“Thanks,” I whisper back.
I crouch down in front of Ellieand start stroking her thighs in soothing motions. “Ellie girl. Time to wake up.”
She stirs for a moment before her eyes fly open.A sharp gasp bursts from her lips as her chest rises in a sudden, panicked breath.
I gather her face in my hands. “You’re fine. You’re okay. It’s just me.”
It takes her a moment, but soon there’s clarity in her gaze.
“What’s going on?” she asks, groggily.
“We might have something,” I tell her, pulling back and helping her stand. “If you’re up for it, we’d like you to look at some traffic cam stills.”
She nods. “Yeah. At this point I’ll do anything.”
With my fingers threaded through hers, we walk into the conference room.
The moment her gaze lands on the screens, her eyes widen.
“Matt?” Her head whips at me. “It’s Matt?”
Vorheis steps forward, extending his hand. “Sergeant Vorheis, but you can call me Dennis.”
She smiles, years of being a Ledger kicking in—her manners on autopilot. “Elyse.”
Vorheis returns her smile and gestures for her to have a seat.
As she gets settled Ryker nods at her. “Are you thirsty? Do you need anything?”
She shakes her head. “I’m fine, Ryker. Thank you.”
Morales moves to stand near the screens. “Okay, let’s get started.” Using the remote, she changes the image. “At 6:18 p.m. the traffic camera on Main and Third, captured this image.”
It’s of a black sedan.
Ellie nods. “That’s it. That’s who followed me.”
“According to the plates,” Morales continues, “it’s registered to Matt Pagio.”
My attention turns to Ellie. “Has he been giving you problems? You never mentioned him.”
She huffs a dry laugh. “Well, up until yesterday afternoon I was planning his wedding. That woman you saw me meet with was his fiancé.”
Vorheis leans over the table. “Is there any reason he would have something against you?”
Ellie shrugs. “I guess so. I’m the one who convinced her to call it off.”
“Well, there’s your motive,” Ryker says, twisting in his chair.
I shake my head. “That doesn’t explain everything prior. If he didn’t have a reason to be angry with her before Friday, then he’s probably not who’s responsible for the other incidents.”
“Alvarez is right,” Vorheis says. “We’ll need to bring him in for questioning. We’ll have patrol pick him up in the morning, but as of right now, his overall motive is shaky at best.” He points between me and Ellie. “You two should gohome, and get some rest. We’re not getting any further tonight.”
Ryker stands. “Agreed. I’ll have full-time patrol surveillance reinstated, and you’ll have an escort home.”
I shift my focus to Ellie. “Ready to go home?”
Her gaze settles with mine. “You have no idea.”
