Page 37 of Cassidy

“No.” He shook his head and sighed. “I’m not sure what it is. There are a few spots that appear to have been altered. Without knowing what this operating system runs, I can’t say how or why the changes were made. Just that they are not congruent with the original code.”

More gobbledygook. But it was sweet that he assumed she understood. “I wish I could help, but all I can say is to trust your instincts.”

He blinked and rubbed his eyes. “My headache is getting worse.”

“Too much screen time.” She frowned. “Take a break. Get some rest.”

“Not an option.” He glanced at the clock. “It’s quarter past two in the afternoon. Travis has been missing for nearly twenty-four hours. You know as well as I do that we need to strike before the trail goes cold.”

“We don’t know for sure when he went missing,” she said. “Could be that it wasn’t until later that he ran into trouble. Besides, we’re not letting the trail go cold. Every cop is on the lookout for Travis’s car, and Cameron is going to interview Marcus Toller. The investigation is ongoing.”

He didn’t look at all reassured, likely because he was still riding the guilt trip his mother threw in his face. Cass hoped she never had to meet the woman because she’d likely add fuel to the fire by setting her straight on her warped priorities. Like brutally reminding her that she has two sons that she should care about. Not one. Two! And Gabe deserved as much care and consideration as Travis.

But imagining a confrontation with the woman wasn’t helpful. Especially since God would want her to practice forgiveness. And she would.

Eventually.

She was searching Travis’s social media when her cell phone buzzed. She frowned because the only people who had that number were at the scene of the active shooter.

“Hello?”

“Is this Cassidy Sommer? Officer Sommer?” a male voice asked.

“Yes, may I ask who you are?”

The guy chuckled. “Sorry, this is Cam. I got your number from Roscoe. Apparently, he’s a bit tied up at the moment.”

“Yes, they’re out on a call.” She felt a little guilty about staying behind. “Did you find Marcus Toller?”

“I did. He’s a math teacher at the high school where Travis attends classes,” Cameron said. “Apparently, Travis is some kind of math whiz, and Toller has been helping him to get into a college that specializes in computer science, specifically gaming. From what I gather, Travis’s parents don’t approve. According to Toller, Travis was told to become a lawyer, or he could pay for his college on his own dime.”

The more she heard about the McCords as parents the less she liked them. “I guess that explains the social media posts. Does Toller have any idea what happened to Travis? Did the teenager confide in him?”

“No. He claims the last time he saw Travis was when he left school at the end of the day yesterday. He wasn’t aware of anything specific that Travis was concerned about. Other than not being supported by his parents.”

Gabe glanced over, clearly listening. She gave him a nod, indicating the news was good. Or at least not bad. “I’m glad Marcus Toller has been supportive of Travis.”

“According to him,” Cameron said. “But my gut says he’s telling the truth.”

She heard a beeping on the other end of the line but ignored it. “We should still check out his whereabouts for yesterday afternoon and evening,” she said. “Just to cover all bases.”

“I did that already. His alibi checks out. He stayed late at school to tutor kids who are not so good in math. From there, he went home to his wife to have dinner. If he’s involved with Travis’s disappearance, he’s doing an admirable job of hiding it.”

“Okay, thanks, Cam.” The beeping had stopped, and she wished she had a smart phone to know who had called. Probably Rhy with an update on the mall shooting. “I’ll fill Gabe in on the latest. He’ll be glad to know that Toller was helping his half brother get into college.”

“Later,” Cameron said, and ended the call.

Before Gabe could ask her to repeat the parts of the conversation he’d missed, the phone in the adjoining room began to ring. At first, she was confused as to who could possibly be calling.

Then she knew. Gary!

She bolted through the connecting door, suddenly desperate to get to the phone. She grabbed the receiver just as gunfire rang out.

“Cassidy! There’s a shooter across from room eleven!” Gary shouted.

“Call 911!” She dropped the phone and pulled her weapon. In a low crouch, she ran back toward Gabe’s room.

He was on the floor beneath the table, cradling the laptop computer to his chest. It was smart to use it as a shield.

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