Page 12 of Securing His Heart
“Yeah, it looks that way, but as I said something seemed off. Have you got a way to get your hands on any CCTV footage around the area?”
“I do. We’ve got a good relationship with the local police, especially after everything Jude and his friends are doing in their efforts with the homeless, kids and adults. Not to mention their endeavors to stop child sex trafficking.”
Chris was aware of what Jude Cadmon and his friends did, after all, he’d helped rescue his sister a couple of years ago, and the reason he was in Perth was for Renee’s wedding. It didn’t surprise him that Jude and his friends had created a good relationship with the authorities, and Steve benefited from it.
“Great. How long will it take you to get access?”
“Give me two hours.”
“I’ll be at your office at midday.”
“Sounds good. If I hit any trouble, I’ll let you know, but I don’t think there will be any.”
“Later.” Chris disconnected the call and pocketed his phone. He had some time to kill before he had to meet with Steve.
It should give him just enough time to do a little research on Lindy, her family and more importantly, her father’s death.
At precisely midday, Chris walked through the doors of Steve’s office. The receptionist greeted him with a smile.
“Hi Chris, he’s expecting you. Go on through.”
“Thanks, Margot.”
He strode down the hall to Steve’s office, but his friend wasn’t there. He continued on, until he found the boardroom.
Steve sat at the head of the oval table and the rest of his team were seated around him.
Every nerve ending inside of him sharpened and tightened. If Steve had called the team in, then there had to be something major going on.
“What’s wrong?” The demand burst out of Chris the second he’d crossed the threshold.
His friend looked up from the computer he’d been studying. “I got the footage from outside the pub and the area where Lindy was attacked.”
Chris homed in on the change in Steve’s terminology—from bag snatch to attack.
This didn’t bode well.
After his own investigation of Lindy’s father’s accident had corroborated what Steve had said—that there wasn’t anything sinister to do with it—he suspected that would be the case with what happened to Lindy, clearly it wasn’t though.
“See something interesting?” He kept his voice casual when what he really wanted to do was stride over, snatch the laptop from his friend and view the footage himself. Which he didn’t have to do, because Steve wouldn’t keep him in the dark, not after he’d been the one to ask for help.
“Come see for yourself.” The guy turned the laptop around for him to see.
He strode up to the table and took the seat that’d been vacated by Andy. “Thanks, man.”
Andy nodded and went to sit by Wilt.
The men sitting at the table all appeared casual, as if they didn’t have a care in the world, yet Chris knew if needed they could spring into action as quickly as he could.
He liked working with this team and was glad he could now consider them his friends, as well. If he needed their help, they’d have his back without batting an eyelash.
Chris pulled the laptop toward him and froze at the image paused on the screen—him and Lindy sitting at the bar. “The bar had cameras?”
Once again, he cursed himself for his lack of attention of his surroundings. If he’d done what he’d always done, scan the building he walked into for entry and exits points, along with cameras, this wouldn’t be a shock. He hadn’t; he’d walked in and had seen Lindy sitting at the bar and taken the empty stool.
Chris may have given the impression that he’d sat next to her by chance, but it hadn’t been. He’d been drawn to her—still was—which was why he’d changed his ticket.
“Yep, and it’s surprising.” Steve’s cryptic comment had him hitting play and watching his interaction with Lindy unfold on the screen, as though he was watching a movie.