Page 56 of Wild Escape

I wanted to go back to the station and look through the case reports of the recent burglaries to see if we could find anything that tied them all together.

We set out to find Hendrick Van der Valk first.

He was a collector of rare books and was in town for the convention. My guess was he didn't commit the crime himself but hired someone to get the Codex for him.

It was a working theory.

You’d have to be foolish to steal something like that without a buyer lined up.

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JD and I swung by the Hyton Hotel. The book convention took up a few of the ballrooms. Jack pulled up to the valet and told the kid to keep it up front. Perks of the badge.

We stepped into the grand lobby, the Florida sunshine filtering through the atrium. A crowd of people came and went. Tourists checked in and out. The clatter of silverware drifted from the restaurant. People lounged around at the bar, sipping cocktails.

I cut in line and flashed my badge to the cute blonde clerk at the front desk.

She returned my smile. "How can I help you today?"

"I'm looking for Hendrick Van der Valk.”

She tapped a few keys and looked at the screen. "He's in room #1214. Would you like me to ring the room?"

With another smile, I said, "No. That won't be necessary. Thank you."

We left the desk, strolled across the lobby, and took the glass elevator up to the 12th floor. We stepped off and ambled down the hall toward #1214. I put a heavy fist against the door.

There was no reply.

I figured Hendrick was probably in one of the ballrooms. I pulled up his image on social media and showed Jack. There were thousands of people in attendance. It wouldn’t be an easy task without a little assistance. I called Isabella and asked her to track his cell phone.

She told me his phone was in the ballroom.

JD and I headed back downstairs.

“Is Daphne still at the motel?” I asked Isabella.

“Her phone is. No calls, outgoing or incoming.”

I thanked her for the information, ended the call, then dialed Denise.

“I’m bored.”

I chuckled. “I can imagine.”

“How much longer do I have to sit here?”

“I don’t know.”

“I have to go to the bathroom.”

“Okay, we’ll finish up here, then swing by and give you a break.”

“Hurry,” she said before ending the call.

We reached the lobby and hurried to the ballroom.

JD and I plowed through the crowd, looking for the eccentric collector. Rows and rows of vendor tables with black pipe and drape offered all sorts of books to eager fans. From the rarest of the rare to old adventure paperbacks to comic books, there was something for everyone. It wouldn't be a book convention without several contemporary authors signing autographs, meeting readers, and posing for pictures. The convention was a place for like-minded individuals to connect, mix, and mingle.