After the Storm (Chapter-23)

Paul looked at Carissa and said, “It’s Friday night and it is still early for a Friday night. Is there anything else you might like to do?”

Carissa answered, “To be perfectly honest, my road trip was exhausting and that isn’t even considering my road attack force. I think relaxing on a couch while sipping some wine would be the thing that hits the spot.”

The wine sipping didn’t last long and both Carissa and Paul decided they needed a good night’s rest.

Saturday morning came and Paul was up early as usual but he was quiet, trying to allow Carissa a chance to catch up on her sleep. He sat in a chair at the breakfast bar in the kitchen and sipped the hot cup of coffee he had just poured into his cup. He was reading through the morning paper between sips and was finding nothing of importance. That didn’t stop the search as he combed through the pages hoping for that one gem that would make the paper worth the price of a subscription.

He looked up when he heard the door to Carissa’s room open. She said good morning but hurried to grab a cup of coffee as if it would alter her personality if she skipped a cup. There were many people who had that very exact response so she was far from alone in that one vice.

Paul said, “I will make us something for breakfast but I thought that after lunch we could work on the video and SD card contents. I would like to compare notes on what you think the video tells us.”

Eating breakfast carved out a good forty-five minutes of their morning. If you count clearing off the dishes afterward it was a complete hour. Paul wanted to learn more about what he found on the SD card but he wasn’t sure where to start. They knew it was someone other than Richard who pulled him out of the car and put him in the trunk, but they had no idea who it was, and now they were unsure what part Richard played in the whole setup car crash.

Carissa asked, “Why don’t you take the video to the police and let them work on the case?”

Paul replied, “I am not completely sure if I trust the local police.”

Carissa said, “We need to find a way to identify the men in the video.”

Paul said, “For starters, we need to get some still shots from the video.”

Carissa asked, “Why don’t you pause the video on each man you want to get a photo from and then make a screenshot from each one? Then you can make a printout of each one.”

Paul said, “That is a good idea and I know a guy that works for a security firm that has the ability to enhance photos, I can send him the image frame from each shot and he could help clean it up to make it a clearer image.”

Paul knew enough about computers to know how to do screenshots and he could crop away unneeded backgrounds. Once he had the images he called his friend to see if he could help with image sharpness and clarity. Paul sent the images to his friend, who told him he would have the enhancements in a few days. There was not much to do until they got the enhanced images back.

Carissa said, “I guess we are making some kind of progress. We know those guys were involved in the faked crash.”

When Paul was going back through the video, he managed to get an isolated shot of the dead guy. He figured if they could get the real identity of the dead guy, it may yield some clues for them. Paul sent it in a separate email and his friend said he would try to make a guy look a little more lively.

Carissa said, “I think getting the identity of the dead guy might be of more use than the other guys. It may yield some clues as to why he wound up dead.”

Paul replied, “That may be, but of course, since there is nothing left of the body to examine, there is no way to determine the cause of death.”

Carissa asked, “Have you had any new memories surface?”

Paul replied, “Nothing just jerks into place now. I just go somewhere and I remember I have been there. It seems to be more subtle now.”

Carissa asked, “Does your police report of the accident tell you the location?”

Paul replied, “I have the location but I have never checked it out.”

Carissa said, “We should go there and take a look. Maybe some other security systems there that may have caught something.”

Paul replied, “I guess it couldn’t hurt to take a look.”

Carissa said, “Maybe we should start a detective agency.”

Paul replied, “Too many state exams and licensing to go through.”

They went together to the location, Paul drove and Carissa rode in his new crossover. Paul suggested that Carissa’s vehicle may still be the subject of a search from the men she encountered on the highway. They arrived at the area while the sun was still up. It was in a warehouse area that was not heavily traveled at night, it would certainly be almost deserted at night when the accident occurred. When they discovered there was not much in the area except other warehouses.

Paul had a printout of the scene of the car crash. By checking the scene in the photo, he figured out where the camera had to be that shot the video. When they examined the building, which had to be the home of the security camera,

Carissa said, “I see no signs of a camera system anywhere.”

Paul suggested they see if anyone was at the warehouse and ask if they had any security cameras.

Carissa knocked on the entry door to the warehouse, right next to the big garage doors where shipments came and went on a daily basis. The door opened and out stepped a watchman who greeted them. When he asked what they were doing there, Carissa explained about them checking out the car crash that happened a few weeks ago. The guard acknowledged knowing about the crash but told them he didn’t see anything.

He said, “I was in another part of the building when it happened.”

Carissa asked if there were any security cameras in the area.

The guard said, “I don’t know of any cameras close by. There should be, these buildings are broken into on a regular basis, which is why I am here.”

Carissa and Paul thanked the security guard for his time and Paul gave him a business card.

He said, “If you remember anything give me a call.”

Carissa and Paul retreated to the protection of Paul’s crossover.

She said, “Somebody has already gotten to him, either with threats or money.”

Paul replied, “They bought him. They wouldn’t threaten him, they would just kill him. They have already shown they aren’t above murder.”

Carissa asked, “What do you suppose is worth all of the trouble they have gone through?”

Paul answered, “Some people on the streets commit murder for ten dollars. They are psychopaths and don’t care about human life.”

Carissa asked, “What if that video wasn’t a security video? What if it was shot by a parked car or somebody hiding away in one of these warehouses?”

Paul replied, “That could explain a few things. I can’t see anyone having a security camera down here. Maybe a passerby saw it and thought they could get a thousand hits on YouTube.”

Carissa said, “I don’t know what the answer is but I do know I am getting hungry.”

Paul said, “I guess I haven’t been a very good host, let’s go get some dinner, are you hungry for anything in particular?”

Carissa thought for a few minutes and then answered, “How about Italian?”

Paul said, “Okay, that sounds good, I’ll take the lead from here.”

Paul drove to an upscale Italian restaurant he often took clients to. He was surprised he remembered it but that was how the memory recovery was working.

Carissa saw the parking lot and asked, “Are you sure we can get in there?”

Paul replied, “I think we should take a chance. This is a nice place and the food is excellent.”

Paul pulled up and let the valet park his car.

Carissa heard the valet say, “Good to see you again Mr. Daniels, it has been a while since we have seen you.”

Paul put his arm around Carissa’s waist and escorted her to the front waiting area.

The maître d who asked, “Would that be a table for two Mr. Daniels?”

Paul answered, “Yes, Antonio, a quiet table for two would be appreciated.”

Carissa was impressed, evidently, Paul was a good customer. She could remember her dad getting that kind of service at a couple of cop hangouts. She was even more impressed that Paul remembered his name.

The table they were shown was indeed quiet and secluded. Paul beat the maître d to Carissa’s chair and pulled it out for her to have a seat. Paul ordered a bottle of Gaja Barbaresco and two glasses. Carissa didn’t have a clue what it was, having spent most of her time drinking beer with her dad but it sounded impressive. What was even more impressive was that apparently, Paul pronounced it correctly.

Paul ordered their meal and just told Carissa to trust him. She was pretty open about trying the food. She had eaten calf fries with her dad, although there had been a lot of beer required before she actually ate them. The meal was pleasant and they were amazed at how tiring detective work was or maybe it was just amateur detective work. A lot was riding now on the identification of the images from the security video.