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“Hey, Charlie. Are you okay to look at some photos for us?”
Charlie’s eyes widened, and then his gaze shifted from Aaron to the police chief.
“Is it the man?” he asked.
“We don’t know,” Sonny said. “He looks like the sketch, but we want to know what you think. You’ll have the final word.”
“Okay,” Charlie said.
Sonny pulled out the stills and handed them to Charlie one by one.
Charlie’s hand shook when he took the first one, but the more he looked at it, the calmer he became. Sonny didn’t know whether that was a good sign or a bad sign until he handed him the last one.
Charlie looked at it, then handed the pile of them to his mother.
“Get a good look at him, Mom. That’s the man who shot me.”
“Are you certain?” Sonny asked.
“Yes, sir. I’m absolutely certain,” Charlie said. “Are you going to arrest him?”
“When we find him, yes, we are. He’s already left town, but it’s just a matter of time until we track him down. And don’t worry,” Sonny said. “Our job is to run down the criminals. Your job is to get well, okay?”
“Yes, sir,” Charlie said.
Betty wasn’t as calm as Charlie. Looking at the face of the man who’d shot her son and left him to die had triggered a visceral response within her.
“You better find him before Ray does, or there won’t be enough of him left to arrest,” she said, and handed the photos back to the chief.
A chill ran up Sonny’s spine. The last thing they needed was a vigilante parent on the loose.
“Betty, you tell Ray to take care of Charlie and leave the hunting to us. And Charlie, rest easy knowing you’ve done an amazing job in helping us identify your shooter. You’re a very brave young man.”
A nurse walked into the room as they were leaving.
“Looks like Charlie’s pain meds arrived,” Sonny said as they headed for the elevator.
“And none too soon,” Aaron said. “He was in a lot of pain. I could see it in his eyes.”
A few minutes later, Aaron dropped the chief back at the station and then called Dani.
She answered on the second ring.
“Hello?”
“Hey, it’s me, Aaron. We’ve had a hit on the composite sketch and some photos to show you. Are you home?”
“Yes, and fresh coffee made. Come on over,” she said.
“Thanks,” he said, and headed to the east side of town.
One witness down.
One to go.
Dani was waiting for Aaron to arrive when her cell phone rang. She glanced down at caller ID and, for a few seconds, forgot to breathe. Tony Bing’s mother? Why the hell would Arlene Bing be calling her? And how did she get this number? She started not to answer it, but then reminded herself that his parents had been horrified by what he’d done, so this couldn’t possibly be any kind of harassment.
Curiosity won out, and she finally answered.
