Another body awaited her there, lying spread-eagle. A syringe jutting from his neck. Emma and Denae entered the apartment, confirming the living area and bedroom were both empty, including the closets. They returned to the bathroom and kitchen to confirm what she feared to be true.

  While Denae called Jacinda, Emma moved to examine the bodies, starting with the one in the bathroom. She crouched to search for a pulse, careful to avoid touching the syringe sticking out from his neck.

  Denae had Jacinda on the phone and gave her the news. “Yes, it’s Officer Drake Murdock and probably the apartment manager. No sign of Mia.”

  Emma hurried through the kitchen, weapon up and eyes alert for any movement, to confirm the man in there was also past the point of benefiting from medical attention.

  She assumed he was the manager. Mia had talked about him from time to time, describing him as lazy and unkempt. His bristly whiskers and stained t-shirt matched the image Emma had formed of the man named Nick Doerr. His neck twisted at an odd angle from his body, and a syringe stuck out of it.

  Emma checked for a pulse, knowing she was doing it only as a formality.

  Behind her, Denae had ended the call with Jacinda and was now talking to Leo. Her voice carried all the anger that Emma felt burning inside her chest, along with a fierce injection of fear.

  “We don’t know. She’s not here. Jacinda’s on the way, and I hear MPD outside right now. Just get here.”

  He and Vance came storming in the door within minutes, hot on the heels of the first MPD units to respond.

  Emma had to turn away from the look on Vance’s face. He was red with emotions—a whole storm of them, from the look of it—and pushed past her to search the apartment for himself. Yelling Mia’s name the whole time.

  In the narrow entryway, Leo stood beside Denae, a hand resting on her shoulder. They moved aside to make room for an MPD officer wearing sergeant’s rank.

  After she knelt beside Murdock’s body, the officer stood and kicked a boot against the wall. “That’s ten. Ten of our people in a matter of days.”

  Emma took a breath, darting a look toward Vance, who was pounding a fist against the wall in the living area. She called to him and included Leo and Denae with a glance. “You all ready to start searching the area?”

  Denae’s lips threaded tight as she nodded and led the way outside.

  Two additional MPD units had arrived and were setting up a cordon around the manager’s apartment and the abandoned police cruiser in the parking lot. Leo conferred with the sergeant inside the apartment before joining the team in the breezeway. “They have roadblocks going up around the area and will guard the scene. Sergeant Jameson says she’ll establish Incident Command.”

  The officer he’d been speaking to turned at the sound of her name and raised a hand in confirmation. “We’ll get drones up, too, looking for a sedan that matches the one you described. Older Chrysler, light in color?”

  “That’s correct. Thank you.”

  Waving his thanks, Leo turned to the team. “Mia would’ve had her phone, so we can start searching for her that way. Her GPS should still be active unless it’s been turned off or destroyed.”

  Emma nodded. “Jacinda’ll be here soon, but we should start searching the area. I’ll text her. Denae and Leo, if you start on this side of the complex, between here and Mia’s apartment, I’ll go with Vance around the other side. Sound good?” She shifted on her feet, wishing there were anything else to say.

  Leo and Denae nodded their agreement, but Vance was already off on a march in the direction Emma had indicated.

  She moved to follow, and Leo caught her arm. “Let me go with him. You and Denae take this side.”

  He was already heading after Vance before Emma could protest, so she just called out to his back. “Tell him we’ll find her. We will.”

  Leo turned back briefly, his lips as tight as Denae’s had been all morning. Without offering a reply, he spun on his heel and headed after Vance.

  He doesn’t want to lie, but it’s gotta be true, Emma girl. We will find her. We’re not gonna lose a team member. Not today. Not like this.

  Denae seemed even less inclined to speak, so Emma led the way back. When they got to the cruiser and their own vehicle, they found Leo’s Bureau ride parked haphazardly nearby. MPD had three officers already providing security around the abandoned cruiser.

  It was unlikely they’d find any evidence in Officer Murdock’s SUV, but depending on how things had unraveled, it wasn’t impossible.

