Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
“Colton.”
He peered over his shoulder at the sound of Riley’s voice from her office door. “What’s up?”
She motioned him in. “I got another one.”
“Another message?” He followed her to her desk, where a greeting card lay unopened on top of a stack of files.
“I recognized the writing, so I left it alone.”
“Good thinking.” He tapped his earpiece. “Trevor, ask Security to send us the video of whoever dropped a card off for Riley this morning. We need it ten minutes ago.”
“On it,” came the voice in his ear. “You want me to call Stapleton?”
“Affirmative. John will want to send a uniform to pick this up.”
“Copy.”
Riley looked up from the envelope. “I want to know what it says.”
He hitched a brow. “Do you?”
“It can’t be worse than what he did to my house.”
“We’ll have to wait for Stapleton to get it processed before it’s opened.” He consulted his watch. “Your meeting is in an hour, so if you have time, let’s run through the previous three videos and compare them to the one Security’s sending.”
She picked up the phone from her desk. “Hallie, can you bring your laptop in here, please? And see if you can get two more.”
“Will do.”
He grinned down at her. “You should’ve been an investigator.”
“I’ve done this kind of thing with our investigator many times. Easier to see them together side by side than to keep changing screens.”
“Exactly. I’ll have to take you on a tour of Tech Ops at Petersen sometime. Each station has a minimum of four monitors, and one entire wall is nothing but screens. Most of it’s security footage from various locations, but also if we need several eyes on the same images.”
Her face brightened. “I’d love that.”
Hallie walked in carrying three laptops at the same time the email from Security popped into Riley’s inbox. “Got it, Trevor. I’ll be in Riley’s office, but stand your post.”
“Copy that.”
Hallie set up the three laptops next to Riley’s on the conference table, and after some forwarding of links, the four videos looped on separate screens.
“Need anything else?”
Riley shook her head. “Not for now, Hal. Thanks.”
Hallie returned to her office as he and Riley leaned over her laptop. The man today had appeared as a courier, complete with satchel, skin-tight leggings, polarized wrap sunglasses, and a bike helmet over long, curly red hair.
Riley sat in a chair and studied the first image, then the second. “I wish we could zoom in. There’s something on his right hand in each of these.”
Colton bent over her and peered at the screen. Her signature oriental garden fragrance floated in the air around her, and he almost leaned closer to get more of it.
Focus. He needed to focus. The right hand. “I see it.” He straightened and pulled out his phone. “I sent these to Tech Ops on Saturday.” A voice answered at the other end. “Hey, Dillon, you still have the footage handy I shot you this weekend?”
“Of the ever-changing deliveryman?” Dillon tapped keys on his end. “Got it. What do you need?”
“Can you zero in on his right hand from last Monday, then from last Wednesday?”
More tapping ensued before it quieted again, as Dillon no doubt used his mouse to sharpen the image. “Got it. A bit blurry, but maybe a bandage of some sort. Wrapped all the way around.”
Colton looked at Riley. “A bandage, he thinks. So same guy.”
Standing, she jerked her head toward the third laptop with Friday’s deliveryman. “But not on Friday. Can we get a closer look at the top of his hand?”
“Dill—”
“I heard her. Working on it now.” Dillon hummed some unidentifiable tune while his fingers worked away. “Oh, wow. This guy’s all scratched up. Like a cat got to him.”
Colton’s eyes caught on Riley’s. “Or fingernails?”
“Yes. Could definitely be from fingernails. Appears scabbed over, which is probably why he didn’t bandage it.”
“Thanks, man. We know it’s the same guy every day, then.”
Riley sank back into the chair and stared at the first screen, her elbow on the table, hand covering her mouth.
“I’m sending you another video from this morning. Take a look and get back to me with anything you see that could be the real face or form of this guy. He’s disguising himself, but let’s see what’s common in each of them. And send me some stills of the face, as close as you can get.”
“Shoot it to me, and I’ll get right on it.”
Colton disconnected, then sent the link through his encrypted phone.
As Riley studied the image, now motionless on the screen, he took the chair next to her. She turned and their gazes locked.
“It’s the creep,” they said at the same time.
“But you left your mark on him. This is a big get, Ri. At least we know the person sending these notes is connected to your attack. And it’s highly likely the notes are connected to the social media smear. All one guy.”
“I’m so thankful y’all were checking social media. I know some people saw it and made comments, but hopefully nothing that will harm Shane’s case.”
Just like Riley. More worried about how any mark against her could affect someone else.
Her face tightened. “The call from Cait’s sister was a surprise, though.
That she would believe I ever had a thing going with Shane.
I think her grief blinded her to the fact the girl in the photo was too tall to be me.
Cait was a good four inches taller than me, and over six foot with heels.
Shane is six-three. But I couldn’t bring myself to tell her it was Cait’s body in that image.
It was better to let her vent. I can’t even begin to understand the pain that family is in. And I’m contributing to it.”
He reached for her hand and curled his fingers around hers. “Find the truth, and you’ll be helping them. They just can’t see that now.”
“Still makes me angry that someone could use her image like that. How heartless do you have to be to put something like that out there?”
“I think it’s clear we’re not dealing with a stable person here.
I’ll ask John to put a man on the lobby in case another card comes this week.
Or next, if we need to, since you’re out of the office Thursday and Friday.
Plainclothes. The guard at the desk can give him a signal, and then we’ve got him. This could be over by next week.”
She regarded him for a long moment. “Next week.”
He nodded. Then he’d leave her. Back to her life. And he’d go back to his.
In the house that would feel more empty than ever.