Page 45 of Save Her Life

She ended the call and let out a long, deep breath. “So, Lakisha from the Science and Technology Branch is working on the CCTV for the area. My caller was Judge Morse, telling me a warrant for the surveillance footage should be in my inbox. Let’s go present it.”

Sandra and Eric stepped toward the counter, and the DiversaBlend manager came to them and waved them back to the office.

“That was fast,” Charlene told them as they set up in her office. “I’m assuming you have a warrant?”

Sandra held her phone’s screen up to her, and Charlene scrolled down, reading the entire document at a quick pass.

“That should appease corporate. Can you email it to me?” She gave Sandra her email address, and she fired it along.

“You should have it now.”

“And I’ll get that footage brought up. What time do you need it for?”

“Between four thirty and five this afternoon,” Sandra told her, providing a buffer on the time slot.

“All right.” Charlene moved the mouse around, clicking here and there. “Here we go. Actually, if you two wanted to just… well,one of you could take my chair.” Charlene got up, and Sandra sat after Eric insisted. “You just need to hit the play button there.” Charlene pointed it out on the screen.

Sandra did so, and the video came to life. The camera was mounted behind the counter and afforded a view of the entire coffee shop, including the front door and windows. Customers poured in and out in a constant stream. Sandra increased the speed of the playback and watched Avery and Olivia enter the frame.

Her heart pinched at the sight of her beautiful daughter. If only Sandra could reach inside the screen and pluck her to safety.

All hope seeped from her with the appearance of a man walking behind her daughter. He was tall and wearing a flannel-lined jean jacket. He had a mop of brown hair.

“That must be him,” she said and stopped the video.

“Charlene, could you please excuse us for a moment?” Eric said kindly.

“Ah, sure.” The manager left, closing her office door behind her.

“He’s looking down. We can’t see his face.” Panic was threatening to suffocate her.

“Just resume playback at less than regular speed,” Eric told her.

Sandra did so, and even when he placed his order at the counter, creepy guy kept his head down. “He’s avoiding the camera on purpose. He followed Olivia here. He targeted her.”

Eric laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Let’s just keep watching the video.”

Olivia and Avery got their drinks and claimed a table. The man followed not long after and chose a spot within plain view of the girls, but he continued to keep his face from the camera. All they saw from this viewpoint was the back of his head.

They continued to watch as Olivia and Avery chatted, and then Olivia got up to leave. She grabbed her backpack and violin case and waved goodbye to Avery. As Avery had told her, she got a phone call and was lifting the device to her ear as Olivia made it to the doorway.

But then, sure enough, the man got up, stuffing his hands into his pockets, as he followed in Olivia’s steps.

The video afforded them the view that Olivia had turned left on the sidewalk, the right direction for Penelope’s. Sandra was holding her breath as she watched the man go out the door and turn left after her.

“He took my baby girl.” Anything else she might have said dried in her throat.

“Does he look familiar to you at all?” Eric asked, calm and steady, the voice of reason in the middle of her storm.

“How could I possibly answer that? He’s never facing the camera.”

“Going by build, mannerisms?”

“Not that stands out to me. No.” She had a good memory, but it was too much to expect she’d pick him out of the slew of people she put away. At least not without context.

“Why don’t you go back to when he enters the store? We can reference the height indicator tape to determine how tall he is.”

She did that, and the tape marked him as six foot one with his head hunched forward. “Say six two or three. Lakisha could probably establish his exact height from this video. She might even be able to gather something we’re not seeing.”

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