\u201cYou have desks for six minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel blinked at Voss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have desks?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Voss handed him the thin case file she had been carrying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rusk was already moving toward the hallway, keys in one hand, phone in the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA woman found in a locked vehicle at the west trailhead,\u201d he said. \u201cNo obvious cause. No phone. Rain before midnight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark took the file from Gabriel and opened it while walking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWho found her?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTrail maintenance worker,\u201d Voss said. \u201cHe says the vehicle was not there at sunset.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMedical examiner?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEn route.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane picked up his detective case bag from the floor beside the new desk. It still felt strange to see the word Detective<\/strong> on the badge wallet clipped inside his jacket. Strange enough that he did not look at it again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWho is holding the scene?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBell,\u201d Voss said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That steadied something in him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not pride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not relief exactly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just the knowledge that someone who had watched him grow, fail, and grow again was already there, holding the first line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNight Shift,\u201d Voss said, glancing at all three of them. \u201cYou are with me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n They moved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The west trailhead sat beyond the developed edge of Cross Timber, where the city gave way to creek beds, low woods, and service roads that had once belonged to ranch land before trails, picnic tables, and weathered information signs had tried to civilize them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At night, it was mostly dark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The trail kiosk stood beneath a single yellow security lamp. The lot was gravel and packed dirt, bordered by scrub oak and cedar. Beyond that, the tree line folded into blackness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Storm clouds had swallowed the moon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane drove the Humvee through the trailhead entrance and slowed as patrol tape appeared in the headlights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The gray crossover sat at the far end of the lot, near the service-road gate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Its headlights were off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Its interior dome light glowed dimly through rain-speckled glass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Two patrol cars blocked the entrance. A fire-rescue unit sat near the crossover with its emergency lights dark but ready. A maintenance truck stood beneath the kiosk awning, its driver beside an officer, both of them looking toward the vehicle as though staring hard enough might change what was inside it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane parked where Bell had directed over the radio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel was out before the Humvee\u2019s engine had fully settled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark followed with his case bag and notebook tucked beneath one arm. He had not yet customized the notebook cover with anything other than his name and a tiny gold-star sticker that still clung near the bottom corner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voss and Rusk arrived seconds later in an unmarked SUV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bell met them at the edge of the taped perimeter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He wore a patrol jacket over his uniform, rain darkening the shoulders. His eyes went first to Voss, then to the trio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cVictim is female,\u201d he said. \u201cEarly thirties, maybe. Maintenance worker found her about ten minutes ago. He says the vehicle was not here when he made his sunset check.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDoors?\u201d Voss asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLocked when he found it. Patrol documented that through body cam. Fire used a lockout tool on the passenger side because they had a possible medical emergency. EMS confirmed death once they got access. Driver-side door, trunk, and hood have not been touched beyond visual observation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAny obvious trauma?\u201d Rusk asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNothing obvious through the glass. Seatbelt was fastened. Purse is on the passenger floorboard. Keys are visible in the center console. No phone that we can see.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voss looked toward the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The clouds were moving low and fast over the tree line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd the rain?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bell glanced up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cForecast said twenty minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel looked at the black horizon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cForecast has never once been right when we need it to be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bell\u2019s mouth almost moved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Almost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voss turned to the trio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNight Shift. This is yours.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark straightened slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel\u2019s humor went quiet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane looked through the rain-speckled glass at the woman in the driver\u2019s seat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo not hurry,\u201d Voss said. \u201cDo not freeze. Work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane nodded once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes, Detective.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The woman sat reclined slightly behind the wheel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her head rested against the headrest at an angle that looked almost peaceful until a person looked long enough to understand it was not. Her seatbelt crossed her chest. One hand lay near her lap. The other rested loosely against the center console.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her face was pale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No obvious blood marked the glass or upholstery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The purse on the passenger-side floor had tipped open just enough to show a wallet, a compact, a packet of tissues, and a set of keys on a ring separate from the vehicle key fob.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No weapon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No visible signs of a struggle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A person could look at the scene and see a woman who had driven to a quiet trailhead, locked herself in her car, and died alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane did not look at it that way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He stayed outside the vehicle, moving slowly around the perimeter without touching the doors or stepping too close to the tire impressions in the wet gravel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bell followed at a respectful distance, scene notebook open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat do you have?\u201d Bell asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane lowered his head slightly near the rear driver-side door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rain was coming. He could smell it in the wind now\u2014wet stone, cold soil, ozone, the heavy green smell of leaves about to be beaten down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Under that, closer to the vehicle, something else lingered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bleach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not fresh enough to burn his nose. Not old enough to be irrelevant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Floral hand sanitizer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Artificial lavender, sweet and sharp, caught in the seam around the rear door and low along the rocker panel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another scent too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adult woman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not the victim\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane moved toward the rear hatch, then paused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The trunk seam carried a thin metallic note.