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She groaned. “Seriously? When are they going to figure out they’re not getting anything from here?”
“They’re regulars?” Vince asked.
Crank nodded. “They hang out on the corner at The Game Room a lot after school.” The Game Room was a popular spot for families, but most especially teens after school. “Dumb is the mayor’s nephew and Dumber’s dad is a cop. Those boys come in here thinking I’m going to break down and sell them alcohol.” He shook his head. “It’s getting ridiculous.”
“You talk to their parents?”
“I did.”
Vince raised a brow and followed the man into the office. “And?”
“And nothing. If those parents said anything to the boys, it didn’t have any effect.” He waved a hand. “I just keep chasing them off. Figure they’ll get tired of it and go somewhere else. I do worry that they’ll come in and steal something when I’m not here, but”—he shrugged—“nothing much I can do about that.” He smirked. “But they’re just one reason why I have great security and working cameras. What time would you say this happened?”
“Around 7:30 last night.”
His fingers flew over the keyboard and Vince glanced at his watch, then texted Charlie that he might be slightly late, but was working on something.
Charlie
Got you covered, man. No problem.
“Okay,” Crank said, “I think I’ve got what you need. Take a look.”
Vince stepped forward and peered at the screen. The footage played, and it didn’t take long to see the man he and Raina had chased come into view. And the one behind him. Just a shadow, but he was there. Interesting. He focused on the first one. “Yeah, that’s him.” Vince watched, looking for a good angle. “Come on, come on, show me your face.”
Finally, as the guy rounded the corner, he looked up and Vince got a profile of him. “There. Can you give me a printout of that?”
“Sure can.” In seconds, the printer whirred and Crank handed him the picture. “It’s not great, but I think that’s the best one you’re going to get.”
“I agree. Any way to see who the guy is behind him? I don’t know that he’s important, but I’d like to see him if I could.”
Crank narrowed his eyes. “Possibly.” He clicked a few more keys and zoomed in on the shadow that turned into a man. A blurry one, but enough that if Vince saw him on the street, he’d recognize him.
“You want a picture of him too?”
“Nah, I got the one I needed.” He met the man’s eyes. “Thank you for your help.”
Crank shrugged. “I can read people pretty well. You came across legit.”
“I’m legit, I promise. Just trying to keep someone safe.”
“I hope you can.”
Vince tucked the picture into his pocket, thanked the man again, then headed for his vehicle. Once he was connected to his Bluetooth, he snapped a picture of the hard copy, then sent the digital picture to Amanda Wright. She was part of TOG, the Technical Operations Group that handled a lot of the tech stuff for him and Charlie. He called her right after the picture went through.
“Wright here.”
“Hey, Amanda, I just sent you a picture. Can you see if you can get a hit with the facial recognition software?”
“Sure. What case is this related to?”
“I’m not sure it’s an official case yet, but if I’m right, then this guy is a possible serial killer.”
“Whoa. All righty then. I’m on it. I’ll let you know if anything pops.”
“Thanks.” By the time he hung up, he had reached the exit for the hospital. The same hospital where Raina worked. He might have to make a side trip to base to check on her. Not that he wouldcallit checking on her, as she would probably balk at the idea sheneededchecking on, but ... he’d figure out a reason to go by there.
When he made his way to Fedorov’s room, he found Charlie just outside the door talking on the phone. At Vince’s approach, the man said his goodbyes and hung up. “They’re getting ready to release Fedorov. I just made arrangements for an escort. Should be here within an hour.”
