Christmas Cover-Up by Lynette Eason Read Free Book Online

can’t find any sign of him anywhere.”
    Jordan nodded. He wasn’t surprised.
    The crime scene unit van pulled into the diner parking lot. Jordan followed Katie and waited as the vehicle parked on the edge of the lot.
    * * *
    Katie watched Faith Nelson climb from the van. “I’m glad you’re here.”
    “What happened?”
    Katie filled her in as the woman grabbed her gear from the back of the van. To help process the scene, Faith had brought three of her team. Two headed for the diner; Faith and her other coworker started in the parking lot. “Where was he parked?”
    “I’m not sure.” She pointed to the street where Jordan directed traffic around the crunched vehicles. “But he ended up in that wreck before he stole another car that wasn’t involved in the accident.”
    Faith delegated assignments to her team and headed over to the shooter’s vehicle. Katie followed. Jordan tucked his phone in his pocket and looked at her. “The car’s stolen.”
    “Naturally.”
    Faith shrugged. “I’ll do the best I can do here. Will be able to do more once we get it to the lab.” She glanced at Katie. “I’ll have Mariah work on it.”
    Katie nodded. “Thanks.”
    The crime scene photographer had his work cut out for him between the wreck and the diner. She noticed he had someone with him to help. For the next two hours, Katie worked the scene and listened as Jordan offered his opinion and expertise. He kept a low profile and didn’t try to take over, although he might have wanted to. That bullet had come awfully close to his head. If she hadn’t dropped her napkin—
    “You ready to get out of here?”
    Jordan’s low voice cut into her thoughts.
    “I’m ready.”
    Katie looked back at where the wreck had been. Broken bits of glass that had escaped the sweep-up were the only sign of the chaos from just a few hours earlier. The diner was another matter—crime scene tape and broken windows were evidence of the reality of what had happened.
    She climbed into Jordan’s truck and put on her seat belt. He said, “The car that the shooter was driving was the one that slowed down right before we went in the diner.”
    “You sure?”
    “Pretty sure. Same color, make and model. A red Toyota Camry.”
    “So you think he followed us, let us go in and then came back to shoot the place up?”
    “Yes.”
    She mentally chewed on that for a minute. “If you hadn’t ducked, that bullet would have hit you in the back of the head.”
    He grimaced and reached up to rub the back of his neck, as though he needed reassurance it was still in one piece. “We’re making someone uncomfortable. Someone who knows we’re investigating your sister’s kidnapping.”
    For the first time in a long time, hope sprouted. “If we’re making someone uncomfortable in regards to Lucy’s kidnapping, we must be onto something.”
    “I think that diner was a huge clue.”
    “So why wasn’t it in the report?”
    “That’s a question for Detective Miller.” He gave her a grim smile. “Plus we have an eyewitness. Bobby Young said he saw the man clear as day.”
    “Is he on his way to the precinct to work with the sketch artist?”
    “He is.”
    Katie pulled out her phone and dialed the number she hadn’t used in a year. He answered on the third ring. “Miller here.”
    “Hi, Frank. It’s Katie Randall.” Silence greeted her. “Lucy Randall’s sister.”
    “I know who you are. What can I do for you?”
    “I was wondering if you’d have some time to discuss my sister’s case with me.”
    He grunted. “You’re back on that, are you?”
    She didn’t let his gruffness deter her. “I am.”
    “You working with that guy from Finding the Lost?”
    “Yes.”
    He huffed a sigh. “All right. Sure. I don’t know what else you think I can tell you that I didn’t tell him, but how about four o’clock tomorrow afternoon here at the station?”
    “I’ll be there.”
    She hung up and filled Jordan in. “Do you mind if I come