"Any recent cases that felt particularly contentious?" Rupert asked, his face pale.
“It may have just been random?—”
Before Sandra could say more, Terry's SUV pulled into the lot, followed by an unmarked car. Sandra walked outside and watched Terry emerge, his face set in hard lines she'd rarely seen. Sam Shackley and Aaron Bergstrom, both detectives she'd met at police functions, joined them.
"Sandra." Terry's voice was tight with controlled anger as he approached her. Sam and Aaron began circling her car, taking photos and examining the tire damage with professional efficiency.
Aaron crouched beside one of the slashed tires. "Clean cuts, deep. Maybe military grade knife. Whoever did this, did a fucking thorough job."
"Security cameras?" Terry asked, his eyes scanning the strip mall.
"Legal Aid has cameras, but they only cover the entrance," Sandra said. "I don't think they reach the parking lot."
"We need to check with the neighboring businesses," Sam said, standing and dusting off his knees. "Someone maybe saw something."
Portia, Tom, and Rupert emerged from the building, their concern evident as they took in the scene of police investigation.
"Any of you here when this happened?" Terry asked, his words clipped.
"We've been inside all afternoon," Tom said. "Didn't hear anything unusual."
“I haven’t left the office all day,” Portia said.
“I went home at lunch, but have been here since then,” Rupert chimed in.
Sam looked up from his examination of the car. "We should check with Bess's Bakery. They had some trouble a few months back, and I think they installed cameras. Might not reach this end of the lot, but it’s worth asking."
"Good thinking," Aaron said, looking at the deputies who’d just arrived in a cruiser. “Start canvassing the area. See if anyone saw anything suspicious," he ordered.
Sandra watched the investigation's organized efficiency, but her mind kept returning to whether she was actually targeted or if the crime was random. And if she was targeted, then who and why?
"Terry," she said quietly, drawing him aside as the other officers worked. "I know this could be about any number of cases, but the timing..."
"You think this is connected to your Blackwood investigation." It wasn't a question.
"I don’t even know if I was the one someone was targeting. But I approached Harrison at the baseball game. Asked about using local suppliers instead of Norfolk. He got defensive." Sandra kept her voice low. "This feels like a warning."
The protective fury in his expression made her chest tighten with emotion she wasn't prepared for. She placed her hand on his arm. "I’m okay," she reassured. “But I do need to have Rupert tell you about a phone call he received.”
Terry’s gaze snapped over to the two men standing nearby. Sandra called Rupert over and had him repeat the conversation he had with Marcus Webb. She watched as Terry listened, and his face hardened with each passing minute.
Finally, the others went inside, leaving Sandra with Terry. “What do you think?” she asked.
"I think someone's getting desperate enough to take risks in broad daylight." Terry glanced back at her ruined car. "Slashing four tires took some time and balls. This wasn't some random punk—this was planned.”
Sandra nodded, looking at her car and thinking about her clients. Her gut screamed that this was tied to the Blackwoods, but without proof, she had nothing more than just a feeling. And legally, a feeling counted for nothing.
"Captain?" Aaron called out from across the parking lot. "You might want to see this."
Terry and Sandra walked over to where Aaron was crouched beside a dumpster at the edge of the lot. In his gloved hand, he held a fixed-blade tactical knife with a reinforced tip. “Looks like fresh rubber residue on the blade.”
"Whoever did this didn't want to get caught with this on them.”
Terry's expression was grim. "Bag it. We'll process it for prints, but I doubt we'll get anything useful."
After the detectives left, Terry called for a tow truck. Soon, Jason came out. He shook hands with Terry and told Sandra he could order the tires. He even had a small sedan he could loan her for a few days. She was glad not to be without wheels, and ran inside to grab her purse and say goodbye to her coworkers.
Once ensconced in Terry’s SUV, they followed the tow truck to Baytown.
