Page 25 of Tough as Steele

“I’ll make a few more phone calls then,” Zeke said. “Excuse me.” He strode away, his phone already to his ear before he got to the far side of the foyer.

Nate turned to her. “He seems like a good man.”

“One of the best.” She let her enthusiasm for the man’s skills, talents, and even more important, his loyalty flow through her statement.

Nate eyed her for a moment.

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing. Let’s go.” He started to turn. “This way to the office.”

He marched to the hallway she’d been down earlier when she’d spoken to Wendy. He was probably getting annoyed at the clicking of her heels. Maybe he was even dismissing her abilities due to her attire. That was the downside of the feminine appearance, though. Other law enforcement officers could underestimate her too.

He entered an office with two walls filled with bookcases overloaded with books. A large cherry desk faced the door, a tall leather desk chair towering behind, and two plush chairs sat in front of it. But the room also now held a large printer-copier combo, a monitor, a portable whiteboard, and a map of the area on an easel.

Nate grabbed his laptop from the desk and dropped into one of the chairs. She found the only picture large enough to hide a safe, put on a glove, and lifted the frame.

She heard Nate swivel in the chair. “Want to clue me in on what you’re up to?”

She looked back at him. “Wendy told me Mimi kept her jewels in a safe in the office. Thought I’d check to see if it looked like the safe had been disturbed.”

“And?” he asked.

“Seems fine, but we should get the keypad fingerprinted. Also check with Clarice to see if she has the combination. And before you ask, Wendy said she didn’t know it.” Londyn took a seat next to him.

“About the alert on the Lexus,” she said. “Did you make it wide?”

A wide alert would automatically include all surrounding areas, including PPB, so she didn’t have to put out her own alert with her department.

“Of course.” He tapped his computer screen. “The details in case you want to check up on me.”

Despite his sarcastic tone, Londyn scooted her chair closer to him to see the missing vehicle’s details.

“I also added an ALPR request,” he said.

Most law enforcement agencies had Automated License Plate Readers mounted to the front of their vehicles, recording the plates on every vehicle they passed and quickly comparing them against the department’s hot list. A vehicle might be on the list if it was stolen, suspected of being involved in criminal or terrorist activities, owned by a wanted person, or even owned by people who’d failed to pay parking violations or maintain current vehicle license registration or insurance.

If a match was found, the software alerted an officer that a vehicle potentially on the hot list was in the area, allowing them to respond in real time. The plate details went into a searchable database, and a tech person could search for vehicles in the area to maybe get a plate.

“Good thinking.”

“And I added a request for an unmarked vehicle to scope out the nearby streets and run plates for any suspicious vehicles. Might mean extra work checking out cars that belong in the area, but homeowners around here keep their vehicles in garages, so vehicles parked on the street could be suspicious.”

“Do you have anyone looking for video?”

“It’s a long shot,” he said. “But I’ve got deputies checking with neighbors for any feed from home security cameras.”

She let out a long breath. It felt good to be doing something proactive, but she wanted more.

As he answered a phone call, she got out her phone and texted her cousin, Ryleigh, who was an FBI agent and computer cybercrimes expert. No need to explain in the text that Mimi had been abducted. Londyn’s dad would have held a conference call to update her sisters, cousins, aunt, and uncle on Mimi’s abduction and the implications it might have for Steele Guardians.

Need security footage for area by Mimi’s house. Can you help right away?

She added the address and hit send. She ran the risk of Ryleigh insisting on bringing the FBI in on the investigation, but Londyn would take that risk. Finding Mimi was too important not to do everything within Londyn’s power to bring her home alive.

7

Nearing one a.m., Londyn watched Nate stride to the whiteboard perched near the wall. He grabbed a marker and started jotting down action items in the investigation.

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