By the time they got through the office door, Waleed was seated behind his tidy desk, phone in hand. The room held a unique scent Evan couldn’t place. Maybe it was musky cologne or mild incense. Computers hummed from a wall-to-wall credenza behind him, and a laptop sat in front of Waleed on his polished desk. He lifted his head and fired a heated look at Evan. Evan didn’t care. He’d seen what he needed to see—an exterior door.
Evan marched across the space and jerked it open to reveal an alley. Waleed could easily use this exit to leave while others thought he was in the office. Not that it was even necessary to hide his subterfuge when the members of his group would readily lie for him. But maybe, just maybe knowing about the door would help them catch one of his people in a lie.
Evan closed the door and watched as Waleed planted his hands on the desk and slowly got to his feet. He held out a list of names and phone numbers.
Evan snatched up the paper and quickly reviewed the list. He should start for the door, but he couldn’t seem to get his feet going. He didn’t want to leave without getting more out of this jerk.
Kiley slapped her business card on the desk and held Waleed’s gaze. “Don’t stray too far without notifying me, Mr. Waleed. We’ll be in touch.”
She spun and exited, and Evan had no choice but to follow. He glared at Waleed on the way out. Kiley waited on the sidewalk out front, appearing calm and in control.
Evan looked at her. “How could you keep calling that creep Mr.?”
She untied the scarf and draped it around her neck. “Because it irritated him when he couldn’t get a rise out of me.”
“Unlike me, you mean. I played right into his sick desires.”
“Yeah, you did, but I don’t blame you. You’ve been wanting this guy brought in for a long time. Me, not so long, making it easier for me to keep my cool.”
Evan appreciated her understanding, and her acceptance of his failure gave him a reason to calm down. Simply put, he’d do it for her. He took a few breaths and glanced up and down the street to figure out their next move.
“Looks like the convenience store across the street has a camera facing this way.” He assumed Kiley would be with him in wanting to get ahold of the video and held out a hand. “After you.”
At the store with windows filled with handmade signs touting everything from fresh vegetables to goat cheese, he confirmed the single camera mounted under the eaves was indeed pointed at Waleed’s headquarters.
“Perfect,” he said and pulled the door open for Kiley.
He might have just eaten, but the sweet smell of fresh-baked bread wafting out of the small store sent his mouth watering. He glanced around at tables filled with fresh produce and a variety of breads. More traditional refrigerated items in coolers circled the space. Thankfully there were no customers, so they could speak freely with the burly and bald cashier. Silver hoop earrings dangled from both ears, reminding Evan of Mr. Clean, and the sleeves of his black T-shirt were rolled around tattooed biceps.
Kiley flashed her ID at him, not at all taken aback by the enormous and daunting-looking guy. “Manager in?”
He planted his meaty hands on the counter. “No manager. Just the owner, and he’s gone for the night.”
Evan stepped forward. “Does your outside camera catch any action across the street?”
“Yeah. We’ve had some vandalism problems with those foreigners, so the owner made sure it did.” His disgusted tone rumbled through the space like a violent thunderstorm. “There’s been other issues with them too.”
“What kind of issues?” Kiley asked.
“Fights. Harassment.” He crossed his arms, the muscles bulging. “Called the police a bunch of times.”
Evan tapped a reminder into his phone to request those reports. “Do you know how long your manager keeps the video files?”
“No, but it’s a long time. He says there’s no way he’ll miss catching them in the act.”
Kiley smiled up at the man. “Mind calling him for us?”
He arched a brow. “They in trouble?”
“Something like that.”
“Then, yeah, I’ll call. You bet I’ll call.” He grabbed a handset from a charger and hit a button. A dialing sound emitted as he lifted the phone to his ear.
Evan stepped away and motioned for Kiley to join him. “While you wait for the manager, I’ll take a look in the alley behind Waleed’s office.”
“What are you hoping to find?”
He shrugged. “I just know I have to look. I don’t want to leave town without something actionable on Waleed.”
