irritation and her look said she’d caught Lexie staring at the man.
Lexie felt her cheeks blush, and she concentrated on Angel’s words rather than Tucker’s accent. “A few points of interest?”
“The lieutenant and I found a couple too.” John took his chair as Ed Pierce and Ryan Sims, both carrying steaming cups of coffee, entered the conference room.
“You go ahead.” Angel closed one book and peered at the men.
“Want me to tell her?” Ryan took his seat.
“If you want.” Tucker answered Ryan, but Lexie noticed his attention didn’t waver from…her. She opened her briefcase and removed her files without looking at the man. And silently told herself to get a grip on the attraction, or energy, or whatever existed between her and Detective John Tucker.
“Good news first, or bad?” Sims asked.
Angel took another sip of her coffee, her mouth grimacing as she swallowed. “Good.”
“We’ve located three subjects reported missing in Bibb County during January, March and April of 1985.”
“What about February?”
“That’s the bad news. The February files are missing.”
She placed one hand on her forehead, spread her fingers and rubbed her temples. “And since the date for the first kill would’ve been,” she moved her hand away and consulted her notes, “February 26th that year, that’s the month where we’d find who we’re looking for, right?”
“That’s the date I got too.” Lexie located the same date in her notes. “Forty days before Easter.”
“Any idea what happened to February’s information?”
“Seeing as it’s the only month missing for the year, I’d say someone didn’t want us finding it,” Sims answered, while Captain Pierce shot a not-so-discreet glance at Tucker.
John Tucker placed his palms on the table. “For the record, I haven’t accessed the missing persons’ files from that year prior to this morning, in Lieutenant Sims’ presence, I might add. And also for the record, a variety of people have had access to those files throughout the past twenty-eight years, and all of their names are logged in records.”
“You see, that’s another bizarre thing.” Pierce cut his gaze to Tucker. “We’re missing a records book too.”
“What year?” John pushed the two words through gritted teeth.
“1985.”
“Who has access to those records?” Angel’s query brought the conversation back in the direction they needed and away from the unspoken insinuation that Tucker had something to do with the missing files. “Anyone other than police personnel?”
Lexie watched Angel’s eyes and prayed she wouldn’t draw additional attention to Tucker. She’d thought a lot of the man before, but after his offer to follow her home last night, plus the fact that he’d done nothing more than verify she made it inside, Lexie didn’t want his name brought back up in this case.
Ryan Sims shrugged . “With older records, anybody could’ve taken them.”
“What do you mean?”
“Folks come in all the time to take a look at those files. If they didn’t, the things would never be of any use to anybody.”
“Well, they’d sure be of use to us now.” Angel looked appalled. “ Who comes in to look at them?”
“Kids from the college doing reports, family members wanting to check out the old case information, see if they missed any clues about what could’ve happened to their kids, cops looking through old cases.” He shrugged again. “Lots of people.”
“That’s true,” Lou Marker confirmed as he and Zed entered the room. Both of them were still in the same clothes they’d worn last night and although they looked like they’d had some sleep, they hadn’t had much. “Lots of folks have access to those files.”
“I called the state this morning,” Tucker said. “They have the February info, but they said it’ll take them a while to find the files.”
“Did they say how long a while would be?” Angel’s frustration with this
Lexie felt her cheeks blush, and she concentrated on Angel’s words rather than Tucker’s accent. “A few points of interest?”
“The lieutenant and I found a couple too.” John took his chair as Ed Pierce and Ryan Sims, both carrying steaming cups of coffee, entered the conference room.
“You go ahead.” Angel closed one book and peered at the men.
“Want me to tell her?” Ryan took his seat.
“If you want.” Tucker answered Ryan, but Lexie noticed his attention didn’t waver from…her. She opened her briefcase and removed her files without looking at the man. And silently told herself to get a grip on the attraction, or energy, or whatever existed between her and Detective John Tucker.
“Good news first, or bad?” Sims asked.
Angel took another sip of her coffee, her mouth grimacing as she swallowed. “Good.”
“We’ve located three subjects reported missing in Bibb County during January, March and April of 1985.”
“What about February?”
“That’s the bad news. The February files are missing.”
She placed one hand on her forehead, spread her fingers and rubbed her temples. “And since the date for the first kill would’ve been,” she moved her hand away and consulted her notes, “February 26th that year, that’s the month where we’d find who we’re looking for, right?”
“That’s the date I got too.” Lexie located the same date in her notes. “Forty days before Easter.”
“Any idea what happened to February’s information?”
“Seeing as it’s the only month missing for the year, I’d say someone didn’t want us finding it,” Sims answered, while Captain Pierce shot a not-so-discreet glance at Tucker.
John Tucker placed his palms on the table. “For the record, I haven’t accessed the missing persons’ files from that year prior to this morning, in Lieutenant Sims’ presence, I might add. And also for the record, a variety of people have had access to those files throughout the past twenty-eight years, and all of their names are logged in records.”
“You see, that’s another bizarre thing.” Pierce cut his gaze to Tucker. “We’re missing a records book too.”
“What year?” John pushed the two words through gritted teeth.
“1985.”
“Who has access to those records?” Angel’s query brought the conversation back in the direction they needed and away from the unspoken insinuation that Tucker had something to do with the missing files. “Anyone other than police personnel?”
Lexie watched Angel’s eyes and prayed she wouldn’t draw additional attention to Tucker. She’d thought a lot of the man before, but after his offer to follow her home last night, plus the fact that he’d done nothing more than verify she made it inside, Lexie didn’t want his name brought back up in this case.
Ryan Sims shrugged . “With older records, anybody could’ve taken them.”
“What do you mean?”
“Folks come in all the time to take a look at those files. If they didn’t, the things would never be of any use to anybody.”
“Well, they’d sure be of use to us now.” Angel looked appalled. “ Who comes in to look at them?”
“Kids from the college doing reports, family members wanting to check out the old case information, see if they missed any clues about what could’ve happened to their kids, cops looking through old cases.” He shrugged again. “Lots of people.”
“That’s true,” Lou Marker confirmed as he and Zed entered the room. Both of them were still in the same clothes they’d worn last night and although they looked like they’d had some sleep, they hadn’t had much. “Lots of folks have access to those files.”
“I called the state this morning,” Tucker said. “They have the February info, but they said it’ll take them a while to find the files.”
“Did they say how long a while would be?” Angel’s frustration with this
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