  Emma gestured left, and she and Denae moved to mirror each other’s path along the sides of the parking lot, each taking one side. Carefully, without having to verbalize, they stayed within sight of each other and stayed on the pavement while covering as much ground as possible. Mia’s apartment complex was on the small side, though, and it didn’t take long to reach the property’s wrought iron fence.

  Beyond a few discarded soda cans by a tree and a plastic bag waving from a low branch, she and Denae didn’t spot anything of obvious note. They left the cans and bag in place to be collected later. A deeper search would be conducted once forensics arrived, and Emma knew better than to start stepping all over the landscaping where trace evidence might be present.

  They circled back, bypassing the cops guarding the fallen officer’s vehicle. Jacinda’s car was now parked beside Leo’s ride, but she must have already headed to the crime scene.

  Emma eyed Denae as they moved forward, but the other agent was more and more focused on the perimeter, leaning over hedges and stooping to peer underneath parked vehicles.

  Which was good, because the ghost of Drake Murdock was up ahead, lingering near his abandoned cruiser. He drifted in her direction, and Emma moved to meet him halfway. She couldn’t guess what he might have to share, but he angled closer as she approached.

  The cold of the Other caught in her throat.

  Emma kept her voice low but made no effort to hide that she was talking. Let the cops see her and think she was nuts. At this point, she’d deal with whatever people had to say about her being weird if it meant finding Mia.

  “Officer Murdock? Can you tell me what happened?”

  The well-built, stocky man wavered in place, his white eyes fixed on the cruiser he’d driven there not even an hour before. His hands shot up to his ears so suddenly that Emma almost pulled her gun in reaction. Then he cringed, turning away from her, eyes shut as if he were wincing in pain.

  Could ghosts feel pain? Emma swallowed down the question and moved closer.

  “Officer Murdock, please, tell me⁠—”

  “It’s the howling! The howling! I can’t go for it!” His voice bled into a whimper as he went to his knees, hands still shoved against his ears so tight that they pulled the skin of his cheeks and forehead taut.

  Emma’s breath caught as her steps faltered. She heard the howling, too, now that he mentioned it, but she’d gotten good at blocking it out lately. Only hearing it when she could afford the distraction.

  She glanced into the breezeway between the nearest buildings, but she only saw the cops standing guard and multiple teams beginning to patrol the area and go door-to-door. The howls echoed, though, seemingly angered by her ability to ignore them. The cold of the Other spread around her, pressing on her will to remain standing upright.

  I thought I was finally getting used to this. So much for that.

  But she wouldn’t cover her ears. Especially not with Denae circling back to her.

  The other agent waved her phone. “Text from Jacinda. Security guard’s office is up here on the left. Sounds like he just got back to the complex.”

  “Security guard? And he’s just around now?”

  Denae grimaced, planting her feet on the sidewalk as if she might stamp up some evidence to follow.

  Up ahead, a man dressed in jeans and a black polo shirt waved them down. Heavyset and bald, he looked to be in his later fifties, maybe a former cop living a semiretirement lifestyle.

  “Craig Lively?” Denae flashed her badge at him. “I understand you’ve been off premises for the last few hours?”

  He gritted his teeth, rocking on his heels. Behind him, an open door offered a glimpse of a tiny office, a desk, and a number of blank-faced security cameras. “I was down at the station filling out a report.”

  Emma blinked. “The station? Sounds like you spend time there. Are you a cop working two jobs?”

  “Huh?” He froze for a second, then crossed his arms, taking a defensive stance. “No. I’ve been a security guard here for twenty years. Usually an easy gig.”

  Waiting for him to continue, Emma finally stepped a hair closer when he didn’t. Any other day, she might’ve had patience. “What happened today that made it not an ‘easy gig’?”

  He readjusted his arms over his chest, and she told herself to ease up on the interrogative tone. The man might become a suspect, but right now he was more likely a witness whose perspective they could use.

