Page 56 of Charmed Forces
“I understand, but find out as much as you can.”
“On it. I’ll put the security tapes on the shared drive so you can both access them along with a few notes I added.”
“Thanks, again. I don’t suppose you can find anything on the dark web about her? She might have been hired by the Victor syndicate.”
“That gives me somewhere to start,” said Lucas, but he didn’t look optimistic.
I returned downstairs to my desk, glancing at the growing file. Underneath, peeked out the envelope Jord just delivered. I pulled it open, pleased and surprised to find the evidence list from the Sun Street safe house. The list covered everything from the house furnishings to the clothes and accessories the deceased were wearing. It was just as I expected: the witnesses didn’t have any cellphones or any other kind of electronic equipment. They didn’t have wallets or purses. Even the paperback book one of them was reading appeared on the list. I skipped to the bedrooms. Two small suitcases were listed in one of the bedrooms, the contents just clothing and toiletries. Three duffel bags were spread across the other two sparse bedrooms.
I paused to take Alice’s call and she told me Brandt was pressing her for more information but when she had none to give, he’d left after applying a few scare tactics. “Should I get a lawyer?” she asked me.
“I’ll send you the name of one, just in case,” I said, already scrolling through my contacts for Diana Casey’s number at Hemingway, McCarthy and Gort.
When we disconnected, I flipped back to the living room list. Frank Desmond had an MPD-issued cellphone but not a personal one, plus his wallet. He wore a gold crucifix around his neck. His gun was in his hand. A second backup was concealed in an ankle holster and hadn’t been drawn.
The pizzas were listed, even the size of the boxes and the number of slices left over.
Even though I’d expected that, what troubled me most was Daniel’s badge and cellphone being listed. Perhaps I should have swiped them from the scene? As soon as I thought that, I shook my head. No. There would have been no point trying to disguise his presence there. That he’d lost them at all suggested to me he might have been involved in a struggle. How else could he have been separated from them? I knew he wouldn’t have willingly removed them. I tapped my finger down the list. Daniel’s gun was never recovered from the scene. That was also troubling.
I grabbed my mug and walked towards the coffee pot, eager for another cup. Halfway there, I stopped, turned and rushed back to my desk, leaning over to run my finger down the list again.
The list appeared thoroughly meticulous yet something seemingly insignificant was missing. The takeout coffee cups! Why weren’t they included?
Chapter Twelve
I’d been doodling for the past half hour but I still wasn’t sure I’d remembered the coffee shop logo quite correctly. It wasn’t one of the major chains, which eliminated quite a few outlets in town. I’d even tried searching for coffee shops near Sun Street onMapsbut didn’t come up with any nearby that even vaguely matched the logo. Of course, there was the possibility the coffee shop was new and hadn’t been listed yet. Or maybe it wasn’t a coffee shop at all, but a café or a gas station.
The logo was a circle containing some wavy lines. Or perhaps they were stylized initials? Being more focused on the dead people, I failed to really notice the takeout cups. The only other things I remembered about them were they were Styrofoam with plastic lids and all white. So that narrowed it down to literally everywhere that sold coffee to go!
I picked up my phone and called Lily.
“I’ve been waiting breathlessly for your call,” she said. “What’s happening? Has Daniel been found? Did you find the evidence to exonerate him? Is there anything I can do? Did someone really try to kill you?”
“Who told you that?”
“Um...” Lily paused. “Which of my questions are you referring to?”
“The bit about someone trying to kill me.”
“Jord. Duh.”
“I didn’t tell him.”
“Garrett did.”
“News travels fast.”
“It hasn’t reached your mom yet.”
“A miracle,” I said with a sigh in anticipation of my mother’s imminent meltdown. “I’m glad you called. Do you want to join me on a fact-finding mission?”
I could feel Lily’s glee before she uttered a word. “Do I ever!” she said. “I’m on my way.”
“I haven’t told you where I am.”
“Details, details.” She paused, then asked, “Where are you?”
“At the agency.”