She hesitated a moment. “He shoved my head down on the counter, caught it on the corner.”
Michael pulled out his police radio. “Should we call for medical?—”
“I’ll be fine. I just need the police report for my insurance, so let’s get on with this.”
Whoa-kay. The radio went back in his pocket. “Did you see the pers?—”
“Like I said, he caught me by surprise from behind. I never saw a face. I couldn’t tell you how tall he was or anything else.” The woman glared at them like they should’ve known all this.
“And where did this happen?” Finn asked.
“Out back. There’s a small parking lot for us business owners. I came in that entrance, and he held me at gunpoint and forced his way inside.”
Michael wandered around the racks of clothes and listened while Finn conducted the rest of the interview. The lady was already irritated enough without both of them interrogating.
“Any surveillance?”
“Until now, I’d always considered this a safe neighborhood. I’ve never needed any.”
So no.
“Any distinguishing features you noticed?”
“With all the blood running down my face, you expect me to notice anything? The man demanded cash, and I gave it to him. Then he left.” She stood, still holding the towel.
Finn stayed calm and steady. Not a hint of the exasperation he was probably feeling. “Did he touch anything we can lift prints from?”
“No. He held a gun on me the entire time.” She checked her phone. “Look, there was exactly four hundred twenty-six dollars in the till. He pushed over a rack of mugs, which will be a total loss. If you can just fill out the report and give me a copy, that’s all I need.”
“We’ll do our best to figure out?—”
“I doubt you’ll find him at this point. I’ll recoup the damages from my insurance company.” The woman’s voice rose to a shrill.
But Finn didn’t respond in kind. If anything, he went softer. “Notice anyone strange hanging around, or know of anyone who would target you?”
She balked. “Of course not.”
Michael headed toward the back. In the narrow hall by the changing rooms, a shelf lay broken on the ground with shards of ceramic mugs scattered on the plank-style tiles. Around the corner was a small office and back door. Nothing around the doorframe and nothing else disturbed. Michael pushed open the door, which opened to a small lot like the owner had said. Nothing out back looked out of the ordinary. There were plenty of shadowy pockets where someone could’ve hidden and come from behind if the owner were busy opening the door. But four hundred dollars was hardly a big payout.
Michael looked out over the backs of the buildings. The dry cleaner was a few blocks away. Nothing had been taken there either. The convenience store was farther away, but none of these break-ins made sense, leading him to wonder if they were all connected somehow.
On a hunch, he checked the alley. Sure enough, the garbage bins all had the RWM logo. Then again, there were only a few waste management companies that serviced the city of Renegade and surrounding area. RWM was the biggest, so it might not mean anything. He wouldn’t mind seeing if these businesses were all on the same route. Dani could ask her buddies.
But again…what was the point of these break-ins? One owner beaten unconscious, one untouched, and another with a head wound.
Michael asked Finn what he thought on their way back to the station.
Finn looked over his notes. “The only thing I see connecting these break-ins is that none of the owners have been very helpful. Mrs. Barbu at the dry cleaners claims she didn’t see anything. Carter has been in a coma or medicated to the point of oblivion. By the way, I called the hospital today, and the nurse said he’s still out of it. And now this one practically bit my head off when I asked for more details about the suspect’s voice.”
“I keep thinking they’re connected too, but the businesses are random. The times they hit are random. None of them were big scores.”
“This lady was worried about insurance. Maybe they all use the same insurance company or something. They each seem pretty reluctant to work with us, which makes me wonder if they know more than they’re saying.”
“Yeah, the woman had a pretty strong reaction when you asked if anyone could be targeting her. Too strong, really.” Michael tapped his thumb on the steering wheel. “Did she happen to say who she has her business insurance through?”
“No, but let’s get back to the station and find out.”
“Good idea.”
