“Let’s start with the blood,” Jane said. Despite the overhead lights, she took a mini flashlight from her pocket and aimed it at the front passenger door. “I can tell you it’s human blood and it’s fairly fresh.”

“Fairly?” Brandon looked at her.

“Last forty-eight hours, I’d say.”

So, consistent with the timing of Vanessa’s disappearance.

“Do you know if this blood is from the same source as what we found in the woods?” Antonio asked. Having made the discovery, he’d been focused on the blood pool as their primary lead.

“I can’t tell you,” Jane said. “That’s a question for the DNA lab. I sent them a swab, and I’m sure they’ll run it eventually.”

“Who’d you send it to?” Brandon asked.

“Brie Matheson. She’s good. You know her?”

“No. But I know everyone’s backlogged. You mind putting in a call for us to speed things along?”

Jane looked skeptical. “I can try, but last I heard, this case wasn’t a homicide. Has it been upgraded?”

“No,” Antonio said.

“Not yet.” Brandon shot him a look. “A lot of signs are pointing that way. The missing woman’s sister lives in town, and she hasn’t been able to get a hold of her. She’s gone by her place and left messages.”

Jane looked down at the blood smear. “That doesn’t sound good. I’m happy to put in a call to Brie, but it may not help, depending on how slammed they are.”

“We’d appreciate it.”

“Let me show you the rest of what I found.” She dropped into a crouch beside the car and aimed her light at the bottom of the passenger seat. “Have a look.”

Antonio crouched beside her. “What are we looking at?”

“Cotton fibers on the metal track there, where the seat slides back. See?” She glanced at Brandon. “And using luminol, I found a small droplet of blood on the floor mat here. So, I have a theory. You told me the driver’s-side door was closed when you found the car, right?”

“Correct.” Brandon leaned closer, careful not to touch the door.

“I’m thinking she pulled over in a hurry and slid across the seat here to get out this side. She may have snagged her clothing here, then jerked it loose and pushed the door open, and that’s when she smeared the blood.”

“You’re saying she cut herself as she was fleeing the vehicle,” Antonio said.

“It’s just a theory, but the fabric fibers support that scenario.”

Antonio stood up and looked at Brandon. “So, she ran into the woods and then got injured, or worse, when someone caught up to her.”