Then Hawkins motioned to them, and Duke and Andi were positioned in another room adjacent to the interrogation room. The one-way window there was dark enough to hide them, but not the truth unfolding on the other side.
Detective Hawkins slid into the chair diagonal from Colin—blocking a clear path to the exit, mentally and physically cornering the man—and flipped open a file. “Let’s start simple. That van in the parking garage. It’s registered to you.”
Colin’s mouth opened immediately. “Yeah, but I sold it.”
Andi stiffened beside Duke and let out ahmm.
“When?” Detective Hawkins pressed.
“About—about . . . about a week ago,” Colin stuttered. “Guy paid cash. Said he was working out of town.”
“Name?”
Colin hesitated. “I—I don’t remember.”
Hawkins lifted an eyebrow. “You sell a vehicle worth thousands of dollars and forget the buyer’s name?”
“I didn’t think it mattered,” Colin snapped, then visibly reined himself in. “We met late. Nighttime. He was wearing a baseball cap. It was hard to see him clearly.”
“And you transferred ownership?” Hawkins pressed.
Colin grimaced and squirmed. “I meant to. I just . . . I haven’t gotten around to it yet.”
Of course.
Duke and Andi exchanged a look.
The detective leaned back slightly, his eyes narrowed. “Convenient. And impossible to do if you don’t have a name.”
Colin swallowed hard. “I wasn’t thinking things through like I should have. But you’re right. I missed some steps.”
“And you didn’t recognize this van when you saw it in the parking lot before your ex-girlfriend disappeared?”
Colin raked a hand through his hair, his stress obvious. “I knew how it would look. I didn’t have anything to do with this. Yes, I can be a little obsessive at times. But I didn’t do anything to Gina! I promise!”
“You cared so much about her that you withheld this information that could have helped our investigation?” Hawkins raised an eyebrow.
Colin dropped his face into his hands. “It was wrong. I knew it was. But I panicked. I didn’t know what to do. I don’t know why this guy would buy my van, only to potentially abduct my ex-girlfriend. It’s sick, man. Sick.”
A beat passed. Then Hawkins slid a photo across the table.
Duke leaned forward.
It was an image of Fake Pam taken from the grainy hotel footage.
“Recognize her?” Hawkins asked.
Colin stared at the photo longer than Duke expected. His brow furrowed, something flickering behind his eyes as he said, “Maybe.”
“Maybe?” Hawkins echoed.
Colin rubbed his face with both hands, breathing faster now. “I—I can’t place her. But she looks familiar.”
“Think harder.”
Colin stared down at the photo again. Silence stretched.
Then his head jerked up. “I remember now. It was before Gina disappeared. We had met to talk about a few things after our breakup. Truthfully, I tried to get her to change her mind.”