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Possible blood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Possible rust, old tools, contaminated fabric, anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not enough to call it blood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not from outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He looked down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The trailhead lot was mostly compacted gravel and pine needles, darkened by the first misting rain. Beneath the rear tire area, however, he caught damp clay and crushed wild mint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That ground did not match the lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It smelled like the service road beyond the gate, where the terrain dropped toward a creek bed and the dirt stayed red longer after rain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A second set of tire impressions sat near the rear passenger side of the crossover. Not clean enough to identify a make. Not yet. But something had backed close to the victim\u2019s vehicle, then turned away toward the service road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane stepped back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have observations consistent with another person being near the vehicle recently,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bell wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGo on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRecent adult female scent around the driver-side exterior and rear hatch. Bleach, floral hand sanitizer, artificial lavender laundry scent near the rear door and office-side cabin area.\u201d Thane paused. \u201cI also detect a metallic odor around the trunk seam. It may be blood. It may not. I cannot identify source or age from exterior position.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bell nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnything with the ground?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRed clay and crushed wild mint beneath the rear tire area. That does not match the lot. There are tire impressions consistent with a second vehicle backing near the crossover before leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCan you place the second driver inside the car?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCan you say why they were here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane looked through the driver-side glass again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI can say the scene needs more than one explanation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bell looked at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For a moment, the rain and lights seemed to fall away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGood,\u201d Bell said quietly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not praise for Thane\u2019s senses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Praise for the sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane felt it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMark needs the vehicle time data.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bell glanced toward the crossover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark stood near the passenger side with an officer\u2019s report in one hand and his notebook in the other. He had already written three short columns on the page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Observed<\/strong> Thane stopped beside him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnything?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe dash display reads 9:18,\u201d Mark said. \u201cThe first patrol officer noted it because the center console was illuminated when they made emergency entry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTime now is?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTen-oh-seven.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMaybe it stopped.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMaybe.\u201d Mark looked at the dark screen through the glass. \u201cOr it was set wrong. The maintenance worker says he passed through at nine-thirty and the lot was empty. The trailhead camera shows a vehicle entering at nine-forty-two.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane glanced toward the kiosk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat makes the worker wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark\u2019s ears shifted once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot necessarily.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBecause the camera clock may be wrong. The dash clock may be wrong. The worker may be estimating. Three bad clocks do not make one liar.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane looked at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark tapped the page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI asked dispatch for a comparison against the camera feed from an earlier patrol call. The trailhead camera captured a public-works truck at eight-thirty-six. Dispatch logged the truck\u2019s radio contact at eight-twenty-four.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTwelve minutes fast,\u201d Thane said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cProbably.\u201d Mark\u2019s eyes brightened slightly. \u201cIf the camera is twelve minutes fast, it places the crossover entering at nine-thirty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cExactly when the worker said he passed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane looked toward the awning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo he was not wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark gave him a small look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe scene has an inaccurate clock. That does not make the witness inaccurate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voss, approaching from the perimeter, heard it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGood,\u201d she said. \u201cKeep the difference.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane looked toward Gabriel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel had moved beneath the kiosk awning with the maintenance worker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The man was maybe fifty-five, rain jacket zipped too high, baseball cap clenched in both hands. He looked wet, tired, and terrified that everyone at the scene was about to decide he had done something wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel sat on the bench across from him rather than standing over him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He kept his hands visible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou are Eli Booker?\u201d Gabriel asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The man nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m Detective Gabriel. You found the vehicle?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTell me what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eli looked toward the crossover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was checking the gate. Saw the car. Tried the door. Saw her inside. Called.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou are not in trouble for finding her when you found her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eli\u2019s mouth tightened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI should\u2019ve been here earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel waited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The rain began ticking harder against the kiosk roof.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI do a pass at sunset,\u201d Eli said. \u201cUsually. I check the gate, make sure nobody\u2019s parked back here after dark, see if the trail signs are still standing.\u201d His eyes flicked toward the service-road gate. \u201cI had to leave early.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy wife\u2019s medicine. Pharmacy closes at seven. She\u2019s got heart trouble, and I forgot to pick it up yesterday.\u201d He swallowed. \u201cSo I left around six-fifteen. Came back a little after nine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou think you should have found her sooner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI should\u2019ve been here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel\u2019s expression stayed calm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMaybe. But right now I need the last time you were here before you found her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eli rubbed both hands over his cap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSunset. I don\u2019t know. Nine-thirty, maybe. I drove through. Lot was empty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou are sure?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSure enough. I\u2019d remember that car. It was right there, plain as day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat else did you see?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eli frowned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTake your time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The man looked out toward the service road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere was a white crossover by the gate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel waited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBefore or after your pass through the lot?