Her Mother’s Grave

Chapter Forty-Nine

Noah arrived just behind two marked units, jumping out of his car and racing toward her before the patrol officers were even out of their seatbelts. Blue and red lights pulsed in the darkness. Dropping to his knees, Noah grabbed the man’s wrists, securing them with two plastic zip ties he pulled from his pocket.

“I’ve already read him his rights,” Josie told Noah as they lifted Keith from the ground and handed him over to the patrol officers to put in the back of a cruiser. Josie stalked around the perimeter of the Escape, locating her gun and holstering it before going in search of the pharmacy bag she’d discarded during the attack. Luckily it hadn’t been crushed. She held it up as Noah approached. “I need to get this to Misty,” she said.

Noah studied her, and she saw the change in his face—the hardened professionalism giving way to shock. Even under the whirring red and blue lights, she could see his pallor. Looking down, she saw that the zipper on her jeans was torn open to reveal the waistband of her black panties beneath.

“Josie,” Noah said.

She held out her free hand. “Give me your jacket, Fraley.”

Slowly he took it off and handed it to her. Trading him the pharmacy bag for his jacket, she tied the jacket around her waist, knotting the sleeves at the small of her back. “Misty needs that, do you understand?”

He stepped closer to her. The patrol officers waited several feet away, standing by their cruiser. “I don’t care about Misty right now,” Noah said.

Josie looked away from him. “Well, you should. If you want to help me right now, you can get that to her and meet me at the station.” She signaled for one of the officers, and he jogged over. “The store probably has footage of what just happened. Go in and see if they’ve got cameras out here in the parking lot. I want whatever they have.”

“You got it, Boss,” he said, and headed off to the store.

Noah’s face was set with frustration. Josie raised a brow at him. “Do we have a problem, Fraley?”

He shook his head, but a muscle ticked in his jaw.

“Good,” Josie said. She panned the ground again. “I need you to get to work. That guy was answering an ad, and I’m pretty sure this time it was for much more than ‘kinky fun.’”

Noah swallowed. “What are you saying?”

“I think the ad that was posted was for a rape fantasy.”