Page 79 of Unhinged

Knox had spoken with the Chief of Police a few weeks ago in regards to sharing information about Hannah’s case, and the man was on board. They would take first shot at it, but if resources ran low, Vantage was more than welcome to help.

Luke nodded to a couple patrolmen he’d met after Monique Henderson’s murder and took a seat two tables over. Knox slid into a chair across from him and signaled the waitress.

One of the patrolmen stood up and ambled toward them, and Luke lifted his chin at him. “Phelps. How’s it goin’?”

He gestured to the table. “Not bad. Mind if I have a seat?”

“Not at all.” Luke used his foot to push the chair out in invitation.

He sank into the wooden seat and glanced at Knox. “I know you’ll both want to know, so I’ll send the information your way tomorrow.”

“What’s that?” Luke raised a brow at the man, who shook his head.

“We interviewed Steve Iverson, but he has a solid alibi for the time of the murder, as well as the night that Dr. Stanton was attacked in her office.”

Dang. He’d been the only good lead with any motive. Aiden had found that Iverson’s sister lived just three streets over from Hannah, which allowed him access to the subdivision. This bit of news brought them right back to square one. Iverson had been associated, if only briefly, with both Audrey and Hannah. But now Luke was beginning to wonder if the two instances were even related.

So, who had it out for Hannah? Another patient, maybe? They needed to dig deeper into her past, see who might have ties to her hometown. They’d need to pull her list of patients, both former and current, and run checks on each of them. Hannah would throw a fit about that. She was incredibly stringent about doctor-patient confidentiality, even at the risk of putting herself in danger.

Luke glanced at Phelps. “I think we need to look at the people she interacts with on a regular basis. What about her patients? Can you get a warrant to run background checks on them, see if anything stands out?”

He grimaced. “I don’t know if the judge will sign off, but we can try.”

“Why now?” Knox asked the question that had plagued Luke since he’d found out about her past. What had triggered his obsession? And what was his end game? Luke had originally suspected that the person—he was assuming it was a guy—had begun to follow her again with the intent to finish her off. If he’d wanted Hannah gone, he could’ve easily killed her instead of Monique.

The thought made Luke see red. Hannah hadn’t recognized the man who’d abducted her ten years ago, but a lot could change in a decade. Whoever it was knew her on a personal level, was close enough to her that he’d gained access to her house with little difficulty.

It killed Luke that he couldn’t be with her. She was safe enough at home with her new security system, and the locals were patrolling the subdivision frequently. Over the last few days he’d driven past a couple—more like a dozen—times just to check for himself that she was safe. He hated being away from her, but he also wanted to respect her wishes and give her some space.

“We need to figure out if she’s acquired any new patients, or if any existing or ex-patients had a thing for her. Whoever it is, the guy is obviously infatuated with her.”

“The phone call was a cry for attention.” Knox nodded and stroked his chin as he latched on to Luke’s train of thought. “The vandalism may have been the same thing. Guy broke in to make her feel vulnerable and insecure.”

“What about an ex-lover?” Phelps asked with a hopeful expression.

Luke shook his head. “Uh… no. She hasn’t dated anyone since college.” At their dubious looks, he elaborated. “Trust me. You’re barking up the wrong tree there.”

He traded a glance with Knox who spoke up. “So he’s been in her house at least once that we know of, right? And no one out of place showed up on the cameras the night of the B&E?”

Phelps shook his head. “Everyone coming and going that night was on the approved list.”

“Maybe it’s someone who lives in the allotment,” Luke mused. “Can we get a list of the current residents?”

“I can forward it to you, but so far everyone has checked out.”

That was all well and good, but it didn’t mean the person wasn’t there and meant to do Hannah harm. It would make sense that it would be someone who belonged there, who fit in. He would go unnoticed by the other homeowners because he lived there. The sooner they got that list, the sooner Aiden could start digging into it.

“Can we get a copy of the footage from that night, too? I’d like to double check all the cars that showed up on the camera from the gatehouse, ingoing and outgoing.” Maybe they’d get lucky and something would jump out at them.

“You got it. I’ll send it over first thing in the morning.” Phelps hesitated. “Not gonna lie. Without a solid lead…”

He shrugged, and Luke understood the implication. They couldn’t continue to waste time and resources on a simple breaking and entering. It sucked, but they had more important things to focus on.

Luke nodded at the patrolman. “I gotcha.”

Phelps tipped his empty bottle in appreciation. “I’m outta here. See you guys later.”

Knox glanced across the table as the officer said his farewells and headed toward the door. “We’re missing something.”