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“Do you know his real name?”
She shakes her head, and at this point, I can’t tell if she’s still being honest with me. Despite not listening to rumors on either side of the argument about Cerberus, I know that many of them have a reputation of getting around. It’s very possible that the guy she mentioned seeing with Elizabeth has likely been involved in a sexual relationship with her, too.
“Would you be willing to go back to Jake’s and pull the video for us from the night she was at the bar?”
“All of my nights run together. I don’t remember when she was there exactly.”
I give her a little nod of understanding. “I know when her debit card was used last.”
She shakes her head, swallowing. “I’ve never touched the video equipment. Technology really isn’t my strong suit. Drake would be a better person to ask but he’s out of town.”
“Camping,” I say. “With Cerberus.”
She nods, confirming my earlier suspicion, knowing that it was too coincidental that Colton was also going camping for the two trips not to be the same.
“What about…” I begin, looking down at notes I wrote before leaving the station. “Jake?”
She shakes her head. “Jake could open the office, but he’s not very tech savvy, either.”
Frustration begins to boil deep inside of me.
I’ve learned to be skeptical of every person I encounter until I’m proven differently, and even then trust isn’t very high on my skill set. As bad as it is, I operate a lot under guilty until proven innocent, but I don’t think many people would be shocked to know most cops are exactly the same.
In my head, I’m already working out the connection between Drake, Cerberus, and the possibility that the lead bartender could be involved in Elizabeth’s murder. At a minimum, he could’ve destroyed video evidence to protect this Ugly from prosecution.
“Thank you for your time,” I tell her before walking off her front porch.
I’m to my car before I hear her shut the front door.
I have no doubt she’ll call someone from Cerberus to warn them I’m sniffing around, but there’s nothing I can do about it now.
I fight the urge to call Colton, knowing he may be too close to this too, but I can’t stop working the investigation because it’s leading me somewhere I don’t want to go.
I give the information I’ve been provided to Tabatha at dispatch, hoping she’s capable of finding out this guy’s real name as I head toward the Cerberus property.
I sit in the parking area, just as I did outside of Rochelle’s house, but this time, I’m torn. I’ll follow the evidence all the way to the end of the case, but part of me hopes this guy isn’t involved, if anything, for what it might cost Colton. The man has been my mentor for the last six months, and I have nothing but respect for him. His connection is what has always made me want to lean to the side of trusting the club like he does.
There are no lights on inside, so it tells me that most, if not all, of the members have gone on this camping trip, but I climb out of the car anyway.
I swallow as I walk past a row of bikes, wondering if they don’t already know I’m here from some sort of motion detection system. The parking lot is very well lit, as are the houses across the street. Cameras point not only to the front door of the main building up front, but there are several visible on the garage as well as light poles in the middle of the parking area.
I realize as I climb the front steps that I’ve heard many things about this place, but I’ve never been out here. Even on patrol, I never responded to a call that brought me out here. The road ends in a dead end, and technically it’s outside of the city limits.
There’s a part of me that wants to solve this case so badly, I consider trying to turn the doorknob to see if it’s unlocked. The I thought it was public property like a store or something wouldn’t work if I were discovered inside without permission. Not that these guys would leave town and not secure their buildings. There are private property signs all over the place out here, so it would be a mistake to play stupid.
I bang on the door, my fist aching with the effort against the steel. I press the doorbell repeatedly, unconcerned for who I wake up inside. Both attempts go unanswered as the sun slowly creeps up further from the horizon.
Colton mentioned the Rio Grande National Forest, and knowing this guy is in the same location eats away at me as I walk back to my car.
I radio into dispatch that I’m going to be heading in that direction, and Tabatha, the godsend that she is, lets me know she’ll try and track down their exact location by calling the booking office.
