Chapter Sixty-Four

A few hours earlier – Thomas Riley High School car park

Hunter leaned back against the hood of his car and checked his watch – 10:32 p.m. He had called forensics about five minutes ago and asked them to urgently dispatch a team to the parking lot of the Thomas Riley High School in Watts.

‘Detective,' Officer Emiliano called, as he joined Hunter at the front of his car. ‘Do you need us to stay around? Is there anything that you'd like us to do?'

Hunter didn't see the point. What could they do? Help him wait?

Hunter shook his head. ‘No, you guys can go. There's nothing else to do here but wait for the forensics team to arrive.'

Emiliano nodded, his eyes studying the detective in front of him. ‘OK,' he finally said, reaching for his pen and pad. ‘I'm just coming off my shift now, but if you need any help with anything.' He scribbled down his number. ‘Even after hours… off duty… it don't matter.' He tore the page off and handed it to Hunter. ‘Give me a holler, all right? I'd love to help, if I can.'

Hunter took the piece of paper and thanked Emiliano.

As the officer walked back to his black-and-white unit, Hunter checked his watch again – two minutes had gone by since the last time he checked. He folded the piece of paper that Emiliano had given him and placed it inside his jacket pocket. As he did, his fingers brushed against Garcia's cellphone that he'd put there just minutes earlier. He retrieved it, feeling its weight in his hands for a couple of seconds before waking up the screen and typing in Garcia's password.

The phone sprang to life.

Hunter stared at its home screen for a moment. He knew that Garcia hadn't sent him a message. He'd already checked. But just like someone who had misplaced his keys and kept on checking the same pocket, over and over again, Hunter tapped the text message application icon and navigated back to the last message that Garcia had sent him. Nothing had changed. It was still the message that Garcia had sent him the night before: And again… nope… nothing tonight. See you in the morning.

‘Fuck!' Hunter rubbed his forehead with the heel of his left hand.

He checked the call log one more time – nothing had changed there either – last call out at 7:09 p.m., to Anna.

‘Fuck… fuck… fuck!'

Whoever took him,Hunter thought, got to him pretty damn fast.

Not knowing what else to do, Hunter tapped the photo gallery icon on Garcia's cellphone, bringing up a screen titled ‘My Albums'. The screen showed a collection of thumbnails, each representing a different photo album stored in the phone. The first album in Garcia's cellphone – top left-hand corner – was titled ‘camera', and the thumbnail image for it immediately caught Hunter's attention. It wasn't a very clear photo, but it seemed to be the thumbnail of a pickup truck.

‘What the fuck?'

Hunter quickly tapped the thumbnail and the screen refreshed to show the contents of the camera album. He, once again, tapped the thumbnail in the top left-hand corner – the photo of the pickup truck, the most recent photo added to that particular album. The full image loaded onto the screen and Hunter felt his core freeze.

The photo had been taken from about fifteen yards away and showed a black Dodge RAM pickup truck parked about four spaces to the left of Garcia's blue Honda Civic. The lighting was terrible, but both vehicles were still easily identifiable, and there was no doubt that the photo had been taken in that same school parking lot.

Hunter looked up, his eyes searching his surroundings. The photo showed both vehicles from the front. Garcia had taken it from the school gates, as he exited the building to get to his car, and before anyone else had gotten to the parking lot.

That, Hunter thought, was a very smart move.