Page 15 of All He Sees
Nicky sighed, standing up straight.
Evidence of Mira Phillips's kidnapping could be lost, all for twenty dollars.
Nicky turned to Ken, her hands on her hips. They had all they could get from Dean for now. "Let's take this kid home to his father."
CHAPTER SIX
The warm Florida sun filtered through the sheer curtains. Day lilies and poincianas swayed in the ocean breeze outside her hotel window. Nicky sat at a white-painted table in her hotel room--unlike previous cases, this coastal Florida community had a strong tourist scene, and the hotel was in mint condition. Birds chirped in the lush palms outside and strolled through the flowers like they owned them.
She had her laptop open in front of her while Ken was out grabbing them some dinner. It was a longshot, but maybe there was someone around here named Pedro who happened to have a green car registered to their name.
So far, no real luck. There were a lot of Pedros in Florida, and she knew she had to narrow her search to the area, or else they'd be trying to find a needle in a haystack.
Nicky leaned back in her chair, sighing, and glanced out the window. She couldn't help but notice how clear the sky was. It was an azure blue, cloudless and perfect, making Nicky's mind float away and she imagined herself lying out there, staring up at the sky and watching the clouds roll by. She imagined the breeze blowing through her hair, the sun's orange rays warming her skin, the smell of salt in the air.
There was a knock at the door, and Ken came in holding a bag of food.
"I thought maybe you were hungry," he said, setting the bag down on the table.
Nicky turned away from the window, looking at the bag. "I'm not sure if I can eat," she said.
Ken let out a sigh. "You know what happened with the kid was a fluke," he said. "The case will be solved, and it will be a small bump in the road."
"The case is not solved," Nicky said. "We don't know who kidnapped Mira. We don't have any idea where she is or who has her or what they want or..."
"So, we get to the bottom of it," Ken said. "One day at a time, Lyons. Any luck with the Pedro thing? Honestly, it's a flimsy lead."
"I know." Nicky sighed and picked up the food from the bag. "But we have to do something. The kid couldn't even describe the car other than its color."
Inside the bag of food was a burger with lettuce and tomato, a small container of French fries, and a drink. Nicky split it in half and passed it to Ken, who dug in as she did.
The sun was starting to dip down, and it cast a long shadow over their table. The food was warm, and the fries were particularly crispy.
Nicky's mood lifted a little. The food helped. She and Ken ate in silence as Nicky continued to scroll through a list of Pedros, looking for any who had green cars and happened to live in Vale.
There were many. Pedro Martinez, address in Vale, with a green sedan registered to his name. However, Pedro had no priors--there was no reason to suspect he'd be involved, other than his name and car. Nicky made a note of it anyway. If necessary, she'd take photos of car models to Dean and ask him to identify them.
Pedro Lopez, address in Vale. He had a green Jeep. He had priors for petty theft and a DUI. It was a longshot, too...
Nicky made a note of that Pedro as well.
Then there was Pedro Rivera, address in Vale, with a green SUV. He was arrested for a DUI once, but that was about it.
Nicky let out a sigh and took a bite of her burger. She could keep checking off names all night, and it probably still wouldn't bring her any closer to the kidnapper.
Ken was reading files in front of her as he ate, and Nicky took a moment to break from her laptop screen. Her eyes were starting to hurt.
"Honestly," she said, voice tired, "the guy probably did give the kid a fake name."
Ken looked up from the files. "Could be a stolen car too."
"I guess we could see if any green cars have been stolen recently," Nicky muttered, but that seemed like a shot in the dark too. If they saw a reported stolen green car, then they'd still have no idea who stole it.
Frustration grew in her. She hated not knowing exactly what to do next. This day was dragging on, and Nicky wished she could just have a stiff glass of whiskey.
She sat back for a moment and tried to think about who this kidnapper might be.
He was bold, clearly. He had taken three girls within eight months of each other, and all of them happened to look strikingly similar. He had a type--athletic, freckled, brown-haired... Nicky felt like that could mean something, point to who he really was, but she wasn't sure how it all tied together yet.
