Page 55 of Hostile Witness
“Don’t touch it,” Ethan yelled. He jogged over, pulled a plastic bag from his pocket, and lifted the fabric with his pen to slide it into the bag. “When a trained K9 alerts next to an item, they’re telling you something.” Ethan got down on one knee andpraised Flynn. Turning the bag over, he inspected the material. “This is blood, and these might be teeth marks on this denim.”
Tia gave her small backyard a slow perusal as anxiety tiptoed through her chest. “What do you think happened out here?”
Ethan got up. “I don’t know, but this little piece of fabric may give us some insight. And you’ve got cameras. We’ll check the footage.”
She straightened. “I’m creeped out, Ethan. I’ve always loved this yard.” Giving the place one last look, she tugged on Flynn’s leash. Maybe it was the evening chill in the air or that Flynn had found a piece of bloody fabric that didn’t belong back here, but the hairs on the back of her neck prickled, adding to her growing sense of unease.
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Once inside, they crowded together to watch the recordings from the backyard camera on Ethan’s phone. There was a lot of footage of Flynn and Tia, Ethan himself, and Mac. He scrolled to the beginning.
Tia gasped. “Look at that. That guy checked out the windows on the side of the house and got into the screened porch. No wonder Flynn lost his cool.” She glanced over to where the dog eagerly licked the remnants from his food bowl. “He’s such a good boy.”
Mac was standing behind Ethan and Tia. “Oh, wow, did that idiot just stick his face in the dog door? There’s Flynn. Aw, dude, he bit his face and hands.”
Ethan groaned. “There comes Flynn out the door—well, partially, anyway. It looks like he may have gotten the man’s leg and ankle, too.”
Mac shook his head. “That fella is hurting tonight.”
Ethan scrolled back a ways. “There aren’t any good face shots of him on the porch. Let me switch to the front camera. Maybe there’s a clear shot as he approaches the house.”
Mac peered closer. “Do you see his car?”
“No, if he drove, he parked somewhere else. There. He’s walking up the street with some sort of backpack, goes right up and rings the front door. I can’t see his face because of the hoodie,” Ethan noted.
Tia enlarged the picture. “All that footage and not one clear image of his face?”
“No. See if your doorbell cam has a better picture of it.”
She grabbed her phone and scrolled, then offered it to Ethan. “There he is at the front door.”
He flipped through the surveillance footage. “Yes, there’s his face. It’s not crystal clear, but an artist might be able to do a sketch from the video. Would you mind sending me that clip?”
She nodded. “Sure.”
Tia sippedher tea leaning against the kitchen counter while Mac and Ethan finished their beers, ribbing each other like lifelong friends. “So how long have you two known each other?”
Mac ran a hand through his hair and smiled. “Since eighth grade—military school. We were roommates. Ethan didn’t like the whole boarding-school experience. I, however, loved the freedom of being on my own.”
Ethan caught Tia’s eye. “Boarding school was a lot to absorb after losing my parents. I wanted to stay at the beach and live with my grandmother, but she chose to abide by the plans my parents had already made.”
“That’s a lot to take in. How old were you?”
“Fourteen,” Ethan and Mac said in unison.
Mac offered her a sudden arresting smile. “I taught Ethan the social ropes and pulled his head out of the textbooks.”
“And I helped him with his studies because he was too busy messing around to care about school. Eventually, we balanced out,” Ethan added.
Mac tossed his beer bottle into the recycle bin. “You’re still scarily smarter than me, dude. I chose premed and became an army medic. My brainiac friend here speaks four languages fluently and has a couple of advanced degrees. There’s more to him than pretty packaging.”
Ethan shook his head slowly. “You’re like a brother, spilling all my secrets.”
Mac glanced at her. “Thanks for the beer; my ride to the airport is waiting outside. Nice to meet you, Tia. I need my bag from your trunk, E.”
She held out her hand. “Thank you for your help, Mac. I hope to see you again.”
He took her hand in both of his and squeezed gently, looking deep into her eyes. “Likewise.”
