Page 43 of Homicide in Water Creek

King held her arm. “Wait here. I want to talk to him first.” He handed her a pair of gloves. “Put these on, and when I motion you out, walk to exactly where I’m standing.”

“Maybe it would be better if the Unita County deputy helped instead?”

Her nerves were evident in her question, so he offered a smile he hoped would calm her. “He already has a job. He’ll be protecting this investigation by recording us inspecting the car. You got this. I’ll be clear about what I need. If you aren’t sure, ask, and I’ll clarify. Okay?”

Jacks nodded, so he climbed from the SUV, but he couldn’t help but think life was about to change again.

Not for the better.

Chapter Eighteen

Once King had spoken with the deputy and they had worked out the logistics of their search, he motioned for Jacks to get out of the SUV. She walked to where he was standing, and once she was beside him, he turned on the bodycam, going through the date, time, and location before they began walking around the car. She was relieved that King had pointed out that Vonita hadn’t been killed in the car, so the worst thing they’d find was blood transfer.

Since it was already dark, King used a flashlight to check under it. “As expected, the ground is clear,” he said once she stood behind him. “I’m ready to open the car.”

Jacks didn’t speak, remembering the body camera was already on. She nodded and started taking pictures as he unlocked the car and opened all four doors. “Initial inspection shows the car is clean. I see no overt or copious amounts of blood.”

After finding the papers from the rental car company, King slid them into an evidence bag, which the Unita County Deputy sealed and tagged. “There is no purse or any personal belongings in the car. Those items were also not with the body. We’ll open the trunk next.”

King pushed the trunk button on the key fob, and the lid popped open. Inside were several suitcases and a duffel bag, but no purse. They documented the bags, then lifted them out. The deputy helped them secure each one in a plastic bag before they placed them in the back of the SUV. They checked the trunk for anything hidden under the carpet or in the nooks and crannies, but it came up clean.

“The attacker never touched the trunk,” King said, unable to hide his frustration even knowing his camera was on. “Either she went with the person willingly and took her purse, or she was abducted. Either way, they never opened the trunk.”

“Did you check under the seats for her wallet?” Jacks asked.

“Of course. It was the first thing I did.”

“What about the cupholders in the back seat?”

“There weren’t any.”

“There are,” she said, motioning him toward the car. “I googled the car’s interior to familiarize myself with it. The middle seat is also a pull-down cupholder.”

“Why would she hide her wallet there?”

“I don’t know, but no stone unturned,” she reminded him.

Leaning carefully over the backseat, he pushed the top of the middle seat. Lo and behold, a cupholder popped down. Inside, there was nothing.

“Good catch, though,” he said as he ducked out of the car, the flashlight catching a metallic reflection on the floor. “What is that?”

King bent down and turned his head to look under the seat. “It’s her wallet. It must have been tucked under the front passenger seat, then slipped back where I couldn’t see it.”

Jacks did a fist pump. “Women are nothing if not predictable.”

Once he worked it free, he opened the wallet and held it up so the body camera would capture everything. “Vonita King’s driver’s license is in the wallet.” He went through the same routine with the deputy who tagged and sealed the wallet in a bag.

When he walked back to her, she was staring at the car. “Something isn’t right.”

“I agree, but I can’t put my finger on it,” King said.

Motioning around the area, she sighed. “Why here? Why would she just park here, of all places? Not off to the side, not around the back, but right smack-dab in front of the door.”

King’s trained gaze took in the space. “My thoughts exactly.” He turned to the deputy. “Did you open that storage unit door?”

“No,” he answered. “It never crossed my mind. I found the BOLO on the car and called you immediately.”

King turned back to her. “Since there’s no lock on the unit, I’m within my rights to open it.”