Page 25 of Lone Star Wanted
He paused, finishing the last bite of his sandwich, then set the plate aside and looked straight at her. “All of that could be true.” Then he leaned back in his chair. “But until I know for sure… she’s a suspect as far as I’m concerned.”
Cassidy didn’t argue. Because deep down, the same doubts had already started to creep in.
She set her plate in the sink and leaned against the counter, her arms folded tight across her chest. Her thoughts were tangled with everything that Marlene had told them. Especially that part about the external drive. About the missing files—files Travis had somehow recovered.
She glanced at Kincade. “You remember what Marlene said? About that hard drive Travis found? That it had deleted records?”
“Yeah,” Kincade said. “Tip from a minor. Someone who saw Alisha the night she was taken.”
“She said the tip wasn’t filed officially. But Travis found it anyway.” Cassidy pushed off the counter and took out her phone. She pulled up the department’s old missing persons database and started typing.
“Travis told me once that there were a few cases he always wondered about. Disappearances that never sat right with him,” she murmured. “There was one that stuck with me. A kid went missing not long after Alisha was murdered.”
She turned the screen toward him.
“Benji Salazar,” she said. “Fifteen. He lived on the east side, rough neighborhood. Family had a long history with CPS, and when he vanished, everyone just assumed he ran.”
Kincade frowned. “But what if he didn’t?”
“Exactly.” Cassidy nodded, the chill settling into her bones. “What if Benji was the one who left that tip? What if he saw Alisha get into Vance Harlan’s SUV, and someone found out?”
Kincade’s expression darkened. “And that someone made sure he couldn’t say anything else.”
Cassidy stared at the boy’s photo on the screen. Round face. Shaggy dark hair. A crooked, nervous smile.
“They said there was no evidence of foul play,” she continued. “But maybe they weren’t looking.”
Kincade stepped closer, his voice low. “If Travis found that file, then he wasn’t just getting close to the truth. He already had it.”
Cassidy nodded, her throat tight again. Because it was possible someone had made damn sure the witness disappeared before he could share what he’d seen.
Cassidy was still deep in thought, staring at the faded photo of Benji Salazar when her phone rang. She jumped, her heart instantly in her throat and automatically answered it.
Silence for a beat. Then, “Cass,” someone muttered.
Her knees nearly buckled at the sound of his voice. “Travis?” she choked out, and she put the call on speaker. She also checked the screen and saw that it was from an unknown number.
Kincade was at her side in an instant.
“Oh my God. Travis, where are you? Are you okay?” she blurted.
“I’m, uh, alive,” he said, but his voice was strained, distant. “I can’t stay on the line long. I just needed you to know I’m not dead.”
“Where are you?” she pressed. “Tell me, we’ll come get you—”
“I can’t say. Not yet. But listen carefully. You know the old drive-in off Route 12? Meet me there at ten tomorrow morning.”
Cassidy’s grip on her phone tightened. “I’ll be there,” she whispered. “Travis, please—”
“I gotta go,” he said. “Be careful. Don’t trust anyone.”
The line went dead.
Cassidy stood frozen, the silence ringing louder than his voice ever could. But her brother was alive.
And tomorrow, they’d finally get answers.
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