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBefore. Maybe ten minutes before. I was coming in from the east road. It was just sitting there, engine on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDid you see who was driving?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnyone else inside?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWas it the same vehicle as the one at the trailhead?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo. Different shape. Taller. White.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eli closed his eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere was something in the back window. Bright.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLike what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSafety vest, maybe. Reflective stripes. I thought it was a contractor. We get them sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhich way did it go?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cService road.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cToward the main exit?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo. The old road. Toward the creek.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel wrote it down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He did not say, That\u2019s our suspect.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n He did not say, That white crossover staged the scene.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n He asked for the next fact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCould you identify the driver if you saw them again?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eli shook his head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot really.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCould you identify the vehicle?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay.\u201d Gabriel closed the notebook. \u201cThat is useful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eli looked at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAm I going to get fired?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel\u2019s face softened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI do not know your employer\u2019s rules. But you did the right thing when you found her. You called. You stayed. You told us what you remembered.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eli nodded, breathing shakily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel stood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAn officer will stay with you until we are done here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As he walked back toward the vehicle, Rusk met him under the edge of the awning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnything?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhite crossover. Reflective vest in the rear window. Service-road direction around nine-twenty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rusk looked toward the gate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCould be connected.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCould be a contractor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCould be both.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rusk gave him a sideways glance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou are learning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTry not to sound surprised.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy soul retired years ago. Surprise is all I have left.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The victim\u2019s name came from her wallet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alicia Monroe. Thirty-five.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Her sister was listed as emergency contact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By the time Alicia\u2019s identity had been confirmed through her driver\u2019s license and the first records check, the rain had become a steady curtain beyond the trailhead lights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mara Monroe arrived in a raincoat over pajamas, hair pulled back badly, eyes wide enough to show she had driven too fast and would not remember doing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voss met her near the patrol tape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMs. Monroe?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mara nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy sister? Is she\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voss did not make her say it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI am sorry,\u201d she said. \u201cYour sister is dead.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mara\u2019s face folded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not theatrically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not loudly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She simply seemed to lose the shape of herself for a second.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel stepped close enough to support if she fell, but not close enough to touch without permission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mara turned toward the crossover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCan I see her?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot yet,\u201d Voss said gently. \u201cWe need to preserve the scene. I promise someone will talk you through what happens next.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mara pressed both hands over her mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel stayed beside her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After a moment, he said, \u201cCould we sit somewhere dry?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She looked at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They moved to the back seat of a patrol SUV, warm air running low through the vents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel sat across from her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBefore we talk about anyone who may have hurt Alicia,\u201d he said, \u201ctell me about her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mara blinked at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTell me who she was.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For a moment, the grief in her face changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alicia became more than a body in a locked car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe was\u2026 organized,\u201d Mara said, voice trembling. \u201cPainfully organized. She made lists for vacations. She bought birthday gifts in July. She was always the one who remembered Mom\u2019s prescriptions and Dad\u2019s doctor appointments after he got sick.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat did she do for work?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPayroll compliance. Cedarline Contracting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDid she like it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe liked catching people being sloppy.\u201d Mara almost smiled, then the expression broke. \u201cShe said payroll was numbers, but numbers told on people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel wrote that down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDid she have problems recently? Anyone she was afraid of?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mara looked out at the rain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHer ex-fianc\u00e9.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNate Wilcox?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey broke up three weeks ago. He was angry. He kept saying she had ruined his life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDid he threaten her?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe sent messages.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo you still have them?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSome. She sent me screenshots.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCan we see them?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mara unlocked her phone with shaking fingers and pulled up the thread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One message appeared in a screenshot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n YOU DO NOT GET TO WALK AWAY WITH WHAT IS MINE.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Another:<\/p>\n\n\n\n YOU THINK YOU CAN MAKE ME THE BAD GUY AND TAKE EVERYTHING.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n A third, sent two days earlier:<\/p>\n\n\n\n I KNOW WHERE YOU GO WHEN YOU WANT TO FEEL IMPORTANT.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Gabriel stared at the words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mara\u2019s voice became smaller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe has gambling debts. Alicia told me. He borrowed money from her. He wanted more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDid he know her routine?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDid he know she came out here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDid Alicia mention anyone else?