Page 45 of Wild Escape

Audrey raised her hands innocently, not looking for a fight.

I handed Kenzie a card and told her to get in touch if she thought of anything helpful.

I asked Audrey for the security footage, and she pulled it up on her phone. She handed the device to me, unable to watch. It was too fresh and too painful.

I scrolled through, exported the clips, and sent them to my phone.

Neither the driveway cam nor the camera at the courtyard gate caught an image of the assailants. I figured they must have left through the back door and exited via the canal behind the house. It was the easiest way to slip into the posh neighborhood unnoticed. Under the cover of darkness, a small rigid inflatable with an electric motor would be unobtrusive. At this time of night, they probably slipped in and out unnoticed.

Fortunately, the camera in the living room captured a brief glimpse of the assailants as they moved across the patio. Just as suspected, the assailants infiltrated the home through a window in the guest bedroom downstairs. From this angle, the camera captured a view of the open concept kitchen, living room, the large window walls that opened to the patio and the pool, and the hallway that led to the guest bedroom and guest bathroom. It was high definition footage, but still dark and grainy. Motion-activated, it captured the figures for an instant as they moved from the hallway into the foyer.

As Audrey had described, there was a big guy, a guy with a medium build, and a svelte woman with a backpack wearing red shoes. It seemed like an odd crew.

I asked Audrey to text me the contact information for the maid and the contract workers who had been to the house recently.

She did.

It was late by that time, or early, depending on how you looked at it. The sun would be cresting the horizon soon. It would be a long night for Audrey and Kenzie. I told her to let me know if there was anything I could do during this difficult time.

After a few more questions, I left and headed toward the station to fill out after-action reports. I texted Isabella along the way and asked her to see if she could put any cellular devices at the Caldwell residence during the crime. I doubted the assailants were that stupid, but they certainly weren’t geniuses. I figured Isabella would get the message in the morning, which was fast approaching. But she could be a bit of an insomniac at times.

I called Jack as I pulled into the lot at the sheriff’s department. “What’s the scoop with our fugitive?”

24

“Daphne stopped by a convenience store, picked up some snacks, a prepaid cellular, and a prepaid credit card. Then she checked into the Driftwood,” Jack said.

It was a crappy little motel popular with college kids looking to party and budget-minded tourists.

“She’s in room #6. The lights are off, and she hasn’t had any visitors.” he paused. “I’m getting tired of standing here. Come pick my ass up.”

“Be there in a minute.”

I drove to the Driftwood as the sky lightened. Jack sat on a bench on a sidewalk across the street from the motel. I pulled to the curb, and he hopped in the passenger seat. The city hadn’t quite come alive yet. It was quiet out.

Jack looked tired, his eyes starting to droop.

I caught him up to speed on the Caldwell incident.

He frowned and shook his head at the chaos.

I watched room #6.

“I say we knock down the door and drag her ass back to jail. That girl is more trouble than she’s worth.”

“She’s going to lead us to the dagger,” I said, confident.

“Did you tell the sheriff about any of this?”

I shook my head. “Nope.”

I sent another text to Isabella and asked her to track the burner phone that was in room #6 at the Driftwood. It shouldn’t be too hard for her to find.

We sat in the car at the curb for another half an hour, monitoring the room. Daphne was sound asleep by now. She’d probably sleep till noon. Neither one of us wanted to sit in the car any longer than we had to. Stakeouts were the least glamorous part of the job.

Jack took the opportunity to crash out.

I sat there for an hour before Isabella called.