With that in mind, Cami went searching, using the help of the neighbor’s wifi. Mellor1 had a very easy password to crack, and she was in within a minute. Now, to see if she could see any community groups.

  She set her programs to run, checking everywhere. Checking on the devices she was able to access via the wifi, and checking for groups that were relevant to the area.

  Ah. There was a local chat group. She'd found one on Mellor1’s machine. And, working quickly, Cami was able to view it.

  It was a very active group, and there were a lot of people on it who seemed to spend their lives snooping and peeking at their neighbors.

  "Why is number seventeen Mandalay Way playing loud music AGAIN after eleven?"

  "Can't you just live and let live? Maybe we should worry about the trash in the streets and not about that?"

  "Pick up your own trash, litterbug!"

  "Does anyone know the name of a good dry cleaner?"

  She scrolled back a week, two weeks. Lots of chit chat, lots of complaining, but nothing serious, or that she thought could be linked to the case.

  And then, going back a month, her gaze was caught by something familiar.

  "Delivery vehicle here, dropping off soundproofing."

  "That's for number twelve Conifer Way, the house a few roads down. Not for Colony Way."

  "Are you sure?"

  "Yes. They must have gotten the address wrong at the delivery place. There was a whole stack delivered last week too. Doors, insulation, bricks, concrete, other materials. For soundproofing a basement, apparently."

  Cami's eyes narrowed.

  She recognized the address. Connor’s office had just called it in. That was Samuel Potts' address. He lived at number twelve Conifer Way. The house further out of town.

  Why was a prison guard busy soundproofing his basement?

  Cami looked again at Samuel's profile. There was something about that avatar that was creeping her out. Something about the smile in the real life photos of him she could see.

  Cami opened the car door and jumped out. She hurried over to the neighboring house, where Connor was turning away and striding back.

  "The neighbors know nothing, but we've just got a GPS location for the phone. Anderson is on the highway, to the west, and heading out of town, fast," he said. "If we rush, we can get on at the next exit and catch up with him."

  "Connor, wait!"

  Cami felt torn now. Which decision would be the right one? Go after the man who was speeding out of town in a borrowed car - or go where her gut was telling her?

  "Please," she said. "Can someone else track Anderson? Because I've found out something about Samuel's basement. And I think it might be where he's keeping these women."

  CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

  "In the basement?" Cami saw Connor frowning. This was a big decision to make, and time was against them here. "What did you find out?"

  "Your office sent through his address. He lives a couple of miles away. There was a problem with the delivery of soundproofing equipment, which was discussed in this neighborhood group. And that’s how I’ve found out that Samuel Potts has soundproofed his basement. And recently. Lots of soundproofing, new doors, a whole lot of improvements that a normal basement surely wouldn't need. Connor, I’m worried he did that because he wanted to keep the women down there. And he's close by. Just a couple of miles beyond here."

  She waited for a tense moment.

  "You really think this is the guy?" Connor said, sounding dubious.

  "I really do," Cami said. "It's the soundproofing, and also his social media avatar. It's an AI creation, and looking back, I see he's changed it a few times. And in the past, once or twice, it's been an avatar of a dark-haired man with a blond woman."

  "Is that so?" Connor asked. He still sounded undecided. Cami knew it was a big decision for him as well.

  "I know it's not a lot. But it's something. Maybe it's pointing to his aims. To the romance, or whatever it is he wants, with his victims. I do think it's important."

  With a firm nod, Connor made the decision.

  "You're right, Cami. We can't ignore the smaller details, especially if they're adding up. And I see he is close by."

  He got on the radio.

  "Urgent alert. We need an officer who can assist in the GPS tracking and location of a suspect's cellphone." As he spoke, he climbed into the car, glancing at the address which Cami had already programmed into her phone.

  "Yes. Anyone who can help out must get onto the highway, and as soon as possible. We're heading somewhere else."

  He started up the car and swung in the direction of Conifer Way.

  Cami's stomach was churning as he drove. She was hoping, hard, that she hadn't been wrong about this. If she'd been wrong about this, then she'd messed everything up and wasted precious time, and she knew that worst case, this could cost them a life.

  But on the other hand, pursuing a car on the highway, while a woman was locked in a basement nearby, might also cost them a life.

  Conifer Way couldn't come soon enough. She watched the street names anxiously, her gaze veering from the map to the snowy suburbs ahead. This was a more scattered area. The houses weren't bigger, but the lots were larger. There were more trees and more privacy. And here, finally, was Conifer Way.

  Connor swung into the road. He stopped outside number twelve.

  It looked like all the others - a small, rundown place with a main house in front, and a shed in the backyard. But there had clearly been excavations and improvements happening. Looking through the trees, Cami saw there were some piles of sand in the backyard and some planks still stacked near them. Connor got out. He walked up to the front door. He knocked.

  Just like at the other place, there was no reply. But would there be a reply if the man was down in a locked, soundproofed basement? He might not be able to hear a thing.

