“We got nothing,” Zach Jameson announced. “No sign of Cocoa or anyone else staying here.”
Finn blew out a frustrated breath. Clearly the two men were smart enough to remain separated. As much as he wanted to find Cocoa, he couldn’t help being glad they’d found Mikey so quickly. The Amber Alert had worked in their favor. Too bad there wasn’t a dog version of an Amber Alert. They could put one out for Snapper and for Cocoa.
He approached the handcuffed perp on the floor. Just because the apartment was registered to Talmadge, didn’t mean this was the same man. “What’s your name?”
The guy stared straight ahead, refusing to make eye contact with any of the cops swarming the apartment.
“You’re facing serious charges here,” Finn pointed out. “Felony kidnapping, not to mention the attempted kidnapping of Eva that I witnessed a few days ago. I’m sure once we run your fingerprints through the system, we’ll find other outstanding warrants. Enough to put you away for a very long time.”
He noticed the perp flinch, but he still didn’t look at him. Finn waited for a long moment, hoping the impact of what the man was facing would sink into his tiny brain.
“I want a lawyer.” Although the perp still hadn’t met his gaze, Finn had to admit his voice was indeed raspy, the way Eva had described. “Not talking till I get my lawyer.”
While expected, the request didn’t make him feel any better. He gestured for a couple of the beat cops who’d arrived on the scene to escort the perp out to their car. “Read him his rights and get him his lawyer. I’ll meet you at the jail soon.”
The two beat cops nodded and escorted the cuffed kidnapper out of the apartment. Zach and his K-9, Eddie, were still searching the place for drugs. “Gallagher! In here,” Zach called, a hint of excitement in his tone.
Finn headed into the back bedroom. “Find something?”
“Eddie alerted here.” Zach gestured to the bedroom closet. “I want you as a witness before going inside.”
Finn nodded. “Let’s do it.”
Zach opened the closet door and Eddie alerted again. Finn leaned close and saw a sprinkle of white dust similar to what they’d found in the master bathroom at Pete’s house. Finn glanced at Zach. “We can bag it as evidence, but I was hoping for something more substantial.”
“Me, too.” Zach bagged the evidence, then they went on to search the rest of the closet. Finding nothing, Zach let out a sigh. “Guess that’s it, then.”
“I’d like the lab to compare the two samples you collected today, the one from the house and this one, to see if they share the exact same chemical makeup,” Finn said.
“Good idea.” Zach raised a brow. “And if they do?”
Finn shrugged. “It’s a connection. I’m not sure what it means yet, but I don’t believe in coincidences.”
“True.” Zach placed the evidence bag in his pocket. “Every bit of evidence counts. I’ll let you know what the lab says.”
“Thanks.” Finn returned to the main living area of the apartment. Eva and Mikey were exactly where he’d left them. Abernathy was hovering near Mikey, trying to lick his face. The obvious affection between Mikey and his K-9 was endearing.
“Eva? Are you and Mikey ready to get out of here?”
She looked up at him with a wan smile. “Yes, please.”
“I’ll drive you both back to Pete’s and have a cop stationed outside for protection, then I need to head back to headquarters to grill this guy. By then we should at least know who he is and maybe will get a lead on known associates.”
“He’s not the stinky guy,” Eva said. “He doesn’t smell right, have a Southern twang or scratches on his forearm. But I think he’s the raspy guy.”
She was right, and again he was impressed with how well she used her senses besides her eyesight. “Don’t worry,” Finn said reassuringly. “We’ll find him.”
Rising to her feet, she carried Mikey toward the broken apartment door. He and Abernathy followed close behind. There were dozens of nosy neighbors peeking out of their doorways as he escorted Eva and Mikey outside to his double-parked police-issued SUV. He put Abernathy in the back first, then came around to help Eva.