Jared laughed. “I know, right? That self-defense shit she does really works.”
Greening looked at the report, then at the figure on the screen. He might not have been able to make out Porter’s face, but he could make out his size. He was skinny and wasn’t much bigger than Zo?. That didn’t jive with Jarocki’s six-foot-plus estimate.
“How big was this guy?”
“Not big. Five-eight at the most.”
“Shit.”
“What’s wrong?”
“This isn’t our guy. He’s too small. Fuck it!” Greening tossed the report away.
“What’s going on?”
“The Tally Man has taken Zo?.”
“Oh my God,” Jared said. “I can’t believe it.”
“We have a witness. He said the Tally Man is a strong guy that’s six-one or six-two. He also said Zo?’s last words before he took her were, ‘You. Mall. Phone Thief.’?”
Jared snatched up the report. He scanned it, then pounded a line with his finger. “This guy. The victim. He was over six feet.”
Greening took the report back. It said that Brad Ellis had been the victim, complete with a Walnut Creek address.
Jared forwarded through the feed. He stopped at the post-melee footage and tapped the screen. “That guy. That’s Brad Ellis.”
“Can you improve that image, or do you have another shot of him? A close-up or something?”
“I can’t do much with the feeds, but I may have him on another camera. You should also talk to the local news. They were here. ABC, I think. They did a piece on it.”
Greening pulled out his cell and called Ogawa. “Forget Porter. He’s the wrong guy. It’s not the phone thief. It’s the victim. His name is Brad Ellis, and I have his address.”
Zo? had gotten what she wanted—a stay of execution. She estimated they’d been on the road for a couple hours now. Each extra minute on the road was a minute in her favor. It was all good news, but she was relying entirely on luck. Luck that a passing cop would come their way. Luck that they’d run into another motorist or trucker. Luck that he’d pick up a flat and someone would see her while he changed a wheel. Luck wasn’t proving to be a reliable friend.
She’d listened for passing cars and trucks and heard very few. It was in the early hours of the morning, after all, which just went to show that luck couldn’t be depended on. She’d considered screaming when a vehicle passed but thought better of it. The chances were the motorist wouldn’t hear her from their vehicle, considering engine noises, two sets of windows, and the speed they would be passing each other. Screaming was a one-shot deal. She could use it only when she knew for sure that it would bring help. Squander that chance, and Beck would either chloroform her again or renege on his promise to take her to Holli’s grave. Neither outcome was acceptable.
She’d love for luck to take a hand in her rescue, but she knew it was down to her to save herself. Luck would step in only when she did something to invite it.
Beck slowed down the SUV. A spike of adrenaline went through her. This was either the opportunity she’d been waiting for or they’d reached their final destination and she’d blown her chance.
“Have we arrived?”
“No.” He stopped the SUV, came to the rear, and opened the tailgate.
The sudden rush of night air excited her. She looked past him at the world behind him. They were in a town. Streetlights lit sidewalks and storefronts. She looked for people and saw none.
“I need gas, and I need you to be quiet.”
He held his chloroform rag in one hand. She kicked and bucked. Brando barked and snarled.
Yeah, bark, you son of a bitch, she thought. Wake the neighbors.
He pinned her in place with one hand to her chest. She opened her mouth to scream, and he smothered it with the rag. She inhaled in reflex and blacked out.
When she came to, the SUV was on the road again. She kicked out in frustration at having missed her chance.
“Zo?, don’t be stupid. Not now that we have an understanding.”
Screw you, she thought. She hated that he had all the angles covered. Then again, maybe he didn’t. Finally, luck had presented itself. The edge of the blanket he’d covered her with was trapped in the latch of the tailgate, keeping it from fully closing. It shuddered with each bump in the road.
Carefully, she rolled over so she faced the tailgate. Could she get it open? Yes. With a bit of contortionism, she could pop it and roll out onto the road. It would probably cost her a couple of broken bones and a concussion at the very least, but it would be worth it if it stopped traffic.