Page 59 of Forgotten Path
She killed the engine and exited the car. Adrenaline zipped through her body, and her hands trembled with excitement. This was the kind of lucky break that made the difference between solving a crime and adding it to a tall stack of cold cases. She had to keep her cool. Play this right.
She took out her cell phone as she walked toward the truck and punched in the number for the Oyster Point Police Chief.
“Chief Rodman’s office. Lucinda speaking,” a brisk, yet pleasant, female voice answered on the first ring.
“This is Detective Felicia Williams. Is the chief available?”
“Oh, Detective Williams. Are you in town? Your office said you were on your way.”
“Uh, I’m just outside the town limits, on Emerald Road.” She pulled the GPS map to check if she had the name right. She did. “I need to speak to Chief Rodman if he’s in.”
“I’m so sorry. He’s at the food bank. Can I take a message?”
“He’s at the food bank?” she repeated as if she’d misheard.
“That’s right. In fact, I’m headed over there in a few minutes myself. I could ask him to call you if you don’t want to leave a message.”
What kind of town was this?
“Sure, I’d appreciate that.”
“You’ve got it,” Lucinda assured her.
“Thanks.”
Lucinda read Felicia’s number back to her from her caller ID display; Felicia confirmed it; and Lucinda promised to have the chief call her as soon as possible.
Felicia pulled up the camera app on her phone and circled the truck, snapping photos from every angle. She mustered all her discipline to keep herself from rubbing away the mud to see the name on the side. She stretched onto her toes to peek into the truck bed. Empty.
She cupped her hands around her eyes and peered inside the passenger cab, but between the glare of the sun and the light tint on the truck’s windows, she couldn’t make out anything of interest.
“Hey.”
The gruff word was accompanied by a rough tap on her shoulder.
Startled, she wheeled around, her hand flying to the butt of her holstered weapon out of muscle memory.
A grizzled security guard eyed her hard, took in the gun on her waistband, and stepped back. “Easy, lady. You’re trespassing.”
She didn’t take her eyes off his face. “I don’t think so. This is a public road.”
He tried a different tack. “Okay, look. This truck here belongs to my boss. You look pretty suspicious, like maybe you’re planning to break into it. So why don’t you be on your way, and I’ll forget I ever saw you?”
She continued to study him, taking in the sweat beading on his upper lip and the slight tremor in his voice.
“What’s your name?”
It took a minute, but eventually, he grunted out his name with clear reluctance. “Ralph.”
“Just Ralph? You don’t have a last name, Ralph?”
“Asher,” he grumbled before showing a spark of spirit. “Who are you?”
She flashed him a smile as she removed her badge holder from her suit pocket and flipped it open with a well-practiced one-handed movement. “Detective Felicia Williams.”
“I … I didn’t know.”
“Clearly.”