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mara shook her head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWork? Friends? A disagreement?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe was stressed.\u201d Mara wiped at her face. \u201cBut I thought it was Nate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBecause that was what she talked about.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel let the sentence sit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then asked, \u201cDid she say anything about work?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mara frowned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnything you remember.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe said someone there was making her feel watched.\u201d Mara looked down at her hands. \u201cI thought she meant Nate. I kept telling her to block him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel wrote it down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mara closed her eyes, trying to hear her sister.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018Someone at work knows I found it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel\u2019s pen stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat did she find?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d Mara shook her head. \u201cShe wouldn\u2019t tell me. Said she had to make sure before Monday.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDid she name anyone?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDid she mention a meeting tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mara\u2019s expression changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe said she had to stop by Cedarline. Something about a report. She was supposed to meet someone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel looked through Alicia\u2019s schedule notes in the case file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No name yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the shape of the case had shifted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not away from Nate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But wider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When Gabriel stepped out of the SUV, Rusk waited beneath the open hatch of the crime-scene unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFormer fianc\u00e9?\u201d Rusk asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cStrong lead,\u201d Gabriel said. \u201cThreats, debt, dark blue truck, knows her habits.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rusk waited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel looked back toward Mara.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot a conclusion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rusk\u2019s tired face softened slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The medical examiner arrived just as the rain became hard enough to turn the lot into a shining blur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dr. Ellen Ward was a compact woman in a dark waterproof shell, gray hair tied back under a hood. She moved with the calm of someone who had spent decades entering rooms after the worst part had already happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The evidence technicians had completed the first exterior documentation. Ward examined Alicia through the opened passenger side before allowing the body to be removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voss, Rusk, Mark, Gabriel, and Thane stood beneath the crime-scene tent as Ward spoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPreliminary only,\u201d Ward said. \u201cDo not write a cause of death into a report based on what I am about to say.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo one will,\u201d Voss said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ward nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere is a small but serious impact injury concealed behind the victim\u2019s left hairline. I have not completed an internal examination. I cannot tell you the exact mechanism or timing yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCould it be from a fall?\u201d Rusk asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCould be. Could be a strike. Could be contact with a hard surface. At this point, I am not going to guess.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She looked toward the driver\u2019s seat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut there is very little blood in the cabin. There is transfer in the hair, but not enough visible blood in the vehicle to support this being the primary injury location.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMeaning?\u201d Mark asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ward looked at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMeaning the locked car may not be where she was injured.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane looked toward the dark service road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The white crossover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The red clay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The mint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The second vehicle close behind Alicia\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel looked at the body being prepared for transport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo this is a staging scene.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ward gave him the careful answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt is consistent with a staging scene.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voss nodded once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGood enough for now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The scene changed after that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not in volume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The vehicle was no longer simply a locked car with a dead woman inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was a question someone had arranged to make look simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark moved beneath the tent with his notebook already open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cScene log needs a secondary location for the service road,\u201d he said. \u201cWe should lock down the gate and preserve both approaches before the rain destroys the track pattern.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voss looked at Bell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGet patrol on the service road. Nobody enters without logging.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bell nodded and keyed his radio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThree-oh-four, set a hard perimeter from the old gate to the creek crossing. No civilian traffic. Preserve tire and foot impressions as best you can.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane looked at Voss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAuthorization to work the road edge?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voss held his gaze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSpecial Capabilities Support. Exterior only. You point. Evidence collects.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes, Detective.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane moved into the rain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bell went with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The service road ran behind the trailhead lot, narrow and uneven, with red clay exposed between patches of wet grass. In the dark, it looked like a black ribbon disappearing into trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane stayed at the edge until a crime-scene technician marked his route.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then he worked slowly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He found the second vehicle\u2019s tire pattern where it had turned in from the old gate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He found crushed wild mint along the shoulder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He found fine industrial dust\u2014pale gray, almost chalky\u2014caught in the wet tread imprint near the place where the vehicle had backed close to Alicia\u2019s crossover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And three feet away, half pressed into mud, he found a small reflective safety clip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not a full vest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A clip-on strip, the kind workers fastened to jackets or bags.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The technician photographed it before lifting it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane stood back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSame material?\u201d Bell asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cReflective strip. Could be related to what Eli saw. Could be unrelated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane closed his eyes for one second, drawing in the rain-heavy air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The scents were washing out already.