Alex shook out his cramping hand. He’d written out everything as Nick had instructed. His mind raced, trying to recall any detail he may have forgotten. Despite the hit to the head he’d taken, he was able to think clearly.
Weiss read the note, his expression not giving anything away.
Alex tugged on the collar of his borrowed sweatshirt. Yellow and too tight. Had the other precinct given it to him on purpose? Just to make him miserable?
His attorney slammed the paper on the table, making Alex jump. “That’s everything you can remember?”
He nodded. “Just wish I knew what happened while I was knocked out, although I have a pretty good idea.”
Weiss nodded. “Now it’s a matter of proving your story to be true. I’m going to send some officers to check footage in your neighborhood. Almost everyone has doorbell cameras—someone had to have caught something. Even if not the exact moment of attack, an image of the woman or her accomplice. You say it was around eleven last night?”
Alex thought about it, and it made his head pound. “I think. Maybe it was closer to midnight. I’m not really sure. I spoke to my daughter around ten, I think. Then it was a little while before I saw that psychopath and went out to confront her.”
Weiss made a note. “Okay. I’ll have them look at footage from about nine to one. Maybe a little longer. That gives us a good range.”
Alex rubbed his temples. “I appreciate it. My daughter also saw the woman outside her school yesterday afternoon. Maybe one of the neighbors got her on their cameras then.”
“I’ll make sure to let them know.” Weiss rose. “Need anything while I’m up?”
“Maybe some coffee.”
“Okay.” He rose and headed for the door.
“And something to eat. I’m starving.”
“Got it.” Weiss grabbed the knob. “And think about anything you may have forgotten. Any small detail could be what gets you out of here.”
Alex just nodded, even though he knew how this worked. The problem was, it was so hard to think with his head pounding. That’s where he hoped the caffeine would come in since he hadn’t yet had any. His headache was just as likely to be from that as from the hit to the head.
His attorney left, and Alex slumped down further into the chair. Any more, and he’d become one with it, and not in a cool zen way. He struggled to think of anything he might’ve forgotten. He’d gone over the details so many times, it was starting to feel more like a story than something he’d actually lived through. But his aches and pains were proof that wasn’t true.
What he wouldn’t do to go back in time and make some different decisions. But he couldn’t. All he could do was focus on getting himself out of the situation he’d gotten himself into. He pictured Zoey and the kids—they would be what gave him the strength to get through this and get out. This was all for them.
A few minutes later, Weiss returned with a cup and a wrapped sandwich. “Think of anything else?”
Alex shook his head, then gulped down the coffee, hoping it would make his head stop pounding.
“Keep thinking. I’m going to go back and talk with Nick and the federal agent.”
Alex froze in place. He set the cup down. “Federal agent?”
“Don’t worry, she’s one of the good ones. Wants to keep everyone local involved since you’ve been dealing with the red dress lady since the beginning.”
“Huh.” Alex nursed some more of the coffee. “Wait, where’d you get the sandwich? Not the fridge? If it belongs to someone, they’re going to be furious.”
“Nick gave it to me.”
Alex looked at it, guilt stinging. “He gave up his lunch?”
“Said you needed it more, that he could grab something somewhere.” Weiss gestured toward the food. “Eat. You’re going to need the energy.”
Alex frowned. “Thanks.”
“And keep thinking.” Weiss left, slamming the door behind him.
Alex’s head continued aching despite having drunk most of the coffee already. It would take time to hit his system. Or the whack that caused the goose egg was going to leave pounding in its wake. He unwrapped the sandwich and practically inhaled it.
A few minutes later, he realized he was starting to feel better. He was less shaky, and his headache was possibly diminishing. It was hard to tell. If only Weiss or Nick would return with an update. Had someone caught the whole thing on their doorbell camera? Or at least enough to get Alex out of the questioning room and back onto the case. He’d take being sent home and told to rest. That actually sounded good.
But there was no way he’d actually get any rest until that woman was stopped. But even then, there was a whole network of people behind her—all over the world no less. He sighed just thinking about it. She was just one person, as Cal had been. They could keep sending people Alex’s way. They seemed to like this region, as it had always had an unusually high number of abductions going back as far as he could remember, starting with his sister when they were teenagers. But that had been random.
Or had it? The nut who’d taken her had gone to great lengths to get her. Picked her specifically and spent a great deal of time building trust before meeting her in person.
It gave Alex chills thinking about it, but it honestly wasn’t that far of a stretch from what Cal had done both with Zoey and Ariana. And that had been personal. But his sister’s case couldn’t have been. He’d only been a punk kid at the time, barely a teenager.
Or maybe that was when the Mercers had shown up on their radar. There was also the cult Macy had gotten dragged into when kidnapped—any one of them could’ve been involved with the kidnapping ring. From what Alex had heard, Macy hadn’t been the only abducted child in the compound.
He wanted to hit the table. Why weren’t the answers easier to find? The answer had to be just out of reach. Cal and that woman knew, but neither would give up that information.
Knock, knock.
Alex looked up, frowning. He had nothing new to tell anyone, nothing to help him get out of this room and actually do something useful.
Nick stepped inside. “How are you holding up?”
Alex glanced at the window, sure someone was on the other side watching. The question was, who? Not that it mattered. With as little as he had to help himself, he was going to be stuck there for the next two days.