Page 79 of Night Moves
At the shop door, Drake shifted the hard case he was carrying and peered through the glass. “There’s a security camera by the register. Keep your head down and take a seat in the corner right away. It’ll be out of the camera’s angle.”
She followed directions and tried not to look suspicious as she dropped onto a hard plastic chair. She’d developed an honesty gene when she was a kid, thanks to her pastor. Her parents dropped her and Gina off at church and picked them up after service. Not because their parents thought it was necessary for their upbringing, but because they wanted a couple of hours alone. Her stomach churned over their deception, but she knew this could be the best way to find Kirk.
After her dad had walked out on them, her mom stopped taking them to church, but Natalie always found a ride for her and Gina because even as a kid, Natalie knew she needed God in her life. He was her only hope in her dismal world. If only she could share that hope with the children she worked with. Alas, her job prohibited it. The best she could do was to refer them to church-based resources.
She looked around the tidy shop where the odor of paint and rubber grew stronger. A cute blond that Natalie put in her late teens sat behind the tall reception desk looking bored. Her eyes perked up when Drake approached the counter, and she gave him a dazzling smile. “Can I help you?”
Drake casually leaned on the counter, keeping the case that he carried out of view, and returned her smile. “Someone left a message about picking up a car for Kirk Gentry.”
“Right. It was me. I left the message.”
“Great. If you’ll just give us the keys, we’ll get going.”
“Let me pull up your record to be sure there aren’t any charges.”
Natalie sure hoped insurance was taking care of the bill, or Drake was going to have to do some fast thinking as he couldn’t produce a credit card in Kirk’s name. But she didn’t doubt for one second that he would figure it out if needed and achieve his goal.
The young woman squinted as she stared at the screen. “Here you are. You’re one of the lucky ones. Insurance’s covering it all, and you’re good to go.” She reached for a folder with keys attached and laid it in front of Drake. “Just need you to sign here.”
Natalie watched him scribble something on the pad then snatch up the keys. “Thanks for your help. Where’s the car?”
“Spot seven.”
Drake spun and held out his hand for Natalie. She rushed out the door. “You know we’re likely on several cameras, right?”
“Probably. But I’m going to call Londyn as soon as we’re done to tell her where to find the car. Hopefully, when we locate Gentry for her, she’ll choose not to bring any charges against me.”
Natalie stared at him. “You mean us.”
“I’ll make sure she knows I dragged you along, so you won’t be charged with anything.” He pointed ahead. “There it is. The red Mazda Miata. Sweet car.”
Natalie recognized Kirk’s flashy red sports car all repaired and shiny clean.
Drake held the remote in his hand, and the locks opened. “Keyless entry.”
He put on gloves, opened his case, and held it out to her. “Hold this for a minute, would you?”
She took it. “You never said what’s in here.”
He leaned into the car. “It’s a toolkit. I have to take a few things apart to access the telematics and infotainment system.”
“And you just happen to know where that is on a Miata?”
“Nah. Erik texted the information to me.”
She grew more impressed with the Byrd brother’s skills all the time. “I get that the infotainment system can give you the GPS and things like phone calls and internet access—stuff like that—but what are telematics?”
He grabbed a tool from the kit and leaned back into the car. “It’s kind of the black box of a car. It stores turn-by-turn navigation, speed, acceleration, and deceleration information. It can even tell us where the lights were switched on, the doors were opened, seat belts put on, or airbags deployed. So we can tell how many people were in the vehicle at any given time.”
She’d never heard of that. “Is that just for a Miata?”
“Most newer cars record that information.”
“And you know how to access it? I thought Erik was your electronics guy.”
Drake lifted out a cable from the toolbox. “This hardware kit provides the cables and interface boards I need.”
“So we can print out the information when we get back to your office and figure out where he’s been.”
