possibility. That’s why this lead is so important.”
“You have a lead?” They stared at me. “Oh, you mean me.” My face was hot.
“The profiles show someone familiar with the woods,” Billy said. “He’s cunning and used to living by his
I said, “It got worse after I had my daughter. Do you have children?”
“Just a dog.”
Billy snorted. “Tyson’s not a dog. He’s a human in a Rottweiler suit.”
Sandy laughed. “He’s a handful.” She met my eyes. “And I’m sure Ally keeps you busy.” For a moment I was surprised they knew Ally’s name, then I realized they probably knew everything about me. My bubble popped. This wasn’t a social call. These people were here to catch a serial killer.
Billy had a thick file in his hands and started to flip through it. He dropped it, and I moved to help him gather the papers, then recoiled when I saw a photo of a woman’s pale and bruised face.
“Oh, my God, is that…” I looked at Sandy. She was watching beside me but made no comment. I glanced back at Billy, who was casually placing photos back in the file.
“Sorry about that,” he said. I sat back in my chair and stared hard at him, wondering if he’d dropped it on purpose, but he looked genuinely apologetic.
Sandy said, “This must be very overwhelming for you.”
“It’s pretty crazy.” They were both watching me now, so I added, “It’s not quite the situation I was hoping for when I decided to find my birth mother.”
Sandy’s eyes were sympathetic, but her fingers tapped on her knees.
Billy said, “Have you heard from him again?” He leaned forward and his biceps bulged as he rested his elbows on his chair. The lamp in the corner cast a glow on the right side of his face and his eyes looked almost black in the dim light. I pressed farther into the couch, fiddling with my engagement ring.
Sandy cleared her throat.
I said, “Just the calls I got Monday night. I already told Sergeant Dubois about them—I gave him the phone numbers.”
Billy looked at Sandy, then back at the file in his hands. It made me nervous, which made me mad.
I said, “I didn’t answer because Sergeant Dubois said you guys were going to coach me on what to say, but the number’s still on the call display if you want to check.”
“You handled it perfectly.” Sandy’s voice was calm. “The next time he calls we’d like you to answer. Let him guide the conversation, but if there’s an opening, try to see if he’ll give you any information about the earrings, the victims, where he’s calling from, anything like that. Even small details can help us determine whether he’s actually the Campsite Killer. But if he becomes agitated, change the subject.”
“What if it’s really him?”
Sandy said, “Then you might be able to establish a relationship with him and—”
“You want me to keep talking to him?” My voice rose in panic.
Billy said, “Let’s just take this one step at a time. We’re not going to ask you to do anything you don’t want to do.”
Sandy said, “That’s right, for now we just need to know who this person is and why he’s calling.”
My body relaxed, slightly. “Do you have any idea where he might be?”
Billy said, “The calls have been coming from the Kamloops area, but the pay phones he used were in remote locations and wiped clean, so he’s being careful.” I was relieved to hear he was an hour and a half ferry trip and a few hours’ drive from my home.
“Billy and I are staying in town,” Sandy said. “We’ll give you our cell numbers so you can call us the minute you hear from him—any time of day.”
We were all quiet for a moment, then I said in a hushed voice, “Summer’s coming. Do you think he’s still, you know … active?”
Sandy said, “We never know when he’ll hit, but as long as he’s out there it’s always a possibility. That’s why this lead is so important.”
“You have a lead?” They stared at me. “Oh, you mean me.” My face was hot.
“The profiles show someone familiar with the woods,” Billy said. “He’s cunning and used to living by his
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