Free The Reckoning by Jana DeLeon

he’d part with that guitar. Not if he were alive.” As the words slipped from her mouth, the reality of them sank in and Alex sucked in a breath.
    “What about Sarah? Is it safe to leave her alone?”
    “A group of ladies from the church are coming over to bring food and have prayer. I’ll make sure someone can keep her company until we get back.”
    “If you think it’s okay…”
    “Let me check on Sarah.” She hurried down the hall before her mind could whirl down a million paths she wasn’t ready to take.

Chapter Seven
    Holt held the door of the pawn shop open so that Alex could step inside. A big man behind the counter waved as they entered. Holt pulled his badge from his pocket and flashed it as they stepped up to the counter.
    The man looked over at a young kid working on a stereo in the corner. “Watch the counter for me, Tim. I need to speak to these people for a minute.”
    The boy nodded and Al motioned them behind the counter and into an office. Alex glanced at the guitar on his desktop and nodded.
    “That’s Bobby’s guitar,” Alex said. “The artwork is custom. There’s no two alike.” She pulled her wallet from her purse and showed Al a picture of Sarah and Bobby. “Is this the man who sold you the guitar?”
    “Not even close,” Al said.
    “You’re sure?” Holt asked.
    Al nodded. “In my business, it pays to remember faces. The guy who sold me the guitar was older, his hair lighter. His eyes were wider set and his nose had been broken before, probably more than once. I used to box, so I know the look.”
    Holt tried to control his excitement at the first possibility of a decent lead. “Do you think you can work with a sketch artist to get a composite of the man?”
    “Ain’t no need.” Al pointed to one of the monitors on his desk. “This is the one that’s got the footage you want to see. Real up close and personal.”
    Holt and Alex leaned over the desk for a closer look at the monitor. At first, it was just Al standing behind the counter, working on a broken jigsaw, then a shadow appeared on the counter and a man stepped up.
    Holt struggled to contain his disappointment. “The camera only catches him from behind?”
    “Wait a minute,” Al said. “They’re on rotation. The frame will switch to the camera behind the counter in a couple of seconds.”
    Sure enough, a couple of seconds later, the monitor blinked and the view switched to one from behind the counter. Holt studied the man’s face, but was certain he’d never seen him before.
    “Well?” Al asked.
    “You gave a great description,” Holt said, “and that’s certainly not Bobby. Unfortunately, I’ve never seen that man before.”
    Alex shook her head. “Me, either.”
    “This Bobby,” Al said, “is he in some kind of trouble?”
    “It’s beginning to look like it. His six-year old daughter went missing two days ago. Bobby and his wife are recently separated, and when someone went to question him about the missing girl, they found his place empty.”
    Al frowned. “That doesn’t sound good. I got a little girl myself. Anything happens to her…well, let’s just say no man wants to be on the other end of that.”
    Holt nodded. “I totally agree.”
    “You can take the guitar. It’s likely stolen goods and that’s the cost of doing business sometimes.”
    “I appreciate it,” Holt said. He was just about to turn away when the man selling the guitar pulled his right hand out of his jean’s pocket and reached for a pen on the counter. Holt stared at the monitor, his pulse ticking up with every second.
    The man had the eye tattoo on the back of his hand.
    “Can I take the video with me, too?” Holt asked. “I’d like to run this guy through the system and see if I come up with anything.”
    “Of course.” Al pulled the tape from the VCR and handed it to Holt. “Hey, man, would you mind letting me know when you find that little girl? It’ll be on my mind…”
    “Sure,” Holt said.