A Bad Day for Sunshine (Sunshine Vicram #1)(53)

“They make spoons for grapefruit?”

“They do. They’re really cool. Serrated.”

“Nice. Welp, off to get my beauty rest.”

“Wait,” Sun said, leaning closer to the computer screen.

“Okay.”

The problem with surveillance cameras were they usually had horrible resolution. This footage was no exception, so it took a minute to figure out what she was seeing. “Check this out.”

Zee leaned down. “What are we looking at?”

“Okay, this is the guy who bought the energy drink.”

She raised her brows in surprise. “Wow. Older than I’d thought.”

“Right? It would have taken someone younger to pull off the abduction. Getting a fourteen-year-old through a window without making a sound?”

“He had to have drugged her, but even with that in mind—”

“Exactly,” Sun said. “It would have taken a lot of strength to get her out of that window and to carry her to a waiting vehicle, which had to be out of range of the St. Aubins’ cameras.”

“True, and look.” Zee pointed. “He’s limping.”

“He could be faking it, but I don’t think so. Look what he does next.”

In the corner of the screen, almost out of camera range, the man tossed the receipt into the trash can.

Zee stood back. “No way. Our one and only lead was planted?”

“Son of a bitch.” Sun wanted to say much worse, but held back. “Anyone could have accessed that trash can. We need the footage of it for the rest of the day, until it was dumped.”

“Even then, they could have gotten it out of the Dumpster out back.”

“Motherfucker,” she said, going for the gold. “Price!”

The bespectacled deputy Lonnie Price appeared at her door instantly.

“Get over to the Quick-Mart. I want the records of every single purchase made in that store for the last two days, starting after this one.” She handed him a copy of the receipt. “And I want all the footage.”

“You got it, Sheriff.”

He left, and Zee sat in the seat across from her. “You okay?”

“We’re being played, I just can’t figure out what’s real and what isn’t.”

“The letter?”

She nodded. “It’s Sybil’s handwriting. I checked it against the diary.”

“Do you think this is all a ploy of some kind?”

Sun sat back and raked her fingers through her hair, dislodging thick locks from her already frayed French braid. “I wish I knew, but we certainly can’t let that doubt taint our investigation.”

Zee stood to walk out.

“Right, sorry,” Sun said, having kept her. “Thanks, and I’ll see you in the morning.”

After a soft laugh, Zee shrugged into her jacket and said, “Oh, I’m not leaving. Well, I am, but I’m going to be right back. Caffeine-Wah. Place your order now, or I’m coming back with an iced caramel almond milk macchiato.”

“Oh, god no.” When Zee grinned at her in question, she said, “Real milk. And make it hot.”

“You got it, Sheriff.”


Under the guise of changing clothes, Auri went to the apartment and, well, changed clothes. But she also snuck onto her mother’s computer and logged on to the sheriff’s database. A place she definitely should not be logged on to.

She ran checks on everyone she knew for certain was in Sybil’s life, including her parents. Well, at this point, pretty much only her parents. Besides a couple of speeding tickets—Mrs. St. Aubin liked to go fast—nothing in the couple’s past would indicate any type of abusive behavior.

That didn’t let either off the hook completely, but it went a long way in helping Auri feel better about their possible involvement in her disappearance.

Before she logged off her mother’s computer, she decided to do one more check. She’d promised Principal Jacobs she wouldn’t try to hack their system again, but she had no intention of trying. She had every intention of succeeding.

“Auri?” Her grandmother opened the front door.

Auri shot out of her mother’s room carrying a sweater. “Found it! Mom is always stealing my stuff,” she said, pulling it over her head as she walked. “Now if I could just find my other boots.”

Elaine exchanged a knowing look with Auri and giggled. “Your mother did the same thing to me. Pizza’s here when you’re hungry.”

“Thanks, Grandma!” she said, dropping to her hands and knees and pretending to search under her bed.

“Don’t be too long. It’ll get cold.”

“Okay.” Poor thing had no idea it was better that way.

The older woman left Auri to her guilt-ridden thoughts—she hated lying, especially to her grandma—and hurried back to her mother’s computer.

“Bingo,” she whispered when she made it in successfully. Her success had nothing to do with the fact that, while she was trying to steal Sybil’s records, she’d accidentally stumbled upon the password. Nothing whatsoever.

Biting her bottom lip, she typed in the name she’d been burning to know more about: Cruz De los Santos. His school records popped up instantly, and his picture . . . a picture that was nothing short of breathtaking. Full, mischievous mouth. Straight, defined nose. Black eyelashes thicker than her mom’s oatmeal. So, really thick.