Page 24 of Taken by the Lawman

“Was there anything else in the case? Identification? Address? There had to be a contact number obviously.”

Deegan shrugged. “She said there were a few pieces of paper, an uneaten sandwich and the pictures. And you notice who this is.” He picked up the photo with Everest and Annie sitting at a restaurant. She was crying, and Everest had his hand on hers, consoling her.

“Okay, so what happened? They contacted the owner of the briefcase, and…?”

“The girl said Gavin set up the meeting to exchange the briefcase for five hundred. That was the biggest exchange they’d done.”

“And they didn’t give the pictures back?”

“Nope.” He scratched his temple.

“They kept the pictures thinking they could hassle more money, right?”

“Pretty much. It’s not clear exactly what happened next because the girl wasn’t there when Gavin was shot and killed.”

“The owner was pissed because he didn’t get his pictures back. Or maybe planned to kill Gavin from the very beginning, but either way, I’m sure these pictures are worth more to the owner than five hundred.”

“Bingo.”

“And then the girl saw her chance at swindling some cash from you. How did she know about you?”

“She saw me asking questions at a local coffee shop. She’s smart. That’s how they’ve gotten away with scamming people for so long. Still think it’s a coincidence?”

Kiersten stood and paced the floor and he could tell by the way she bit her lower lip that she was working through her thoughts. She stopped in front of him and placed her hands on her hips, tilting them ever so slightly. “Where are you with finding Everest?”

Deegan gave his head a shake. “I checked at his workplace and no one has seen him. I had an old address for him that I checked out this morning, but he moved from the location several months ago. Surprise. He didn’t leave a forwarding address. I think our boy is running from something.”

“What are we going to do?”

“We? Does that mean you’re back helping?” He grinned.

“Don’t get too excited. Just so we’re clear, I won’t jeopardize my career to save your friend’s ass. From my standpoint, he’s not free of guilt yet, and if at any moment I find even a sliver of his involvement he will have my handcuffs wrapped around his wrists so fast he won’t know what hit him.”

He liked the way her eyes gleamed. “Duly noted.” He reached for his phone.

“Who are you calling?”

“For another fifty, I was able to convince the girl to give me the number they called to reach the owner of the briefcase.”

“Wait. You had this all along and are just now telling me? What makes you think he’ll speak to you? He’s murdered a man, and maybe a woman, and I’m sure he’s across six borders by now.”

“What I think is that this guy wants his pictures bad enough to kill for. I’d bet my eye teeth that he’s waiting and hoping that he’ll get another call from the girl asking for more money. That’s what I’d do. The killer is brave enough to shoot a man dead in the middle of the day in an alley. He’s in a business deal with someone and our job is to figure out what business that is exactly.”

She crossed her arms. “Why hasn’t the girl made that call yet?”

“She’s scared. She’s afraid the killer will hunt her down.”

“Not scared enough to take the photos to the cops I see.”

Deegan shrugged. “I’m calling him.” He dialed the number the girl had given him. The phone was answered on the third ring.

“Yeah?”

“How bad do you want your photos?” Deegan asked.

The man’s laughter vibrated the line. “How did I know that I’d hear from you again? I’ve learned you can’t be trusted. It’s not very nice to keep a man’s belongings.”

“I’ll bring you the pictures.”

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