CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Ryder ran into the house. Shadow and Taco worked in the dining room while Leo spoke with Matthew on the phone.
“Did you find anything?” Ryder asked. The adrenaline kicked in as he scanned the house, searching for any indication of her being harmed.
“Nothing. The alarm wasn’t set. Matthew arrived to allow the electrician in while Claire went to the hospital. When she didn’t return, Matthew called Kassie, who said Claire never came to the hospital. We know she slept here and drank tea this morning. It’s sitting in the kitchen. We’re checking with all the women to see if she mentioned her plans this morning. There’s a second cup on the tray. We’ve sealed both and sent them to Matthew’s friend in the lab for fingerprints. Saint’s checking with the neighbor. She returned home a few minutes ago,” Whiskey reported.
Ryder walked the house, checking windows and doors. Entering the bedroom, he viewed the wadded tissues beside the bed and his shirt beside her pillow on the unmade bed. Another indication something went wrong; she never left the bed without making it in the morning.
He exited the bedroom and went to the study. Sitting at the desk, he pushed the false bottom to discover the file she continued to work on. Ryder picked it up and brought it to Chase. “I don’t know if this has anything to do with her disappearance, but Claire kept reading the file and writing in the margins. I don’t know the legalities of searching the records, but can you do it? You might notice something,” he added.
Chase accepted the file and sat at the dining table. His hand skimmed each page as he turned them. Kassie ran inside and went directly to her husband.
“Did you find her yet?” Her wide eyes and her hair scooped into a messy bun showed she rushed to help.
“No, Princess. Ryder gave me this file. You read Claire’s writing more than I do. Can you search the file?”
Kassie sat and pulled the folder to her. “This isn’t all her handwriting.” She pushed the page toward her husband. “Do you see the differences?”
Chase nodded. “Can you tell who wrote them? Did they leave a signature?”
Kassie bit her lip as she read the margins and turned the pages.
Ryder approached Kassie. “Did she mention meeting with anyone today?”
Kassie shook her head. “No.”
Leo approached him. “The neighbor said she saw you enter the house. Can you talk to her?”
Ryder skipped the stairs two at a time and jogged next door. Saint pointed to him as he drew closer. She shook her head and pointed at the driveway.
“Did you see Claire getting into a car? She can’t drive because of her eye injury,” he rushed. “Did someone pick her up?”
The older woman squinted up at him. “I thought you did. The man’s hair resembled your color and he wore glasses. Claire didn’t seem distressed. He helped her inside and buckled her in. The poor dear must’ve suffered another headache because she held her head down and leaned against him.
“Shit,” Ryder muttered. He returned to the house, searching for Leo.
“Did you find anything in the cups, or did she empty them?” Ryder asked.
“Both appeared empty,” Leo reported. “Why?”
“Can you ask Matthew to ask them to check for any substances in the cup? The neighbor said Claire leaned against him and held her head down as if she suffered a headache. He might’ve drugged her.”
Leo pulled out his phone and made the call.
Kassie slid the folder back to Chase. She pointed at the notes and murmured. He nodded and flipped to the next page.
“Leo,” Chase called the leader over.
“Dr. Klein wrote these notes. Kassie noticed how he directed Claire by pointing out details and listing reasons why Kilner must be declared permanently insane. When she poses an argument, he redirects her as if trying to convince her with his experience in the field, insisting Kilner was insane.”
“Claire noted she felt him sane when he killed his wife and mother-in-law. Why did she go along with Klein’s diagnosis?” Leo asked.
Kassie interrupted the two men. “Kilner only became Claire’s patient because Dr. Klein’s mother fell sick. He worked on the file first. When Claire reviewed it and interviewed Kilner, she seemed to doubt the diagnosis. She left notes in the margins. Then he responded as if manipulating everything Claire observed and pointed her in the direction he wanted the case to play out.”
Ryder shook his head. “Claire’s too intelligent to fall for manipulation.”
