Page 16 of Whispers of Redemption

“Oh yes. Did you remember something you wanted to add to our report?”

“No,” she said. “I just wanted to find out where you are on the case. Have you found any clues? Do you have any suspects?”

There was a long pause and then he said, “Well, Ms. Sherwin,” Cassie rolled her eyes in annoyance at the formality, “Officer Garcia and I are actually not on duty yet.” He paused as though to let that information sink in before continuing. “I just happened to be here a little early today to finish some paperwork. However, last night, we did view available street camera footage. Unfortunately, we didn’t find anything helpful. When we start our shift today at three o’clock, we’ll begin canvassing the area where the incident occurred and checking with Ms. Kozlovski’s neighbors to see if there were any witnesses.”

“Would you like some help?” Cassie asked. “I’ve met a few of Olga’s neighbors.”

She could hear him sigh deeply on the other end of the line. “No, thank you, Ms. Sherwin. We can handle it. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” And with that, the line went dead.

Rude! Cassie thought. She sat there for a few moments, staring into space and drumming her fingers on the countertop as she tried to decide what to do next. Suddenly, a thought came to her. She remembered exactly where the van had broken down. It was directly across the street from Lakeside Latté. And she recalled that the shop owner there had a camera aimed at their front door and parking area.

She hurried out of the kitchen and raced back up to her apartment to grab her car keys. She headed back toward the door, but caught Angel looking at her, dark eyes serious in her fluffy little face.

Oh, what the heck. “Do you want to go for a ride?” she asked.

Angel barked and started prancing around in excited circles. “Okay, I guess you do.” She grabbed the pink leash she’d bought yesterday and swooped the dog up into her arms. As an afterthought, she snatched up the small stack of flyers she’d made about the dog, shoving them into her backpack. Within minutes, they were on their way.

Cassie pulled into a parking space near the front door of the coffee shop and got out. It was a breezy summer day and golden sunshine warmed the cloudless, cerulean sky. Lakeside Latté was dog friendly. So, Cassie hooked Angel onto her leash and the dog padded confidently along beside her toward the door, like she was a regular and knew just where to go. Hand on the door, Cassie glanced up to confirm there actually was a camera overhead before stepping into the cozy shop. Once inside, she inhaled deeply and sighed. The nutty aroma of freshly ground coffee beans and caramelized sugar mingled with the scents of cinnamon, vanilla, and yeast that wafted from the warm baked goods cooling on racks, creating a fragrant and inviting atmosphere.

The shop had a distinctive industrial vibe, with exposed brick walls and steel piping overhead. Wooden floors gleamed beneath groupings of overstuffed chairs and low tables, and pendant lighting hung above rectangular high-top tables that lined both walls. Several chairs and tables were taken up by people, sipping beverages and chatting or working on laptops. Cassie walked toward the cashier at the back of the shop, passing by glass cases filled with a tempting array of pastries.

“Hi, Olivia,” she said.

The curvy brunette barista and shop owner had her back to Cassie, but at the sound of her name, she turned around and smiled. “Oh, hey, Cassie! How’s it goin’? You want the usual?”

“Not today,” Cassie said. “I actually need your help with something.”

“Shoot!” Olivia said, leaning onto the countertop and tipping her head expectantly.

Cassie explained about the broken down van and the theft from the prior day.

“Wow! That stinks,” Olivia said, looking at Cassie with sympathy. “But how can I help?”

“You guys have a camera out front, right?”

“We do,” Olivia said.

“Is there any chance you keep the footage from it?”

“Sure, we keep it for ninety days.”

Cassie explained how the thief had run through the Lakeside Latté parking lot before escaping in his truck. “I’m just wondering if you caught him on camera. Maybe if I get a better look at him, I might spot a clue that can help.”

“Well, that’s easy enough to do,” Olivia said. She turned to the butcher-block counter behind her and picked up her cell phone. She made a few taps on the screen, then beckoned Cassie to come closer. “What time was it?” Olivia asked.

Cassie told her and Olivia scrolled through a series of videos. “Okay...should be about here.” Olivia tapped the play arrow and together they watched the screen.

Within moments, the PCS van rolled into view. They watched as Cassie parked it on the shoulder and got out to look beneath the hood. They watched as the black-clad figure suddenly came into view and crept around behind the back of the van. At this point, the distance was too far to see any clear details. The figure slowly opened the doors and pulled out the wooden crate.

They watched as Cassie suddenly spotted the thief and gave chase. He bolted straight through the parking lot and out of view. As he ran, Cassie focused hard on the video, and her eye caught a flash of red on his shoes. “Wait! Can you rewind it?”

“Sure!” Olivia scrolled back, then moved the video forward, frame by frame.

“Stop there!” Cassie said. She studied the image, staring at the shoes. “Can you zoom in?”

Olivia did. The shoes were black with the telltale Nike Swoosh logo in red at the side. But the shoes were unique in that they sported a distinctive column-style structure to the heel. Cassie swore she’d seen shoes like them before but couldn’t remember where.

“This might really help. Thanks so much, Olivia,” she said. “I just wish I could have gotten a better view of his truck.”

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