He smiled and added, “For full disclosure, I also have access to the routing programs, but I’ll be honest to say that I’ve never been trained on it. I’m not sure that I would even be able to understand it if I pulled it up, but I certainly have it installed on my computer.”
“The other thing we’re concerned about is that the truck involved in the theft had been reported stolen but is owned by a sister subsidiary company of Kilton.”
Niles’ brow lowered and he shook his head slowly. “I’m not sure I understand exactly what you’re saying, but I don’t know anything about that, detectives.”
Thanking him for his time, Kyle was about to suggest to Alex that they talk to Bob Trogdon when Alex’s phone rang. Answering it, he said, “We’ll be right there.” Looking at Kyle, he added, “The truck’s been found.”
Arriving at an old strip mall where half of the stores were closed, they could see the white delivery truck sitting off to the side. A patrol car with two officers stood nearby, and as they drew closer, they could see Todd and Birdie there as well. Parking, he and Alex climbed from his truck and walked over.
“Before you ask, yes, we’ll have it taken in. As usual, there’s a backlog at the lab, but at least we can see if there’s anything,” Todd said.
“I opened it up and looked inside. It’s clean from what I can see,” Birdie added. “My guess would be our guys were professional, they would’ve kept everything in boxes and used gloves.”
Kyle looked around, hoping to see security cameras but was disappointed.
“Yeah, I checked with the manager of the store over there—one of the few still open—and he said there haven’t been security cameras around here in years. Not since the grocery store that anchored them on the corner went out of business.”
“So, they chose a place in plain view, no cameras, but so little traffic that a truck can sit here for days and no one would notice or complain.” Looking toward the two officers, he asked, “Did they discover it?”
“Yeah,” Todd replied. “Because it looks so new, it caught their eye and they decided to ask the guy if it was his. He’s the one that told me it’s just been sitting here for a few days. They ran the plates and then called it in.”
“Well, once processed, I guess Mr. Ying will be glad to get his truck back,” Alex said, eliciting a chuckle from the others.
22
Kyle’s day had been long, and he drove to his house, concerned that Kimberly had not confirmed that she was going to meet them there. They had bounced back and forth between houses and he hoped she would be waiting for him. Going through the front door, his gaze snagged immediately on the coffee table. A key lying on top of a piece of paper was in plain sight. Snatching the paper up, he could easily see it was from her, already recognizing her handwriting.
I suppose I’m taking the chicken way out by leaving your key and this message. I heard you talking to Alex this morning and know that you read over my notes from work. If you have to investigate my employer, I can respect that. But I can’t respect or condone you using me to that end. I’m giving back your key because right now it feels disingenuous to keep it. Kimberly
He read the note three times then tossed it back to the coffee table next to his house key. Dropping his head back, he closed his eyes and planted his hands on his hips, cursing his actions. It was foolish to have talked to Alex in her house with the possibility that she would overhear. But it was even more wrong to have looked through her work papers without her permission.
Dropping his chin, he jerked his phone from his pocket and dialed her number, frustrated when it went to voicemail. Turning on his heel, he stalked to his truck and drove to her house.
He still had his key to her house but knocked on the door, hating that she did not answer. Looking up and down the street, he didn’t see her car in its usual parking spot. Plopping down on the front step, he decided to wait. A few minutes later, Bob walked up and saw him sitting on the stoop. “Hey, Kyle, are you locked out?”
“No, she’s not here right now. I just thought I’d wait