That didnt make any sense. Harley frowned at the field, then down at her phone again. She must have thrown the phone out the window. Pull over here.

They walked up and down the side of the road for the next twenty minutes. Finally Harley spotted the phones reflective surface. She scooped it out of the ditch, wiping dirt away with her fingers.

Still works, she said with a grim sense of triumph. She held it up, displaying a picture of Candy seated at the end of a bar, smiling as she held up her drink for the camera. Candy must have been so panicked, she didnt even think to erase her data and settings.

Our lucky day, Callaway said, his nostrils flaring with excitement. Lets get it to Ray at the Santa Fe office and see what he can do with it.

* * *

Ray Ranganathan, phone hacker extraordinaire, puffed out his lips in a long sigh as a series of numbers and letters ran rapidly across the computer screen. Candys phone lay on the desk, a USB cable connecting it to the computer tower.

Nothing to do now but wait, Ray said as he leaned back in his chair, hands folded behind his mop of curly dark hair. His thick-framed glasses slipped forward on his nose, and he extricated one hand to push them back up.

How long did it take last time? Harley said. She considered herself to be a fairly tech-savvy person, but this was beyond her area of expertise.

Ray studied her. He had hardly stopped looking at her since she stepped into the room, which Harley found somewhat amusing since he looked to be about half her age.

You mean the phones from those other chicks? he answered.

Those chicks were murdered, Callaway reminded him.

One of Rays shoulders flicked upward in a half-shrug. My bad. Its just a little different, working this side of things. I dont get to actually see the bodies, you know? You guys get to have all the fun.

Harley cocked her head, puzzled by his insensitivity. How would you like to explain to a grieving family why theyll never see their daughter alive again? Because thats part of the fun, too.

Ray, however, was too slippery for that one. He leaned back, a lazy smile on his face. Isnt that what partners are for?

Before Harley could reply, the frenetic movement on the screen stopped, replaced by a sequence of six numbers. Ray sat up quickly.

Did it work? Harley said, leaning forward eagerly.

Either that or were locked out permanently, Ray replied. Lets see… He clicked open a file, and Candys profile filled the screen. Ah, there we are!

Youre a magician, Callaway said, leaning on the back of Rays chair. Now tell us what were looking at.

Where do you want to go? Text messages, emails, DMs? All the dirty deets? He sounded like he was enjoying this far too much.