Page 58 of Asher's Assignment
He let out a soft curse. With a quick tip of his head, he motioned the officer to the side.
Meigs stepped away.
“Mrs. Tyler?” Stroud’s voice, though firm, held a note of compassion.
Connie looked up from her seat on the bench in front of the restaurant.
“I’m Detective Stroud. Do you know this woman?” He pointed at Esther.
A slight frown marred Connie’s face. “Should I?”
“She says she knows you.”
“I’m Esther Campbell.” She hadn’t mentioned to Detective Stroud that she’d never met Leah’s mother.
Connie’s frown turned curious. “Leah’s teacher?”
It was Stroud’s turn to frown. “Wait. You know the name but not the face?”
“We’ve never met. I’m always at work when she’s there. Rob—” Her voice caught, and she paused to swallow before continuing. “Rob is the one who deals with Leah’s schoolwork.”
Esther glanced around, suddenly realizing Rob was nowhere in sight. A pit formed in her belly. The call had been for an abduction and a shooting.
Connie stood up and folded her arms, hugging herself. “I don’t understand. Why are you here?”
Stroud spoke before Esther could. “Mrs. Tyler, can you tell me what happened?” He took a small notebook and a pen from his pocket, flipping to a blank page.
Sniffing, Connie swiped at her face. “Um, we—we were leaving. Walking to the car. Right over there.” She extended an arm, pointing past them to her right. “Leah was so happy. She’d had a great day.” A soft smile lit her face, and she glanced at Esther. “I heard all about what you and your friend did for her. Thank you.”
Esther cleared her throat to rid it of the lump that had suddenly formed. “You’re welcome.”
Connie’s expression sobered, then went distant as she recalled what happened. “We were maybe ten feet or so from the car when a man popped out from a couple vehicles down, pointing a gun.” She closed her eyes, and a tear trickled out. “He came up so fast. Grabbed Leah from between us. I remember screaming. Then Rob charged at the guy, yelling for him to put Leah down. He—he—” She broke off with a sob. More tears tracked down her face. She drew in a shaky breath that ended on a soft hiccup. Opening her eyes, she looked at Stroud. “The man shot Rob. Practically point blank. Then he was gone. He just—tucked Leah under one arm and took off that way.” She gestured toward the parking lot entrance.
“He wasn’t parked in the lot?”
Connie shook her head. “I ran after him, but he was too fast for me. By the time I reached the sidewalk, he was gone. I don’t know where he parked, but it wasn’t in the lot.”
“Okay. Did you recognize him?”
“No.”
Esther narrowed her eyes. There’d been an ever-so-slight hesitation to that single word. She was no psychologist or investigator, but she was a kindergarten teacher. She’d honed her lie-detection skills on five- and six-year-olds. There was something about Leah’s abductor that triggered something in Connie’s memory. “Are you sure?” she asked the other woman.
Connie turned silvery blue eyes on her. She held Esther’s gaze for a moment. A hardness glinted in their depths and made Esther frown. She had no proof, but she’d bet Connie Tyler was hiding something.
“I’m sure.” She turned to the detective. “He had a hood pulled low and wore black gloves.
Hoodie Man.
Who was that guy? What did he want with Leah? And Asher?
“What else can you tell me about him? Height, weight, race, age?”
“I didn’t see his face, but he was probably about six feet tall. Thin, but not skinny. I’m not sure about race. White, I think. There was some skin showing above his glove when he put his arm around Leah.”
“Okay. Did he say anything?”
“No. He just grabbed Leah, then shot Rob and took off running.”