  Did he have wifi, Cami wondered, as Connor waited, checking his watch, raising the knocker again. That was something she could confirm.

  A quick look on her phone, and she saw he did.

  "Connor, I'm getting something here on the wifi. I'm going to see if I can log in," Cami said.

  "While you do that, I'm going to look around the house. We don't have enough cause to break in, but if there's any sign or any reason, I'm going to risk it."

  They each had their own challenges now. Connor was looking for a way in physically, and Cami was trying to get into the house remotely.

  She had a horrible feeling about this deserted looking place. It might be the killer's home, or else, a terrible mistake. As yet, she didn't know which it would be.

  She looked down to see that her program had gotten in. At least this was progress, and she'd accessed the wifi. And there were several devices attached to it.

  There was a computer. Could she somehow get into it? The computer was open and live.

  Working quickly, Cami tried to access it via the wifi. It wasn't difficult. The computer didn't have a strong password, and it was clearly used on the private home connection.

  Cami accessed the camera. Was Samuel Potts inside, working on it? Could she see anything?

  The camera flickered into life.

  And she gasped as it showed her a chilling sight.

  She was looking through the camera’s eye at a woman who had a black blindfold covering her eyes and who was tied to a chair. The room behind her was small, with freshly painted white walls. The woman was breathing hard, her chest rising and falling under her jacket, and from her tense demeanor, and the twist to her face, Cami could tell she was absolutely terrified.

  "Go on!" a man's voice said, so loud and harsh that Cami jumped. Her eyes widened. He was in there with her.

  "Go on, say it! Say you love me! I need you to tell me the words!"

  With her chest heaving, the woman seemed too panicked to speak.

  But now, Cami thought she understood his aims. This man was trying to create a montage of voices. He was trying to create the AI version of the avatar she'd seen on his profile. He wanted to have those words recorded in his machine so that he could pretend it was a real, live person. Maybe he was filming her as well. That bright white wall behind her and the fact he was staying out of sight of the camera himself hinted at that.

  "Connor!" she yelled. "Connor!"

  Still holding her phone, she rushed around the house to find him.

  Connor was sizing up the back door. For a shabby house, Cami had to admit, the doors were solid, and the windows all had security bars on them. Not just to keep people out, she now realized, but to keep them in.

  "Connor, look!" She showed him the phone. "He's got her here, in the basement. He's trying to make her say something to him, and he's recording it on the computer. We have to get down there and stop him. I'm worried she's too scared to talk and then he'll kill her!"

  "I'm going to go in," Connor said. "The back door's my best chance. The only way into the basement seems to be from inside. It's more like a cellar room. Completely underground." He turned to her. "You go and wait in the car. I don't know if this guy is armed or what's happening. I'm calling for backup now, and they can help deal with it."

  Cami felt terrible that Connor had to deal with this alone, but she knew that she would be more of a hindrance than a help.

  And also, more importantly, in the car, at least she could keep track of what this man was saying and doing.

  She huddled in the car, keeping the door open a crack in case Connor needed her, and focusing on her phone, trying to see what was playing out in that basement room.

  And immediately, Cami saw that the situation had taken a turn for the worse.

  "You will talk! You will!"

  The man's voice was even more angry and threatening now. There was a note of pure, high fury in it that told her he was rapidly losing control.

  And then, the picture proved it. He stepped into the camera's eye, and for the first time, she saw the suspect. He was broad-shouldered, wearing a simple black T-shirt, with short hair and dark eyes, and a look on his face that chilled her.

  He was standing behind the woman now, where she couldn't see him. And in his hand, he held a steel bar.

  He gripped it tightly, still screaming at her.

  "Talk! Talk to me! Say something. I didn't go to all this trouble to have you refuse to speak!"

  Connor, be quick, Cami begged silently. But her boss was obviously having difficulty breaking in through the back door, and now, Cami saw to her horror that she was all out of time.

  Yelling furiously, the man raised the iron bar. He was hefting it in his hands, and she could tell he was on the point of using it. The only reason he hadn’t yet, was that he was hoping she would say something. But a few more seconds of silence would seal her fate.

  If Cami couldn't find a way to intervene, now, she would have to watch the horrific sight of him killing her, in real time.

  CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

  A camera works two ways.

  The thought flashed into Cami's mind. She had control of Samuel's camera and that meant she could interact with him, by using the computer's own software. That would take literally a second now that she was inside.

  She pressed the keys.

  Now, she had control of the speaker. And now, she had to talk. What on earth was she going to say?

  "I love you," she said loudly. After all, those were the words he had wanted. "I love you. I really do. You're the guy for me. I always knew it."

  She thought she was getting somewhere. As she spoke, he spun toward the screen, lowering steel bar, staring at the computer in utter shock, as if he'd never dreamed that it would have the ability to start talking back.

  "What the hell?" he asked. "Who's in there?"

  Now, Cami needed to think even quicker.

  "It's your AI program," she said. "There's an update to the software that now enables interaction with the user. I am now able to respond to simple questions and commands."

  There was a silence.

