“What email is it from?”
Vaughn clicked a button with the glove.
“Looks generic. If whoever sent this actually lured ten people out to the barn, I doubt they’re going to sign up for this email using their actual name.”
“You never know.” Darnell gestured at the screen dismissively. “A lot ofreallystupid people out there.”
“What do you want to do?”
Vaughn knew what he wanted to do. Take the laptop back to the PPD. Get Bowes and Caine to go through it. Only, they had no right to remove it from Aaron’s apartment.
Darnell scratched his head. Thought for a moment, then said, “Why did Delaney say Aaron got fired?”
“Accused of stealing a laptop.”
Darnell raised an eyebrow.
“Some student’s, right?”
“Faculty, I think.”
“Yeah, you’re right. And guess what? I don’t see any receipts for a laptop in the apartment, do you?”
Vaughn grinned a little. Looked around dramatically.
“I do not.”
“Then this might be the very laptop in question, which makes it evidence. Pack it up.”
Vaughn didn’t need to be asked twice.
He slipped the glove on now, and worried that if he closed the laptop lid completely, he might be required to log in when it opened again, he kept it in its current state.
“What are you doin’? I—I said you could come in, but you can’t take stuff out.”
“You a lawyer now, Dale?” Darnell asked.
“No, but—”
“We have reasonable suspicion that this laptop is stolen.”
“Stolen?”
“Stolen,” Vaughn confirmed.
“O-okay. What if he—what if Aaron asks where it went?”
“He won’t.” Darnell’s eyes darkened and he produced a business card. “But if anyone else comes by asking questions about Aaron, I want you to give me a call.”
Dale reluctantly took the card.
“Thanks for your help, Dale. You can have that smoke now.”
Delaney was waiting for them back at the station.
“What’s that?” he asked, hooking a chin toward the laptop that Vaughn still clutched in his hand. On the entire ride over, he’d been moving the cursor every few seconds to make sure it didn’t go into hibernation mode. Probably unnecessary, since it was sitting on Aaron’s table for a whole day without being used. But you could never be too careful.
“Aaron Treadman’s laptop.”
