Page 28 of Tough as Steele

“Then I’ll suggest it.”

“I’ll text you the address.” He ended the call.

She looked at Nate. “One of our officers found Mimi’s car in the city.”

“Then let’s get moving. I need to notify the deputy monitoring the phones that we’re leaving. They’re set up in the family room.” He grabbed his laptop and started out the door.

She followed him to get a look at the equipment. Clarice was asleep on the leather sofa. Londyn had no idea how she could sleep during this chaos and the worry, but maybe she was experiencing an adrenaline crash.

The audio tech—a sworn deputy—sat behind a table that held a computer and recording machine. Headphones lay next to it. An older deputy sat near the table in a folding chair.

When Nate entered, both men sat up. Wasn’t hard to see that the way Nate carried himself drew attention. A warrior or guardian or protector—the behavior most law enforcement officers strived for. They got into the business to help others, and Nate seemed almost obsessed with finding Mimi.

Did he have the same intensity when his work involved someone he didn’t care about? She figured he did.

She’d been accused of being intense too, but when she looked in the mirror, she just saw herself. Sure, she’d always had to win at the sports she played, and she’d always wanted to move forward in her career, but that was just who she was. Maybe Nate had been thinking the same thing about her and asking the same questions.

Nate laid his business card on the table and lowered his voice. “Any questions before I go?”

The deputies shook their heads.

“Call if anything happens.” Nate spun, meeting and holding her gaze. “Let’s get after it.”

He took a long look at Clarice then gestured for Londyn to go first. She did, hearing the sound of his sure footsteps behind her.

Zeke stood by the front door.

She stopped near him. “We’re leaving. Following up a lead. Call me if you need me.”

Zeke gave a sharp nod. “Anything else you want me to do?”

She appreciated his willingness to do whatever it took to get the job done. “Continue to keep the doors protected and change out guards if you think anyone is getting too fatigued.”

Zeke firmed his shoulders. “You got it.”

Londyn moved on to Patrick, their guard at the door.

Nate caught up and handed Patrick a business card. “We’re leaving for a bit. Call me if anyone drops by and don’t let anyone enter the house without my approval.”

“I won’t.” Grit deepened Patrick’s voice this time, and Londyn was proud of him for standing up for himself after making a mistake. Like her granddad always told her in one of his many fishing stories, you have a fish on the line and he gets free, then you learn what not to do the next time. Same thing in life. Learn from your mistakes and you grow up. Ignore them and you’re nothing but a fish out of water.

She followed Nate into the night lit with a bright moon that intensified the shadows around the area. The air held the smell of rain that had wet the ground.

“I’ll drive,” he said and marched toward his nondescript black sedan.

She trailed him and didn’t argue when many detectives in this situation might have. But her dad and granddad had taught her that law enforcement was a long game. Years and years of tough decisions and hard work, and she needed to pick her battles.

Who drove the car wasn’t one of them. Not when she had other challenges looming on the horizon. Like convincing him to let her use Veritas for their forensics. Many officers looked down on the Center because they were pricey and had a reputation of being only for the elite. She had no idea what Nate might think of Veritas.

She took a seat in his vehicle, which had a tropical smell. Not an item was out of place, and there was not a speck of dust anywhere. Even the cords on his computer were perfectly wrapped with a bright orange elastic cord. Londyn’s younger sister Peyton was the only other person Londyn knew who was so neat and organized. As the middle sibling, she tried to impart her skills and desires on Londyn and Bristol, but neither of them wanted to spend obsessive amounts of time to create and maintain a color-coded, soldier-straight sock drawer.

“Nice night,” he said as he pulled his door closed and cranked the engine. “Glad the rain slacked off. Not often that happens this time of year.”

Good. It sounded like he was in a receptive mood. Londyn shifted to face him. “Mimi’s SUV is in our jurisdiction. We could use our criminalists to process the car, but I want to bring in Sierra Rice at the Veritas Center. She’s their trace evidence expert. I don’t know if I can get her to do it for no charge, but having the premier evidence person in the area on the case will get the best results and speed things up.”

“Call her.” He shifted into gear. “See if she’s willing to come out.”

Londyn’s mouth almost fell open at such easy acquiescence, and she wouldn’t give him time to change his mind. She felt bad about waking Sierra in the middle of the night, but she knew Sierra was used to late calls, and Mimi needed her. The phone rang and rang. Just when Londyn thought it would go to voicemail, a sleepy Sierra answered.

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