The manager typed a command. A printer hidden by boxes started to whir.
“Does the mall monitor the parking lot?” he asked Stahl.
“Twenty-four seven,” the deputy said. “The system is housed in the security offices. It’s a pretty sophisticated operation.”
“I need you to take me there,” he said. “I want to see if Black Bart followed Elsie to the parking lot. If he did, there will be a film of it. If we’re lucky, we might be able to read the license plate on his vehicle, and find out who he is.”
The manager brought them the copies of Black Bart’s photo.
“I hope you solve this,” the manager said. “Elsie was good people.”
Chapter 6
The mall was closing, the stores rolling down their security grilles. Together, they jogged to the security offices by the north entrance. The mall had a number of modern features to deal with terrorists and active shooters, including bomb-proof trash cans and bulletproof security cameras, and Lancaster hoped the surveillance videos of the parking lot weren’t the usual Twilight Zone variety, but were instead high quality.
While he ran, he studied the photo clutched in his hand. Black Bart’s legs were pencil thin, and grossly underdeveloped compared to the rest of his body. The man looked deformed, and would not be difficult to track down.
They were in luck. The security office remained open until the last employee went home. Two uniformed male guards sat in front of a wall of video monitors that rotated between surveillance cameras inside the mall and those out in the parking lot.
Stahl made the introductions. The guards were retired cops and very friendly. The thin one was named Woody, his partner Chase.
“You’re working late tonight,” Woody said.
“We caught a break in the Elsie Tanner case,” Stahl said. “Elsie was at the GNC store four days ago, and a guy who was also in the store may have followed her outside and tailed her home. We need to see the surveillance tapes of Elsie going to her car. Hopefully, this guy will be on them, and we’ll be able to make out the car he’s driving.”
“What’s our suspect look like?” Woody asked.
Stahl handed him a photo of Black Bart. “Ever see this joker before?”
The guards studied the photo. They both shook their heads.
“That’s some hat,” Woody said. “Shouldn’t be too hard to find him. What time did this take place?”
“Elsie made her purchase at the GNC store at 3:56, then left. Let’s start there,” Stahl said.
Woody and Chase began typing in commands. They were wizards on their keyboards, and surveillance videos from four days ago lit up the monitors. Not that long ago, mall security guards had been as skilled as school crossing guards. Times had changed; today, they were soldiers on the front line, and trained in everything from computer science to emergency preparedness.
“Found him,” Woody said. “He’s on monitor number one. Take a look.”
The video was in the upper left-hand corner of the matrix. The camera was fixed, and recording the common area in front of the GNC store. The mall was busy, and they watched Elsie sift through the crowd with Black Bart trailing a few steps behind her. She crossed the common area and entered a Hallmark gift shop.
Black Bart sat down on a bench outside the store. He took out his pack of smokes and removed a cigarette, which he placed between his lips. He was about to light up when he seemed to remember where he was. He put the cigarette back into the pack and returned the pack and lighter to his pocket.
“That didn’t look like a regular cigarette,” Lancaster said. “Can you play it back again? I’d like to see what he was smoking.”
The tape was rewound and played again. At the point where Black Bart placed the cigarette into his mouth, Woody froze the frame. Lancaster leaned in for a better look. It was a normal cigarette, only it had been previously smoked, with a charred tip.
“That cigarette’s been smoked before,” Woody said. “Who the hell saves cigarettes, and smokes them again?”
“Guys in prison,” Lancaster said.
Woody looked over his shoulder. So did Chase. Stahl eyed him as well.
“You think he’s an ex-con?” Stahl asked.
Florida had over two million residents who’d done time in prison. It wasn’t a stretch to think that Black Bart might be one of them.
“Probably,” he said.
“How does that play into this?” Stahl asked.
“I don’t know,” he said.
Black Bart rose from the bench and went to a quiet spot to take an incoming call. He continued to watch the front of the Hallmark store while carrying on his conversation. He appeared agitated, and gestured angrily with his hand while speaking.
“Maybe it’s his wife,” Woody said.
“Or his girlfriend,” Chase said.
“It’s more likely his partner,” Lancaster said.
The three men again gave him puzzled looks.
“Working off the assumption that this guy is planning to kidnap Elsie, he would let a call from a lady friend go to voice mail,” he said. “Not so if the call was from his partner. He would take that call, because it was pertinent to what he was doing.”
“What’s the partner’s role?” Stahl asked.
“His partner is probably the driver.”
“Why do you think that?”
“His partner isn’t inside the mall, because we haven’t seen him on the video,” he said. “That means he’s probably circling the parking lot, waiting for Black Bart to call him.” He paused. “These are just guesses. I could be wrong.”
“It would explain a lot,” Stahl said.
Lancaster looked at the deputy, not understanding.
“There are aspects of Skye’s kidnapping that don’t add up,” Stahl said. “Skye worked out at CrossFit and was into mixed martial arts. We couldn’t understand how the kidnapper subdued her so easily. According to a neighbor down the road, they heard Skye scream, but only once.” He paused to let that sink in. “If there were two kidnappers, it would explain how they got Skye out of there so quickly.”
The crime report had given the same account. Skye had emitted a single scream, then gone silent. He had read that line in the report twice. It was why he was here.
“He’s finishing his call,” Woody said.
On the monitor, Black Bart was wrapping up his call. He wore a frown, and was not pleased at how the conversation had gone.
Elsie emerged from the Hallmark store and headed down the mall. By changing camera feeds, Woody was able to follow her. She window-shopped at Banana Republic and queued up at Starbucks. Black Bart stood a safe distance away, watching her.
Coffee in hand, Elsie headed for the exit on the building’s south side. Black Bart gave chase while making a call. His steps were quick, as if he were afraid of losing her. Elsie went outside, and Black Bart followed her.
The video stopped. Lancaster could feel his heart pounding in his chest.
“Let me retrieve the outside surveillance video,” Woody said. “It’s on a different platform, so this will take a second.”
“Think he’s calling his partner in the car?” Stahl asked.
“That’s exactly what I’m thinking,” Lancaster said.
“Got it. Here we go,” Woody said.
The parking lot surveillance video began to play. The time stamp said 4:14. The sidewalk was wide and choking with people. Elsie sifted through the throng and made her way to her vehicle. Black Bart remained on the sidewalk, his cell phone pressed to his ear. His cowboy hat made him easy to spot in the crowd.
Elsie got into a Prius and backed out. The parking lot was full, and several drivers were vying to claim her spot. She left the lot at a crawl.