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the path remained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n White crossover at the service road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Close to Alicia\u2019s vehicle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Something transferred from the service road to the rear of the crossover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No clear sign of Nate\u2019s truck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No sharp gasoline-and-cigarette trace from his vehicle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No familiar dark pickup tire pattern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane opened his eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI cannot place the white-crossover driver in Alicia\u2019s vehicle,\u201d he said. \u201cI can place a second vehicle near this location after Alicia\u2019s arrival, with trace material linking the service road to the rear of the victim vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bell looked at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat is the sentence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPut it in the report.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nate Wilcox was located at a sports bar on the south edge of Cross Timber just after eleven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Patrol found his dark blue pickup in the lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The truck had rain beading across the hood and a cracked tail light on the passenger side. It looked bad for him. Everything about Nate Wilcox looked bad for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He was at the bar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He was angry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He had been drinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He had sent messages that read like threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He was exactly the sort of man an entire city could decide had killed someone before he ever sat across from a detective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rusk and Gabriel met him in an interview room at the station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nate had sobered enough to be loud rather than incoherent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He sat in a plastic chair with his arms crossed, face red, eyes hard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou people already decided,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel took the chair across from him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou are a strong lead.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nate laughed without humor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSame thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo,\u201d Gabriel said. \u201cIt is not.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nate looked at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel\u2019s voice stayed quiet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBeing a strong lead means we have reasons to ask questions. It does not mean you are guilty. Tell me what you know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nate looked at Rusk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rusk leaned against the wall near the door, arms folded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou can talk to the black wolf,\u201d he said. \u201cHe is irritatingly competent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel glanced back at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat was not praise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nate rubbed both hands over his face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI yelled at her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat about?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMoney.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhose money?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMine. Hers. I don\u2019t know.\u201d He stared at the table. \u201cShe kept saying I had to get help. Like I didn\u2019t know that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDid you ask her for money?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDid she give you any?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBefore. Not lately.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDid she tell you why?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe said she had things going on. Work things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDid you threaten her?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI sent messages.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDid you mean them?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nate\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was mad.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat is not what I asked.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nate looked at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI wanted her to answer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDid you intend to hurt her?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDid you hurt her?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWere you at the trailhead tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYour truck was seen in the area?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI drove past her apartment around eight. Then I went to the bar.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat time?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEight-thirty. Maybe eight-forty-five.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCan anyone confirm that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe bartender. People there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDid you leave after you got there?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot once?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel watched him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not for a tremor. Not for the kind of theatrical lie detectives saw on television.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For what could be checked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy did you drive by her apartment?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI wanted to apologize.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDid you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nate\u2019s face twisted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBecause I saw a light on. I figured she was ignoring me. So I went to the bar.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rusk left the room briefly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When he returned, he had a phone in his hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBartender says he remembers him,\u201d Rusk said. \u201cNate complained about the Thunder game before nine. Security footage has him entering at eight-forty-eight. He does not leave until after ten-fifteen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nate looked at Gabriel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel held his gaze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo you did not put Alicia at the trailhead.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nate\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not relief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not completely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Something like grief trying to find a place to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou think somebody did?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel looked down at the file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think somebody did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nate swallowed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou think I helped?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI do not know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThen keep telling us what you know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nate\u2019s shoulders lowered a fraction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe said somebody at work was stealing,\u201d he said. \u201cShe told me that once. I thought she was making excuses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe didn\u2019t say.\u201d He looked at the table. \u201cShe was always talking about this finance lady, though. Marin. Said she was too polished. Too nice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel looked up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMarin who?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCole. Finance director, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDid Alicia meet her tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDid you ever see Marin\u2019s vehicle?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nate frowned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhite crossover. Like a Buick. She had one of those little reflective vest things in the back because she went out to job sites.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel and Rusk looked at each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nate saw it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel stood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThank you, Nate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou believe me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel paused at the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI believe the facts that support you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then he left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the hallway, Rusk looked at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow do you feel about clearing the guy everyone hated?