Edge of Midnight Read Online Free PDF Page B

golden-toned, his short brown hair nearly light enough to be considered dark blond. She indicated the couch.
“Please have a seat.” Once he’d done so, she settled onto a nearby side chair.
He took a sip from the glass, then sat it on a coaster on the cocktail table in front of him. “I understand you’d been covering the recent abductions.”
The irony of it washed through her all over again. Mia worked to keep emotion from her voice.
“I wrote two articles. One ran after Pauline Berger’s disappearance a week ago. The second one ran right after Cissy Cox went missing. It was the same day that I…” She paused, twisting her hands together and placing them in her lap before completing her statement. “That I went missing, too.”
“And your second article speculated on a connection between the disappearances?”
When she nodded, he asked, “Based on what?”
“Well, for starters, both women had family and friends, they led normal lives. They weren’t engaged in any at-risk behavior such as prostitution or drug use, nor did they have any history of mental illness or previous unexplained disappearances.” Mia looked briefly at her bandaged fingers. “Detective Scofield at the JSO also indicated that neither of the women’s significant others were being considered as suspects. Two women like that, in the same metro area…they don’t just simply vanish in isolated incidents so closely together.”
His evaluating gaze remained steadfast. “And you have no idea how you ended up in a stolen vehicle?”
She shook her head, wishing she had the answer. “No. I woke up inside it next to the beach. That’s all I know.”
“The car was hot-wired. Do you think you could’ve done that?”
Her lips parted slightly, the unexpected question catching her off guard. She chose not to answer and instead stood and slowly paced the room before turning to face him again.
“You asked me how I am, Agent Macfarlane. The truth is…I’m having a hard time. I’m not used to being on the other side of all this. The one being asked questions.” She swallowed. “I also don’t understand why I’m the one standing here talking to you while those two other women…they’re still…”
Mia briefly closed her eyes, her words trailing away. She was vaguely aware that he’d gotten up from the couch and moved to where she stood.
“Ms. Hale,” he said quietly.
“Mia,” she corrected in a soft whisper. Looking up into his face, she felt her heart beat harder. “Who did this?”
He released a breath, hesitating. “You need to understand that you’re not just a victim. You’re also a reporter. I have to factor that in.”
“Off the record,” she emphasized. “You have my word I won’t write anything to jeopardize your investigation. I’m not even working at the moment. And as a victim I have a right to know, don’t I? Agent Vartran, the detectives—they wouldn’t tell me anything.”
He looked at her for a long moment before speaking again. “I was over an investigation in Maryland three years ago. Five women were abducted. Their bodies turned up later with similar injuries as yours.”
Their bodies. Meaning the women had all been murdered. “And did you catch the person responsible?”
His jaw tightened. “No.”
“But you believe he’s resurfaced here in Jacksonville, after all this time?”
“Based on the specifics of your injuries, it seems possible.” He surprised her by lifting her hand and cradling it within his own as he studied the bandaged nail beds, her abraded wrists. Then he let her fingers slide from his and met her gaze again.
“I haven’t read your articles on the abductions yet. I’m wondering, does your photo run with the byline?”
She shook her head. “But I do a column on Fridays. It’s a police blotter roundup. My photo runs with that one. What does that—”
“If this is the same unsub, he’s a sociopath and an extreme narcissist. You’re an attractive female—he was probably