“Got something!”
The two brothers turned, and Griffin and Lynch joined them as Rafe came jogging down the alley from the opposite direction of the dumpster.A TV camera crew was running behind him while an older gentleman was shuffling along, trying to keep up with everyone.
What the fuck?
Sean was just about to yell at the media sharks, but Rafe held up a hand to stop him.“We think we might have him on camera.Mr.Tomkins lives down the side street.He was walking his dog and says he saw a man sitting in a white sedan at the end of the parking lot, but he didn’t think anything of it.Figured the guy was picking up a wife or girlfriend getting off of work.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t question him,” Mr.Tomkins said.
“It’s all right, sir,” Rafe assured the man before turning back to the others.“The camera crew was filming some footage at the firehouse, two blocks down, for the fundraiser they’re having next week.They were facing down the street toward Grace’s place, getting the firehouse, park, and businesses in the shot.”
Sean finally got it.“So we may have the guy driving past?”
“Yup.”
One of the two men from the news team held up a laptop so everyone could see and hit a button that started the video on the screen.“We get an exclusive out of this, right?”His face fell when all five lawmen glared at him with the threat of impending death.“Can’t blame me for trying.”
The video began inside the firehouse garage, and the guy hit a button, fast-forwarding the footage before stopping it.“This is the start of where the camera is pointing down the street.”
Rafe stepped to the side so Mr.Tomkins could get a better view.One minute passed.Two minutes.Several cars appeared on the screen and then disappeared again.The sound was muted, so all they had was the video.Beside Sean, Brian tensed, and he knew his brother had seen what he’d also spotted.In the distance, a white car had pulled out onto the street, heading toward the camera.From that far away, it could have come from the driveway leading toward the rear parking lot they were now standing in, but they needed the witness to ID it without any coaching.
“That’s it!”Tomkins exclaimed.“That sure as hell looks like it.”
That was good enough for them to get an APB out on the car, but they couldn’t make out the driver or the license plate on the small screen.Sean held out his hand to the guy holding the laptop.“Let me have the disk.We need to get it to the lab to clear up the driver’s face to see if we can ID him.”
The cameraman shook his head.“No need.I’ve got a setup in the van that’s pretty advanced.I can probably have it for you in about ten minutes.”
Everyone looked at Sean.Not only was he the lead federal agent on the scene, but it was his woman in peril.He nodded his head once.“Do it.”
After the cameraman ran back to the firehouse and drove the news van closer to the scene, Sean climbed into the back with him while everyone else waited outside the sliding side door.There was scarcely enough room for Sean to be in there, and twice he’d banged his still tender shoulder on a low cabinet that hung behind the passenger seat.He was barely holding it together and fought the urge to yell at the guy to hurry up.
Working as fast as he could, the cameraman typed on the keyboard, moved a mouse, turned dials, and flipped switches on a control board.Soon, he had the image on the screen and began adjusting the pixels.An attempt to read the license plate failed, as it had been smeared with mud or something similar.
“Shit.Try the driver,” Sean instructed.
As the picture zoomed in on the driver and slowly became clearer, something niggled in Sean’s brain.Despite still being a little blurry, the driver looked familiar, but where the hell had he seen him before?
Turning to ask Brian a question, Sean smacked his shoulder again and grunted in agony.Fuck!He needed a goddamn painkiller after that impact.
A lightbulb went off in his brain.“Holy shit!”
His head whipped back to the screen, and he willed it to become discernible as the cameraman continued to fiddle with it.He knew he’d seen the guy before.Just one more adjustment, and he’d be certain.
“What?”Brian asked, sticking his head in the van.
“Hang on.”Sean stared as the pixels danced once more, and the picture of the driver came into focus.“Son of a fucking bitch!Can you print that?”
The cameraman nodded as his fingers flew over the keyboard.“Yeah, sure thing.”
The fifteen-second wait for the photo to print was excruciating, and Sean ripped it from the console’s printer before the last few lines of pixels were added.Ignoring his throbbing shoulder, he jumped out of the van while everyone stared at him expectantly.
He looked at the sheriff.“Have a deputy get names and a phone number for these guys.They’ll get their exclusive, but not before we get Grace back and nail this fucking bastard.”He glared at the other newsman.“Follow us, and you get nothing, understand?”
“Yes, sir!”
Pivoting, he pulled open the back door to Grace’s business.It was the fastest way to get to his car out front, and Tim was still there to lock up.Brian was on Sean’s heels as Rafe and Lynch ran toward the latter’s department vehicle to meet them on the street, clueless as to where they were going at the moment.
Brian followed his brother out the front door.“You going to tell me who the hell that is and where we’re going?”
