Page 56 of Lost Truth
Holding her breath in hopes the faucet would work, she turned it on.Perfect.A steady stream poured out, and she placed the container beneath it. Light strawberry colored liquid flowed over her gloved hands. Finally something glistened in the container, and she picked it out.
A key!
“Hayden!” She rinsed the key under the water as she waited for him to join her.
His footsteps charged in her direction.
She faced the doorway and held up the key. “It was in the ice cream container. I’m surprised the forensics team missed this.”
He shook his head. “Who would leave a container like that without checking it? Not very good policing if you ask me.”
“Maybe someone added it after the search.”
His eyebrows puzzled together. “That could’ve happened, I suppose, but why would anyone hide a potential lead when law enforcement could come back?”
“You’re right. It doesn’t make sense. We need to get this key to Mina.”
“We’ll do that, for sure.” He glanced around as if thinking. “But let’s keep this bit of news to ourselves for now. Especially since you rinsed the ice cream away, and it could be construed as tampering with evidence.”
She gaped at him. “You don’t think she’ll believe that, do you? I mean she gave us permission to search the boat.”
“Yes, but she wanted to be notified first if we found anything, and she’s a by-the-book kind of sheriff. I can see her being irritated with us, but I can’t see her charging you with interfering with an investigation or anything.”
Cady could only pray he was right.
“Now if we figure out what it’s for and check it out before telling her, that might be another story. But I won’t let that stop me. Not when she won’t share any information about what she locates.”
“You’re not planning to do that?”
“I am, but you don’t need to be involved.”
Would she do something that could make Mina press charges against her? Looked like it. “I’m coming with you.”
He held out his hand. “Can I see the key?”
“Do you want me to dry it first?”
He shook his head. “If there’re any fingerprints, you could wipe them off.”
“Oh, right, I didn’t think of that. I hope running it under water didn’t wash any off.” She placed it on his gloved palm.
“Prints can survive water, but it could depend on how forcefully you rinsed it.” He turned the key over a few times. “It’s engraved with the number twenty-three. Looks to me like it’s for an old locker. If we’re talking about public lockers, the only ones I know of in Lost Lake are at the bus station, and they’re original to the old building.”
“The others might know of different places with lockers.”
“I’ll text them a picture and ask.” He laid the key on the counter and used his phone to snap a picture. Then his thumbs raced over the screen. He looked up. “I didn’t find anything in the bathroom. All that’s left is the entry area and upper deck. Which would you like to take?”
“I’m not real big on heights, so I’d like to stay on this level.”
He put the key in a small zipper bag he’d grabbed from a box on the counter and pocketed it. “We’ll finish up here, and hopefully we’ll still have time to go to the bus station.”
She nodded and went outside, her heart thumping. If the key did indeed fit a bus station locker, they might locate that elusive lead that would take them straight to Kai and her father’s killer.
