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Olivia looked through the glass window in the door. LydiaMarkow looked just like her daughter, with
the same blonde hair, pulled back; she was attractive, wearing a simple and inexpensive navy business
suit. She was playing with two thin gold bands on her left hand.
Olivia took a deep breath and hoped Zack came quickly. She didn t know what to say to the mother,
but she did know if she were in LydiaMarkow s shoes, she d want someone to simply be there with her.
Lydialooked up when she entered the room. Her eyes were red, but dry. She gave Olivia an awkward
smile. Have you found her?
Olivia shook her head and sat down.Lydia closed her eyes and crossed herself.
We re doing everything possible.
Do you know who did it?
Olivia hesitated. She didn t know what to tell her. We have a suspect, she finally said. She wouldn t lie
to this woman.
It s the same man who killed those other girls, isn t it?
Olivia didn t answer. Maybe she shouldn t have said anything. She d never worked with survivors
before. What was she supposed to say? How much was she supposed to reveal?
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I thought so. Silent tears streamed downLydia s cheeks. I can t lose her. My husband he died
when Nina was two. She was the light of his life. She s mine, too. I don t know how no, God won t
take her from me. He ll protect her.
Lydiatugged on a necklace that was buried under her blouse. It was a small, gold crucifix. Her lips
moved in silent prayer, her eyes downcast.
Zack came into the room and Olivia turned to him, tears in her own eyes. He rested a hand on her
shoulder and squeezed.
He said, Mrs.Markow , I want you to know that we are doing everything to find Nina. Everything.
Every officer inSeattle is looking for her. We have a sketch of the man who took her. Would you mind
looking at it?
She held out her hand for the paper.
She stared at the sketch for a long minute. I ve never seen him, she said. I m sorry.
That s not a problem. Abby Vail and Henry Jorge both gave good descriptions. We have several
leads.
Zack told her what they believed happened that afternoon.
Do you have any questions?
How how long I mean, I read in the newspaper that he doesn t kill them right away. So we have
time, right? We have time to find her, right?
Zack swallowed and Olivia could feel the frustration and tension radiating from his body.
We believe we have some time. We also have a lot of information we never had before. We have a
partial license plate and right now six pairs of police officers are working through the list, talking to all
twenty-two owners of late-model white trucks with that partial plate in King County. We ll expand to the
surrounding counties next. We have a sketch of the suspect we re distributing in key locations, and the
media has agreed to run the picture on the news. An Amber Alert has been issued. The FBI is involved. I
promise, we will do everything in our power to find Nina and bring her home safe.
Lydiasqueezed her eyes shut, tears leaking. Thank you, she managed.
Your neighbor, Mr. Jorge, is still here. He wanted to wait for you to see if you needed a ride home,
Zack said.
Henry is a kind man. I ll have him take me to church. If you hear anything, you ll find me at St.
Stephen s.
* * *
Normally, Zack enjoyed riding the ferry fromFlauteroy toVashon Island . Tonight, the twenty-minute
ride seemed ten times as long, and he paced the observation deck as he and Olivia planned out their
time.
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Say he lives here or works here. That means he would probably buy groceries? Eat in restaurants? Fill
his car with gas? Zack threw out ideas.
Let s start here. Ask the ferry workers if they recognize him. Olivia put out her hand to stop Zack
from pacing. You take the crew below, I ll take the crew on the observation deck, and we ll meet back
at the car when we dock.
You re right. I should have thought of it. He ran a hand through his hair, intensely frustrated that
Driscoll had taken another girl when they were so close to finding him.
They split up, and Zack went down where the passenger cars waited. Most of the people had headed
up to the observation deck; a few mingled outside, huddled in jackets. The air was distinctly colder on
the water than in the city, and now that fall had taken firm hold, temperatures would continue to drop.
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