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Porter Landry was mostly bald except for a few long wisps of hair sprouting from the crown of his head. He was seated at a desk with three monitors, and the keyboard tray was pulled out. Live video played out on the screens. These covered inside the store, the parking lot, and the carwash bay. Porter swiveled his chair when Amanda and Trent graced the doorway, and Malone turned to look at them too.
“These are the detectives I was telling you about, Mr.Landry,” Malone said. “Detectives Steele and Stenson.” As he said their names, he gestured to them each in turn. He added, “This is Porter Landry, the owner of the Fill N Go.”
His complexion was pale, but his cheeks were flushed, and his eyes had a wide, wet look of shock to them. “Hi,” he said.
“Mr.Landry has agreed to show us any footage we wish to see. No warrant required.” Malone repeated what he’d already relayed before.
Being a cop taught her that generosity and humanity weren’t guarantees. Not everyone cared about other people. Sad but true. “Your cooperation is greatly appreciated, Mr.Landry.”
“It’s the least I can do. I just can’t believe this has happened.” He swallowed roughly, and his gaze drifted past her and Trent to someplace behind them.
“You know, this might all be a bit hard for you to watch,” Amanda said. “If you want to tell us where to find the files and how to work the program, we can take care of it.”
“Actually, I would prefer that.” He gave them a quick run-through, which seemed straightforward, and excused himself.
Malone stepped out with Porter to ask an officer to escort him from the store. He also told them to keep Porter on scene as Amanda and Trent may have questions for him.
Trent assumed control over the video and hit play after Malone returned.
The interior camera was positioned behind the counter to capture the faces of customers, and potential criminals, which made sense. They saw the back of Leah Bernard’s head. Her ginger hair and reindeer headband gave her away. She was reading a paperback, but it didn’t stop her from reaching out periodically and adjusting trinkets on the small tree.
Leah set her book down and fussed with her headband. It appeared as if she were watching her reflection in the domed security mirror located on the other side of the store.
The chime on the door jangled. A man came in, and Amanda’s heart rate kicked up anticipating he was the shooter, but he just bought a bottle of water and left.
When the door opened again, the timestamp read 4:40 AM, and Amanda’s breath froze in her chest at the sight of someone the three in this room knew well.
Katherine Graves had served as interim Homicide sergeant when Malone was convalescing from surgery to remove a malignant brain tumor a year and a half ago. More recently, she retired from law enforcement and put on an apron at her aunt’s local diner. Katherine being here this early was understandable as Hannah’s Diner did a healthy business starting first thing in the morning.
The three of them shared a brief glance.
Back on the video, Leah got off her stool and greeted Katherine with a cheerful, “Merry Christmas!”
Katherine offered a brief smile and reciprocated the seasonal greeting before going down the snack and gum aisle.
Goosebumps rose on the back of Amanda’s neck and trailed down her arms. Surely, her being there was nothing more than a coincidence. She could have been long gone before the shooter arrived.
But there was that silver chain and the familiar heart locket with a picture inside… A bad premonition tore through Amanda, making her nauseous. Had it looked familiar because it was Katherine’s and Amanda had seen it around her neck before? If so, what was it doing on the floor of the gas station? Though the clasp could have failed, and it simply fell off.
Another customer came into the store, and Katherine glanced over her shoulder toward the door. It was a man of solid build wearing a balaclava.
“It’s not cold enough for one of those,” Malone said.
Amanda prepared herself for what was coming. This guy had to be the shooter. The time of day and the face covering had Bad News written all over it.
In the snack aisle, Katherine appeared stalled by indecision over gum and mint options, but that wasn’t in Katherine’s personality. She’d have come inside the store knowing exactly what she’d wanted. Amanda would guess this man had Katherine’s cop instincts at high alert, and she was calculating her next move.
The man ambled down another aisle but circled around the back, stopping next to Katherine. He put a hand into his coat pocket and pulled out a gun, inching ever closer to Katherine.
“He’s going for her,” Malone said.
In an attack that was lightning quick, Katherine struck out with an arm and knocked him off balance. He fell against the shelving but bounced upright quickly as if his legs were rubber and his feet were anchored to the floor.
He raised his weapon on her. There wasn’t a word that passed between them, but Katherine yelled for Leah to get down.
During this time, Leah had been creeping along the counter, presumably to the panic button Trent had pointed out when they’d first arrived on scene.
The man fired and, within a blink, the girl had been shot.
