told he was gone. Off for a week, they said. Not available.”
“Off. Yeah, that sounds weird.”
“Especially when I got the feeling they’d closed the case and moved on from it. No car, no driver, shaky witnesses. Bam. Done.”
Something flickered in Blaze’s eyes and Peyton was sure she’d caught his attention now.
“What did you do after that?” he urged. “I’m guessing you didn’t stop there.”
“Absolutely. I asked again about witnesses and was told they’d been no help. The traffic detectives had questioned everyone and assured me they were very thorough. However, the stories were all mixed. Different people remembered different things.”
“That’s not unusual in a situation like this,” Blaze pointed out. “Especially if it happens very quickly. People aren’t prepared to see something like that, and by the time their brain catches up with their eyesight, it’s over and done with.”
“That’s what the policeman said. He told me it was like blowing in the wind. People said it happened so fast they didn’t get a good look. Some people said the car was brown, others gray and one even said she thought it was black.”
Blaze shrugged. “So basically, they have nothing.”
“Right,” she agreed. “The next thing I did was track down the paramedic who had been called to the scene. The one who took Brianne to the hospital. Blaze, she got very nervous. Said if the cops told her no one saw anything, then no one did. Her whole attention was focused on Brianne. Then she excused herself in a hurry and said she had to get ready for her shift.”
“Okay.” Blaze nodded. “What did you do next? You don’t strike me as someone who’d just let something like this go.”
“You’re right. I didn’t. After that I went to see Peter Kendrick, the senior partner in the law firm Dane was with. As I told you, he’s the one who made the calls to Dane’s parents and me after it happened. I had thought for sure he’d be able to get some information. Get them to at least question everyone again. He’s very well connected, both in the corporate world and politically. Even all the way to Washington.”
“Was he able to help you?”
“Far from it.” She scowled. “Oh, at first he was very solicitous, very concerned. Promised he’d check into it. But the next time we talked, he told me he wasn’t able to find out anything more than I had. Agreed with me this was a terrible disaster. How awful that it happened so fast no one was able to give a good description of the car. And wasn’t it terrible that the traffic cam videos blurred so there was no clear picture of the car or driver. I was shocked when, after he apologized, he urged me to drop it. Said the firm was saddened by the tragedy and disappointed at the lack of information, but the important thing for me was to concentrate on my sister. To help her get well.”
“Did you get the feeling he’s involved in whatever this is?”
A bitter taste flooded her mouth. “At this point I think everyone’s involved. I told him thanks for his efforts, but I wasn’t about to let it go.”
“What did he say to that?”
“He got very testy with me. Told me the police can get nasty if you doubt their word and they could make my life miserable. Repeated that he’d talked to them and whoever did this is in the wind. Again, he said I should concentrate on Brianne and praying she comes out of this coma. That she had a long road ahead of her if she did and she’d need me with her. That’s where my energy should be, not on chasing some wild-ass theory.”
“Do either the restaurant or the parking lot have outside security cameras?”
She nodded. “Both of them. The cops assured me, and not too pleasantly, I might add, they looked at both videos, but the car was a blur and the cameras didn’t catch the license plates.”
“Okay.” He studied her face as he spoke. “Let me see if I’ve got this straight. A car comes racing down a street at a time when it’s pretty deserted. And even though the victims had just walked out of a restaurant and there’s a parking lot across the street, the car hits two people and not a soul has any details.”
“That’s correct.” She rubbed her forehead, trying to stave off the beginning of a headache. “Believe me, I was plenty skeptical, too, but the more I