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel leaned against the wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLike that is why we have to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rusk nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWelcome to detectives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n By midnight, Cedarline Contracting had become the center of the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark sat in the Night Shift office with a laptop, three printed spreadsheets, Alicia Monroe\u2019s calendar metadata, and a legal pad covered in dates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voss stood behind him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rusk had returned with Gabriel. Thane and Bell came in from the trailhead with rain darkening their jackets and a fresh evidence supplement already submitted to the case file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The office no longer felt new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It felt used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Files spread across the desks. Evidence requests printing from the small machine by the wall. A map of Cross Timber filling with circles and arrows. Coffee cooling untouched beside a stack of property logs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark had been working through Cedarline\u2019s payroll records obtained under the emergency preservation request and the warrant Voss had secured while the crime scene was still active.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alicia Monroe\u2019s job title had sounded boring until the numbers began to line up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Payroll compliance analyst.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She checked duplicate payments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Inactive employee IDs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vendor reimbursements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Project labor allocations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The small errors that did not matter until someone added them together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark tapped one line on the screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis account should have been closed eleven months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voss leaned closer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy was it not?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt belongs to an employee who left Cedarline last year. His ID remained active in the reimbursement system.\u201d Mark clicked again. \u201cSmall payments continued after his departure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow small?\u201d Gabriel asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTwo hundred forty dollars. Three hundred eighty. Five hundred. Different descriptions. Fuel. site cleanup. specialty tools.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTotal?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOver thirty thousand dollars in seven months.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rusk whistled softly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark pulled up a second spreadsheet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSeveral reimbursements route through a vendor called Redline Project Services. There is no physical office listed. The business registration address is a mailbox store in Norman.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWho approved them?\u201d Voss asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark looked at the authorization records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFinance director.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The room quieted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMarin Cole,\u201d Mark said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane stood near the whiteboard, rainwater dripping slowly from the edge of his jacket onto the floor mat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat did Alicia find?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark opened a recovered draft folder from Alicia\u2019s corporate account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A single file sat under a personal directory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n CHECK BEFORE MONDAY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n He clicked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The document contained screenshots of inactive employee IDs, vendor payment patterns, and a note Alicia had started but not finished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reimbursement pattern is not accidental. MC is approving payee records after employee separation. Need confirm whether she knows company vehicle logs\u2014<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n The note ended there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark looked up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAlicia was not just finding a payroll error,\u201d he said. \u201cShe was building a fraud report.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voss looked at the screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd Marin knew.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cProbably,\u201d Mark said. \u201cAlicia had a calendar event at seven-forty-five tonight. Meeting title: \u2018Records Review.\u2019 Attendee: Marin Cole.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel leaned forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCedarline office.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWas the building open?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot officially. Most staff leave by six.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane looked toward the whiteboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The locked car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The white crossover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The safety clip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The blood scent at the trunk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The washed-out service road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAlicia met Marin,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLikely,\u201d Voss said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThen something happened at Cedarline,\u201d Thane continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLikely,\u201d Voss repeated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd the trailhead was where Marin left her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rusk looked at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cStrong theory.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot a conclusion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel\u2019s mouth moved at one corner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark did not look away from the screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But his ears lifted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voss pointed at the employee-access report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKeep going.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark brought up badge data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAlicia entered Cedarline at seven-forty-one. Marin\u2019s badge registered at seven-thirty-eight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnyone else?\u201d Voss asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot according to the main entrance log.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat about rear access?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark scrolled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAt eight-sixteen, the rear loading entrance opened.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBy whom?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBadge log does not identify the person. It was a request-to-exit sensor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCamera?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPreserved but not yet downloaded.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMarin\u2019s badge registers near the loading corridor at eight-nineteen. Alicia\u2019s badge never registers leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The room went still.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMarin\u2019s vehicle?\u201d Rusk asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhite crossover exits the rear gate at eight-thirty-one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane\u2019s eyes went to the clock on the wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTrailhead car arrives at nine-thirty,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cApproximately,\u201d Mark said. \u201cOnce the camera clock is corrected.