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Hunt followed Jerry to the office. “I’ll also need our forensic team to check the Corolla outside.”
“No problem. The customer parked it out front. I haven’t touched it.”
Hunt wondered if Rad left any evidence behind this time, or if he’d wiped the vehicle clean. Either way, they’d process it and see if any evidence could be used against Rad. It wasn’t so farfetched to think he was the one committing the home burglaries and had hit Mrs. Phelps.
“I appreciate your cooperation.”
“If you’ve got a lead on a good mechanic, I’d love to know about it.”
“I’ll keep an ear out for anyone looking for work.”
“Appreciate it.” Jerry sat at the desk and booted up the newer-looking computer. “My daughter set this up for me to help make billing and ordering supplies easier. It took me a while to learn the system, but now I’m good at it.” Jerry looked up at him. “What do you need?”
Hunt pulled out the spreadsheet he’d made of the vehicles and the dates of the crimes. “Can you look up thevehicles you had here a few days before and on the day of the crime?”
Jerry shrugged. “What is he doing with the cars? He’s already suspected of killing his girlfriend. God help him if he hurt that baby, too.”
“Looking at it that way, this is less bad. I suspect he’s been breaking into people’s homes and burglarizing them. In a couple of instances, he pistol-whipped the victims who were home during the robberies.”
“He’s been complaining forever about how tight things have been financially. I told him Angela should go to work with her sister, like she wanted to, but he wouldn’t allow it. He didn’t like Angela being with her sister.”
“That’s because Cyn hates Rad for what he’s done to Angela and was trying to convince Angela to leave him.”
Jerry worked at the computer, looking up dates of service and matching up the cars to the best of his ability. In most cases, all Hunt had was a white four-door or a blue compact or whatever vague description was given. But if he could get close and gather enough evidence to prove Rad was involved, then he’d build his case one step at a time to take him down.
“Looks like I found cars that match the description for all but two of your robberies.” He pulled the papers off the printer with the car and owner information and handed them to Hunt.
“Thank you, Jerry. This is a huge help. Can you give me the contact information for the person who owns the white Corolla out front so I can get their permission to search the vehicle and let them know it’s suspected of being used in the burglary?”
“Sure.” Jerry pulled that information from the many sheets of paper on the desk and handed it over. “Tell Cyn I’m real sorry to hear about Angela and I’ll be thinking of her and Angela and that sweet baby, hoping they come home soon.”
Hunt clapped Jerry on the shoulder. “Thank you. She’ll appreciate it.”
“You need anything else, you let me know. I’m going to call a locksmith now and get the locks changed so Rad can’t come in here and steal vehicles anymore. You going to add that to his charges if you can link him to the car out front?”
“Yes. That’s the plan.”
“I’m here if you need me.”
Hunt headed out to his car to call the owner of the vehicle and get the forensic guys to look it over. They had a small department and were lucky to have a couple of guys trained to do the forensic work. A lot of small towns out here had to do that on their own. Luckily, their long-standing mayor fought for and the city council funded public services like that to protect and help keep the citizens safe.
It took a few hours to get the forensics done, check in with the search teams out looking for Angela and Lana and take a few emergency calls before he was able to stop at the store to get Cyn her treats, then finally head home.
He pulled into his driveway and smiled at his dad, who pulled in right after him and met him at the porch. “What are you doing here?”
“Shelby had to get home a little while ago for dinner with Eliza and Chase. I told her I’d come by, introducemyself to your girl and make sure everything was still quiet out here. But I guess you’re home, so I don’t need to stay if you don’t want to introduce her, and all.”
Hunt hadn’t made it a habit of introducing the women in his life to his family. But Cyn was different. “Come inside and meet her. You’ll like her.”
They walked up the steps. Hunt opened the door to the smell of spaghetti sauce and garlic and Cyn lying on the sofa watching aJohn Wickmovie. She spotted them, smiled, sat up and stood in one fluid motion, then put her arms out and fell sideways onto the coffee table, nearly falling off the other end.
Chapter Seventeen
Cyn didn’t know what happened. One moment she was up on her feet, happy to see her Wilde man, and the next he was grabbing her arms and pulling her into his chest.
“Are you okay?” Desperation and concern filled his deep voice.
She gripped his biceps and a wave of panic rushed through her. “Hunt. I can’t see.”
