Page 43 of Her Final Hours
“Well, we don’t know yet whether she was one of the abducted. So far, we haven’t got shit on this girl. We don’t know who she is, where she came from, or what happened. No leads. For all we know, she could have killed Collins, and this guy was family looking for payback. Addie got back to us with the results of the blood match. It was a positive match.”
Callie nodded. “So, they are connected.”
“Yeah, and she decided to play finger painting in his blood,” McKenzie said.
“Thanks for the visual,” Callie remarked. “Any results back from the genealogy test?”
“We’ve put a rush on it, but it still takes time,” Noah said.
“Yeah, time we don’t have.” McKenzie had Roger pause the video. “Listen. All we see is him entering from the right. That’s because the van isn’t parked in the lot.” He had Roger fast-forward to when the guy raced out of the hospital’s rear, and they saw him cross a field to the tree line.
“So, he knew enough not to park in the lot,” Noah commented.
They saw a blur and red taillights as the van darted toward the main road.
“So, what now?” Callie asked.
“Now I go home and get some well-deserved shut-eye, and you two take over and earn your paycheck,” McKenzie said, getting up and shuffling toward the exit.
“McKenzie,” Noah said. “Sorry about the kid.”
“Ah… I warned him to pay attention. I just…” He waved it off and walked off. Even though McKenzie liked to come across as a hard-nosed veteran officer, it was clear from the look on his face as the video replayed that moment, Parker’s death had gotten to him.
Once he was gone, they replayed the video multiple times, hoping to see something of significance, but all they saw was horror, a man willing to go to great lengths to get the girl. The question was, why?
As they awaited the door camera footage, Noah stepped out and wandered down the corridor to a large window where he looked out, watching the snow come down. He made a call to Savannah. “I gather they updated you on the situation.”
“I heard. You over there now?” she asked.
“Yeah. Look, we can’t leave her here. He knows she’s here. Chances are, if he was willing to go to these lengths to get at her, he’ll probably try again.”
“He’d be insane to.”
“You ever seen anyone go to these lengths?” There was no answer. “Exactly. We aren’t dealing with someone logical.”
“So, what are you suggesting?”
“I don’t know. Maybe she can stay with one of us.”
“That won’t fly. You’re all needed out there; right now, she’s getting around-the-clock treatment.”
“And she can continue to. Maybe you can speak with Dr. Blake. See if she knows a more secure facility or have the girl go back to her place. We can post a deputy outside just until we get—”
“I don’t know, Noah,” she said, cutting him off. “I think that’s above our call.”
“At least look into it.”
Savannah grumbled. “I will. Any luck following up with your father?”
“Yeah, I ended up connecting with the lead investigator from State. She’s retired but gave me a lot of paperwork and case files to wade through.”
“Better let you get back to it then,” Savannah said. “I’ll keep you in the loop on the girl once I know more.”
“Thanks.”
He hung up and stood alone in the hospital corridor, his gaze fixed on the flurry of snowflakes dancing outside the window. His mind churned with thoughts, each adding to the storm of activity within him. Every investigation was daunting. The community wanted answers fast. His superiors to save face. And caught between it all were those like him hoping for a break that could propel the investigation forward.
Lost in contemplating, Noah was startled by Callie, who approached from behind. “Noah,” she called out, her voice eager. “We got a lead on the van!”
