Page 74 of Shadow of Fear
“Nah, the dude hasn’t even left home.”
“Don’t let that lull you into a false sense of security. Keep your eyes open. If he’s our shooter you’re our first line of defense.”
Kinsley sat down with Dev in the dining room. Jada had gone to sit with Sandy until she fell asleep leaving Kinsley and Dev alone. He shared the conversations he’d had with Sierra and Micha and now they were reviewing Kinsley’s investigation files again. A last ditch effort while they waited for Sierra to call again, and time dragged like a heavy suitcase on a long airport walk. They didn’t locate anything new, and tension filled the cabin along with the lingering smell of the rosemary-infused chicken they’d had for dinner.
Kinsley’s phone rang with a video call, the caller ID said the Veritas Center. She showed Dev. “Could be Sierra.”
“Answer!” He jumped to his feet.
She tapped the accept button and then joined the call. Nick Thorn’s face showed on the screen. He still looked the same as she remembered and had a close-cut beard in a reddish-brown color that matched his hair.
“Nick!” She smiled. “Long time no see.”
“Hey, Kinsley,” he said, his tone deep and husky.
“Good to hear from you.” She glanced back at Dev who’d come to stand behind her. “My shadow is Devan—Dev—Graham.”
“We know each other,” Dev said. “And even if we didn’t, all the great things Sierra has to say about you makes it seem like we do.”
“They’re all true.” He blew on his fingernails and polished them on his shirt, then laughed. “I got the drone from Sierra and ran the ID through the registration databases. I’m sorry to say the drone isn’t registered, so it didn’t provide any contact information.”
Kinsley’s hope evaporated. “Then we’re out of luck in finding him that way.”
“Yes and no.” Nick tilted his head. “True the registration database was a bust, but we can still use the serial ID number for a few things.”
He held up his index finger. “First, I left a message with the manufacturer to find out where they sold this model drone with our ID lot. If we can find out where it was sold and narrow it down to a single location, we might get lucky and recover security footage of the purchase. Or if the drone was sold online, we can find out where it was shipped.”
“What are the odds that will happen?” Dev asked.
“Honestly…” Nick paused, and she couldn’t help thinking that he didn’t want to answer. “With this older model drone, it’s a longshot. Businesses often don’t keep security video for long. And we have to consider the fact that it could’ve been bought at a garage sale, on eBay, or other selling sites. If our suspect is smart, he might have bought it this way so no one would be able to trace it to him.”
Kinsley felt Dev’s posture stiffen behind her.
“So, really, we shouldn’t hold our breath on this.”
Nick scratched his chin. “Wouldn’t say there’s no hope, but don’t count on it as your only lead.”
“You said ‘a few things,’ though,” Kinsley said, wanting to hear something positive.
“Yeah, I’ll also write an algorithm using the serial ID and search the internet for the number.”
“If it’s old, how will that help?” she asked.
“Once something is indexed by search engines on the internet, it’s there forever unless you can get the search engine owner to remove it, which is usually impossible.”
“But why would the number even be there?” she asked, still waiting to see how this could be a good thing.
Nick’s jaw tightened as if he were getting frustrated with her. “If it was listed on eBay or other such selling sites for example, the serial number might be included in the listing.”
Not quite there for her. “And that wouldn’t disappear when an item is sold?”
“No. Haven’t you ever searched for something online and gotten an eBay listing for an item that was no longer for sale?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I have. Frustrating when I want to buy it and it’s really not for sale, but yeah, I see your point now.”
Nick smiled. “So this is a possibility too. Another long shot, though.”
“What about a broadcast signal?” Dev asked. “Was the drone set up to be broadcasting?”
