Tank walked to Eli and crouched until they were eye level.
“Earl taught you this?” “Yes.” “He taught you well.”
Spike approached while Rook, the club’s technology specialist, photographed the crash site. Eli removed the evidence from his jacket and placed each item carefully on a clean cloth.
“Taillight fragment,” he said. “Escalade part number.”
He indicated the second object.
“Cuff link. Initials D.C.”
Then the hardened clay impression.
“Premium SUV tread. Same pattern as Callaway’s vehicle.”
Spike looked from the evidence to the boy.
“You collected all of this?” “Yes.” “Did anyone touch it?” “No.”
Rook photographed each item before placing it in separate evidence bags.
“Chain of custody starts now,” Spike said.
Cade pointed toward the wrecked Harley.
“Blue folder. Left saddlebag.”
Rook retrieved it and began reading.
The documents explained why Callaway had tried to kill Cade.
Sagebrush Youth Home occupied forty-seven acres held by a charitable land trust. Callaway had withdrawn county funding seven weeks earlier, reducing the number of children from twenty-two to eleven and forcing the home to cut meals from three per day to two.
Once the home closed...