Kassie shook her head. “You’re missing the point. She interned with him. Dr. Klein handed her a case already in progress. She never meant to testify. Claire mentioned she took his place when his mother turned ill. After the trial ended, she immediately switched her focus to teens and veterans. I know how Claire thinks. She loves to fix people. Klein wanted Kilner admitted to the psychiatric hospital. If she thought Kilner sane, she jeopardized Klein’s ability to control Kilner. I don’t understand his motives for wanting Kilner committed, but it makes sense.”
Chase went over to Leo. “Can Matthew pull Dr. Klein's phone records?”
Leo paused. “He’s working on the fingerprints and will need probable cause to search the records. Did you find something?”
Chase frowned. “We didn’t find enough for a search warrant, but enough for us to follow the lead.”
Ryder pulled out his phone and dialed someone he knew could expedite Dr. Klein’s phone records.
“Tex. I need a favor,” Ryder greeted his friend.
“What do you need?” Tex caught the tension in Ryder’s voice.
“Claire’s missing. We believe Kilner worked with someone or there’s a second person involved. Shit, we don’t know the specifics.” Ryder scratched his scruff as his thoughts raced.
“What do you need, Ryder? I’ll do whatever I can,” Tex assured him.
“We need the phone records of one of her colleagues, Dr. Gregory Klein. If you can do a background check on him, too, it might prove helpful.” Ryder paced.
“I’m on it. If you need anything else, shoot me a text while I get this started.”
Ryder heard Tex already clicking away on his keyboard. He swallowed down the lump in his throat. “Thanks, man. I appreciate it. We gotta find her.” He knew his words sounded desperate, but he didn’t care. Claire became all he cared about and he needed to hold her in his arms again.
“We’ll find her, Ryder. Don’t doubt it.” Tex hung up the phone.
Twenty minutes later, the men pulled up computers and combed through Dr. Klein’s calls.
“He made calls to the Seattle Mental Health Facility,” Matthew pointed out.
“I’ll call and speak with the administrator. Dr. Klein might hold privileges over there.” Chase pulled out his phone and walked away as the men continued scouring the material.
Ryder swiped his forehead. Whiskey placed a hand on his shoulder. “Go make some coffee and grab a pad of paper. Think back through your conversations with Claire concerning Dr. Klein.”
Ryder stood and mechanically walked into the kitchen to start the coffee maker. Returning to the dining room, he grabbed paper and pen. His mind started a movie reel in his head. What did Claire mention about the man? Dr. Klein gifted her with a first-edition book. Which one? He rose from the chair and crossed over to Claire’s office. He pulled the novels one by one. Dr. Klein didn’t seem like the type of man to inscribe the book and ruin it, but Ryder bet money he left a note and Claire kept it.
His fingers landed on one particular work and his heart leapt into his chest. He slowly pulled “Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” from the shelf and opened it carefully. The note card with purple flowers bordering the edge lay in front. Shit. The sick fucker gave her a book slapping her in the face at her naivety. How much did Klein relate to the fictional characters?
Entering the dining room, Ryder showed the team what he discovered.
Their faces turned grim when he showed them the title of the book.
Saint returned to the team building with a broad description of the car the neighbor witnessed Claire entering. Ryder ran his hand through his hair as Matthew called out Klein’s last known address.
“Saint and Taco, head to Seattle. Check out the addresses. Whiskey, make sure the women congregated at Kassie and Chase’s. Count them,” Leo added as an afterthought.
“Don’t we need him here? What can the women possibly do?” Ryder’s voice rose in desperation.
Chase put a hand on his shoulder. “You’re relatively new to Serenity. There are things you don’t know about the women and if given an opportunity, they’ll hunt this man down themselves. We don’t want anyone else to fall victim. Don’t worry, Ryder. I know it’s easier said than done.” Chase threw Claire’s file on Kilner in front of him. “Kassie highlighted Claire’s handwriting and comments Klein made. Go through each one and see if you see a clue or any lead. Another set of eyes won’t hurt.”
