Page 21 of Jina

She nodded, sipping her coffee as he made the call. Mike answered right away. “Cole, do you have any more information about what happened last night?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t.” He didn’t think filling him in on the arson was smart. They didn’t know for sure the perp was the shooter. “I’m calling because we need to figure out a way to find this guy. I don’t believe the strip mall has cameras. Do you know of any other businesses nearby that might have them?”

“There’s a gas station two miles west of the gym that has security cameras.” There was a brief pause, before Mike said, “I don’t know of any others offhand. The one here in the gym is only pointed at the front door so that I know when people are coming in. I can check it but doubt the image captured anyone lurking around outside.”

“Please do check your camera,” he said.

“Are you sure about the strip mall?” Mike asked. “There could be a camera back there.”

“They didn’t seem to be cash-heavy establishments,” he said, remembering the brief glimpse he got of the place. “But we’ll double-check.”

“Is Jina okay?” Mike asked.

“Yeah, she’s fine.” Mike was a former cop; he’d injured his shooting hand during a scuffle with a perp. And he was also single. His interest in Jina put Cole’s teeth on edge. Not that he had any claims on her. Quite the opposite. She was off-limits by a mile. “I’ll keep you updated if we learn anything more.”

“Sounds good. Call if you need help,” Mike said. “Tell Jina I’m glad she’s okay.”

“I will. Thanks, Mike.” He ended the call, glancing at her. “Mike’s glad you’re not hurt.”

She frowned. “He should know as well as anyone I can take care of myself.”

Her puzzled response, seemingly not realizing Mike’s interest was personal, shouldn’t have made him smile. “He mentioned a gas station. That should be our first stop.”

“Okay.” She took another sip of her coffee, then set it aside. “I’m ready to hit the road.”

“Hang on.” He used the computer to access a map app to look up the strip mall. She leaned over to see the screen.

“We should have considered cameras last night,” she said with disgust.

“Yeah, well technically, it’s not our case.” He flashed a smile. “But that won’t stop us from looking into it.”

“I like how you think.” Her tone was light, but her expression turned somber. He wanted to reassure her that he wasn’t viewing her as a key suspect.

But he couldn’t. Because the time would come when he might have no choice.

“I don’t see any cameras, do you?” He had zoomed in on the map app to get a three-dimensional image of the strip mall.

“No, but this software may not be up to date.” She leaned back. “We’ll have to swing by to double-check anyway.”

She seemed anxious to go. He closed the laptop, then headed back outside.

He was surprised she’d grabbed her overnight bag. Seeing it made him wonder about the damage to her upper-level apartment. Smoke and water damage for sure, but had the fire gotten that far? Would there be anything left to salvage?

“Do you want to stop along the way to pick up a phone?” he asked, opening the car door for her.

“Yeah, that would be great.” She tossed her bag into the back seat. “But let’s check the cameras first. I’m worried they may not keep the video for very long.”

“Okay.” He quickly slid in behind the wheel and headed out. The MMA gym was in Brookland but close to Peabody. As he drove, he looked for other possible locations where they might find security cameras. There were dozens of them along the main roads, but Mike’s MMA gym was a good mile or two from the well-traveled area.

He headed straight for the gas station, which also housed a small convenience store. He parked along the side of the building, then accompanied Jina inside. He took the lead, showing his badge and identifying himself as a detective, without specifying his jurisdiction was limited to the Peabody Police Department.

“I’d like to see your video camera footage for the past twenty-four hours,” he said.

“Is this about that shooting at the gym?” The clerk’s eyes bulged with interest. “I heard the guy got away.”

“Yes, has someone else already come to look at the video?”

“Not yet. But I saved it just in case.” The clerk held up his hand while he handled a pump request, then added, “The boss said we’re supposed to cooperate with the investigation.”

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