Page 69 of Forged in Steele

He grabbed his basket and drink and ditched them in the trash then bolted for his vehicle. He got the doors open with the remote and had them on the road in no time. He chose not to continue their conversation, but put the pedal down and drove as fast as he could through a residential neighborhood. He merged into a commercial area with cafés, coffee shops, and bars.

Hale stood outside Reya’s car which was blocked from traffic by two patrol cars. Jared parked and charged toward the detective, stopping only to show his ID to the officer of record obstructing his access.

“Let them through,” Hale called out. “They’re clear.”

Jared shoved his ID in his pocket and slipped under the crime scene tape then held it up for Bristol.

Jared marched over to Hale. “What do we have?”

Hale let out a long breath. “A large quantity of blood in the front and an infant car seat in the back.”

Jared leaned into the back seat and took photos of the car seat. He texted the pictures to Piper along with a request to research the details on the seat and get back to him ASAP with any info she could locate. If they were lucky, which they hadn’t been, the seat was an unusual brand that was sold in limited shops and they could track the buyer that way.

Piper replied right away.Researched enough seats for my baby to tell just by looking at it that it’s a top-selling older model. More details to come.

“Piper says it’s an older model.” Jared dropped his phone into his pocket, letting his hope for the car seat panning out drop with it.

“Maybe Reya’s seat from her daughter,” Bristol suggested.

“Makes sense and whoever took Luna has another seat,” Hale said. “Or they didn’t care about putting her in one.”

Or Luna didn’t need a seat because she wasn’t alive.Not something Jared would say. Nor would he mention what happened to baby Wyatt when he hadn’t been restrained in a seat.

“Either way,” Hale continued. “We hope to get prints or DNA from the seat. Already called in your Veritas expert. I want to keep all the forensics under one umbrella. We’ll figure out who pays for her later. She’s on the way.”

Jared nodded, thankful Hale wanted to use Sierra and didn’t worry about finances at a time like this.

“If cost is a factor, I know Sierra will do the work pro bono if needed,” Bristol said.

“We might need to take her up on that,” Hale said.

Jared looked around. “Any cameras in the area?”

“None that we can see, but I’ve already got deputies canvassing the nearby businesses.”

Jared’s phone rang, and he dug it out. Caller ID displayed Colin’s name.

“What do you have?” Jared asked.

“Heard back from the forensic lip reader,” he said.

“And?”

“And she believes Reya is saying, Luna. Car,” Colin said. “Sounds like Luna was in the car in the driveway when Reya was dropped off.”

Jared took a moment to let that news settle in. “We now know where Luna was at that point and you’d think the car might provide a strong lead. But the vehicle’s sitting right in front of me and it doesn’t look like it will give us anything else to help us locate Luna.”

14

Just before dinner, Bristol joined Jared in the family room of their undercover home. She forced the thought of Luna having been in the car they located but not knowing where she was now into the back of her mind. Bristol couldn’t think about Luna right now without losing it. The stress of the investigation was mounting, and if Bristol didn’t let it go for a moment, she might start blubbering in front of Jared.

So think of something else.She let her mind wander to what it might be like to be searching for a house to buy with him as her life mate. She wouldn’t choose this one. It was too contemporary for her tastes. She was more of a traditional girl. She loved the large Victorian she currently lived in with her sisters and cousins.

Jared joined her. “Let’s walk the property so we’re comfortable with the layout. That way we can easily head straight to any room the interviewer might ask to see.”

“Sounds good.” She dredged up a smile and a good mood. “Take me to your kitchen, kind sir.”

He chuckled and pivoted to point at the room that was open to the living and dining area they now stood in. “I won’t be so easy on you. How about taking me to the mud/laundry room?”

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