Ryder nodded, relieved at being given something to do. He breathed in through his mouth and out his nose, concentrating on his chest moving up and down as Claire taught him. Then he went to work searching for any lead.
Minutes turned into hours and day turned into night. Ryder imagined every horrible detail of what she must be feeling or going through.
Saint and Taco returned from Seattle. Saint approached the table where Ryder, Chase and Leo laid out a map of Seattle and made crosses on places Klein mentioned in his notes. Saint glanced at him as he addressed Leo. “Klein left the practice six months ago.”
“Then how did he show up at the early release hearing?” Leo asked. When no answer came, Ryder wanted to throw something across the room. He felt useless all over again. He felt himself slipping but realized he’d do Claire no good if he lost it. These men needed to focus on finding Claire. The older woman, Victoria, brought Kassie and Catherine down with food for the team. Somehow, it felt as if they were there to offer silent support for him. He knew until he saw Claire, nothing promised to comfort him.
Dr. Klein left the practice six months ago. Around the time Matthew guessed Kilner figured out a way to escape the mental hospital. Then how did he reappear for the early release hearing?
Leo’s phone rang and Matthew’s name flashed across his screen.
“Leo.” The leader put the phone on speaker.
“Klein held privileges at the mental hospital. Want to take a guess at his patient load?” Matthew informed the team. “Tex helped me sift through some of his records. He prescribed meds to Kilner known for putting people in a psychosis state. He merely visited and suggested things. At some point, I suspect Kilner caught on or became resistant to the drug.”
Ryder’s stomach felt tangled in a web of knots and his head pounded with each failed lead.
Shadow leaned over the table. “I visited the address listed on Klein’s bank records, employment records and taxes. It’s an abandoned house.”
Ryder closed his eyes, wanting to howl in rage. Didn’t they understand, she might be suffering or hurt right now?
Kassie shoved a cup of coffee in his hand while Catherine handed him a sandwich. When he started to put it down, he heard a dark chuckle from the older redhead, who Claire referred to as Victoria. She held Tori in her arms and yet still appeared threatening. “Eat, young pup. Claire will need you, and you’ll act like the rest of these porpoises and refuse to leave her side. She’ll need you.”
Catherine chuckled next to him as he appeared confused by Victoria’s comments. “Victoria calls the team porpoises instead of SEALs. She’s a bit of an antagonizer.”
Ryder glanced at the woman in question, who arched her brow and motioned toward his food.
Never tasting it, he swallowed the sandwich.
Leo slammed his fists against the table. Ryder went to see what they discovered.
“She didn’t disappear into thin air. Taco traced a car coming from Serenity into Seattle. It’s taking time to comb through all the street cams to see what direction he went. We discovered it parked inside a parking garage, which means he carried her somewhere or switched cars,” Leo explained.
“Where’s the parking garage?” Ryder asked as he bent to examine the map of Seattle.
“Taco found the car here. The window appeared smashed and he searched the vehicle. Nothing indicates Claire rode inside.”
Ryder recalled speaking with the bastard about where to eat in Seattle. He mentioned Pier 66 and Freemont Street. “Wait. He said something about seafood restaurants at the pier and eating close to Freemont Street.”
Kassie’s head jerked up. “He said Freemont Street?”
Ryder moved before her and searched her face. “Does it mean something to you?” he asked desperately.
“Claire stayed in an apartment there because she wanted to stay close to her mom. I went there a few times when she moved between offices.”
“Do you remember the address?” Ryder took her by the shoulders. A growl behind him warned him how fiercely protective Chase acted concerning his wife. Ryder removed his hands. “Kassie?” he pleaded.
She found her phone and scrolled through her contacts. Kassie pulled up the address and handed it to him. “She subletted it when she moved here. I don’t know if it’ll help or not.”
Ryder kissed Kassie full on the mouth before turning and running out the door. Leo and the rest of the team climbed into their trucks and raced toward Seattle and he prayed they weren’t too late.