They followed his scent downstairs and looked for him everywhere. But they didn’t find him. What was going on?
“I wonder if he found the empty apartment and thought to hide out here for a while, then was afraid he might get caught and decided to grab another car instead,” Kendra said. “He might have been in the area quite a time before we got here.”
“I think you’re right. Let’s go to the manager’s office and see if we can look at the security video. I figured we would find him before this.”
“I know. Me too. Hopefully, a video will tell us where he went, or if he stole another car, if one was located near, what it is, and where he drove off to.”
They walked to the management office and, when they reached it, introduced themselves to the manager, a pretty brunette with a big smile. She probably assumed they were interested in renting an apartment together.
“We’re bounty hunters,” Kendra said, bursting the manager’s bubble. “We’re trying to track down a man who entered an unleased furnished apartment, 3B.”
“No, really?”
“Yes. It was unlocked. He’d been there but was gone by the time we got there. We need to see if he stole a car near there and took off with it.” Kendra hoped the manager didn’t ask how they knew Younger had been in the apartment if they hadn’t seen him.
Now the manager hopped to and started checking the security monitor. “When did this happen?"
“Maybe just minutes, maybe a half hour ago.”
The manager, Kendra, and Grayson were watching the video for clues, slowing it down to get a better look at a man trying to get into a car. “Is that him?” the manager asked.
His back was to the camera, but he looked like he was trying to break into the car.
“I can’t tell for sure if that’s him, but it’s the only camera that shows someone struggling to get into a car as if he doesn’t own it, and he’s in a hurry to get away. He’s tall and broad like Younger, so it could be him,” Grayson said.
“Do you have any videos that show him leaving the parking lot with the car?” Kendra asked.
“Yeah, he’s heading out this way. You can clearly see his license plate,” the manager said.
“I’m texting Rowland to see if he can run it down,” Kendra said.
“I have it right here,” the manager said. “We have all the renters’ license plates in case there’s trouble. The man who owns that car is Mack Givens, and he is renting an apartment on the second floor of the complex. His car was parked there.”
“Can you call him and see if he’s driving his car somewhere?” Kendra asked.
“Yeah, sure.” The manager looked thrilled to be helping them with the case, rather than stonewalling them because they lacked legal jurisdiction.
But if they helped alert him that his car had just been stolen, that was important too.
The manager called Mack Givens and put it on speakerphone. “Hi, this is Shirley Macrow, manager of the apartment complex. I’m calling to see if you or someone you know has taken your car out of the parking lot.”
“A blue Ford Taurus? Hell, no.” Mack was quiet for a moment, then said, “I just looked out my window, and it’s not where I parked it. Hell, someone stole it.”
“We’re reporting it to the police.” Kendra got on her phone and let Rowland know that Younger was probably the one who stole the vehicle. “But even if it wasn’t him, the owner, Mack Givens, said he didn’t give anyone permission to use his car.”
“I’m putting a BOLO on it.”
Kendra gave Rowland the address where the car had been parked.
Then they thanked the apartment manager for her help and took off to see if they could locate where the car had gone.
Grayson got a call on Bluetooth. “Yeah, Ivy, what’s up?”
“I don’t have Kendra’s phone number or email address.”
He frowned. “And you need them, why?”
“Because I’m inviting her to my sixteenth birthday party.”
