Down to the Wire. Laura Scott
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role model. She knew firsthand what it was like growing up in a super strict household. Her father had controlled almost every aspect of her life and she’d refused to do the same thing with her brother. Granted, Bobby was going through a rebellious phase, but she didn’t think his behavior was that much different than most teenagers’. Deep down, she knew her brother still loved her. Even if he didn’t often show it.
“Tess?” The way Declan called her name made her realize she’d been lost in her thoughts.
“What? Oh, I’m not going home with you, Declan. I’ll give you an hour to clear my car, and then I plan on picking up my brother and we’ll go to a hotel if that makes you feel better.”
She sensed he wanted to argue with her, but he gave a curt nod. “Fine, I’ll agree with one minor change. You need to let me drive you to pick up your brother and take you both to a hotel, because I can’t guarantee we’ll be able to clear your car that fast.”
“Deal. Where are you parked?” she asked, glancing around the area.
Her gaze fell on the man wearing the green baseball cap who was lingering near the maple tree where she’d parked her car. She narrowed her gaze, squinting against the sun. He had to be the same guy she saw earlier. And as before, she thought he seemed familiar. “Who is that guy?” she asked, talking more to herself than to Declan.
“Who?” Declan asked sharply.
“That man in the baseball cap standing near my car. I saw him earlier, too.”
As if the guy in question could feel their gaze on him, he turned and disappeared behind the tree.
“Caleb!” Declan shouted, sprinting off after the guy. “Come on! We need to follow him.”
“Who?” Caleb demanded as he ran after Declan.
Tess couldn’t tear her gaze off the two men as they raced toward the area where the stranger had disappeared. She was so intent on watching them that she didn’t notice Griff Vaughn, Declan’s boss, come up beside her.
“What’s going on?” he demanded with a deep scowl.
“I saw a guy over there, the same one who was here earlier,” she explained. “But I don’t get why Declan is so concerned about him. I’m sure he’s just some curious bystander who wants to know what’s going on.”
“Maybe, but sometimes criminals return to the scene of the crime because they like to watch the chaos they’ve caused.”
“I never thought of that,” Tess admitted with an involuntary shiver. She was about to tell Griff about how the guy seemed familiar, when she noticed Declan and Caleb were on their way back.
Their boss jogged over to meet them and the three of them spoke for several minutes before they all turned to face her.
Declan gestured for her to come over by him while Griff and Caleb headed over toward a large unmarked black van.
“I guess you didn’t find him?” she asked as she approached Declan.
“No, but we want you to view the videotape of the scene to see if you can spot him for us,” Declan explained.
“Video?” she echoed. “What kind of video?”
“Video surveillance of the crime scene, including anyone observing from the sidelines,” Declan explained. “We routinely take several hours of film, just in case. We use the film from the media, too.”
“Yes, your boss mentioned how criminals often return to the scene to watch.” She could barely comprehend this shocking new development, but she followed Declan to the back of the van. When he opened the doors, she was surprised to see the massive amount of technology that was located back there.
“Wow,” she murmured. “I had no idea you had all this stuff going on.”
Declan helped her inside. “Nate is a whiz with electronics,” he said. “Do you have the video ready?” he asked.
“Sure thing, Deck.” Nate Jarvis, a tall, lanky blond pulled up a stool and gestured for Tess to take a seat. “We’re going to start at the beginning, and I want you to let me know if you see the guy you spotted just a few minutes ago.”
Tess nodded, blinking to help her eyes adjust to the darker interior of the van. She leaned close, staring at the video screen full of dozens of people standing around the perimeter of the school parking lot, and tried to catch a glimpse of either the green ball cap or the guy’s brown shirt. Of course he wore colors that blended in with the crowd and the trees.
For several long minutes no one said anything, and as much as she tried to stay focused on the videotape playing in front of her, she was far too conscious of Declan crouched beside her.
Ignore him, she told herself, keeping her eyes glued to the video screen. They were mere acquaintances, nothing more, a fact that suited her just fine.
She was so preoccupied she almost missed the brief flash of green. “There!” she said excitedly. “That might be him.”
Nate fiddled with the controls, going backward to capture the image and then moving forward in slow motion. He froze the image. “Is this the guy?” he asked.
She gnawed on her lower lip, staring at the blurry figure. “Maybe, but the way he’s looking down at the ground, I can’t be positive.”
“I can’t seem to get a good image of this guy’s face,” his tech-savvy teammate muttered, going through several frames. “It’s almost as if he knows we’re videotaping the crowd.”
“I think it’s him, but maybe we should keep looking,” Tess said, biting her lip.
“You’re doing great,” Declan murmured encouragingly. “Take your time.”
She was glad he’d dropped the demanding tone. She continued watching the videotape but was disappointed when she didn’t see the strange guy.
But then, just as the camera switched direction, she saw him. “There he is,” she said urgently. “That’s exactly when I saw him, too, as he was walking away from the area.”
“Got him,” Nate declared, freezing the image. “Too bad it’s not his face, though. And it’s hard to tell what color his hair is beneath that baseball cap.”
“I know,” Declan agreed.
“I’ll see if I can keep working the images to make them sharper,” his colleague said.
She glanced over her shoulder at Declan. “I remember thinking at the time that one of the cops must have told him to get lost,” she admitted. “Do you think it’s possible someone spoke to him?”
Declan shrugged. “We can ask,” he murmured. “Although I don’t know if anyone would remember him.”
“How about if I print off a copy of the image?” Nate offered. “It’s better than nothing at the moment.”
“Sounds good.”
Tess stared again at the indistinguishable figure, wishing she could pinpoint what seemed so familiar about the guy. Without seeing his face, it was impossible to guess his age. Was he one of Bobby’s friends? Or a neighbor? Maybe Allan Gray, the rather odd neighbor who was always overly anxious to help her?
“Let’s give this printout to Griff,” Declan said. “He can ask all the cops here on the scene whether anyone else recognizes him.”
Tess took Declan’s offered hand to step down from the van, letting go as soon as she was on solid ground. Despite the jolt of awareness that had just sparked between them, she refused to give in to the schoolgirl crush she’d once had on him. Because, just as they had been back in high school, they were still two completely different people.
She couldn’t afford a relationship, even if she wanted one, which she didn’t. Maybe all men weren’t as controlling as Jeff