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“You fucking owe me for this, Ev.”
“I know. Whatever you need, Paul.”
“I’ll remember you said that. Give me twenty minutes, and I’ll be there.”
He hangs up, and I use my phone to hack into the motel’s cameras. Or should I say camera. There is only one at the main entrance over the doors.
I run my hands over my face, my chest feeling tight. My need to get my hands on my laptop grows until I’m forced to call Crew.
He answers on the second ring. “Greg called. I’m already on it, brother. Tell me exactly what you need.”
“Can you bring me my laptop and charge?”
“You got it. So, what’s your gut telling you?”
“Honestly, Crew, I have no idea. All I know is that she didn’t leave this room by choice. Someone made her leave, and I want to fucking know why.”
“We’ll find her.”
“We better. Not only because she has so much more she needs to tell us, but because I care what happens to her. And here I am waiting around with my thumb up my ass.”
“Okay, calm down. I know you want to fix this, but you can’t do everything, Ev. I’ll bring you the laptop, and you can search for a trail. The rest of us will do the footwork. When we find something, we’ll let you know.”
I nod, even though he can’t see me. “Okay, and thanks, Crew.”
“No worries.”
He hangs up as I pace the room, trying to pull all the pieces together. So, Avery ran from her job to come and warn us after one of the kids she works with had a vision. But she scoped us out first. I can’t blame her for being cautious, not after the way shit went down with Astrid. Seems we have a habit of reacting without thinking through the consequences. The shooting at the diner forced her hand.
Right, the shooting.
I dial Paul again and keep pacing.
“It hasn’t been twenty minutes, you impatient asshole.”
“I need you to run a couple of names for me.”
“I’m literally driving, Ev. Think I can get to you first before I do something else for you that might get me kicked off the force?”
“I guess,” I grumble before hanging up. If my laptop were here, I’d just check it myself.
Alright, what came after the shooting? The hospital. Avery was checked in under her married name, which would mean she hasn’t updated her ID since she left, which seems unlikely. Unless they couldn’t find any and one of her ex-husbands checked her in.
I call Hawk, whose cell phone is unreachable. Same with Creed’s. Fuck. They had to have this stupid case in the middle of buttfuck nowhere, didn’t they?
I’m assuming they checked her in under her married name, and she updated them with the motel address when she woke. They must have, because when I hacked the hospital computer system, it was the only address on file. If that’s the case, I can’t see how someone would have found out where she was so quickly. Unless she was actively being followed or she made a call that was somehow traced.
I look at the burner phone and shake my head. Unlikely. There’s a reason people use burners, and that’s that they’re untraceable. I sit on the edge of the bed and tap my foot. Think, Evander. Who knew she was here, apart from me? Apart from the hospital staff, that is.
I pause. Maybe it’s not Avery that was hacked, but me. No, I’m too careful. I’d know if someone was in my system. Especially after all the upgrades I made after Cooper betrayed us all.
I’m so lost in thought, I jump when a fist bangs on the door before swinging wide open to reveal Crew with my laptop bag in his hand.
“Special delivery.”
I dive off the bed and grab it, making him laugh. I ignore him as I shove him outside, closing the door behind me. I lead us to the truck and nod for him to get in.
“Me and Greg have already been inside. I don’t want anyone else contaminating the crime scene.”
