Page 44 of Go Under

“Yes. The officer gave me some snark, but I shut her down. She’s digging up the records now.”

“All right.”

Marcus texted her a moment later. News?

She texted him back, Have potential other victim. 911 caller. PPD Records is looking into it.

Marcus texted her back a fingers crossed emoji.

“Fingers crossed indeed,” she said softly.

She headed back to the front door. The snow was falling more steadily now, and frost clung to her hair. Kate didn’t feel the cold. Their last two cases had ended after the killers were finished with their task. For the first time since Emily Warren, they had a chance to thwart Cox before he could close the circle.

She hoped that wherever he was, he would hear about this. She hoped he would know that while he licked his wounds and cowered like a snake, she was still actively pursuing his disciples, still resisting his plans.

You haven’t beaten me. You haven’t broken me. I’m still not your scapegoat, and you’re still not my god.

Her phone rang just before she entered the lobby. “Yes?”

“Um…”

The records officer’s voice was thready and hesitant. That meant bad news. Kate frowned and stayed outside on the porch. “What is it?”

“I found the records. I’m afraid the caller was anonymous.”

Kate’s frown deepened. “Officer, this person’s life is in danger. I guarantee you our killer knows who they is. You need to tell us who they are so we can arrange to protect them.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

Kate’s lower lip trembled, not with fear but with rage. “Excuse me?”

“This was 1991, ma’am. The caller called from a landline, and they didn’t have caller ID.”

“Did you?”

“Yes, but it would only work if the caller also had caller ID.”

“So, no one thought to get a name?”

“Anonymous calls are common. People are afraid. They don’t want criminals to know that they tattled. Nowadays, it’s impossible to make an anonymous call to the police, but people still try. And back then… I’m assuming the dispatch officer didn’t feel it was worth their time to try to press for ID considering the call was armed burglary in progress.”

Kate ran a hand through her hair. Her first thought was to try to contact the dispatch officer, but if the dispatch officer didn’t get the name, then they wouldn’t know anything either.

“What about the phone number? Can you give me that?”

“I can, but it’s not in service… I mean, I assume it’s not in service anymore.”

“You’ve heard the bit about assumptions, right?”

“Um…”

“Don’t assume, because you’ll make an ass out of you and me.”

“Right. I’m truly sorry, Special Agent. I understand how frustrating this is. Believe me, if there was anything I can do—”

“You can give me the number,” Kate interrupted.

She was being short with the records officer, who had no control of the circumstances, but she couldn’t stop herself. The confidence she felt a few seconds ago was slipping away, and she would be damned if they got this close only to fail at the last minute.