Page 18 of Three Girls Gone (Detective Amanda Steele #14)

They ate cheeseburgers and fries and laughed like a family of three in a corner booth.

None of that imagery was helping Amanda stuff her romantic feelings for Trent deeper down.

But she wasn’t in any position to offer him anything.

Kelsey aside. She had her own life to sort out.

She was just months out of a long-term relationship.

They’d been living together, but when Logan had wanted to take it to another level, Amanda had to face reality.

They weren’t a great match. Good, but not great.

He was a solid father figure for Zoe, but he didn’t respect Amanda’s work despite his lip service when she cornered him.

To him, her being a cop was an inconvenience.

They dropped Zoe back at Libby’s, and Zoe waved from the front window as Trent pulled out of the driveway. She was sure most of her daughter’s attention was on Trent, not her.

“Zoe’s incredible and so sharp for her age,” Trent said, waving back.

“Too sharp, sometimes.” Amanda smiled. “And stubborn.”

Trent grinned. “Makes life more interesting. She seems to be doing good though.”

Amanda looked over at Trent, not lost for a second on the meaning. “With Logan gone?”

“Yeah. I know they were close. He ever…? ”

She shook her head. “I heard a rumor that he left town. Don’t ask me where he went.”

“That’s too bad.”

She studied his profile, unsure whether that was genuine from Zoe’s perspective or sarcastic from his own.

The tension between the two men wasn’t a well-guarded secret.

“Zoe was upset at first, but she’s doing fine.

We had a long talk about him and our decision to split up.

She seemed to understand it wasn’t about her and said it was like her with Maria.

She was one of Zoe’s first friends. Zoe said Maria changed, and she doesn’t like her anymore. ”

“Wow. That is smart and rather astute. How old is she now?”

“Nine.”

“Wow. That’s impressive.”

“I swear she’s an old soul in a little person.” With that said, Amanda’s thoughts turned to Hailey Tanner. What had that sweet girl been like? Most of the world lost the chance to know.

Amanda and Trent swung past the Eastern District Station, and after she introduced herself, the officer at the front desk lifted a banker box up from behind the counter. “Here ya go.”

“Thanks.”

Less than five minutes later, she and Trent were back in the car on their way to Central. Her phone rang, and Malone’s name flashed on the screen. She answered on speaker.

“Where are you guys?”

“We just left Eastern with the files for the Tanner case, but we’re on our way back now.”

“All right. Well, I’m calling to let you know that Chief Buchanan gave Katherine the green light. But she’s to assist on a consultation basis only.”

“Meaning?” Amanda asked .

“She can help us in the background. No field work, but she can help by making necessary phone calls and serving as liaison with the NYPD.”

She gave a thumbs-up to Trent. “That’s great.

I was thinking it might be best if Katherine worked directly with Detective Briggs at Digital Crimes on tracking down the sender of that online form that identified Dickson.

She has all the information he’d need to access her site.

It makes more sense than sticking myself in the middle. ”

“Should be fine. I’ve already reached out to Katherine, and she’ll brief us on the Gilbert case first thing tomorrow morning. I think it’s best we all get a refresher course on the specifics of the case. We might even learn something new.”

“Sounds good. Did you get her a system login?”

“Guy in IT has gone home. I’ll get her one in the morning. I still want you and Trent to focus on the Tanner murder though. It might even be best if you treat it as a solo case. That way you won’t get distracted by the Gilbert investigation and miss things that may be right in front of you.”

“I get that,” she said.

“Moving on to forensics… Anything connected to the Tanner case will be assigned priority.”

“Speaking of, Sarge, I never heard from the CSIs who worked the Tanner residence.” He’d told her to follow up by five if there wasn’t any word by then, but she’d been otherwise occupied.

“If you shoot me their numbers, I’ll see if I can rouse a response. If not, I’ll go above their heads.”

“Thanks.”

“As you know, Tanner’s identity has been released to the media, but the PIO is monitoring the situation and doing their best to make sure the link to the Gilbert case doesn’t come out.”

The Public Information Office was a branch of the PWCPD that managed what was revealed or held back. Hinting at a serial offender would create panic. “Sounds like a good call.”

“If you need anything more from me tonight, just call my cell phone. I’m headed home.” He ended the call as Trent pulled into the parking lot at Central.

It just so happened that he slipped into the spot next to Malone’s vehicle.

He was pocketing his phone while Amanda slid hers into her jacket. Trent went into the backseat and pulled out the banker box.

Malone came over, nudging his head at it. “Is that all?”

“Yep,” Trent said.

“Doesn’t look like a lot.”

She’d thought the same, but it carried some heft. And in all fairness, the case only lasted three days for McGee. “I guess we’ll find out.”

Malone waved at them as he got behind the wheel of his car and drove away.

For the next hour and a half, Amanda and Trent sorted through the contents of the evidence box.

It included the list of prestigious people from the Tanners’ dinner party.

The mayor’s face was staring up from the page, but Amanda set it aside.

