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Cassie and Harris walked half a mile in the opposite direction, careful to check whether they were being followed. When the detective was satisfied, they wound their way back to where they started, taking their time, and doubling back often.
Harris made it to the car first. As soon as Cassie slid inside and slammed the door shut, the detective peeled away from the curb. Cassie couldn’t help but look over her shoulders, trying to spot the man who’d attacked them only moments before. If he was still there, he blended into the crowd.
Cassie turned back around and buckled her seatbelt. She cast a glance at Harris, who spent every three seconds looking in her rearview mirror. The detective’s face was passive, but her knuckles had turned white around the steering wheel.
“I didn’t see him,” Cassie said. “Did you?”
“No. Or Reed. Hopefully they didn’t figure out where we parked.”
“Why would he do that?” Cassie ran a hand down the side of her face. “Call for help, I mean. Wasn’t he afraid of getting caught?”
“We were kicking his ass,” Harris said. There was a slight chuckle in her voice. “Someone would’ve stopped it eventually, and it would’ve made him look bad. He was a lot worse for wear, so better for him to play the victim card.”
“We should’ve stuck around and interrogated him.”
“With my fake badge?” The detective shook her head. “Wouldn’t have worked. Besides, I don’t know about you, but I don’t want my face in a viral video.”
“Me neither.” Cassie sighed. Had they even accomplished anything? “And now we lost him.”
“Did you notice his tattoo?”
“I wasn’t taking notes.”
Harris smirked. She had stopped checking the rearview mirror. Her knuckles loosened on the wheel, and she used one hand to rub her injured shoulder. They were out of danger. For now. “It was a mermaid tattoo.”
“And that’s important because?” Cassie’s eyes got wide as the detective let her figure it out for herself. “The guy that hired Armando and his friend to clean out the jewelry shop. That was him.”
“Yep.”
“So, wait a second.” Cassie’s head was filled with so many connections, she couldn’t see straight. “Randall Sherman’s flash drive led us to the jewelry store, which the janitor hired those guys to clean out. The janitor works for Reed, who has a record of shady insurance claims, including those found in Savannah.”
“Everything is coming full circle.” Harris’s grin was dark. “We just need one more link.”
“Putting Aguilar in the middle.”
“Basically.”
Cassie tipped her head back and stared at the ceiling of the Corolla. “But how? Reed is onto us. The janitor has already proven he’s willing to attack us in broad daylight. We’re lucky Rose is gone. She’s their prime target. They think she knows something.”
“And whoever was on the phone still has Bob. We need to figure out where they are.”
“Or draw them out somehow.” Cassie sat up straight, inspiration flashing before her eyes. “Oh.”
“Oh?” Harris looked over at her, eyes sharp. “What do you mean, oh?”
“It’s a little darker than hers, but it could work. Maybe she dyed it.”
“Cassie, what the hell are you talking about.”
Cassie grinned, and she knew it looked wicked. “I have red hair.”
“Yeah. I see that.” Harris shook her head. “So what?”
“Rose has red hair.”
“Okay?”
