Page 99 of Aftermath
Mags had narrowed it to a single warehouse, divided to house about five businesses. The team split up, half taking two and Grey and I taking the other three.
The first space we entered was small, and we found piles of pet supplies.
“Clear,” Grey called out, and I echoed the same back to him.
We moved on to the second one and found an entirely empty space, abandoned by whatever business used it before.
We gave each other a wary look and pushed on to the third.
When I entered, I kept my gun raised and split off to the right. The warehouse space was small, filled with restaurant supplies. Boxes of beer and liquor were stacked high. I made my way down the row of them, finding nothing.
“Clear,” Grey shouted across the space.
I made my way back to him, checking the last row of mine.
“Clear,” I said, rounding the corner to find him waiting.
He pulled out his phone and dialed.“Did the others check in?” he spoke into it. “Alright.” He hung up and turned to me. “Mags says the rest is clear as well.”
I let out a groan as I holstered my weapon.
“Did you really think they’d still be here?” Grey asked.
“No, but I hoped something would.” What was I even expecting?
Grey holstered his weapon and led me back to the door. A bunch of paperwork hung in a folder next to it and caught my eye. Receipts and order confirmations for everything inside the warehouse spilled over the edge, disorganized. Grey held open the door, but before I stepped through, I noticed a slip on the ground.
I froze, reading the name of the business written on it.
High Tide Pub.
I pulled out my phone and dialed.
“I just let Grey know everyone checked in,” Mags answered cheerily.
“The warehouse we’re in, does High Tide Pub rent a space?” I asked.
Grey‘s eyes bore into me, taking note of every word. I heard her fingers typing on the keyboard frantically, and another minute passed before she answered.
“Yes, it looks like one of the businesses they rent a space to is High Tide Pub.”
“Thanks,” I said before I hung up. “That’s the connection,” I said to Grey.
“We’ll have to get a warrant for the security footage of the area. It’s going to take a bit,” he said, already typing out a message to Mags.
A weight lifted from my chest, knowing this was what we were looking for. The needle in the haystack of the case. We need something to tie everything to Ethan, and this was enough to do so. If we could prove he was here when the call was made, we could start tying everything back to him.
Grey and I walked back to the cars together, and a sinking feeling grew in my stomach the moment I spotted mine. Len was no longer the passenger seat. I glanced around, not seeing her anywhere nearby, and panic set in.
“Where did she go?” I asked.
Grey looked up from his phone and saw what I meant. He turned in a circle, not spotting her. I was already walking off, hurrying to find her. Was there a chance we missed something? Could the unsub have still been in the area, waiting for us to leave her alone?
My heart raced, and I found it hard to force myself to swallow.
I rounded the corner of a small building closer to the water and saw her standing with her back to me. Relief washed over me. I wasn’t surprised to find her watching the waves.
“Len,” I called out, but she didn’t move. “Len, we’re done here. There’s nothing more. Let’s go.”
