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Authors: Zooey Smith
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the cab company.”
“Oh.” He looked into the distance. “That’s right.”
“I’ve been meaning to try them,” Fe said.
Delano looked back to the screen. “Well that’s interesting then. You think people like this, they would have hired a cab?”
Both Abby and Fe shook their heads.
Fe said, “No way.”
“Me either,” Delano said. “Which means it’s either stolen, or one of their drivers…”
“Is the criminal,” Abby finished. “That might be possible. The drivers aren’t actually employed there, just managed by them. They handle the dispatch, and payment, take a percent. They don’t do background checks or anything like that. Credit report, I think, actually.” After a moment of awkward staring, she added, “I did a story on them. I’m a tech reporter, mostly.”
“Well, depending on how this turns out, your options might be expanding outside the technology field.”
“Not how I imagined. Or wanted. I’d trade it for Ecks being okay.”
Fe put a hand on her shoulder. “He will be. And the cab thing, that’s certainly worth looking into.” She smiled at Abby. “Good obs. We completely missed that.”
Delano patted her once on the shoulder. It was almost a punch. “Yeah, good job there,” he said, then made to leave the room. “I’m going to get something started about that. You watch the rest of the video. Let Fe know if you notice anything else we missed.”
“Will do,” Abby said.
After a minute of watching the car just sit there, Fe said, “I’m gonna get some coffee, want some?”
“No thanks.”
“All right, be right back. Let me know if you see anything.”
Abby nodded, and then was alone in the room. The door shut, and she rewound the video to before the people inside the vehicle got out, then watched the screen as they did. People who had stolen Ecks from right beside her while she was sleeping. And she had been completely unaware.
She did something like shiver, an involuntary convulsion, at the thought.
She watched the entire video, but, despite prodding from a caffeinated Fe, got nothing else of use out of it. It was like Robert had said: Only one of them came out and got into the car, then drove off. Like when they went in, the kidnapper who had come out hadn’t been wearing a mask on their return either, but the angle was even worse than when they’d first gotten out. And he—or she, Abby couldn’t be entirely certain—was moving much faster. But the car did a U-turn in the street, then only creeped forward, out of frame. The way it drove off frame, the speed, made it seem like it went to the front of the building, or somewhere else very close, planning to park again. Not being able to see allowed Abby to hope. There was still the chance that Ecks was fine. That she hadn’t gotten him involved in something that had gotten him killed. She clenched her teeth. If that was the case, she’d find them. She didn’t know what she’d do when she did, but she made a promise that she would. And whatever she decided to do with them, they wouldn’t like. That, she was certain of.
When Delano came back, a few minutes after the video ended, he said they were going to try to see if they could find more cameras in the area, but there weren’t that many stores that close to Ecks’s place. At least not ones that would have cameras outside. So she shouldn’t get her hopes up. They were also now going to send officers out to set up a crime scene, see if Ecks’s car was still there.
And so, her civilian role played out, Abby was again stuck in a hotel room with Fe, the TV, a slow internet connection, and her laptop—and nothing to do. So, after looking at the TV for a while without actually seeing anything that was happening, she opened her laptop, created a new document in her work’s Dropbox folder—encrypted using EncFS—and started writing down what had happened to her.
When Fe finally said, “Wow, you’re a typing demon,” Abby had forgotten where
“Oh.” He looked into the distance. “That’s right.”
“I’ve been meaning to try them,” Fe said.
Delano looked back to the screen. “Well that’s interesting then. You think people like this, they would have hired a cab?”
Both Abby and Fe shook their heads.
Fe said, “No way.”
“Me either,” Delano said. “Which means it’s either stolen, or one of their drivers…”
“Is the criminal,” Abby finished. “That might be possible. The drivers aren’t actually employed there, just managed by them. They handle the dispatch, and payment, take a percent. They don’t do background checks or anything like that. Credit report, I think, actually.” After a moment of awkward staring, she added, “I did a story on them. I’m a tech reporter, mostly.”
“Well, depending on how this turns out, your options might be expanding outside the technology field.”
“Not how I imagined. Or wanted. I’d trade it for Ecks being okay.”
Fe put a hand on her shoulder. “He will be. And the cab thing, that’s certainly worth looking into.” She smiled at Abby. “Good obs. We completely missed that.”
Delano patted her once on the shoulder. It was almost a punch. “Yeah, good job there,” he said, then made to leave the room. “I’m going to get something started about that. You watch the rest of the video. Let Fe know if you notice anything else we missed.”
“Will do,” Abby said.
After a minute of watching the car just sit there, Fe said, “I’m gonna get some coffee, want some?”
“No thanks.”
“All right, be right back. Let me know if you see anything.”
Abby nodded, and then was alone in the room. The door shut, and she rewound the video to before the people inside the vehicle got out, then watched the screen as they did. People who had stolen Ecks from right beside her while she was sleeping. And she had been completely unaware.
She did something like shiver, an involuntary convulsion, at the thought.
She watched the entire video, but, despite prodding from a caffeinated Fe, got nothing else of use out of it. It was like Robert had said: Only one of them came out and got into the car, then drove off. Like when they went in, the kidnapper who had come out hadn’t been wearing a mask on their return either, but the angle was even worse than when they’d first gotten out. And he—or she, Abby couldn’t be entirely certain—was moving much faster. But the car did a U-turn in the street, then only creeped forward, out of frame. The way it drove off frame, the speed, made it seem like it went to the front of the building, or somewhere else very close, planning to park again. Not being able to see allowed Abby to hope. There was still the chance that Ecks was fine. That she hadn’t gotten him involved in something that had gotten him killed. She clenched her teeth. If that was the case, she’d find them. She didn’t know what she’d do when she did, but she made a promise that she would. And whatever she decided to do with them, they wouldn’t like. That, she was certain of.
When Delano came back, a few minutes after the video ended, he said they were going to try to see if they could find more cameras in the area, but there weren’t that many stores that close to Ecks’s place. At least not ones that would have cameras outside. So she shouldn’t get her hopes up. They were also now going to send officers out to set up a crime scene, see if Ecks’s car was still there.
And so, her civilian role played out, Abby was again stuck in a hotel room with Fe, the TV, a slow internet connection, and her laptop—and nothing to do. So, after looking at the TV for a while without actually seeing anything that was happening, she opened her laptop, created a new document in her work’s Dropbox folder—encrypted using EncFS—and started writing down what had happened to her.
When Fe finally said, “Wow, you’re a typing demon,” Abby had forgotten where
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