You’re welcome.
But I digress.
Ryker turns the sedan into the nearest D.C. Drugs parking lot, and I’m thinking about doing a little shopping while we wait.
“How long do you think we’ll have to wait in here?” Ryker interrupts my sexy thoughts with his stupid sexy voice.
I shrug. “Never done this before. I couldn’t tell you. Hopefully, not long. But, I have some shopping to do in the meantime.”
Ryker pulls to a stop. “Right. The stuff you had to throw out.”
“Yep. That’s it. Nothing more than that,” I babble and attempt to leave the car, forgetting I’m still buckled in. “Ha. Silly me.”
After getting free from the damn seatbelt, I make a beeline for the store door without waiting for Ryker. I can’t have him seeing the embarrassment written all over my face.
Once inside, I head toward the photo department, where a bored teenager scrolls through her phone. Her box braids are pulled into a high ponytail, and she lets out the occasional laugh as she swipes up/down/sideways.
“Excuse me,” I clear my throat. “I’m wondering if you can help me?”
The girl looks up with an annoyed expression. “Yeah?”
I show her my badge, and she stiffens. “Am I in trouble?”
“No,” I grin. “Someone else is, and I’m hoping you can help me find her.”
This causes her to perk up. She hops off the stool and drops her voice. “Like a true-crime show?”
My eyes widen. I nod my head. She turns her phone to face me. “I follow all the true-crime podcasts. There’s even an app that reconstructs cold cases. I helped bring a killer to justice!”
“How’d you do that?” Ryker joins us at the photo counter.
Her eyes widen.
“He’s with me,” I motion for her to continue. “You were saying?”
“Oh, yeah,” she gives a little shimmy. “I saw something suspicious coming home from class one night, and I turned it into the cops. They caught a serial killer as a result! Cool, huh?”
I am at a total loss for words. I don’t think a serial killer iscoolorrador what-the-fuck-ever kids are saying these days. But, I don’t want to piss her off and shut her down from helping because I didn’t have time to track down a warrant for this information.
“I’m astanof those podcasts,” Ryker nods to her.
Stan?I mouth to him. He gives me a slight shake of his head.
“Oooh, I’m so excited,” the photo gal giggles. “Who are we looking for?”
I hand her the photos. “I’m wondering if you can tell me about this account. Where were the photos sent in from?”
She frowns. “I don’t know if I can tell you that.”
“It’s for a federal investigation,” Ryker lowers his voice. “Two fugitives are on the loose.”
Her eyes widen. “Oh, no.”
“And time is of the essence,” Ryker pushes the photos closer on the counter.
She nods. “Right. Let’s see what I can dig up. It might take a few minutes.”
Ryker turns to me. “Why don’t you pick up your items, and I’ll wait here?”
