Exposed by Laura Griffin Read Free Book Online

picture.”
    “Even if it’s junk?”
    “I don’t delete anything,” she said. “That creates a gap in the photo record. Not that it usually matters with portraits, but for forensic work, it can be important. If some defense attorney sees a gap in the record, it can blow a case wide open. Which means even if I leave the lens cap on or take a picture of my feet, the photo stays.The jury understands a bad picture. What they don’t like is missing evidence.”
    “Wait, back up,” Sam said. “I saw something.”
    “You’re right, that’s it.” She clicked on an image. “This is the one I wanted to show you. See the street corner here? Look at that car.”
    Brian squinted at the family portrait. In the background, over the head of the grinning kid, was the wrought-iron fence that surrounded the park. And beyond that was a gray sedan. Inside it were two passengers, visible from behind, and one of them was holding something up to his face.
    Brian looked at her. “Any way to zero in on that?”
    “I already did,” she said. “This is exactly what I wanted to show you guys, but I wanted you to see it in context first.” She clicked out of the camera roll and opened up a new file. “Check this out. I enhanced this with software. Look.”
    The new image was much sharper. It clearly showed a gray sedan with two people seated in front. The car was parked on the street perpendicular to the bank entrance, facing the door where Jolene would emerge when she left her job as a teller. One of the men was holding binoculars.
    “They cased the scene,” Sam said.
    “Looks like it to me. I think it’s the same car from yesterday, the one that tried to run me down.” Maddie glanced at Brian, and he could see the pride glinting in her eyes. This was useful evidence, and she knew it.
    Sam looked at her. “You have any more shots like this? Maybe something that shows a license plate?”
    “I do, but the light’s bad, and it’s completely in shadow. But look at this.” She opened yet another file, which showed a cropped and digitally enhanced image. In this picture, the car’s side mirror reflected the passenger’s face. “Part of his face is obscured by the brim of his hat, but still. At least, it’s something. I mean, we can tell he’s Caucasian, right?”
    Brian exchanged looks with Sam. They’d already known their suspects’ ethnicity. Mladovic was Serbian, and so were his hired guns. What they needed was a name, an address, a location.
    “Any chance you got a vehicle tag somewhere?” Brian asked. “Maybe when they were pulling away?”
    The waitress appeared with a tray of food and frowned down at the table. “Uh—”
    “Sorry.” Maddie slid the computer aside to make room for two big platters, plus her salad.
    “Yeah, or maybe when they were parking,” Sam said, digging into his sandwich.
    “Believe me, I looked. I’ve been in the photo lab all morning poring over these.”
    “We should try the bank.” Brian looked at Sam. “They’ve got security cams on every corner of the building.”
    “We already went through all that. No footage of her abduction, just her leaving work and heading for the parking lot.”
    “Yeah, but we didn’t see the film for Monday. Maybe this gray car—what is it, a Buick? Maybe this Buick passed by, and we can get something.”
    “Not a bad idea,” Maddie said, and he detectedsurprise in her voice, as if she’d thought he was too much of a rookie to come up with a lead.
    “It’s a good thought,” Sam echoed. “And you know what? I think I’ll get this to go. I’ll head back, see what I can get on the surveillance tapes.” He flagged the waitress and asked for a to-go box, then looked at Maddie. “You mind making us a copy of those pictures?”
    She scooted out of the booth and fished a brown envelope from her purse. “I burned you a disc.”
    “Maddie, you’re a gem.”
    “Well. I just hope it’s useful.”
    Brian looked at her, then at Sam. “You