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“What did he look like?”
“Long, sandy blond hair, a dark hoodie, ripped jeans, and high-tops. He was a little taller than me. Young. Maybe high school or a little younger. When he bumped into me, he looked at me. Only for a second. I’m fairly certain I could identify him if I saw him again.”
That was a lot to go on. More than we usually had in a situation like this. “We’ll be in touch. Let us know if you can remember anything else you think would be helpful.”
“I need to inventory everything that was broken for the insurance company.”
“Note if anything was taken, too.”
“Yeah, okay.” Hailey’s hands shook slightly as she brushed her hair out of her face. Her body was still feeling the effects of the adrenaline rush, but her face was determined.
I walked toward my squad car, Dexter following.
“We need to go to the garage. See where Corey was last night,” Dexter said to me.
“Headed there now.” I wanted this case closed. And it wasn’t to prove to my boss that I deserved the promotion, it was so that Remi was safe.
“You want to show her some photos of our usual juvenile suspects, including Corey?” Dexter asked when I pulled open the driver’s-side door of my squad car.
I nodded. “We need to do it soon while her memory is still fresh.”
“We could have her sit with the artist if she doesn’t recognize him in the photos.”
“First things first. Meet me at the garage.” I didn’t wait for an answer, sliding into the front seat. I didn’t wait for Dexter to get into his car before I was pulling into traffic. My blood was humming in my veins. My instincts were telling me this was our break. We got him.
I dreaded talking to parents whose kids got into trouble. But this kid was wreaking havoc on the downtown stores and making the shop owners feel unsafe. The last thing anyone wanted was for tourists and locals to avoid the area because it was perceived as dangerous.
It was early morning, but the bay windows of the garage were open. Clinking sounds from inside told me someone was working.
A kid in overalls slid out from under a car, standing when he saw me approach. Tall and lanky for his age, his blond hair was chin-length. His lips twisted. Not in a sneer like I was used to from troublemakers, but in fear.
He took a step back, then seemingly thinking better of it, braced his feet shoulder-width apart. “You need to speak with my dad?”
“You Corey?” I asked, my gaze sliding to the label on his overalls.
He nodded, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
“Get your dad.”
Dexter jogged up to me.
Corey’s gaze slid to Dexter’s before he turned on his heel, hopefully going to get Ryan.
“It would be nice if you waited for me,” Dexter said under his breath.
“What’s the fun in that?”
Dexter glared at me. “It’s a kid. Let’s do this by the book.”
“I told him to get his dad.” I intended to do things right, even if I was more eager to nail this kid.
“You’re more intense than usual.”
I didn’t answer.
“We need to do this right.”
I shot him a warning glance. I had more seniority than him. We acted as partners, but on this, I wanted it done. So I was taking lead.
