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“Pretty sure.” He nodded. “It’s the old drive-in theater.” Her dark eyes went wide and bright with anticipation as he explained his reasoning to Sheriff Cochran.
“Let’s go,” she whispered.
He shook his head and ignored her frown as he listened to the rest of his orders. The sheriff confirmed that nothing had changed in regard to her protective detail outside and promised to let them know the moment they found Matheson.
While he went through the standard security checklist, Eva’s phone rang again. He hoped it was Ross. Hoped her boss said something to help him keep her inside the safety—relative safety—of Ruth’s house.
“One last thing, Sheriff.” The one contingency they hadn’t discussed was what he’d do, where they’d go, if they had to leave Ruth’s house. Watching Eva work last night and this morning, he had to assume that despite everyone’s efforts, her enemy was listening in. “My brother’s coming in for a turkey hunt this weekend. His license is in my desk. Can you see he gets it?”
“Yeah, J.C. that’ll be my top priority.”
Carson winced at the scathing tone. He liked to think he wasn’t typically such a dumbass, so the sheriff would put two and two together if Morcos forced them to run.
It wouldn’t be the easiest hike. And he wouldn’t want to take the chance without knowing how many men Morcos sent after her. He trusted the team on the perimeter, but all he had in the house was his nine-millimeter service weapon.
Considering the routes and risks between Ruth’s place and the old plantation where he did most of his hunting, it took him a minute to hear Eva calling him back to the present situation.
“Hey. Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” He gave her a smile, but knew it was weak. “Did you find something new?”
“The video is too steady to be hand held. It might be broadcasting the live feed to Morcos. Or whoever’s behind this,” she added without the reminder. “I might be able to hack the signal.”
She had a map of Haleswood and the outlying area on her monitor now. “This is the area around the drive-in right?”
He came closer. “That’s it.”
“Good.” The screen changed. “There’s a convenience store with security cameras right here.”
A different area of the map popped up. “Think the kidnapper stopped for a twinkie?”
“We can only hope. Want to go ask?”
“No way. My orders are to keep you right here.”
She shrugged. “It was worth a try.”
“What next?”
Glancing up at him, she pulled a face. “To keep from pulling my hair out worrying over Matheson, I plan to hyper-analyze the picture and video while scanning the cyber universe for any trace of Abe or Bakr Morcos.”
“All right.” Most of that made sense to him. He shoved his hands into his pockets. “Not planning to make a break for the drive-in?”
“You have the car keys.”
“True. And you have a map.”
“Also true. I should probably tell you I know how to hotwire a vehicle should the need arise.”
“Duly noted,” he said with a shake of his head. The woman amused him. There wasn’t another word for it. “Please, don’t.”
“Since you asked nicely.” Her eyes were on the monitor once more.
“I’m going to do a walk-through.”
“Paranoid much?”
The way this was shaping up, he wasn’t afraid to admit it. “Definitely. Fits the circumstances. Holler if you need me.”
