away. “Uh …”
Bingo, Alex thought.
“Did you see a bicycle like that outside? Maybe when you left?” he asked, his pulse picking up as he focused back on her.
“No, but …” she trailed off, and shot a meaningful glance at her coworker.
“How about you?” Alex asked turning back toward the counter.
“No,” he said quickly, staring hard at the girl. She placed her hands on her hips and fixed him with her best maternal “Don’t lie” look. Alex noted that the barista, no longer bored, was standing at full alert.
“Sunday morning when I went to the dumpster to throw out some trash, I saw a bike propped up against the trees. Figured someone was trying to get rid of it. Rode it home after my shift was over. I wasn’t trying to steal it or anything.” His white face lost even more color, making his skin appear almost translucent as he grimaced.
“Is it here?” Alex asked, equal measures of anticipation and dread mingled in his gut. Reluctantly, the kid nodded. Alex caught Jackson’s eye as the barista led them out of the shop, through the side door, and to the alley. If indeed it was Natalie’s bike, this wasn’t good news.
Sunlight filtered through the trees at the back. The canopy of leaves created a pool of shade for the dumpster. Jackson squatted down beside the bike and read the serial number. Alex cross-referenced it against the one Natalie’s father had provided.
“It’s a match. Looks like you’re going to have to walk home tonight,” Alex said. After a philosophical shrug that seemed to say “Easy come, easy go,” the kid wandered back inside.
Alex dipped his head a fraction, taking in this new piece of information. There was no doubt left in his mind as to whether Natalie had been abducted. There was no way she would leave her bike back here. According to Tom, it was too important.
With grim expressions, they searched the small wooded area behind the coffee shop for any additional sign of Natalie and found nothing. Staring at the green Dumpster, Jackson flipped open the lid and watched the flies take flight, a look of disgust crossing his broad face. Alex wrinkled his nose. The smell of rotting garbage filled the alley.
“I wonder when it was last emptied,” Alex said, contemplating the garbage bags piled up above the Dumpster’s two-thirds marker. “I think it’s your turn.” His eyes locked with Jackson’s.
“Didn’t I do the one over in Pioneer Square?”
“You’re forgetting Belltown,” Alex pointed out.
With a resigned look, Jackson scaled the side and jumped in as Alex pulled on a pair of latex gloves with a telltale snap.
“Jesus Christ,” Jackson muttered from within the Dumpster, knee-deep in garbage. “They sure don’t show this in any of the recruitment brochures.” He lobbed another slick garbage bag over the lip of the dumpster, and it landed beside Alex with a wet thud. “I’ll never get this shit off my shoes, and the smell …”
Alex probed through the contents of the bag with his gloved hands. Coffee grounds, food scraps, stir sticks, paper napkins. No additional signs of Natalie so far.
“You want to trade out?”
The stench of rotten banana peels and mildew turned his stomach. He counted his blessings that the Dumpster was in the shade. If it were basking in the full glory of the sun, the bugs and stench would be worse.
“I wouldn’t want you cybercrime geeks to get your hands dirty.”
The good natured barb rumbled from within the Dumpster, and Alex couldn’t suppress a grin.
“Aw, is Princess getting dirty?”
“Fuck off, Shannon.”
A little more rustling from within the Dumpster before Jackson’s head popped up. His jaw was set in a grim line as he held up a black backpack. Alex felt as if he had been kneed in the guts as he dropped the sack of garbage and held his hands out.
Jackson tossed him the bag and climbed out of the Dumpster. Alex pulled on fresh gloves and was already checking the contents by the time
Bingo, Alex thought.
“Did you see a bicycle like that outside? Maybe when you left?” he asked, his pulse picking up as he focused back on her.
“No, but …” she trailed off, and shot a meaningful glance at her coworker.
“How about you?” Alex asked turning back toward the counter.
“No,” he said quickly, staring hard at the girl. She placed her hands on her hips and fixed him with her best maternal “Don’t lie” look. Alex noted that the barista, no longer bored, was standing at full alert.
“Sunday morning when I went to the dumpster to throw out some trash, I saw a bike propped up against the trees. Figured someone was trying to get rid of it. Rode it home after my shift was over. I wasn’t trying to steal it or anything.” His white face lost even more color, making his skin appear almost translucent as he grimaced.
“Is it here?” Alex asked, equal measures of anticipation and dread mingled in his gut. Reluctantly, the kid nodded. Alex caught Jackson’s eye as the barista led them out of the shop, through the side door, and to the alley. If indeed it was Natalie’s bike, this wasn’t good news.
Sunlight filtered through the trees at the back. The canopy of leaves created a pool of shade for the dumpster. Jackson squatted down beside the bike and read the serial number. Alex cross-referenced it against the one Natalie’s father had provided.
“It’s a match. Looks like you’re going to have to walk home tonight,” Alex said. After a philosophical shrug that seemed to say “Easy come, easy go,” the kid wandered back inside.
Alex dipped his head a fraction, taking in this new piece of information. There was no doubt left in his mind as to whether Natalie had been abducted. There was no way she would leave her bike back here. According to Tom, it was too important.
With grim expressions, they searched the small wooded area behind the coffee shop for any additional sign of Natalie and found nothing. Staring at the green Dumpster, Jackson flipped open the lid and watched the flies take flight, a look of disgust crossing his broad face. Alex wrinkled his nose. The smell of rotting garbage filled the alley.
“I wonder when it was last emptied,” Alex said, contemplating the garbage bags piled up above the Dumpster’s two-thirds marker. “I think it’s your turn.” His eyes locked with Jackson’s.
“Didn’t I do the one over in Pioneer Square?”
“You’re forgetting Belltown,” Alex pointed out.
With a resigned look, Jackson scaled the side and jumped in as Alex pulled on a pair of latex gloves with a telltale snap.
“Jesus Christ,” Jackson muttered from within the Dumpster, knee-deep in garbage. “They sure don’t show this in any of the recruitment brochures.” He lobbed another slick garbage bag over the lip of the dumpster, and it landed beside Alex with a wet thud. “I’ll never get this shit off my shoes, and the smell …”
Alex probed through the contents of the bag with his gloved hands. Coffee grounds, food scraps, stir sticks, paper napkins. No additional signs of Natalie so far.
“You want to trade out?”
The stench of rotten banana peels and mildew turned his stomach. He counted his blessings that the Dumpster was in the shade. If it were basking in the full glory of the sun, the bugs and stench would be worse.
“I wouldn’t want you cybercrime geeks to get your hands dirty.”
The good natured barb rumbled from within the Dumpster, and Alex couldn’t suppress a grin.
“Aw, is Princess getting dirty?”
“Fuck off, Shannon.”
A little more rustling from within the Dumpster before Jackson’s head popped up. His jaw was set in a grim line as he held up a black backpack. Alex felt as if he had been kneed in the guts as he dropped the sack of garbage and held his hands out.
Jackson tossed him the bag and climbed out of the Dumpster. Alex pulled on fresh gloves and was already checking the contents by the time
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