  “We, uh, had an issue this morning. Someone spray-painted over some security cameras overnight. Black paint. Nobody noticed until the sun came up. Then I went around to check and found what I found.” He shrugged, brow and bald head wrinkling with concern.

  When he didn’t offer anything else, Emma prompted him. “And what did you do next?”

  “I combed the area for spray paint cans. Didn’t find any. The cameras were ruined, so I gloved up and took them down. They’re in my tool closet outside if you want to check them for fingerprints. I was gonna get new ones installed this afternoon.”

  “Seriously? You didn’t know better than to tamper with potential evidence?”

  “Hey, don’t get mad at me!” The guard’s face went a touch red. “You want to know how many times the cops have shown up for the half dozen calls I’ve made about vandalism? I’ve had high schoolers using these lots and part of the courtyard like skateboard parks.”

  Emma’s fists clenched involuntarily, and she waited for him to lift a particular finger in her direction. When he didn’t, she relaxed and was grateful that Denae was there to pick up the interview.

  “You didn’t see anything suspicious other than the paint on the cameras?” Denae gestured around the complex. “Any unusual vehicles? People you didn’t recognize? Anything out of the ordinary?”

  Lively took a deep breath, then leaned back against the frame of the security office door. “Just the ruined cameras. That’s it.”

  Emma heaved a sigh of frustration, then turned on her heel. Behind her, she heard Denae passing on a card and then offering the usual niceties before rushing to catch up with her. “MPD can interview him again later.”

  Denae stepped closer, brushing her elbow with her own. “We’re gonna find her, like you said.”

  Emma forced a nod. “Let’s get back to Jacinda and the guys. See what the plan is.”

  Along the way, they passed cops interviewing residents. A swarm of uniforms had descended on the complex. Emma barely saw them and didn’t allow herself to process the eerie howling in the distance. Even the ghost of Officer Murdock, rocking on his knees by the abandoned cruiser with his hands still pressed to his ears, failed to slow her steps.

  Outside Nick’s doorway, Jacinda and Leo and Vance stood in a tight circle. Vance’s fists were clenched at his sides, and Leo had one hand gripping his shoulder. As they got closer, Emma heard Vance raving.

  “Why the hell would you let a cop be her escort? A damn uniform?”

  Jacinda was running damage control instantly, informing the assembled MPD officers, and anyone within earshot, that Vance had a tight bond with their missing colleague. “They’ve been partners for a long time.”

  That seemed to settle it for a few of the cops, but plenty others sent glares in Vance’s direction.

  Sergeant Jameson was standing just inside Nick’s apartment. She stepped out to face him. “We lost one of ours in there. The tenth in the past few days. She’s your partner, fine. I get it. But you need to fix your shit. Please.”

  Vance kicked his heel into the ground, clenching and unclenching his fists. “Who the fuck manages an apartment complex and doesn’t have master keys to every unit? Why did she need to be here? She didn’t. Fuck!”

  He turned and paced away as if to regain control. But when he saw Denae and Emma, he froze in place and whirled back on Leo. “Your girl’s here! You would’ve been there if she needed you. I should’ve been here for Mia!”

  Denae’s face went flat with annoyance, but even that was replaced with hurt a second later. She leaned into Emma. “He’s not himself. Not remotely.”

  “No.” Emma swallowed down a flare of panic that threatened to come up. “Don’t take anything he says personally right now.”

  Leo’s gaze darted over to them, his mouth tight and his eyes hooded. He nodded, and Emma shook her head. Beside him, Jacinda took her turn gripping Vance’s elbow, trying to anchor him, but Leo remained silent even as tears finally broke from Vance’s eyes.

  Emma turned away, forcing a deep breath into her lungs. Denae was still frozen beside her, and there was no call to ask why.

  Jacinda could do her best to calm Vance down, but the man was in full-on panic mode. And all the agents surrounding him were doing their best to hold it together, to push down just the sort of panic she’d felt threatening moments ago.

  But that was easier said than done. Mia was gone.

