She sat still until they finally went back to grazing, but just then her phone pinged and the largest doe jerked up and darted off into the woods. The others followed in a blur of white tails bouncing through the foliage.
Chapter Twenty-Three
RANDY’S DAYhad been lousy. Hutchens was out on vacation, so they were shorthanded, and the captain had been in a bad mood all week.
Randy hadn’t even had time to grab lunch before being tasked with another call. One clear on the other side of the city, putting him right in rush-hour traffic on top of it all.
His caseload was climbing at a disproportionate rate.
He came in and dropped into his chair. There was at least two hours of paperwork to get through just from today. He jerked open the bottom drawer of his desk and snagged a protein bar. It would have to hold him over.
The blinking light on his phone probably meant more work, but he needed to knock this stuff out first. He powered through the reports.
Rolling his shoulders, his joints creaked in retaliation for the missed workouts this week.
He pressed Enter on the last updates and shut down his computer, then pressed the button on his phone to retrieve his voice mails. Anything urgent would’ve come straight to his cell phone.
His pen poised over his notepad, he jotted down the details and inquiries as he listened.
He paused when he heard Natalie’s voice. A pleasant surprise. A great ending to an otherwise not-so-great day. She had something to tell him. Something she thought might be important.
It was close to nine o’clock. Randy hated to call that late, but it sure would be nice to hear her voice tonight.
He grabbed his keys and walked out of the building. It was a quick ride home, and all he could think about was her. He went inside, sat on the couch, and stared at his phone.
He found the number, hesitated only a moment, and then hit the green button. On the second ring, he was regretting calling so late and considering hanging up when she answered.
“Hey, Natalie. It’s Randy. I got your message. I’m sorry to be returning your call so late. I had a grueling day.”
“No worries. I’m just sitting here reading. I’m glad you called me back. It’s good to hear your voice.”
His heart hitched up a beat. He felt the same way. “How’s it going up there?”
“Good. I’ve met a few more people. This is really a great little town. That’s not why I called though. I remembered something this afternoon.”
“Something important?”
“I think I might know where Marc is.”
“Really?” He sat up. “Did he contact you?”
“No. Nothing like that. I don’t know why it didn’t come to me until this afternoon, but I was sitting there just kind of quietly sketching and it all came rolling back.”
“It happens that way sometimes. Fill me in.”
And she did, in detail. Every word. “Do you think he was bragging about his deception before saying goodbye?”
“You could be onto something. I mean, anyone would’ve made the assumptions you did at the time, but knowing what we know now, yes, this could absolutely be a lead.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
“I met a detective from North Carolina who connected me with one of the guys who’s been working a case very similar to yours. We’ve been exchanging information. He’s not far from that area.”
“I’m almost afraid to get my hopes up,” Natalie said.
“You’ve been more than patient. This could be the lead we need to finally find that guy.” He stretched out on the couch and kicked his shoes off. They clunked to the floor. “This is good news. I needed some of that today.” Talking to her was the best part of this day. “I have some news for you too. Not about the case, but I checked with my buddy that has the tap house.”
“The place with all the old cars.”
