Read Online The Killing Season by Mason Cross - Free Book Online

again. “The last thing Wardell is,” I said, “is indiscriminate. You believe that, you’re making a big mistake.”
    Castle took a step forward. “Excuse me?”
    Banner sighed and stood up, smoothing the front of her skirt down and subtly moving between us. “So what do you think?” she asked me. “Is he still in the area?”
    I looked at the corpse again. It partially obscured the phrase no parking , painted on the ground in white foot-high letters. “I don’t know,” I said slowly, thinking. I knew I was missing something, something potentially important.
    Castle was looking at me with open contempt. “Wonderful.”
    “So for now,” Banner said, “we focus on the thirty-mile radius.”
    “All we can do,” Castle agreed. “We’re looking in every backseat and trunk of every vehicle leaving the area. No ­reports of any stolen cars anywhere in the vicinity this morning. We’ve got people making house-to-house inquiries, roadblocks, air support. In the meantime, if anyone has any idea how we get the media to not notice a fucking state-wide manhunt, I’m all ears.”
    That was when I realized what was wrong. It was right there in front of me, painted in white foot-high letters.
    “Has anybody talked to the stores?”
    “You mean for witnesses?” the young agent asked.
    I shook my head. “About their employees. Did anybody not show up for work today?”
    Castle was losing patience. “I think they might have a little more on their minds than one of the bag packers taking a personal day. Have you seen those people?” He waved a hand in the direction of the crowd. “It’s like the goddamn circus is in town.”
    “I’ve seen them,” I said. “And they’re standing over by the staff-only bays, right by what is literally the only empty space in this lot.”
    “Meaning?” Castle snapped.
    “Meaning there’s a good chance that spot was vacated around the time of the killing, right before the police locked everything down. And meaning there’s a good chance that whatever vehicle was in that spot belonged to a member of staff, one who hasn’t reported—or who hasn’t been able to report—their car stolen.”
    I half expected Castle to shut me down, but in this I was pleasantly surprised. Castle thought it over for a couple of seconds. Beneath it all, maybe he was too much of a professional to discount a possible lead, however much he might dislike its source. His voice was cautious when he spoke. “Not necessarily.”
    “No,” I said. “But possibly.”
    Castle turned in Banner’s direction, mouth open to say something. But she was already gone.
     
    11
     
    1:57 p.m.
     
    “Got it.” I looked up at Banner as she appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. She was smiling, carrying two steaming cardboard coffee cups. I had left the tent and the body of the deliveryman to gather my thoughts and was sitting against the hood of a silver Toyota, watching Castle pace back and forth a hundred yards away, talking animatedly on his cell phone.
    “Must be good coffee,” I said, taking the cup she offered.
    “Sandra Veldon. Assistant manager in the doughnut place. Didn’t show up for work today.”
    “Habitual absentee?”
    Head shake. “More like employee of the month: every month. She calls if she’s going to be five minutes late. Today? Nothing.”
    “Car?”
    Nod. “Dark blue 2009 Ford Taurus. Got the plates from the DMV already, got the BOLO out.”
    I nodded and looked at my watch, impressed. “All this and coffee.”
    Banner shot me a warning look, rebuffing the pat on the head. “I can hold up my end. But you helped us along. She might not have been reported missing until tonight. Maybe you’re not as much of a waste of time as I thought you were, Blake.”
    “Thanks.”
    “Don’t get ahead of yourself. I said ‘maybe.’”
    “It’s a hunch,” I cautioned. “Looks good so far, but it might not pay off.”
    Uninvited, Banner moved closer and took a perch next to me on the hood,