"Any witnesses? You said there was a 911 call."
Flynn's expression tightened. "That's where it gets interesting. Park security cameras caught a woman running into the parking lot around the estimated time of death. Dark hair, medium build, driving a silver Honda Civic. We've got a partial on the license plate, but she was moving fast."
"Was she fleeing the scene or running for help?"
"Who knows? But she could be our 911 caller. That woman hung up before dispatch could get any information."
Matt nodded, his mind already working through the possibilities. "She could be a witness or the killer. But if she was the killer, why call 911? She could have left Sabrina in the woods. It might have been hours before anyone found her."
"She could have just stumbled across the body, panicked, and ran. Didn't want to get involved," Flynn suggested. "But there's still the question of why Sabrina Lin had your name and phone number on this piece of paper." He held up another plastic bag with his contact information visible.
"That's my office number," he murmured, reading the digits. "Not my cell phone. I've been out of the office the last three days. If she called recently, she wouldn't have reached me."
"Maybe she spoke to someone else."
"I'll find out."
Matt pulled out his phone and dialed his former partner, Agent Shari Drummond. She answered on the second ring.
"Matt? Is something wrong? I thought you were taking a vacation before you started your next assignment."
"I was, but I have a quick question. Do you know if anyone named Sabrina Lin called our office, trying to reach me?"
There was a pause. "Actually, yes. She called this morning. I told her you weren't working in our office anymore and asked if I could help. She said she would only talk to you, that she didn't trust anyone else. What's going on?"
"She was found dead in Griffith Park an hour ago. My name was on a note in her pocket."
Shari blew out a breath. "That's terrible. Who is she?"
"I don't know. Did she say anything else?"
"No, she didn't. Sorry."
"Thanks. I'll talk to you later."
"Good luck."
He turned to Flynn as he slipped his phone into his pocket. "Ms. Lin called my office this morning and was told I no longer worked in that unit. She refused to talk to anyone but me. I need to know what happened to her. Are we taking this case? Or will it go to the LA field office?"
"We'll take it. With your name on the victim, and Ms. Lin's refusal to talk to anyone in your old office, it's better if we handle the investigation. I'll let Director Markham know. LAPD will notify Sabrina's family and her employer. We'll go from there."
"First thing we need to do is locate our possible witness."
"Derek is already in the office, running plate combinations. He's one of our best techs."
"Great. I know I'm not officially on the payroll…"
"Just moved your hire date to today," Flynn said with a smile. "Welcome aboard, Matt. You've got your first case."
"Do you want me to work with anyone else? Do I have a partner?"
"As Jason may have told you, we don't have official partners. Whoever is free teams up. We do every job, big or small. That's how we move fast. We don't worry about hierarchy or credit or who's doing what. Whoever lands a case is the lead, and everyone else is backup. Sometimes you're in charge, sometimes you're watching security cameras. You good with that?"
"Absolutely."
"That said, Jason and Agent Andi Hart just wrapped up a case, so they should have some time to help you, depending on where this investigation goes. They'll be in tomorrow morning."
He nodded. "I'll go to the office now and talk to Derek. Hopefully, we can track down our mysterious witness by then."
