Joanna Wayne - Bravo, Tango, Cowboy

Hawk squeezed her hand as if reading her misgivings. His strength seeped into her. When she looked up she was gripped by the intensity of his stare as he studied the surroundings. He was committed and doing his job. She was the liability here.

“I’ll be fine, Hawk. I’ll stand right here. You do what you need to do. Search every aspect of the area.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

She stood at the railing, watching but not really seeing the sea lions. There were three now. There had been only two when she’d stood here with Lucy. Cali and Kamia, both females. Lucy had said she was going to name one of her dolls Cali. She’d never seen her dolls again.

“Mrs. Salatoya.”

Alonsa turned, startled. She recognized Elle Carrigan immediately. “Elle. I didn’t expect to see you here today.”

“I graduated in December. I’m working at the zoo full-time now.”

“That’s great.”

“I’m glad I ran into you. I’d been thinking about trying to find your phone number so I could call you to see if the photo was any help in the investigation.”

Alonsa failed to make sense of the comment. “What photo?”

“The one I sent to the FBI.”

“I haven’t heard anything about a photo. Was this recently?”

“A few months ago. It was the strangest thing. I was going through some photos that belonged to my sister when I noticed this kid that looked exactly like Lucy. I even recognized the T-shirt she’d worn the day I met her. The one with the silly turtle on it. I commented on it at the time. Remember?”

“I remember. Tell me about the photo.”

“Tonya—that’s my younger sister—was clowning around with her friends near the gate and waiting on me to finish my shift at three o’clock. Anyway, there was a lady and a little girl in the background of one of the pictures they snapped.”

“You’re sure it was Lucy?”

“Almost positive.”

“And she was with a lady?”

“Yes, the lady was turned so that you couldn’t see her face, but she was holding Lucy’s hand and leading her through the exit gate.”

Alonsa’s chest constricted. A woman leaving the zoo with Lucy. This was the first she’d heard of this. “Are you certain the FBI received the photo?”

“I sent it to Craig Dalliers and he called in person to thank me for the lead.”

“Did he say it was Lucy in the photo?”

“I asked, but he said he couldn’t comment on the authenticity.”

Lucy had walked out of the zoo with a woman. They had the suspect’s picture. Yet Craig hadn’t even called her. Did he believe the girl in the photo wasn’t Lucy? Was he following up on the lead?

“I hope they find Lucy soon,” Elle said.

Alonsa only nodded, her ability to converse swallowed up in the sensations coursing through her. She scanned the area for Hawk. When she caught his eye, she waved him over, then turned back to Elle. “There’s someone I want you to meet. He’s conducting a private investigation into Lucy’s disappearance. That’s why I’m here today.”

She’d just finished making the introductions and explaining the photo to Hawk when her cell phone vibrated in her jacket pocket. She checked the caller ID. Craig Dalliers, returning her call. The timing couldn’t have been better.

“I have to take this,” she said, stepping away from Elle and Hawk so that they wouldn’t hear her phone conversation. Her anger toward Craig spiked into jagged peaks. How dare he keep a development like this from her.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.