Page 88 of Three Girls Gone

A moment later, they were watching the first video. This was the one that showed the perp jumping the Maynards’ fence.

“Guy’s lithe,” Buchanan commented.

“He’s strong and in shape,” Amanda agreed. “At two twenty-seven AM, you’ll see him carrying Eloise down the sidewalk.”

“And yet no one calls it in.” Buchanan was shaking his head.

“At that time of day most people are sleeping,” Malone pointed out.

“I suppose so. It’s just a shame, that’s all,” Buchanan lamented.

They watched the other video that she and Trent had watched at Keirns’s house, and then they went on to the new footage. They struck gold with a video from the night before at seven PM. A blue van drove past, followed soon by a gray Kia.

“That’s him,” Malone said.

Due to the angle, no plate was visible. But the car slowed down as it approached the Maynards’ house. The van pulled into the garage.

“He followed them home from the birthday party,” Trent said, looking at Amanda.

They moved on to another video taken at seven thirty. It showed a man walking down the sidewalk in blue jeans, running shoes, and a black jacket.

Amanda leaned in. “Trent, can you go back to the one of him carrying Eloise?”

Trent did as she asked, and when it started playing Amanda rushed to the TV and pointed at the screen.

“It’s the same guy at seven thirty. Both are wearing blue jeans, but what stands out to me are the bright white running shoes.”

“Huh,” Trent muttered.

“What is it?” She turned to him, reading off her partner that something had hit him.

“Running shoes don’t stay bright white for long, but new rubber soles might be more likely to rub off than ones that are worn down.” He met her gaze.

“Which brings me to where I was headed. The scuff marks left on the lattice outside of Hailey Tanner’s bedroom,” she said.

“Uh-huh.”

“All right, back to Eloise,” Buchanan inserted. “If it’s the same guy, we have him scoping out the Maynards’ place. Bring up that video from seven thirty again, Stenson.”

Trent resumed the playback, and the man in jeans walked down the pass-through. He was creeping along and looking into the Maynards’ backyard.

“He’s deciding on an entry point,” Trent said.

“The basement window, which we now know,” Amanda put in.

“Well, we’ve got a clear shot of his shoes, but no face yet. Tell you what, I’m going to leave, but you get that, send me his picture.” Buchanan stood and headed for the door.

All righty then…

Trent was reversing the video and zoomed in.

“Do you see something?” Amanda asked him, and it stalled Buchanan’s steps. All she saw was a rather vague character despite the sun being out, given the angle of the doorbell cam in relation to the sidewalk. Even when he reversed course and walked back to the street from the pass-through, he kept hishead down. Had he been considering security cameras, or was he just trying to hide his face in general?

“Unfortunately not,” Trent said.

Buchanan left, and Amanda looked at Katherine. She was flushed. Amanda touched her arm. After all these years hunting the man who killed Julie Gilbert, seeing him on the TV must have been surreal.

“Did you need help calling anyone?” Amanda asked her.