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAn hour,\u201d Gabriel said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe missing hour,\u201d Mark said quietly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The phrase settled over the office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alicia entered Cedarline alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Marin entered Cedarline alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An hour later, Marin\u2019s white crossover left through the rear gate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another hour later, Alicia\u2019s vehicle appeared at the trailhead with Alicia dead inside it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first theory had been Nate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A clean story of rage and an ex-fianc\u00e9 who looked terrible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the facts had done something harder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They had opened another door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel looked down at Alicia\u2019s case photo on the file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMara thought Alicia was scared of Nate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe may have been,\u201d Rusk said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Gabriel said. \u201cBut she was also scared of work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane looked at the board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPhone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voss looked at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAlicia\u2019s phone is gone,\u201d he said. \u201cIf Marin knew Alicia had records, she may have taken the phone to destroy the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark\u2019s eyes sharpened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHer sister said Alicia changed the phone password because she thought someone at work tried to look through it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rusk picked up his keys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGet a warrant for Marin\u2019s vehicle, home, office, work devices, and account records.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI am already drafting it,\u201d Voss said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel looked at the laptop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCan we see whether Marin accessed Alicia\u2019s files after Alicia died?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark\u2019s paws moved across the keyboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He opened the company remote-access logs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The page loaded slowly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rain battered the windows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For a few seconds, only the old coffee maker gurgled in the corner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then Mark stopped moving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat?\u201d Voss asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark leaned closer to the screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMarin\u2019s work laptop connected remotely at ten-oh-two.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFrom where?\u201d Rusk asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUnknown network at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat did it access?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAlicia\u2019s payroll folder.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voss stepped behind him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIs it still active?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark clicked again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A red progress line appeared across the screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The folder list was shrinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One file vanished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe is deleting it now,\u201d Mark said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The room snapped into motion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLock the account,\u201d Voss said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI am requesting it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCall IT.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAlready calling.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rusk grabbed the warrant packet from the printer tray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhere is Marin?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark pulled up the employee file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCross Timber home address. But she has a company vehicle and access to three active Cedarline project sites.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel stepped toward the map.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCan we track the company vehicle?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMaybe, if the telematics account is active.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMaybe?\u201d Gabriel asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark\u2019s ears shifted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo you want me to make it work faster by being insulted?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel lifted both hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo. Please continue being terrifyingly competent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane looked through the rain-smeared office window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The storm had moved east, hard and low, swallowing the far streetlights in gray water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe has an hour,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel looked at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy an hour?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane turned toward the wall map.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBecause once the storm reaches the eastern roads, every service route gets worse. Low-water crossings. gravel access. Construction sites. She knows where the cameras are and where they are not.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rusk looked at the map too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou think she is running.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think she knows the files are gone if she stays.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voss took the warrant packet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThen we find her before the rain hides the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The new office disappeared behind movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark had IT on speaker, preserving what it could from Marin\u2019s remote session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel called Mara Monroe again, asking whether Alicia had ever mentioned Marin\u2019s address, family, habits, or favorite places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rusk called patrol units toward the company sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voss reviewed the warrant language one last time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane stood at the map, eyes on the eastern edge of Cross Timber.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Three project sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A home address.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A white crossover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A missing phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An hour that did not fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The city outside had gone dark under the storm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Their first night as detectives had begun with a locked car at the edge of the woods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By midnight, they had a murdered woman, a false answer, a disappearing trail\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2014and one hour to catch the truth before the rain carried it away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cYou have desks for six minutes.\u201d Gabriel blinked at Voss. \u201cWe have desks?\u201d Voss handed him the thin case file she had been carrying. \u201cNot anymore.\u201d Rusk was already moving toward the hallway, keys in one hand, phone in the other. \u201cA woman found in a locked vehicle at the west trailhead,\u201d he said. \u201cNo […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-patrol-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/nightshift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/nightshift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/nightshift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/nightshift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/nightshift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/nightshift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":111,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/nightshift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110\/revisions\/111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/nightshift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/nightshift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/nightshift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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