  17

  The chick was heavier than I’d expected, even after I relieved her of her vest and gun.

  “Gotta get you tied up. You wanna wake up for me, don’t ya?”

  I jounced her sheet-wrapped body like I was trying to prompt a response, tugging her along, but she didn’t even let out a groan as her feet thumped over the ground. Little Miss FBI was down for the count.

  I had to reapply the chloroform on the way here, which was no easy trick since she was riding in the trunk. But we switched cars twice as my buddies split off, and that gave me the opportunity to ensure Mia Logan didn’t get too comfortable.

  She woke up a few times and banged on the lid of the trunk. It was amazing what a person would do when you stuck a gun in their face, especially when you had them tied up and gagged.

  I propped her under my arm, angled open the door, and dragged her inside.

  One of her feet—boots long gone—caught on the doorframe. I yanked, and her leg whipped sideways as her foot came free from where it got hung up. That elicited a groan.

  I dropped her just inside the door and closed it behind me. After staring at her for a few minutes, I was giddy as a pig in shit about how easily it all went down. With a laugh, I grabbed her feet and hauled her along to a shelf across from our “kitchen.”

  My brother was in there, hard at work cooking up our next batch.

  Once I got Mia settled, I stood up and stretched out the kinks in my back, then I waited for my brother to notice.

  Just two years younger than me, he could’ve been my twin if he hadn’t grown soft where I’d grown hard with pure muscle. Now he stood hunched over the table, adjusting some hoses and clamps. I knew the setup was solid already. He just couldn’t resist fiddling. Safety-conscious, whiny li’l bitch—that was my brother.

  The smell of the lab hung around us, equivalent to paint thinner in a confined space. We always had the windows open when he was in there cooking and had sealed the kitchen off from the rest of the place with a double layer of thick, plastic shower curtains. The stink still spread everywhere, but it didn’t make it outside. And honestly, even a few whiffs of that shit couldn’t bother me today. I was too high on my fucking success.

  “Hey, numb nuts, look up, why don’t cha?” I kicked at the Fed’s feet, prompting another little groan, and my kid brother finally turned his face my way. He looked like a fucking space alien, standing behind the plastic, especially with that respirator he wore whenever he was cooking.

  A muffled word or two filtered through the mask. He peeled one layer of the curtain back, then the next, and stepped out. He tore the mask off, letting it fall to the floor. “What the hell did you do?”

  The laugh that escaped me made him turn red, but I couldn’t help it. I bent down by the human burrito and pulled the sheet down tight against the floor, showing off her pretty figure for my kid brother.

  I tore off her blindfold and ran a hand down her cheek.

  My brother’s eyes got bigger, mouth gaping, and I patted Mia’s boob for emphasis before standing.

  “FBI agent in the house.” I moved back behind the body, found my handholds under her armpits, and hefted her up again. “Open up the door to the guest accommodations, all right?”

  Blinking, my brother just stared at me. “The what now?”

  “The back room, you moron. The one that used to be an office?” I started dragging the Fed back there, going just slow enough for my brother the genius to scoot past me.

  “Man, who the hell is she? Did anyone see you?” He flung open the door and stepped inside, backing away toward the boarded-over window as I moved in.

  I hit the light switch with my elbow, since the fucker hadn’t even done that. He was just standing there with his mouth open, like I’d just shown him the inside of Fort Knox.

  “Dude, you’re acting like an idiot. Close your mouth and help me get her against the wall there.” I waved at the metal pipe I’d bolted into the studs in the far corner. Two sets of handcuffs dangled from the chain attached to it.

  My dumbass brother just kept staring at me. “What the hell were you thinking?”

  “I already told you,” I huffed, dropping her down to flop against the wall, beneath the pipe, “the chick’s FBI. And I wasn’t seen. Nobody saw me at the apartment complex I grabbed her from, and I sprayed over the cameras.”

  “You did all that by yourself? Somebody had to have seen you.”

  “No, shithead, I didn’t do it alone. I had some of the boys from over the ridge help me.”