  Samuel moved away from the screen.

  And faintly, from the street, Cami heard a splintering of wood. That hopefully meant Connor had managed to break in through the back door. Now, he had to get down into the basement, where there might be another locked door still to break through. She had to keep this man's attention so that Connor could do his work.

  "Ask me whatever you want," she said. “I’ll answer you within my parameters.”

  "Where did we meet?" he said.

  Cami racked her brains for an answer that would sound like a plausible, AI generated piece of text. "We saw each other immediately in the crowd. Don't you remember? I knew at once that you were the one. That you were going to be my love for life."

  She had to admit, it felt wrong to be using the word 'love' in such chilling and deadly circumstances. Cami had always felt that word to be sacrosanct. Even pretending to be an AI program, telling this monster that she loved him was surprisingly difficult.

  "I wanted to be with you immediately," she said, wondering what else she could use to get through to him and keep him listening. He was someone who captured women and put them through hell. But what was his personality like, outside of that? Were there any other clues?

  She swung the camera around. It was able to move through a restricted angle. She still couldn't see him - he was out of sight, maybe so that the recording could work. But what she did see was that the small basement looked pristine. It was very clean. Uncluttered. The chair was placed squarely in the center of the room.

  Maybe he was a neat freak. That might align with his twisted personality and his need to control women. Perhaps she could capitalize on that.

  "You must tell me what to do," she said. "When we're fully in love, I know you're going to have to guide me. After all, I want to please you. Are there any requirements you have for our home?"

  "Yes," he muttered. "Yes, I will have to guide you. Do you ever make a mess? Leave things lying around?"

  That was an easy one to answer. "I'm very neat by nature," she said. "And I like a man who is the same, who's a neat person too."

  "What's your favorite flower?" he asked suddenly. Another one that wasn't too difficult.

  "Roses," Cami said. "I love roses. They're the most beautiful flowers. I love red roses because they have such meaning. But all colors are beautiful."

  Where was Connor? She was shaking with tension. He must be having difficulty getting in. Cami was guessing that the door to the basement was well hidden. Maybe it was behind another locked door, or hidden away in a cupboard, or maybe it was a hatch that was concealed under a carpet or behind furniture. He should have been in by now, but he wasn't. This killer was very, very smart and sneaky. Even though he had the FBI breaking down his door, they weren't yet close enough to stop him.

  She had to keep talking, because now, she heard a note of suspicion in his voice.

  "You're not AI, are you? You’re tricking me. Are you in my house? Have you gotten inside here?"

  No, Cami thought, coldness flooding her.

  It was inevitable that after the shock of hearing his computer speaking back to him, he was going to start questioning how this could happen. And quickly realizing it couldn't.

  If there was ever a moment she needed to keep him talking, keep him distracted, it was now.

  Connor might be in danger otherwise, when he finally gained access to the basement.

  "Well, I'm your AI program, and I can't answer that question. It's too difficult. I'm programmed to answer questions about love. I'd like to talk some more about how we met. I think that we were really preordained to be together. You know, when you get cold shivers because you wonder what would have happened if that chance moment hadn't occurred?"

  Cami paused. Her mouth was dry, and her voice was starting to crack from the strain. She still couldn't see Samuel Potts. He'd moved out of the camera's angle, and she had no idea where he was. What if he was waiting by the basement door for Connor to come in, holding up that iron bar?

  "Speak to me. Don't you have any more questions?" she asked.

  But there was only silence now, as Cami's heart accelerated and she started feeling sick inside.

  And then, she heard a crashing, rending noise that made her gasp. Sweat sprung out on her palms. Her gaze was glued to the phone.

  And Connor was in! She saw him on camera, rushing over to the woman, grabbing her shoulders. He'd gotten in safely, he'd managed to avoid the killer, and he was okay. Relief crushed her - but only for a moment.

  Hot on its heels came another urgent question.

  Where was the killer? Because clearly, he hadn't been in the basement when Connor entered. She'd heard the sound of a door breaking down, but nothing else. No fight, no gunshot. Nothing at all.

  Coldness filled her. This wasn't over yet. Was he hiding in there?

  Or -

  And as Cami had her next thought, the car door was wrenched open behind her. A rough hand grabbed her, and a foul-smelling cloth was mashed into her face.

  The world started to swim, and then she knew nothing more.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  What was happening?

  The world was tilting, swimming in and out. Cami felt sick, and there was a foul, bitter taste in her mouth.

  As her mind emerged from the fog, reality hit her with a slam.

  She was in the trunk of a car, which was veering along the road. Rolling around on the carpeted floor, she was unable to brace herself properly because her hands were tied and her legs were, too.

  Gradually, her shocked brain began piecing together what had happened.

  Samuel Potts must have had an alternative exit route out of the basement, Cami realized, feeling her stomach tilt nauseatingly as the car veered right. Most probably, he had planned this and built an escape route that led somewhere else. Maybe an underground passage leading to that shed. So when Connor had broken in, he'd broken out and burst out of the shed and grabbed her.

 

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