Page 20 of Jina

“No, but I heard the gunshot. Then we ran outside to see if we could find him. Jina found some blood on the window and the ground. We followed it, but then it disappeared.” Shelly looked concerned. “Has that guy come back to make trouble for Jina? She was only trying to protect us. He had no right to come into our house, especially her bedroom!”

“No, he hasn’t come back to make trouble for anyone,” Cole assured her. “I’m going to text you a photograph. I’d like you to tell me if you recognize the man in the picture.”

“Okay.” Shelly frowned. Then her face disappeared while Cole texted the picture of Bradley Crow. After a long moment, Shelly nodded. “Yeah, he looks familiar.”

What? Jina leaned closer. “Where did you see him?”

Another pause as Shelly considered that. “I think he was at the custard stand when I went there to see you.” Her sister tipped her head to the side. “You don’t remember?”

“No. I didn’t recognize him.” She was stunned by Shelly’s admission. “You’re sure you saw him?”

“I think so. But it was a long time ago. I could be wrong.” Her sister looked uncertain. “I mean, I’m not sure I’d want to swear to it in court. Why? Who is he?”

Cole glanced over his shoulder at her, before turning back to Shelly. “His name is Bradley Crow. He was reported missing twelve years ago. You saw him outside the custard stand where Jina worked? Can you describe what he was wearing?”

“I think so, yes.” Shelly looked nervous now. “He had a dark sweatshirt on, with the hood up.”

Jina’s stomach clenched at that. Was it possible Crow was her stalker? And the dead guy buried on the farm? If so, how in the world had he gotten there?

“What made you remember him?” Cole asked. “He must have stuck out in your mind for a reason.”

“I only noticed because he watched Jina while she worked, like with a single-minded focus. It was a little creepy.” Shelly flushed, then added, “But I was only fifteen at the time, so I could be wrong. I wouldn’t feel comfortable testifying in court that they were one and the same.”

“I understand,” Cole said with a smile. “Thanks for your cooperation. That’s all I have for now, but I may need to talk to you again in the future.”

“Jina? Are you okay?” Shelly asked, clearly worried about what she’d revealed.

“I’m fine, don’t worry about me. Just take care of yourself and that baby, okay?” She forced a smile for her sister’s sake. “We’ll talk later.”

“Okay, sounds good. Bye.” Shelly ended the video call.

“I had no idea she saw him at the custard stand,” Jina said, after a pause. “Doesn’t mean he’s my stalker. A lot of kids wore hoodies back then.” She was getting tired of defending herself. She snagged her bag from the floor and headed for the door.

“Hold on. I thought you wanted to help investigate the shooter?” Cole asked.

She hesitated, turning to look at him. He wasn’t looking at her with suspicion, but it was only a matter of time before he had a positive ID on the dead guy.

Sticking around to work the shooter/arsonist case with him wasn’t smart. Yet at the same time, she needed to find the man who’d set fire to Mr. Glen’s home. Stay or go? It was shocking how much she wanted to stay.

“Fine.” She dropped her bag near the door and crossed to the counter to get some coffee. She’d likely regret this later, but for now, she could use Cole’s help. Besides, wasn’t there some saying that advised keeping your friends close but your enemies closer?

Maybe sticking with Cole would help her in the long run. At least that way she’d be prepared prior to his arresting her.

Cole didn’t want to believe Jina had anything to do with Bradley Crow’s death. Yet he wasn’t exactly impartial either. He liked her. Admired her. And yes, he was attracted to her.

So why on earth was he encouraging her to stick around to work the case? Because he was a glutton for punishment, that’s why. The DA’s office would go nuts if they found out he’d had Jina with him while interviewing her sister. And worse, that he’d worked with Jina on another case prior to her being arrested.

“I was thinking we should dig into Rory Glick’s whereabouts for the time frame in question,” Jina said, carrying two cups of coffee to the table. He was surprised when she handed him one. “My thought was to find businesses near Mike’s gym that may have camera footage. Maybe we can pick him out as being nearby at the time of the shooting.”

He nodded thoughtfully. “That’s a good angle to pursue.”

Jina flushed, then gestured at the computer. “The only problem is that I have not seen Rory in years. It would be nice if we could get an updated photo of him.”

“The sexual offender registry updates a perp’s picture every ten years.” He took control of the keyboard to bring Rory Glick’s picture up. He grimaced. “Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear his is one of them.”

She peered at the screen. “You’re right. According to the information listed there, he’s twenty-two in this photo. I guess this was taken after he was released.”

He committed Glick’s facial features to memory. “Hopefully, he hasn’t changed that much. Give me a minute to call Mike. See if he knows where the closest cameras might be located.”

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