Page 67 of Shadow of Fear
“You mean will we do it for free?” Nolan chuckled. “Yeah, we’ll do it basically for free as long as you pick up any expenses. It’ll be good experience and help our team gel even more.”
“As long as you don’t have five-star restaurant steak dinners, we got your expenses,” Colin said.
Nolan laughed again. He had a good sense of humor even though he also seemed to be a detailed and an in-charge kind of guy.
“Abby would never allow that,” he said. “She’s vegan all the way and is doing her best to convert all of us.”
She wrinkled her cute button nose, looking nothing like a former sheriff. “Well, itisthe way to go.”
“Go whereis the big question.” Gabe gave a shake of his head. “I mean, a life without meat isn’t a life worth living.”
“Exactly what will you do to find Caldwell?” Colin asked, bringing them back to task.
“First, I’d like to ask if you’ve done anything to try to locate him,” Nolan said.
“No,” Dev said. “All we have is his last known address, and we know he doesn’t live there anymore.”
“What about his date of birth?” Hayden asked.
“We don’t have it, but we can get it from his DL information.” Dev glanced at Colin, who gave him an almost imperceptible shake of his head.
Ah, yes. Colin was warning him to keep quiet about the details. They would get Caldwell’s birth date from his driver’s license information, which they could get from Russ. But they had to protect Russ. They weren’t about to tell these guys where the information had come from.
Nolan sat forward in his chair. “Get it to me, and the sooner the better. We’ll need it to get started on the first part of our two-pronged approach.”
“Two-pronged?” Dev asked. “What’s the first part?”
“Online and database tracking,” Nolan replied. “As private investigators, we have access to a selection of databases that can help us find him.”
Kinsley’s ears perked up. “What kind of databases?”
Nolan focused his intense gaze on her. “With his name and DOB, we can get a ton of information on the guy, including his Social Security number. Cars registered to him. Relatives—their names, dates of birth, and contact info. And info on other people who know him as well.”
“Wecan also run a statewide bank account search and see where he banks,” Hayden added. “This is just the tip of the iceberg.”
“Wow,” she said. “I’m glad you know Colin and are willing to help us.”
“Always willing to help a woman at risk.” Gabe bowed toward the table, and a flirtatious smile captured his mouth, leaving him looking impossibly handsome. No doubt women fell for him all the time.
But not her. Not for any of these men. Her heart was taken, plain and simple, and it was time she admitted it.
Abby looked at Gabe and put her finger in her mouth to mock gagging. “Kinsley is in serious danger, dude. Leave the flirting up to Jude. He’s so much better at it than you.”
“Yeah, well, our charming teammate isn’t here, so someone’s got to do it.” Gabe laughed.
Kinsley laughed with him.
Not Dev. He glared at him, then faced Nolan. “Sounds like you have that under control. What’s your second prong?”
“Even if we find a current address, we’ll still physically canvass the old neighborhood to see if anyone is willing to talk about him. To see what we can learn, and how he might try to evade our search or any attempt to make contact with him.”
“That might be a problem,” Colin said. “His last known address puts him in a pretty sketchy neighborhood, and there might not be anyone left who knew him.”
“Or even if they do,” Abby said, “my experience says if the neighborhood’s that sketchy, they might not be willing to talk to us.”
“But that doesn’t mean we won’t do our best.” Hayden’s determination deepened his tone. “Hopefully, we’ll stir the pot and make some people jumpy enough to talk.”
Gabe leaned forward to look at his teammate. “Exactly what you like to do. Rile everyone up to create some excitement when we might’ve been able to get the same information without the risk.”
