Baltimore 03 - Did You Miss Me?

bathtub to lay over the tire prints.’
    McManus smiled a little. ‘That’s Miz Cornell. She really loves her TV cop shows. She covered the tracks before she covered the boy. Tire tread suggests we’re looking at a van, an F150 cargo model. I’ve got photos you can take to your lab.’
    Joseph frowned. ‘The black van.’
    ‘You know of this van?’ Kerr asked, and Joseph nodded.
    ‘Black van with a hydraulic lift that’s leaking oil and hydraulic fluid. It’s been used in several crimes back in Baltimore.’
    ‘That’s what we found on his clothing, hydraulic fluid along with a few carpet fibers,’ Kerr said. ‘What doesn’t make sense, then, is who dumped him and why.’
    ‘He’d been walking a long time,’ Detective McManus said. ‘We figured he’d been picked up from the side of the road somewhere and dropped in Miz Cornell’s yard. But why would someone do that? We assumed it was a good Samaritan who didn’t want to get tied up in the investigation because they had something in the van they didn’t want the cops to see. Pot, pills, whatever.’
    ‘But if it was the van you all know about,’ Kerr added, ‘why drop him off at all?’
    ‘And why drug him up and tase him before dropping him off?’ Joseph said. ‘The doctor just told me that he was brought in with ket in his system. He woke up violent.’
    ‘None of this makes sense,’ Deacon agreed. ‘But we might be able to match the tire prints, just to find out if it’s the same van, or the same type at least. Carter, did we get any prints from the floor of the Timonium house?’
    ‘Brodie got dirt from the treads. She may have gotten a print, too.’
    ‘I’ll call her,’ Deacon said. ‘Were you able to tell where the van came from before it dropped Ford off?’
    ‘Not really. We followed the tire tracks from Miz Cornell’s to the main road, then lost them,’ Detective McManus said. ‘We think Ford walked along the road for a long time, so we know the general direction he was coming from before he got picked up. But before that, he walked through the woods.’
    ‘Why?’ Deacon asked. ‘Why do you think he walked through the woods?’
    ‘For one, the road he was on originates in the wildlife management area. He had to have come through there. The burrs on his jeans confirm it,’ McManus said. ‘He could have walked through that wildlife management area for miles without seeing a soul. He had to have been on a road when he was picked up because that van wouldn’t have functioned off-road. If we can find where he was picked up, we can try using dogs to track him to where he started.’
    Joseph looked over his shoulder at Daphne. She was bowed over, one of Ford’s hands sandwiched between hers. ‘I need to do a search of your archives.’ He turned back to McManus. ‘It’d be a thirty-year-old case.’
    ‘Her cousin’s abduction,’ Deacon murmured. ‘Daphne went missing too.’
    ‘When she realized we were coming into Wheeling, she was not happy. Apparently she lived around here when it happened. Where can I check old property records and police reports, Detective?’
    McManus handed Joseph a business card. ‘If you call the main number and ask for Junie Bramble, she’ll get you what you need. She knows those archives like the back of her hand and can save you hours.’
    ‘Thank you. It’s too much coincidence, Ford turning up in the same area where Ms Montgomery and her cousin were abducted.’
    ‘Agreed,’ McManus said. ‘If you can’t find what you’re looking for, I know a few of the retired cops who didn’t move to Florida. They’d be happy to bend your ear about any thirty-year-old case you want.’
    Joseph gave him one of his cards. ‘Can you put them in touch with me? I’d like to talk to them regardless of what Miss Bramble finds in the archives. Keep me in the loop as you search, I’ll do the same.’
    Deacon looked in on Ford again. ‘He gonna keep his fingers and toes?’ he asked quietly.
    ‘Doc said yes. I’m going to stay with her in case Ford wakes up.’ Joseph hesitated. ‘Be careful out there, Deacon. I don’t like that we were drawn out this way.’
    ‘I hear you. You too. She’s the target. He’s just the lure.’
    ‘I know.’ And the knowledge made Joseph’s blood run cold. ‘I wish I knew why.’
    Baltimore, Maryland, Wednesday, December 4, 3.00 P.M.
    Clay tossed his hat on his desk and sank into his chair, gratefully accepting a cup of coffee from Alyssa. ‘It