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A caer

I walked the couple of blocks to the parking lot, keeping my eyes on the area aroundthe path

Behind a tree, crouched next to a trashcan, standing in plain sight--it wasn’t like that would look out of place on a college ca else also coated the parking lot Rain wasn’t falling yet-- not really--but a slow drizzle coated the air and the dark fall sky was oppressive Cars packed the large area to the brile space re lot didn’t look like the kind of place that woain, people disappeared fro places every day But tohly unusual

A lone officer--one who’d been assigned to the case while I was in the office with Vasquez--stood by a car not far from where I’d entered When I approached he nodded to me

"Is this Wendy’s car?" I asked

"Yes, ave the s it I didn’t see anything unusual The girls probably hadn’t even ht, and the small amount of hope I’d carried that we’d find a quick link to their kidnapper slipped away

The vehicle wouldn’t contain any evidence to help us find Elaine and Wendy, and identifying where exactly they had been taken would be difficult Neverany evidence that could actually be linked conclusively

I studied the parking lot carefully The lights-- soh that I had difficultyout exactly as off about them I strode to the closest one and looked up, then blinked at the object adjacent to the light dumbly, as hope blossomed in my chest

Security caone?" My voice rose to a shriek that even my half-banshee friend Mac would have been proud of

"I’m sorry," Donovan said "I don’t knohat could have happened to the footage Like I told the other officers, nothing like this has ever happened before"

Sweat trickled down the sides of his face

"And you didn’t think to aze darted to his hands Of course he hadn’t e The little weasel hadn’t wanted to get yelled at

"Isn’t there some sort of backup systeed him off

"Not really," the head of security said "The syste onto a hard drive It’s eventually deleted, but only when it’s downloaded and archived

But everything fro on the drive--and it doesn’t seem to have been archived We’ve never had a probleot a probleo find someone who actually kno to do his job" I held my facade in place with the thinnest of emotional threads

Red-faced, the head of security stuttered that he would get someone on the phone from the security company who sold the school the system, and he disappeared into his office

I paced the hallway and Costa, eyes hooded, leaned against the wall and crossed his ar Donovan approached, his ar to be hit, and Costa pushed away from the wall

"I’m sorry, Detective, but it’ll be a while before I have any inforlanced around "I could call you," he said, hopeful

I openedbefore I could get the words out

I pulled it out of my pocket and looked at the number

Astrid

I touched my phone’s screen "Hello?" I took my wallet out Astrid’s voice came over the line as I handed the head of security my card

"Hey, Marisol It’s Astrid I’m so sorry about your sister"

"Thanks," I whispered I cleared my throat and shoved my wallet back intoto be sorry about"

"I hate to ask this, but are you busy right now?" she asked, voice tentative "I need your help with so, if you have time"