As they stopped at a red light, Tara turned her head to see a flow of people entering and exiting a bagel store.

“Maybe we should ask in there?” Tara said as she pointed out the window. “It looks like a place to grab a quick bite…might attract some hikers.”

Warren glanced in its direction, nodded his head, and quickly put on his blinker before pulling off to the side of the road and parallel parking in a nearby spot.

As they walked to the shop, Tara could already smell the fresh-baked bagels as the aroma trailed down the street, and she watched as passersby caught the scent, several of them stopping in their tracks before making the decision to go inside.

When they entered, the place was bustling—orders being called out left and right, the constant ring of the cash register opening and closing—and Tara was suddenly glad they stopped there. It was a popular spot, which she knew increased the odds that the victim may have stopped there.

“Let’s start with her,” Warren said to Tara.

She followed his gaze to see a female staff member standing at the end of the long counter, away from the rest of the store. She held a phone to her ear as she quickly wrote on a pad of paper in front of her. Tara nodded and a second later, they stood in front of her.

They waited as she continued to hold the phone to her ear, her eyes suddenly looking up at their presence. When finished, she placed the phone down swiftly and flipped a paper over on the pad.

“What can I get you?” she asked as she held the pen in her hand, ready to scribble down their order.

Tara looked around, making sure they were out of earshot of anyone in the shop, and then suddenly flashed her badge.

“We actually wanted to ask you a couple questions,” she said.

“Oh!” the woman responded as she placed her pen down on the counter. “This isn’t about those missing hikers, is it?” she asked. “It’s been all over the news.”

“That actually is why we’re here,” Tara replied as she placed the pictures of the victims down on the counter. “If you’ve seen them, it could help us piece their timeline together,” she added.

“Yes, of course,” the woman responded.

She looked down at the pictures on the counter, picking them up one by one before placing them back down.

“I’m usually pretty good with faces,” she said as she placed the last photo down on the counter. “I saw their pictures on the news, but they definitely didn’t come in here.”

Her words were disappointing, but Tara knew there was still more to ask. “Is there a manager we can speak to? We’d like to take a look at the cameras.”

The woman nodded. “You’re looking at her, Follow me.”

They followed her to a back room, and moments later, they were scanning through the video footage. But, after examining all the days prior since the first two hikers went missing, it was evident that the cameras didn’t capture anything of substance and it was clear that none of the victims stopped in there.