Stone Cold Heart (Tracers #13)(41)

Nolan leaned closer.

“That’s not her. Just wait.” Talia glanced up as Aaron left the RV. Quiet settled over the room. Nolan stared at the screen, and the only sound was the low hum of the refrigerator beside them. Talia had a sudden craving for something cold to drink.

“Think they’d mind if I grab something?” She reached for the door.

“They keep evidence in there.”

“Ew. Never mind.”

Nolan tapped the screen. “That’s her—the girl who just exited. Alicia Merino.”

Talia leaned closer. “You’re good. I hardly recognized her. She doesn’t look like her driver’s license photo.”

The woman had straight dark hair that trailed all the way down her back. She wore a sleeveless white shirt and a short black skirt that made her legs look long, even though the police report put her at five-two. Alicia had a phone in her hand, and she was texting away, not paying attention to her surroundings as people streamed in and out of the bar.

“Watch what happens,” Talia said, though she didn’t have to. Nolan’s eyes were glued to the screen.

Alicia glanced up from her phone. She said something to someone off camera, then shook her head. She looked down, then back up again. For a moment, she didn’t move or talk. And then she stepped forward, moving out of camera view.

Nolan muttered a curse.

Rico’s parking lot was still, no traffic going in or out. The door to the bar opened again, and a couple stepped outside.

“There.” Talia hit pause as a white SUV pulled out of the parking lot. “That’s them.”

Nolan leaned forward. “You sure?”

“No, but SAPD is. They zoomed in on the image, and they believe it’s Alicia in the passenger seat.”

“Go back.”

Talia moved the footage backward, then hit play again.

“Can we enhance it?”

“This is already enhanced. But they’ve examined it repeatedly, and they say it’s her.”

Nolan leaned back, folding his arms over his chest as he watched the frozen image. A muscle in his jaw tightened.

“They’re right, Nolan. It’s Alicia. Look at that hair. And the white shirt, no sleeves? It’s her in that vehicle. She caught a ride, and it’s the last time anyone saw her alive.”

“Besides her killer.”

“Right.”

The door to the RV opened, and Sara stepped inside. She was on the phone and hardly glanced in their direction as she took over the laptop Aaron had left open on the counter.

“I’ve got it right here,” Sara was saying. The knees of her coveralls were dirty, and her boots were coated with dust. She stripped off a pair of gloves and gave the keyboard a few taps. “Okay, ready?” She rattled off a series of numbers.

Talia shot Nolan a puzzled look.

“GPS coordinates,” he said.

“I realize that, but it’s worth a try.” Sara glanced at Nolan, and something in her eyes softened. Then she turned away and propped her phone on her shoulder, freeing her hands to type.

“They give you any crap down there?”

Talia looked at Nolan, startled by his question. He meant the San Antonio detectives assigned to Alicia’s case.

“They were territorial,” she said. “Didn’t stonewall me, though. Mainly, I think they want a look at what we have on our end. I told them about the missing person in Austin, and they already knew.”

Sara walked out, and Nolan’s gaze followed her. Talia studied his expression.

“You look pissed off, Nolan. What’s wrong?”

“You mean besides the fact that we’ve got some sick dirtbag using our town as his personal dumping ground?”

“Yeah.”

Nolan shook his head. “Nothing.”

“Bull.” She watched him, determined not to talk until he shared what was on his mind.

“Okay, I’m frustrated. This thing keeps snowballing on us.” He combed his hand through his hair. “But I’m glad SAPD gave this up. It’s the best lead we have so far, hands down.”

“This?” Talia frowned at the monitor. “But we can’t even see the faces. We can’t be sure it’s them.”

“It’s them.”

“Look at this video, Nolan. The lighting’s terrible, and we don’t even have a glimpse of the perp. Or an eyewitness description.”

“Wouldn’t help anyway. People can alter their appearance. And eyewitnesses aren’t that reliable. What we’ve got here is ten times better.”

“How?”

“Because.” Nolan nodded at the screen. “Now we’ve got his vehicle.”

? ? ?

The sun blazed overhead as Nolan returned to the park and made his way down the narrow road jammed with emergency vehicles. While he’d been sidetracked at the police station, word had spread among local agencies about the new crime scene. The mix of vehicles now included sheriff’s units, park district trucks, and cars belonging to Allen County Search and Rescue—although Nolan didn’t really see what value an S-and-R team could add today. Everyone seemed to want a piece of the action.

Nolan parked his pickup on the shoulder and headed straight for the Delphi Center RV, nearly bumping into Aaron on his way out.