DONOVAN (Gray Wolf Security, #1)(17)

No cameras meant no real evidence of what had happened.

I walked back to the employee parking area where Kate’s car still sat. I walked around it, looking for anything that seemed out of the ordinary. Everything seemed fine at first glance. But then I began to notice little things.

There was loose gravel on the asphalt that was thicker along the area that came right up against the building. But where Kate’s car was parked, these rocks looked like they’d been brushed aside, as though someone pushed them out of the way so that they could kneel comfortably there. Could have been the cops. But something told me it wasn’t.

And then there were tool marks on the bumper. There were still metal shavings there, so they were clearly new.

And when I knelt, in the same place where the rocks had been brushed aside, I could see that someone had loosened a couple of bolts that held the bumper in place.

I knew that my experience always made my head jump to what was obvious to me—that someone was setting an explosive on the car. But that was my military training. That was my expertise. It didn’t necessarily apply here. But it was clear someone had been messing with Kate’s car recently.

I tugged my phone out of my pocket and placed a call.

“Can you meet me at the First Premiere Bank in Santa Monica?”

***

Emily Warren was younger than most people might expect. At thirty-three, she already held the rank of lieutenant. Of average height and build, her curves hidden under a man’s suit jacket that was required to hide her shoulder holster, she could have been just any woman in the business world, running off to make sure the boss has his coffee on time. But, in truth, she would probably shoot the boss rather than run to get him coffee.

“Donovan,” she said as she approached me in the alley. “Haven’t heard from you in a while.”

“Haven’t had any cases that crossed your radar,” I said, as I watched her, loving that small smile that always slipped across her lips when she saw me.

I thought she had a little crush on me. Kirkland insisted I was wrong. He thought she had a thing for him. But maybe we were both just a little right.

“How’s Jack?”

She shrugged. “He’s chief of police. He’s always too busy.”

She stopped just a foot or so in front of me and let her eyes move slowly over the length of me. I’d dressed a little more conservatively today in honor of coming to the bank. I still had on jeans, but I’d put on a dark button down that I actually tucked in with a loose blazer that was designed with the same concealment purpose as hers. My 9mm was tucked against my ribs, a comforting presence despite the benevolent intent of the day.

“You look nice.”

“You’ve seen me in a blazer before.”

“Yeah, but it’s always a treat.”

She winked and then turned toward Kate’s car. “This it?”

“Yeah.”

She squatted and looked at the same tool marks I’d mentioned in my call to her. Then she stood and looked up to where the nearest camera was.

“Too far out of the frame.”

“Probably why they chose the front bumper instead of the back. Back would have been easier for placement.”

She nodded. “Well, I’ll call the detectives working the case, find out if they noticed any of this.”

“Do you know if they’ve made any progress?”

She shrugged. “They’re still leaning toward the whole burglary-gone-wrong theory. They have tape of the front of the bank that shows the security guard letting Miss Thompson out the doors. Then a full minute later, Miss Thompson comes running back. The security guard opens the door, and they have a conversation at the doors. She points to the side alley a couple of times. The security guard appears to decide to go check out whatever she’s telling him. Then they both move out of camera range.”

“What about these cameras over here?”

“Don’t show anything but Miss Thompson pausing at the mouth of the alley.” She pointed toward the street. “She comes out of the bank and walks to the edge of the building. But then she stops and stares down the alley. Something upsets her and she turns, running back to the front doors.”

“The cameras don’t catch anything else?”

“No. If there was someone here, in the alley, he knew where the cameras were and how to stay out of their range.”

I crossed my arms over my chest, staring at the bumper of Kate’s car.

“This makes me nervous.”

“It could be nothing.”

“Or it could be something.”

“The detectives on the case think that the security guard caught a couple of burglars breaking into cars parked in the area. They were probably kids who panicked when they saw him. And then Miss Thompson, instead of staying in the relative safety of the security cameras, followed him and they went after her only to get interrupted by something. A passing car, probably.”

I agreed. It sounded plausible. But it still bothered me, the tool marks on her car. If they were just stealing radios out of the cars, why mess with her bumper?

“Okay.”

I gestured for her to walk back up the alley. I followed, my thoughts still working out what she’d told me. I couldn’t see someone being that cautious with the security cameras just to turn around and shoot a man dead practically in the middle of the street. But what other explanation could there be?