Vanessa Adams had long auburn hair. She wore red lipstick, and her blue eyes were accented with gray eye shadow. Smoky eyes. That was how his ex-girlfriend Erika described it when she did her eyes that way before they went out to clubs. Yet another thing he definitely hadn’t missed over the past six months.

Brandon swept the flashlight over the door again and found the smear. It wasn’t big—just a swipe near the handle. But it looked to him like blood.

In the cup holder was an old iPhone with a glittery white case that had a pink heart on the back. The heart case seemed young for a twenty-six-year-old.

Brandon stood and examined the car’s exterior again. No sign that she’d hit an animal in the road or anything else. So, what was the deal here? Was it a simple case of car trouble, and she’d hiked out for help?

Brandon could see her leaving her stuff behind, maybe even the tote bag and wallet if she was inebriated enough not to be thinking clearly. But her phone?

He looked over his shoulder toward the dark woods where a white light bobbed behind the trees. He called Antonio, and the light went still.

“Anyone check nearby gas stations?” Brandon asked. “There’s an Exxon half a mile east of here where Old Quarry Road meets the highway.”

“I’ll get patrol on it.”

“Thanks.”

Brandon turned back to look at the car. The iPhone bothered him. Even shitfaced, he couldn’t see someone leaving it behind. For most twentysomethings, a phone was like an appendage. Plus, it was late. He couldn’t picture a woman leaving here without her phone if she’d gone somewhere by choice.

He swept the light over the dashboard. The ashtray was open slightly and a white business card poked out. Brandon took a pen from his pocket and used the end to slide the tray open enough to read the card.

Leigh Larson. Attorney-at-Law.

Beneath the name was a Tenth Street address and an Austin phone number. So, was Leigh a man? A woman? What kind of lawyer? The generic white card didn’t offer a clue. Brandon took out his cell and snapped a picture, then slid the ashtray shut.

His phone buzzed as he stood up. “Yeah?”

“Hey, I’m in the woods about fifty yards south of you.” Antonio sounded out of breath, and Brandon caught the excitement in his voice. He turned and spotted the distant white glow through the row of trees.

“What is it?” Brandon asked.

“Man, you need to come see this.”

CHAPTER TWO

Leigh was seven minutes from being in contempt of court.

She checked her watch again and cursed as the line outside the Travis County Courthouse inched forward. She craned her neck, but even in her four-inch heels, she had trouble seeing over all the heads.