Page 54 of In Cold Blood (High Peaks Murder, Mystery and Crime Thrillers #1)
At the edge of the road, close to his brother’s memorial, Noah climbed out of the Bronco. He took out a flashlight and shone it across the two-lane blacktop. It would have been easier to see in the daylight but he couldn’t let another day slip by. He had to know.
The beam illuminated the ground.
A cool breeze blew against his cheek, a chill went down his neck.
He crossed to the rough area where Luke had fallen and scanned the ground. “C’mon, c’mon,” he muttered. That’s when something caught his eye. The beam from the flashlight made the small fragments of glass glint.
Noah slipped on blue latex gloves.
He crouched down and touched his finger against the smallest amount of glass.
As he shone the light across the road, he saw more.
Lots. Scattered. To the naked eye, it would have been barely visible.
The shards were too small. Nothing more than tiny pebbles.
The spread revealed a path to the far edge of the road.
Noah squinted at the tall brush, rose from a crouched position, and made his way over.
The edge of the road was overgrown, full of weeds, tall grass, and wildflowers.
Even in the daylight, a person would be hard-pressed to see much.
Noah pitched sideways, working his way into the ditch, his flashlight guiding the way.
That’s when he struck gold.
He took out his phone and recorded the scene.
Next, he reached down and picked up a couple of large fragments of wine and beer bottles with torn labels. He didn’t need to compare them to those he’d snapped on his visit to Hawk Island. It was a perfect match.
Noah bagged them for evidence and made his way up.
Hurrying back to the Bronco, he set them inside and then turned to Axel.
“You’re up, buddy.” Noah kept his phone to record the dog’s reaction, then took him out and gave him the command.
Axel’s ears perked up and his nose dropped.
He pulled at the leash and guided Noah out to the middle of the road, almost immediately scratching at the ground where the tiny fragments of glass were.
He continued following the path down into the tall brush where again he made a hit, alerting Noah to the presence of narcotics.
Right then, Noah’s phone rang. It was Callie.
She’d been trying to get hold of him all day. He opted to answer .
“Has your phone not had any juice? As I’ve been trying to get hold of you all day.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“I thought you were dead.”
“No, I’m very much alive,” he said, making his way back to the Bronco.
“Where have you been?”
“Following up leads.”
“Why? We’ve got him.”
“I know.”
“You’re searching for her, aren’t you?”
“Callie, I’ll be by tomorrow. Okay?”
“Did you find anything?”
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said and ended the call.
After getting Axel back in the truck, he drove northwest, only slowing momentarily as he passed Round Pond Parking Area.
A smile lingered at the corner of his mouth.
Continuing, he made it to Saint Hubert's and pulled up in front of a two-story residence.
It was late. Almost ten when he knocked.
The door opened, and a bald man in his fifties answered.
“Can I help you?”
“Sorry to bother you at this late hour,” Noah replied, showing him his badge.
“I gave the officer a copy of the recording from my NEST.”
“I know. Did you keep the original?”
“I did.”
“Do you mind if I see it?”
He frowned. “Let me guess, you lost the evidence?”
“Not far wrong,” he replied. The man stepped to one side and led him in. He took him into a back room. “Good evening,” he said to the man’s wife who was sitting watching TV.
“It’s okay, love, they just need another copy of the footage.”
He led him into a study and opened his laptop .
“No digital recording device?”
“Oh no. The newer technology records straight to the cloud. It’s to protect against theft and damage.
I download a copy to my computer if there’s anything strange.
I have everything backed up online. My plan removes it all after sixty days to free up space.
It’s quite handy. Our son set it all up. Technology today, huh?”
“Yeah.”
The cogs of Noah’s mind started turning.
“Did you download a copy before the police showed up to request it?”
“I did. Yes. So, do you have a thumb drive I can transfer it to or would you like access to the cloud?”
Noah handed him a thumb drive.
“Do you mind playing it before you place it on?”
“Sure.” The man loaded it. Noah leaned forward and had him back it up an hour before the murder.
He scanned through the footage until he saw the same van that had been caught on Trinity’s dashboard cam.
It was heading southeast. Not long after, the white F-150 was spotted heading in the same direction.
He forwarded it until a little after what they believed was the window in which Luke was killed.
The anticipation was killing him.
He hit stop. Sure enough, there was the silver van again, this time heading northwest.
This time it was clear.
“This footage can be doctored, right?” Noah asked.
“Edited, you mean?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh, for sure. In editing software, you can slice and dice it up, pick out the pieces you want, and leave behind what you don’t.”
Noah patted him on the back. “Thank you. Mister… ”
“Larson.”
He left that evening with enough evidence to blow the case wide open but knowing how easily things could be turned around and overlooked in police work, he needed a little more, something to tie it together, and he believed Mr. Larson had provided the key.