Page 108 of In Cold Blood

“Could you give her these?”

“Sure. What is it?”

“She’d asked for video surveillance to be conducted around a neighborhood near Mirror Lake.”

He automatically knew that was the information they’d been waiting on after his truck had been ruined at his father’s house. “I’ll see to it that she gets it.” Noah took it and opened the folder.There were several photos inside, a thumb drive attached to the top, and a page of information pulled from vehicle records.

His eyes widened when he saw the photo. Despite the blackness of night, video pulled from a residence further down on the corner provided a clear shot of the back end of the vehicle and a license plate that matched the same one Alicia Michaels drove.

“Deputy Flynn.”

Across the room, she turned her head.

“Who else has seen this?” Noah asked.

“Just myself and the homeowner.”

“The thumb drive. Is this the only copy?”

“There’s the original, I told them not to delete that one just in case.”

He nodded and got up, taking the file with him. “If Callie asks, tell her I had to step out. I’ll catch her tomorrow morning.” Noah whistled and Axel followed him out. He was getting used to the dog following him wherever he went. It gave him a sense of peace to know that someone was there watching his back.

A quick phonecall found Alicia off duty. At home. In a place he never expected her to be. She was living in High Peaks on the southwest side just off Averyville Lane. The one-story abode belonged to her parents. It was located on the bend of a quiet stretch of road that skirted through the pines and came to a dead end not far from Scarface Mountain.

He’d seen it a couple of times before. Noah had met her parents. They were good people. Her father was blue-collar. Her mother a hairdresser.

The Bronco wound its way through dense forest, the tall trees loomed overhead. Moonlight filtered through leaves,dappling the asphalt with light and shadow. The engine purred smoothly.

Noah glanced to his left toward towering ferns and mossy rock.

As he veered off the road into the driveway, he pulled up behind the black F-150 with the license plate that matched the one on surveillance. Noah brought the windows down enough to let the cool breeze of the night wash in for Axel.

He climbed out, folder in hand. He didn’t expect to be there long.

Through the trees, he glimpsed the distant mountains, their peaks wreathed in mist.

A flood of memories hit him as he strolled up to the entrance.

A rap on the door and Alicia opened it. “Come on in.”

“You never told me you were living here.”

“Decided to take it over after my parents passed on.”

“Sorry to hear that.”

“Father passed away ten years ago. Heart attack. My mother went into hospice a few years back. I considered selling the property but couldn’t bring myself to do it. I think when you grow up in a place, it’s full of too many memories you want to hold on to. I guess I’m a little nostalgic that way. Anyway, I decided to put an addition on the back. I’ve been renovating it since. I tore up the old vinyl they installed and replaced it with hardwood floors and a modern fireplace. I had it painted a week ago. I’m supposed to be getting a new kitchen in a few months. The baseboard still needs to go on. Anyway, excuse the mess.”

Inside it was different from what he remembered. The old décor was gone. In its place was modern furniture. A red couch butted up against the window, a beautiful mahogany coffee table was at the center on top of an area rug. The fireplace was in the same place. He noticed the mantelpiece had changed. Logs werestacked up against the side in a floor-to-ceiling grey holder that matched the brickwork. A sixty-inch TV took up most of the wall across from the sofa.

Not far from the main doors was an oak table and chairs.

There was order to the place. It was spotless barring a few items that had been left behind by those renovating. Throw sheets for painting, four cans of paint, and a stack of white baseboard and crown molding were nearby.

It had an open-concept kitchen with silver appliances and a breakfast island. The stove was a part of that with a black hood above it. All the cupboards were cream-colored and there was a white tiled backsplash.

“Can I get you a drink?”