Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Cam and Sawyer split up to cover more ground and question as many people as they could. Cam was headed to Fallon’s house to see if the key Mark had mentioned was still there, then he would question a few of Fallon’s friends.

Sawyer now sat in a small coffee shop downtown across from three of Fallon's friends, hoping to piece together her final movements. The group of young women sat huddled on the couch near the fireplace, their expressions a mixture of worry and confusion.

"Thank you all for coming," Sawyer began, glancing around at the young women before him. "We're trying to narrow down the timeline of Fallon's disappearance. We know she left the boutique where she works around 7:45 PM, and she responded to a text message at 8:52 PM. We need to know where she was during that hour."

The friends exchanged glances, trying to recall any details. Finally, one of them, a petite brunette named Lila, spoke up. “I think Fallon was at the grocery store that evening. I called her around 8:30 PM, but she told me while she was checking out, and that she’d call me back.”

“Did she call you back?” Sawyer leaned forward, his interest piqued.

She nodded. “Just a few minutes later.”

"What time was that call?"

Lila bit her lip, thinking hard. "It must have been just before 8:45 PM. We didn't talk long, maybe a couple of minutes. She kind of laughed about it being a long week, so she’d picked up a bottle of wine and was heading home."

Sawyer jotted down the information. "And that was the last you heard from her?"

Lila nodded, her eyes welling up with tears. "Yes. I texted her a couple of times over the weekend, but she didn't answer."

Cam, sitting beside Sawyer, spoke up. "Did she mention seeing anyone she knew at the grocery store? Or anything unusual happening?"

Lila shook her head. "No, nothing like that. She seemed normal, just like any other evening."

They were getting closer, but there were still gaps to fill. Sawyer turned to the rest of the group. "Did either of you hear from Fallon or see her that evening?"

The friends shook their heads, offering no new information. Sawyer sighed inwardly but kept his frustration in check. Every detail counted, no matter how small.

"Thank you, Lila," Sawyer said, offering her a reassuring smile. "You've been very helpful."

They stood up to leave, and Lila caught Sawyer's arm. "Please, find her. She's a good person. She doesn't deserve this."

"We're doing everything we can," Sawyer promised. "We'll find her."

As he left the coffee shop, Sawyer dug his phone from his pocket and called Cam. “One of her friends says Fallon stopped at the grocery store on her way home. I’m going to head over there, see if I can review the footage.”

“I’m just leaving now. I’ll meet you there.”

* * *

Sawyer rested a hip on the front fender and scanned the parking lot while he waited for Cam to arrive, a dozen scenarios flitting through his mind.

Shielding his eyes against the sun, his attention was drawn to Cam’s car as he pulled into the lot and parked next to him, then climbed out. “Anything on your end?”

“Nope.” Cam grimaced. “Hopefully this pans out, because none of the ladies I spoke with talked to her at all that night.”

“Supposedly Fallon was here sometime between 7:45 and 8:45 three nights ago,” Sawyer said as they walked toward the entrance of the store. “That should help us narrow it down.”

"Let's talk to the manager, see if we can access the security footage."

They entered the store and approached the customer service desk, where the manager, a middle-aged man named Mr. Peterson, greeted them with a cautious expression. “Officers. How can I help you?”

"Mr. Peterson, I'm Lieutenant McCoy, and this is Detective Reed," Cam introduced, flashing his badge. “We’re investigating a missing persons report. We need to review your security footage from three nights ago."

Mr. Peterson hesitated briefly before nodding. "Of course. Follow me."

He led them to the small security office tucked away behind the checkout counters. The room was cramped, dominated by a wall of monitors displaying different camera feeds from around the store. Mr. Peterson pulled up the footage from the relevant time frame.

"We'll start with the exterior cameras," Cam instructed, leaning closer to the screen.

The footage began to roll, and they watched intently for Fallon to appear. A few minutes before 8:00, a woman approached the front doors.

Cam pointed at the screen. “Is that her?”

“I think so.” Sawyer glanced at the manager. “Do you have a better angle?”

“Sure thing.”

He glanced at the timestamp, then switched views so they could better see the woman’s face as she approached. Sawyer nodded. “Definitely her. Let’s rewind a bit, see where she parked.”

Mr. Peterson did as requested, following Fallon’s movements as he rewound a couple of minutes.

“There’s her car,” Sawyer murmured.

They watched as Fallon approached the store, and they switched cameras once more as she entered, then selected a cart and pushed it down the aisle. She took her time selecting her items, but no one approached her; no one appeared to be following her.

"Looks like a routine shopping trip," Sawyer murmured, watching intently.

Cam grunted his agreement, and they watched for several more minutes as she wound her way through the aisles, picking up items, setting them down, and moving on. Finally, she checked out and Sawyer watched as she dug her phone from her bag. She lifted it to her ear for a moment, then dropped it back in her purse.

Sawyer glanced at the timestamp. “That must be the call Lila mentioned.”

The footage continued to roll as Fallon paid for her items, then pushed the cart out of the store and through the parking lot. Sawyer studied the few people milling around, but none stood out. None pair her any undue attention as she reached the car and popped the trunk. Her movements were calm and unhurried as she loaded the bags into the trunk, the roof of the black car reflecting the light overhead.

She returned the cart to a corral in the parking lot, then climbed into the front seat. A moment later, the headlamps flared to life, and the car slowly pulled out of the space.

Cam scowled. “Damn it.”

Sawyer’s lips pressed into a firm line. “Let’s check it one more time. Maybe?—”

He abruptly cut off as a second pair of headlights suddenly flashed on and a dark-colored sedan pulled out behind her.

"Freeze that," Cam ordered, pointing at the screen.

The image was grainy, the quality hampered by darkness, and the car was too far away to see the license plate. They could make out the silhouette of a sedan but not the specific make and model.

Fallon stopped at the intersection, blinker indicating that she was turning toward her condo, and waited for a car to pass. Once it was clear, she pulled into traffic and disappeared down the street. The dark sedan behind her paused for a moment, putting a bit of distance between them before following suit.

"Damn," Sawyer muttered, frustration evident in his voice. "Can't make out the plate. But that sedan definitely followed her out of here.”

Cam nodded grimly. "We need to find out who was driving that car. Mr. Peterson, do you have any other cameras covering the exits or parking lot?"

Mr. Peterson nodded, adjusting the camera feed to show different angles. They scrutinized the footage, but the dark sedan was only visible for a few seconds before disappearing out of view.

"Anything else?"

Mr. Peterson shook his head with a small grimace. "I'm sorry, officers. That's all I've got."

Sawyer sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “That’s all right. This has been a huge help. Thanks for your cooperation, Mr. Peterson. We'll need copies of this footage for our investigation."

As they left the security office, Cam glanced at Sawyer. “We're getting closer.”

Sawyer nodded, the weight of the investigation pressing down on him. Halfway across the parking lot, a memory tickled the back of his mind, and he paused midstep. “Remember what Fallon’s neighbor said—about seeing her car outside?”

“Yeah.” The confusion marring Cam’s brow turned to understanding. “Fallon was parked inside the garage. Maybe she actually saw the sedan that followed her out of here.”

Sawyer slid a knowing look his way. “And if she saw the car… Maybe she noticed something else.”