Page 54 of The Sinner's Son

“What’s he talking about?” Sawyer asked Marina and Ricky.

“We ran into that forensics guy on the way to the parking lot,” Ricky said. “He and Alec walked ahead of us, so I didn’t hear what they said. Did you, Mar?”

“Cory said something about going home for an early lunch,” she replied. “Guess he lives close by. Everything was fine until Cory reached out and placed his hand on Alec’s forearm.”

“It was Dane’s,” Alec huffed.

“Dane’s what?” Sawyer pressed.

“The leather cuff bracelet Cory had on belonged to Dane. I admired it when he was at my house. Dane told me it had been a gift from his brother. I didn’t notice Cory wearing it earlier, but I was too focused on the investigation.”

Sawyer grabbed his phone and checked the post Cayden had shared about his missing brother. Sure enough, Dane wore a leather cuff like the one Cory had been wearing.

“Seven-two-one-nine,” Alec husked. “Seven-two-one-nine.”

“What the hell?” Marina asked.

“He’s malfunctioning,” Ricky suggested.

But Sawyer knew exactly what those numbers meant.

Alec straightened to his full height and waved them off. “Silver sedan. Four doors. Partial license plate is seven-two-one-nine. Cory just drove off in the car that Dane got into in front of my house.”

Holy shit. “I’m calling Detective O’Connell.”

“Want to head out and grab a bite to eat before the cadets arrive?” Tara asked.

Their students spent the first half of their day at their respective high schools and the second half at the Explorer Academy, so lunchtime was the sacred calm before the storm.

Royce looked up from scanning his syllabus again after making mild adjustments to his curriculum. “I’m always ready to eat. Just give me a second to save this final draft.”

Tara snorted. “Final draft? You’ve been saying that for the last month.”

Royce had expanded the lessons on illegal searches and seizures after the previous night’s events, though he only planned to review the training sessions and behavior expectations with the cadets on their first day of school. He’d be sure to make eye contact with Cayden during those highlights. “Well, recent events have required me to spend extra time in certain areas.” He pushed back from his desk once his progress was saved. “What sounds good for lunch?” His phone rang, and he saw it was Katie calling him, hopefully with an update onDane’s case. “Hang on. I have to take this,” Royce told Tara before answering. “What’s the word, Katie?”

“Alec just cracked Dane’s case wide open. I’m going to approach the suspect and need some backup. Are you free?”

“I am now, but my students are due to arrive in an hour,” Royce said.

Sensing the urgency, Tara shooed him and mouthed, “I’ve got this.”

“But my partner’s got it covered, so I’m heading upstairs now.”

“Meet me in the parking lot,” Katie said before disconnecting.

“Thanks, Tara,” Royce called over his shoulder as he bolted from the room. He skipped the elevator and took the stairs two at a time, getting the cardio he’d skipped to linger in bed that morning. Royce earned some raised brows as he hustled through the precinct and burst out the back doors.

Katie waited for him at the curb, and he climbed inside her Charger. She gunned the engine as soon as he shut the door and turned on the lights and sirens to merge into traffic. He got a text from Sawyer and couldn’t believe what it said.

“Cory Sands took Dane? The guy from forensics?” Royce asked.

Katie told Royce everything she’d gleaned from the video and then explained how Alec had put all the pieces together.

“Cory?” Royce repeated. “I get what you’re saying. He has a major crush on Alec and got jealous when their night didn’t go as planned. But to kidnap the guy he’d taken home instead is…”

“Something an unhinged fan with obsessive tendencies might do,” Katie replied. “Maybe the car similarities and the matching partial plate number are just a big coincidence, but I don’t think so.”

“Do you really think Cory went home for lunch like he told Alec?”