She and Trent read through several interviews Detective McGee had conducted with the Tanners and others in their circle.

Amanda sat back and tapped her fingers on the edge of the table.

“Someone looks deep in thought. And by someone, I mean?—”

“Me. I get it.” She smiled at him, but he’d cut through her concentration. “I noticed one repeating theme in all the interviews. It was something we briefly discussed before. McGee based his questioning around a more recent timeframe.” She met his eye .

“But now we’re thinking this person latched on to Hailey back in December.”

“Right. So we will need to revisit everyone and ask if anyone new has been hanging around for the last six or seven months. We already touched on going back to the ballet studio. But everyone needs to be asked if there were any relationships or employ—” Her phone rang, cutting her off mid-word.

She looked at the screen, and it said CSI Stuart .

“It’s the head investigator from the Tanner residence. ”

“About time,” he said.

“Malone can be persuasive.” She hit the accept call button. “Detective Steele.”

“This is CSI Stuart. I don’t much appreciate your boss pressuring me for results.”

Amanda stiffened, and her redhead temper ignited. “With all due respect, you arrived at the Tanner residence this morning, and it’s now approaching seven thirty at night. It would be very helpful to know what we’re looking at here.”

“There’s a process, and I don’t like being rushed.

I don’t know how things typically work with other CSIs you’ve partnered with, but I don’t share anything until I feel confident in what I have to say.

” She paused there, as if using the silence to drill in her point.

It felt like Amanda was a scolded child, and Stuart wanted to ensure she received the underlying lesson. Amanda wasn’t going to respond.

After a drawn-out silence, CSI Stuart continued. “The lock on the gate blocking the yard wasn’t broken, but the trellis in the back appears to have been climbed. It leads right to the girl’s window,” she added.

“How does it appear to have been?—”

Stuart cut her off. “There are a few broken pieces of lattice and vertical white scuff marks, which might be rubber from the soles of a running shoe. A swab was taken of one to test its composition. The windowsill was also examined on the outside. If the intruder took this route, they would have gripped there to hoist themselves up. But nothing turned up.”

“But the rubber is proof the room was accessed through the window.”

“Not what I said.”

This woman’s attitude was pissing her off. “What other reason would there be for its existence? And the intruder could have used gloves.”

“It’s possible, sure, but the window doesn’t appear to have been tampered with. No scrape marks.”

Amanda took a deep breath. “Do you believe there was a break-in or not?”

“Inconclusive.”

“Except for the broken lattice and rubber marks.”

“Which is more speculative.”

Amanda wasn’t sure how this woman got in this line of work if she didn’t employ some logic to make deductions. “I assume you’ll confirm if that mark was made by a shoe.”

“That’s the plan, but I’ll need to run it past my supervisor. Lab tests take a lot of time and money, Detective. Though I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that.”

Amanda bit her bottom lip to avoid lashing out at this impossible woman. Where are CSIs Blair and Donnelly when I need them?

“I will be running a swab taken from the handle on the girl’s closet door. Also from the tote where the slippers were kept. We know those areas were compromised. I’m just not confident if it will lead us to the perpetrator. The DNA may belong to the family.”

“We need to explore it, regardless.”

“Yes, which is why I just said I’m going to run those tests.”

Amanda tightened her grip on her phone. She wasn’t often triggered to entertain violence, but this CSI was bringing it out in her. “You mentioned swabs and DNA. Did you test for fingerprints?”

“Absolutely not. The chances of pulling a useful print from a cylindrical handle are near zilch.”

“What about the tote, a flat surface?”

“Not sure if you remember, but that tote is weaved with strands of fabric. There’s a much better probability of touch DNA being more useful than trying to lift prints. I’m very selective about what I gather and what I test.”

That’s why it takes all day! “And did you confirm if the brand of the tutu in Hailey’s closet was a match for what she was staged in?”

“I will let you know.”

“If you tell me what she has in her closet, I can ask.” Amanda would have juggled this task earlier if she knew it was going to end up landing on her shoulders.

“I don’t have that information at present.”

Amanda counted to five in her head. “Please, let me know once the results are in.”

“Will do. Next time, please wait for me to call you.” With that, the CSI hung up.

Amanda lowered her phone.

“Shit, you look like you’re going to explode.” Trent scanned her face. “What was all that?”

“Let’s sum it up to say I never want to talk with CSI Stuart again. Not when she rides a broom to work.” She’d forgive herself this one slip.

“All righty then.” Trent raised his hands and sat back. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you talk about someone like that.”

“What can I say? That woman brings it out in me.”

“What did she tell you? Signs of a break-in or not?”

“Huh. That’s the thing right there. She’s not sure.” She ran through what the investigator had told her.

“Then we’re where we were when we left. ”

“Yep. Hours later we’re not any closer to knowing if it was a welcomed guest or home intruder that took the tutu or the slippers. As for other possible dead ends, let’s go talk with the Tanners again.”

Trent pinched his fingers together. “A tad more optimism might not hurt.”

If he wanted that from her, he’d be waiting a while.