house, though there are dozens of photo and border trims next to the paper cutter over there.”
Metcalf nodded. “You’re right.”
Kendra pointed to a tall barren bookshelf in the corner of the room. “She kept them there. There’s a fine layer of dust that begins about a foot up on the interior sides of each shelf.” She picked up a blank scrapbook page and held it upright on one of the shelves. It matched up almost perfectly with the faint dust line. She turned back to Metcalf. “Someone took them.”
“But why? What could they have been? Vacations? Seeing Eye dogs she helped train?”
“I don’t know. It could be nothing more than someone wanting something to remember her by. Or it could be…something else.”
“Well, somebody came in here after Evidence Response made their sweep. I’d like to know who it was.”
“Same here.”
Metcalf’s phone vibrated in his pocket, accompanied by the five-note Close Encounters of the Third Kind motif.
Kendra smiled. “That’s your new ringtone? Sorry I ever questioned your geek credentials. You can have your membership card back.”
Metcalf fished the phone from his jacket inside breast pocket. “It means I got a text. Usually it’s just a worthless—” He looked at the screen and froze.
“What is it?”
“We need to go. If we hurry, we can meet the data tracker team downtown.” He started for the door.
“What in the hell is going on?”
He showed her the text. “Ronald Kim’s phone popped up on the grid. Someone just turned it on.”
Chapter
5
Kendra saw the three black FBI vans as they turned into the Embarcadero Marina Park North, adjacent to the San Diego Convention Center. The tech team was using it as their staging area, and they were clearly preparing to move out. Metcalf pulled to a stop next to the basketball courts, and they climbed out of the car.
They approached John Hyde, a tech specialist Kendra recognized from an earlier investigation. He was a slender man with gray slicked-back hair.
“What’s the story?” Metcalf asked.
Hyde checked a scanner in his left hand. “The wireless providers were advised to notify us if either of your victims’ phones came online, but you know how that is.”
“Yeah, they might let us know a day later,” Metcalf said sourly.
“Not this time. We heard from them within minutes. Ronald Kim’s phone is pinging a tower downtown.”
“Still?” Metcalf asked.
Hyde checked his scanner again. “Still active.”
“Is it being used to make a call?” Kendra asked.
“Not as of a few minutes ago. But it’s powered on. It’s an older phone, which makes our job more difficult. If it was an Apple or Android phone, I’d already have an address. We’re about to go out and do a manual sweep.” Hyde motioned toward one of the vans. “If you want to come along, I’ve got room in my van.”
Metcalf turned to Kendra. “Ever been on a Stingray sweep?”
“A what?”
He smiled, took her arm, and led her back through the open side door of the van. Inside, there were two other agents, a man and a woman, seated at a long bench seat that faced a wall of gear lining the left rear side. Both agents wore headphones. They nodded their greetings and turned back toward their instrument panels.
Metcalf pointed to a small silver box in the equipment rack. “Today, that’s the only thing that matters. It’s called a Stingray.”
“I’ve been part of investigations that have used them, but I was always sequestered away in a command center.”
“Oh, this is much more fun.” He pulled down a bench seat that backed up against the front driver’s and passenger seats. “Buckle up.”
Hyde climbed in behind the wheel and started up the van. After another couple of minutes, they were on the road.
Metcalf pointed at the lines of people snaking around the convention center. There were thousands, many wearing elaborate costumes. “I should be there, you know,” he said glumly.
Kendra gasped. “Comic-Con. I totally forgot. I usually don’t go near the place around this time.”
Metcalf unfastened the top two buttons of his shirt and pulled out a laminated convention badge attached to a lanyard. “I thought I might get a chance to take a whirl around the dealers’ room today.” He sighed. “Maybe tomorrow.”
Kendra rolled her eyes. “And to think I questioned your geekiness in any way.”
“You do that at your own peril. If you want any Hasbro exclusives or Funko figurines, I’m your man.”
The female tech instantly turned around in her chair. “Funko? Actually, Metcalf, we’ll speak.”
“Sure thing.” Metcalf turned back to Kendra. “See? I’m not the only