Page 98 of Three Girls Gone

He smiled at her and sat back.

“What?” she said.

“Nothing.”

She felt her cheeks heat with him watching her. It made her uncomfortable not knowing what he was thinking because it left room for her imagination to take over. Was he thinking about what it would be like if they were more than colleagues, more than friends?

“I’m more than happy to do whatever you want, Amanda,” Trent said.

“Ah, regarding?” His offer caught her off guard and paired with her stupid thoughts, her mind took a trip somewhere it had no business going.

“If you want to call rental companies all over the country, I will.”

“I appreciate that. I just hate sitting still. Waiting.”

“I know you do.”

Her phone rang at the tail end of his sentence. “It’s Malone. You good to go?” She looked at his food, and he only had a few fries left.

He nodded, and she shuffled out of the booth and answered Malone’s call on the way to the door.

“We got a credible lead from the public appeal,” he rushed out. “Guy’s name is Travis Giles. He said he’s renting a house he owns to Wilcox, only he knows him as Wilson Marsh.”

What do you know…“Address?”

Malone gave them the ones for Giles and the rental. “Officer Brandt is watching the rental while a search warrant is approved, and SWAT is getting organized to move in. The latter could take a while. I want you and Trent to talk to Giles in the meantime. He’s at home and waiting for you.”

“Consider us there.” Amanda’s entire body trembled with a flush of fear and excitement. Trent had been right about grabbing a bite to eat. All hell had just broken loose.

FORTY

Amanda rang the bell, and the door cracked open. A man with silver hair was standing there in a light sweater tee and pressed pants. “Travis Giles?” she asked, flashing her badge.

“Yeah. Come in.” Travis took them to a sitting room.

Once she and Trent were seated, she introduced them and said, “We understand you rent to Marshall Wilcox. What can you tell us about him?”

“The man not much, but he gave me a different name. Wilson Marsh, as I told the officer I spoke to on the tipline.”

If Travis had done his due diligence before renting his place, he would have checked references. “Did he sign a lease?” She could inundate him with questions, but she’d start there.

“He did, and I’ve already dug it out.” He grabbed paperwork from the end table and handed it over.

Amanda looked down at the page and noted it was signed on November thirtieth. “When did Mr.Wilcox reach out to you?”

“Last week of November. He said he got a new job and was eager to get situated. He paid for six months upfront. It’s why I overlooked due process.” Travis’s gaze dipped tothe floor.

“How much money are we talking about?” Trent asked.

Travis told them, and the math told her Wilcox was left with a healthy amount of spending money. She returned her attention to the lease agreement. References were provided, and two of the numbers looked familiar. “You said you overlooked due process. Did you call these people?” She pointed at the names on the page.

“No.”

“Would you mind if I took a photograph of this page?” she asked him.

“Not at all.” Travis sunk into the cushions.

She took a picture of the lease and handed the hard copy back to Travis. “How long was the rental for?”