Chapter 16

Hez's students seemed to be learning—and one in particular caught Hez's attention: Eduardo Hernandez. Ed was a varsity swimmer who was only in law school because he had an extra year of athletic eligibility. Hez originally wrote him off as a jock just using up his scholarship, but Ed had turned out to be a surprisingly good student with a strong interest in criminal law. He was smart, paid attention, turned assignments in on time, and was never late to class. He also spoke Spanish fluently, which made him perfect for what Hez had in mind. And when Hez had asked for volunteers to help with the Morales case, Ed had been the first to sign up.

Hez pulled up Ed's number on his class chart and sent a short text, asking him to call.

"That would be awesome! Swimming season is in full swing, but I'll make the time. What's the case about? And when can I start?"

The video clips from the warehouse security camera had finally arrived—over two weeks after he'd requested them—while he was in class yesterday, but he hadn't opened them until he was sure he had the building to himself. The last thing he wanted was for a colleague or a student to pop in for a chat and see someone they knew on his monitor. He went to the door and took a quick peek down the hall—no one in sight and all the other offices were dark.

Hez poured himself a fresh—or new anyway—cup of coffee and started the Andersen clips. In the first one Andersen walked in carrying a duffel bag. Hez expected him to start shoving artifacts into it. But instead he took out a wine bottle, corkscrew, glasses, and candles. He arranged these on a little table in the corner next to a couch Hez hadn't noticed before. He returned a few minutes later with a young woman wearing a sorority sweatshirt.

Hez was left with the same questions he had started with. Who was stealing artifacts? And who had attacked Savannah?

***

She repeated the process down the long line of crates and, hours later, found nothing missing now that Professor Hinkle had checked out the items he'd taken. Even the gold pieces were still present. There were still crates to go through, but Savannah had the sinking feeling she would find no information for the long hours she'd spent. Maybe she should take a break and run out for coffee.

He glanced around the huge room. "Find anything?"

"Nothing. It's so frustrating. I wouldn't have been attacked unless someone wanted to keep me from discovering something criminal."

"You look stressed. A workout would fix that. I've got an extra bike, and we could pedal down to the beach."

A mere nine miles for him, but a hard trek for her when she hadn't been on a bike in years. She and Hez used to have bikes they'd take out for leisurely rides with Ella in her little helmet perched in a seat behind one of them. The sudden memory pushed out the frustration of her lack of progress on the case.

"You okay?"

She nodded and rubbed the back of her neck. "Fine."

"Better?" he asked.

"So much better."