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“The woman across the hall said he drove an older blue pickup truck.”
“Yeah.”
“Anything you noticed about it besides the dents?
“Like what?”
“Anything that would make it different from another truck just like it.”
“Um, I do remember one thing. There was an oval decal on the back window with a crazy word like duda printed on it. Are you through with me? I’ve got to get back to my apartment. I’ve got dinner on the stove.”
“Go ahead.”
The second he walked away, Vic phoned headquarters to report the decal. After he hung up, Kit said, “I’ve learned that Jamison Lowell was the person who hired Leroy. He’s no longer working for the school district office, but I have the guy’s address.”
Vic clenched his jaw. “Let’s go find him.”
Kit followed him to East Austin and they pulled up in front of a rambler home with a tidy yard. After walking to the front door, Vic rang the bell and they waited. When no one answered, he rang it again. This was like déjà vu.
“Stay there and keep trying. I’ll run next door to the neighbor’s house and find out what I can.” Kit took off. Vic walked around the house and used his flashlight to look in the windows. The place was empty.
When he could hear voices from next door, he hurried over to join Kit, who introduced him to an older couple.
“These people here say that the Lowells moved last week. They don’t know where, but figure they wanted to be near their only daughter, who’s married and lives in Colorado.”
“Do you know where in Colorado?” Vic pressed.
The woman pondered the question. “I’m pretty sure the daughter and her husband live in Vail. They do a lot of skiing.”
“Do you know their last name?”
“I think it might be Preston,” the husband said.
“Do you know what kind of car the Prestons have? Maybe from when they visited the Lowells?”
“A blue, four-door Passat.”
“Thank you. You’ve been very helpful.”
“I hope the Lowells aren’t in any trouble. They’re such nice people. He worked with the school district you know. We hated to see them move.”
“Sudden, was it?” Vic stared at both of them.
The man nodded. “Yes, but then we didn’t know that much about their family.”
“I don’t see a for sale sign on the lawn.”
“Not yet.”
Vic reached for his wallet and handed them his business card. “Please call my office when you find out the name of the Realtor selling the house.”
“We will. Good night.”
Once they were back at their cars, Vic pounded his fist against his windshield. “This has been organized for several months, Kit. I never saw this coming. Jeremy could be anywhere. He—”
“We’ll find him,” Kit broke in. “I’ll follow you home and contact the Vail police. They’ll do a search for a family with the last name Preston. We’ve got the make of the car. As for you, you need to get some rest. When we get to your place we’ll talk strategy until you’re too tired to think and can sleep.”
“I’ll never be able to sleep, not while my son is missing.”
