Page 62 of Asher's Assignment
“Asher and Leah might not have that long, Edie.” Her voice grew thick as she thought about the danger the two of them were in. Asher could already be dead.
“I bet they do. I’m not sure why the guy took Asher, but I’m betting Connie Tyler’s past has come back to haunt her and that’s why he took Leah. This guy has a plan, and it’s not to kill her.”
Esther rubbed her temple, a headache beginning to pound behind her eyes. “But where does that leave Asher? I can’t just sit here and do nothing. Give me something to do. What do you guys need?” She needed a distraction. It would drive her crazy to sit around and wait on Edie and her friends to arrive.
“See if you can get a list of witnesses. The guys will want to talk to them when we get there. And maybe see if you can find out which businesses nearby have outdoor security cameras. It’ll save us time if we already have that information.”
“How are you going to access it, though? Asher’s the one who gets into everything electronic.”
“The old-fashioned way. Ask nicely. Don’t worry, Esther. We know what we’re doing and can adapt.”
“I know. I do… It’s just…” She broke off and growled, beyond frustrated.
“I get it, Essy.” Edie’s voice was softer now. “There’s nothing like not knowing if someone you care about is okay. But you have to trust me. Trust us. Just like I had to trust my team when Jordan was missing.”
“Yeah.” Esther blew out a breath. “Okay. I’ll go see what I can find out. Let me know when you’ll all be here, okay?”
“I will. Keep me posted if things change.”
“Yep.”
They said goodbye and hung up. Esther shoved her phone into her bag and glanced around the parking lot. It was still organized chaos. Crime scene techs were near the Tylers’ car, going over the ground with a fine-toothed comb and taking dozens of pictures. An officer stood sentry at the entrance, blocking the drive. Others stood with groups of potential witnesses, while Stroud and the police chief conducted interviews. They had people in two groups; those who needed to be interviewed, and those who had been.
She wandered closer to those with whom Stroud and the chief had already spoken. Lingering at the fringe, she listened.
After several minutes, the consensus seemed to be that no one had seen much of anything except for an older couple several people gestured toward. Esther turned toward the restaurant, studying the pair sitting on a bench alone.
A jolt of recognition made her eyes widen. She knew them. They went to her church.
Emboldened by familiarity, she walked over, stopping a few feet away. “Mr. and Mrs. Tinsdale.”
The couple looked up, and the wife smiled. “Esther. Hello, dear.”
“Hi.” She lifted a hand and waved, returning her smile. “May I sit with you?”
“Of course.” Sue Tinsdale nudged her husband in the side, motioning for him to scoot.
“Thank you.” Esther perched on the bench next to her.
“Such a terrible thing, isn’t it? Did you see what happened?” Sue asked.
“No. Did you?”
“We sure did. That man came out from behind a truck and just plucked that little girl right off the pavement. Her poor dad tried to stop him.”
“It was a terrible sight,” Herb Tinsdale said, shaking his head.
“Did you see the guy? His face, I mean.”
“No. He had that infernal hood over his head.” Sue crossed her arms and shook her head.
“But he was in the restaurant earlier.” Herb leaned forward to look at Esther.
“He was not,” Sue said. “That young man sitting alone was not the same guy.”
“He didn’t have the sweatshirt on, but he had on the same pants.”
“They were jeans, Herbert. Many people in the restaurant had on jeans.”
