Page 29 of Just Now

Glancing down to check whether the fire alarm had been reset, which would give her an idea of the barman’s whereabouts, Cami stared at her phone in consternation.

This wasn’t what she had expected to see at all.

Where there had been a record of the camera footage, scrolling forward as she copied it, there was now nothing. Just blankness, punctuated by the occasional burst of static and wavy lines.

Her heart jumped into her throat as she realized what had happened.

“Connor,” she whispered, tugging his arm so that he spun around instantly.

“The barman. He’s disconnected the cameras. He doesn’t want us to see that footage, and I think he’s busy deleting it.”

She didn’t have time to say more. In a few strides, Connor reached the side of the counter, wrenched open the access door, and powered through the bar area, heading for the door where the barman had gone.

Hoping they weren’t too late, Cami raced after him.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Why was the barman erasing this footage? And where was he now?

Questions thronged Cami’s mind as Connor burst through the bar’s back door and out into a concrete yard.

Behind the bar, across the yard, was a large wooden building that had a couple of beer kegs stacked outside, one or two piled neatly and another few lying on their sides. This was the only place the barman could have gone.

The puddle of water outside the back door, from a leaking gutter, gave them a further clue. Heavy footsteps had trodden through that puddle and then the wet prints led around the back of the wooden building.

“We head that way,” Connor said, looking at the footsteps. They rushed around the building.

The back door was partially open. A strong smell of beer came from inside. A few kegs were stored there, together with crates of beer and whiskey bottles. Beyond this storage space was another door, and a light was on inside.

Connor strode through the storage area and into the room, which proved to be a small office.

The barman was inside. He was sitting at a desk, staring intently at a computer screen. As they entered, he jumped up, his face a mask of fear and anger.

“What the hell are you doing here? You can’t just barge in like that!” he yelled.

Ignoring his outburst, Connor strode over to the computer and looked at the screen.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“You’re deleting footage, aren’t you?” Cami accused, her eyes fixed on the computer screen. There was nothing to be seen there, only the white static and wavy lines.

The barman hesitated for a split second before lunging toward the office’s other door, behind the desk, hoping to make a run for it. But Connor was too quick for him. He grabbed the barman’s arm and twisted it behind his back, forcing him down onto the desk.

Meanwhile, Cami leaped forward, grabbing the keyboard, her fingers racing, her heart pounding as she wondered whether she would be in time. Was she in time? What was left in the archives?

“What have you got to say for yourself?” Connor demanded as she searched the system. He was keeping the barman pinned to the desk.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the barman spat, struggling to break free.

“You disobeyed a direct request from law enforcement. That’s a crime. And you are attempting to delete your security footage after we requested it, and I want to know why.”

The barman’s eyes widened in realization. He knew he was caught.

“I didn’t mean to delete it.”

Connor tightened his grip on the barman’s arm. “You’re obstructing an investigation. That information could help us catch a serial criminal. Now tell us, why were you deleting it?”

“I—I—don’t know.” He lapsed into sullen silence.

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