Page 85 of Watch Me
We stared at each other for a few moments, and then Shawn said, “Okay, let’s see what they can find out.”
We hurried down to the cybercrimes room. “Maria,” I barked as I rusheded in. “I need you to locate a cell phone.”
“Sure thing.” I handed her the number I’d written down from Reagan. I waited with bated breath for Maria to work her magic. “The phone must be off. It’s not pinging.”
“Fuck!” I shouted. “The killer must have shut it off.”
Shawn clapped me on the back and squeezed. “We don’t know if this is the same person—”
“That’s not making this any better.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. We need to work this like any other case even though it’s your girlfriend’s daughter.”
Reagan was more than my girlfriend, and Maddison was more than her daughter. They were my family, but Shawn was right. We were trained for this, and I needed to work it like any other case because that was how we found people. If I let my emotions cloud my judgment, then it might be too late to saveher.
Shawn and I went back up to our desks, and I sent a few cops out to start canvassing the area around Judy’s to look for any witnesses or anything that might help us locate Maddison while Shawn and I continued on the paperwork for the warrants. I mindlessly filled out each request and replayed my phone call with Reagan over and over and over in my head until it hitme.
“Oh, shit!” I shouted in the sparseprecinct.
Shawn looked up. “What?”
“Reagan said that Maddison had dinner with her.”
“Okay?”
“So, that means she walked to Judy’s and then was walking back to my place.”
“Yeah?”
My eyes widened, and I gestured with my hands. “Cameras. There are bars, restaurants, a bank within walking distance, traffic cams.”
“Okay, we’ll get subpoenas—”
“No,” I stated. “We don’t need a subpoena for thelivetraffic cams.”
He snapped his fingers and pointed at me. Even though they were live, they were recorded, and we had access to them. “You’re right.”
We both stood. “So, let’s watch from seven o’clock on from the light right outside of Judy’s. Maybe we’ll see someone following Maddison or something. Maybe get a plate to trace.”
“Let’s do it.”
Shawn and I went down to the cyber unit again, and I had half a mind to call Will to come in, but everyone was with their families for the holiday. Everyone except Shawn and me.
Everyone except Reagan and Maddie.
My stomach knotted at the thought of finding Maddison lifeless and having to tell Reagan that her daughter was dead. I couldn’t let that happen. I didn’t know how much time we had—if any—but I wasn’t going to sleep until we foundher.
“Maria, we need to access a traffic cam or two,” I stated, walking into the cyber room and stopping at her desk. Again. She was the only one onduty.
“Sure. What street and when?” She started hitting some buttons, and I gave her the information she asked for. “What are we looking for?”
“Who,” I corrected and gave her Maddison’s description and what she was wearing. When we went down there earlier, I’d only given her Maddie’s phone number and not thereason.
Shawn and I stood behind her as she cued up the footage. The black and white recording played a little faster than normal speed. It wasn’t fast enough. I needed to find the fucker at that second. My phone dinged in my pocket with a text message. I pulled itout.
Reagan:Anything?
Me:No. I’ll let you know. Try to get somesleep.
