“Somehow I don’t think the asshole who did this would be so lucky as to have you retreat.”
A ghost of a smile fanned over Liv’s lips. “No, they wouldn’t.”
“Our preliminary assessment is that he entered there.” Using her fifty-cent conference pen, Schuler pointed to the window next to Brodie’s desk. “The window frame is busted on the outside, and the burglar left the pry bar behind.”
Sweat broke out on Liv’s palms at the thought of what could have happened if Brodie had been here at the time of the break-in. She had Zeke to thank for not having to face that nightmare.
“We didn’t find any surveillance cameras pointed at this side of the house,” Detective Schuler said. The suffocating band around Liv’s chest tightened. She had cameras on the front and back doors, but not the bedroom windows. “That’s correct.” She tried her damnedest to keep the recrimination from her voice. There would be plenty of time later to beat up herself. “Just the entrances.”
“I’d recommend pulling the recordings. You never know. We might get lucky.”
“I’ll get copies from my alarm service.” Liv took in the room again. “I was told this was the only part of the house affected.”
“As far as we can tell, but it would be best if you did a walkthrough. You would know better than us if anything’s missing or been tampered with.”
With near robotic movements, Liv pivoted to do as Schuler suggested. The detective laid a hand on her forearm. “We’ll get whoever did this, I swear it.”
Liv didn’t doubt the detective. As a mother of two, Schuler would want to ensure this didn’t happen to another little boy. But in that moment, all Liv could think about was how she was going to break the news to Brodie.
Until she noticed that the framed photo—the one Brodie had kept facedown on his desk since the day of his father’s funeral—was missing.