Ryan looked over his shoulder. What is it? I don't know. But Travis did know one thing. Those weren't the notes of a tourist, or a traveler, or an ordinary citizen.
Someone had been studying Red Creek systematically, carefully, patiently. He slowly lifted his eyes toward Nia. Who are you? She didn't answer. Instead, she looked past him toward the convenience store.
The front blinds moved almost imperceptibly. Linda, still inside, still protecting the evidence. Nia felt a surge of relief. At least one back up source remained safe. Unfortunately, Travis noticed the glance.
He turned toward the store, then toward Ryan. Bring Linda out here. Ryan smiled. With pleasure. Marcus shouted immediately.
No! Ryan ignored him and started walking toward the locked entrance. Inside, Linda heard his boots approaching. Her heart pounded. She looked at the flash drive, then at the back exit.
It was old. Rarely used, but it still worked. She grabbed her purse, clutched the flash drive tightly, and slipped through the rear door into the narrow alley behind the building. Seconds later, Ryan kicked open the front door. The bell above it crashed onto the floor.
Linda! Silence. He searched every aisle. The storage room, the office. Empty.
He stormed back outside. She's gone. Travis cursed under his breath. When? Must have slipped out the back.
For the first time all afternoon, something resembling panic crossed Travis Cole's face. Because witnesses could be intimidated, phones could be seized, but once evidence started moving beyond his reach, everything he had spent years hiding could collapse. He looked back at Nia. She remained standing quietly in handcuffs, almost as though she had expected Linda to escape. That was the moment Travis finally realized something that sent a chill through his spine.
He wasn't controlling the situation anymore. He just hadn't figured out who was. Ryan Mercer slammed the convenience store door shut hard enough to rattle every window. She disappeared. Sergeant Travis Cole's jaw tightened.
No. He looked toward the narrow alley behind the building. She ran. His eyes swept across the growing crowd. Fin here.
Without another word, three officers split off in different directions. Patrol cars pulled away with tires screeching, racing through the quiet streets of Red Creek in search of one middle-aged store owner carrying nothing more than a flash drive. Travis knew exactly what that flash drive could contain, and for the first time all afternoon, he wasn't hunting a suspect. He was hunting evidence. Nia Brooks watched every movement without saying a word.
The tiny vibration from the encrypted watch hidden beneath her sleeve came again. Evidence upload verified. Secondary source active. She allowed herself the smallest breath of relief. Linda had made it out.
Whatever happened next, the convenience store footage would survive. Unfortunately, Travis was nowhere near finished. He walked slowly toward Nia until they were standing face to face. You planned this. Nia remained silent.