The Missing

Chapter 32

Time had been kind to Evan Manning. His short brown hair was a bit grayer, but he was still lean and fit, his face still seriously handsome.

What Darby remembered clearly, even after all this time, was the quiet intensity he carried in his face. Evan Manning, she saw, was looking at her that way right now.

Banville did the introductions. 'Darby, this is Special Agent Manning from the Investigative Support Unit.'

'Darby,' Evan said. 'Darby McCormick?'

'It's nice to see you again, Special Agent Manning.' Darby shook his hand.

'I don't believe this,' Evan said. 'You still look the same.'

'How do you two know each other?' Banville asked.

'I met Special Agent Manning when he worked the Victor Grady case,' Darby said.

'The auto mechanic who abducted those women back in eighty-four?'

'That's him.'

'Eighty-four,' Banville said. 'That would make you, what, about fourteen?'

'Fifteen. I knew two of Grady's victims.'

'He killed one of them, didn't he? Shot a young girl in a botched abduction, if I remember correctly.'

'He stabbed her.' In a flash Darby saw her foyer walls splashed with Stacey Stephens's blood. 'As for the other women, we're pretty sure Grady strangled them.'

'How did you know they were strangled? The police never found the bodies.'

'Grady recorded some of his… sessions with his victims. On a couple of the tapes, the women made sounds that were consistent with someone being strangled – at least that's what I read in the reports.' Darby turned to Evan for confirmation.

'Grady kept the audiotapes in a lockbox hidden in his basement,' Evan said. The heat from the fire damaged most of the recordings.'

Banville nodded, satisfied by the explanation. 'Special Agent Manning is the new division head of the ISU's Boston office. AFIS alerted him early this morning when Rachel Swanson's fingerprint was identified. He's offered us access to his labs, anything we need.'

'I understand you were in there talking to Rachel Swanson,' Evan said. 'Did she tell you anything useful?'

'She mentioned the names of two more missing women. We're looking into that right now. The whole conversation's right here.' Darby held up the tape recorder. 'What about this package that's on the way to the lab?'

'It's a padded mailer,' Banville said. 'I have no idea what's in it.'

'I'm going to head over. Rachel's done speaking to me at the moment.' She turned to Evan. 'Why was the FBI alerted about Rachel Swanson's fingerprints?'

'I'll explain everything when we get to the lab. My car's in the garage. Can I offer you a ride?'

Darby looked to Banville for direction.

'I've already filled in Agent Manning on what we've found,' Banville said. 'I'll meet you at the lab as soon as I finish up here.'