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“Yes, sir,” Deckard said, letting go of Harper’s hand momentarily to shake Randy’s hand.
Randy seemed taken aback by the gesture, but he shook Deckard’shand in return, then cleared his throat. “Before we get to these...” He crossed his legs and tapped the folder against his knee. “I have to tell you what led up to it.”
“The shirt,” Harper said, leaning forward.
“Yes. I was working the locker when Miranda came in that day.”
“What did she sign out?” Deckard asked, taking another sip of his coffee, praying this was it—that Randy held the piece that would put the scattered puzzle together.
“I don’t know.” Randy’s knee bounced. “The item numbers are too many to memorize.”
“Did you see what it was?” Harper asked.
“Not clearly, but...” Randy paused, rubbing his chin, and Deckard prayed he wasn’t backing off. “It wasn’t the shirt,” he finally said.
“How can you be certain?” he asked, needing to make sure Randy was positive.
“Because I took the shirt,” Randy said.
Deckard nearly choked on his coffee. “I’m sorry,” he said, wiping his mouth.
“You took the shirt?” Harper said. “Why? I don’t understand.”
“I got a call,” Randy said, his hand trembling, the coffee in his mug almost sloshing over the rim.
Who had called, and who had this guy so flipping scared? “From who?” Deckard asked.
“He didn’t say.”
“What did he say?” Harper asked, tightening her hold on Deckard’s hand, anticipation fixed on her face.
“He told me I had to listen very carefully.” Randy set his mug down and shifted in his seat. He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his lanky neck. “I had two things to do.”
“And you just listened to him?” Harper asked, irritation building in her voice.
“You don’t understand,” Randy said, perspiration slithering down his temple.
Deckard narrowed his eyes. “What don’t we understand?”
Randy swallowed again, a memory shifting across his gaze. “They had my sister.”
“Who’s they?” Deckard asked. “I thought you saidhim....”
Randy rubbed his arm. “There was one man on the phone, but he sent...” His voice cracked. “He sent me a video of my sister.” Tears beaded in his eyes. “She was gagged, bound, and blindfolded. The man on the phone took the video. Another one had a gun to her head.”
“Could you see anything about them? Any physical features?” Deckard asked.
Randy rocked back and forth on his chair. “Nothing in the video. The one holding the phone stayed off camera except for his hand, the other wore a black mask.”
“Was there anything to identify them?”
“The one on the phone had a signet ring on his finger. Gold, some engraving on it.”
“Could you see what was on it?” Harper asked, straining forward and tugging Deckard’s hand with her.
“No. It was too fast.”
“Anything else?” Deckard asked, hoping for something, anything, to get who was behind this.
