Page 73 of Hannah and the Hitman
“Joseph Cazamucci, aka Joey Brains, entered the library today at twelve thirty-seven. Confirmed it was him by facial recognition. He approached the circulation desk, stood there staring straight ahead for a few seconds, then went around the counter and disappeared from camera view.”
I glanced at Dax. Shit.
“SHIT!”
Joey Brains really had gone after Hannah. She’d been telling the truth.
“He comes back around the counter four minutes later, looking freaked out,” Nitro added, ignoring my outburst. “He’s spinning in circles and peeking under furniture like he’s lost a little kid, then runs out the front door.”
“Is Hannah in any of the footage?” I asked.
“She arrives at nine fifty that morning and is seen pushing a cart an hour later. Once or twice at the circulation desk helping someone. None are in the system, or I cleared them as locals. But no sign of her leaving and no sign of her on the footage after twelve-fifteen. Not for the rest of the day.”
Meaning Joey Brains stood at the circulation desk–likethe first time I’d stopped in–saw Hannah in the workroom and joined her in there. To kill her. He hadn’t been successful, and she hadn’t escaped out of the workroom–which only had one door–since her escape would have been seen on the footage.
It sounded like Joey Brains acted like I had when she’d disappeared from me at Big Mike’s apartment. Meaning, she most likely went… poof with him, too.
Thank fuck or else she’d probably be dead.
SHIT!
“What else?” Dax asked Nitro.
I was too stunned, too angry, too fucking freaked out to speak.
“Hannah Highcliff was on the same flight as Jack. Her roundtrip basic economy ticket from Denver to Vegas was purchased with her credit card last December. She chose to take the airline assigned middle seat instead of paying extra to pick one herself. Plus…”
He was quiet but we could hear him clacking away at a keyboard.
“Her details. Hannah Highcliff. Middle child of Marcia and Robert Highcliff. Accountant and taxidermist.”
“Taxidermist?” Dax repeated.
“There was a fucking cow head in the dining room staring at me while I ate a well-done burger. I told them I was a mortician. Since it’s pretty much the same thing, we’re going for beers to talk shop.”
Not.
“Jesus,” Dax muttered, shaking his head.
Nitro continued. “Her older brother, Perry, appears to be running a religious cult in the Springs. Sister Briana hasno job and… is this correct? Jumps on a trampoline? That can’t be right. Lemme keep–”
“That’s correct,” I said, remembering seeing her fly over the house. “She wants to be in the Olympics.”
Dax only continued to shake his head.
“Okaaaay,” Nitro replied. “She’s also in a relationship with a Kevin Cortez of Coal Springs.”
Kevin.Kevin.“Kevin, as in Hannah’s ex?”
Dax’s eyebrows shot up.
“The one and the same. I sent you his info already.” I’d asked him to look into the ex last week after the dinner from hell but hadn’t gotten to killing the guy yet. “Although the stuff with the sister was a new find. The used car lot he runs has security cameras. They show a lot. I’m charging you double for seeing even a few minutes of the two of them going at it in the backseat of one of the cars. Let me say that woman is flexible.”
I cringed.
Dax grimaced. “I assume you’re going to take care of him?”
Our eyes met. Dealing with scum all the time made us jaded, but this was one person I was looking forward to dealing with. “Oh yeah.”