Page 72 of Armed ’N’ Ready

“I’m sorry,” Cox began. “I shouldn’t have said that about you and Andi. Whatever you two have going on is none of my business. She’s a great girl.”

“I don’t need you to tell me that.” He glanced at Andi, whose eyes shimmered with hurt and humiliation. Although he fully intended to verbally rip Cox a new one, this wasn’t the time or the place. “Is that the only reason you’re calling?” He knew damned well it wasn’t.

“No. The lab boys found something interesting on Matteo’s phone.” That got his attention. “They pulled geocodes from the photo used to identify Andi. Get this…the date stamp indicates the photo was taken on August thirteenth. Two days before the break-in at Myer’s house.”

Nick began processing the importance of that information, and he put the call on speaker so Eric could hear. “Go on.”

“We served the warrant on Tuesday, August fifteenth,” Cox continued. “Myer’s house was broken into later that same day, and the photo was stolen during the break-in. That means—”

“The photo on Matteo’s phone couldn’t have been the same one stolen from the house on August fifteenth, because it’s dated two days earlier,” Nick interrupted. “Did they get a location from the geocoding?”

“Yeah, it’s the Dog Park Café.”

“Holy shit.” Eric caught his gaze with a disgusted one of his own. “They were inside the restaurant. Right under our noses.”

“You got a time stamp on the photo?” Nick asked.

“Three p.m.,” Cox said.

“We can pull receipts for that afternoon, maybe get some names,” Andi suggested.

Nick nodded in agreement. “It’s a long shot. We can check for criminal records on anyone in the DPC that day. Maybe we’ll recognize a name. But if they paid cash or didn’t purchase anything at all, there’d be no paper trail.”

“The lab guys also found something else in the photo,” Cox added. “A reflection. It wasn’t really visible to the naked eye, and given that it was a photo taken of a photo, clarity is compromised. I just texted you the partially enhanced image.”

Nick’s phone vibrated as a photo flashed on the screen. He tapped the image. Sure enough, a faint reflection stared back at him, one that hadn’t been visible when he’d first looked at the photo on Matteo’s phone. Using his thumb and forefinger, he enlarged it as much as the phone would allow. He still couldn’t make an ID from the fuzzy image.

“Stand by.” He handed the phone to Andi. “Do you recognize this guy?”

She accepted the phone, then peered at the screen, scrunching up her face. After a few seconds, she shook her head. “It’s not clear enough.” She handed it back to him. When her fingers brushed his, awareness flickered in her gaze.

She still cares. Maybe there was hope after all. Either way, he damned sure wasn’t about to give up on her.

“The lab’s not finished enhancing the photo,” Cox continued. “They think they can do better, but it will take more time. I’ll send you new images as soon as they’re in.”

“Later.” He ended the call, then looked at Andi. “How soon can you get started on those receipts?”

“Let me do that,” Tess offered. “You both look exhausted and should get out of here for a while. I’ll print out all the credit card charges for whatever day you want. I’ll do the same for cash sales, but like you said, we won’t know who paid the bill.”

“I’ll help you.” Eric rested his hand briefly on Tess’s shoulder, and she gave him a shy smile.

Something about the gesture struck Nick as being oddly intimate. Then again, over the past two weeks he’d been observing other subtle indications that his friend had more than a passing interest in Andi’s manager.

“Keep an eye out for receipts with the name ‘Paul Nelson’ on them,” Nick said.

“Seriously?” Eric’s eyes widened. “Paul Nelson, as in the chief of the Springfield Police Department?”

“Could be nothing.” He thought back to the day he’d seen Nelson and his dog at the DPC. “I saw him in the parking lot the same day I began working here. Did you know Chief Nelson lives over an hour away? That’s a long way for him to come just to run his dog and grab a cup of coffee. Then again, with the brand-new Porsche he was driving, maybe it doesn’t take that long after all.”

Eric whistled. “Pricey ride.”

Andi gave him an incredulous look. “Do you really think the police chief is the man we’re looking for?”

“I hope not,” Nick said. “His salary might be big enough to purchase a Porsche, or it could have been bought with dirty money. When too many things begin stacking up, we can’t discount that possibility.”

Eric nodded. “Okay, we’ll look for receipts in his name.”

“While you’re at it,” he added, “check for any cash sales that include a broccoli rabe and pulled pork panini with a side of mac ’n’ cheese.”