Random Acts by J. A. Jance Page B

we’re not investigating a homicide, he may believe he’s getting away with it. With any kind of luck, we can trick him into coming back in search of that missing brass.”
    â€œHow do you propose to do that?”
    â€œWe’re going to salt the mine,” Joanna said.
    â€œHow?”
    â€œIf you’ll give me one of those four casings, we can put it back on the overpass and hope the shooter comes looking for it.”
    â€œNope,” Dave asserted. “No way either one of us is going to tamper with even part of this evidence. These casings are familiar. SWAT uses the same kind of ammo at the range. I’ll give you four of those, marked so we can use them for positive identification later, but I don’t see how this will help us identify the guy. How do you propose to do that?”
    â€œBy setting up some kind of temporary surveillance system on that overpass and on every roadway leading to or from it.”
    â€œIs that even feasible? If the guy sees patrol cars parked anywhere in the neighborhood, he’ll drive right on by.”
    â€œI’m not talking cops and patrol cars. It turns out, you and I have a mutual friend—­Ali Reynolds. Maybe she can set up some kind of wireless surveillance system that won’t be completely obvious to the bad guy. All we need is a plate number on the vehicle. Once we have that, we’ll be way ahead of where we are now.”
    Dave nodded. “I suppose it’s worth a try.”
    Ali’s number was in Joanna’s recent calls list, and Joanna dialed the number with her phone on speaker. Ali answered on the second ring.
    â€œAre you in Sedona?” Ali asked. “Do you need a place to stay or do you want to come to dinner?”
    â€œActually, I’m in Camp Verde with a friend of yours, Dave Holman, and we need your help.”
    â€œWhat kind of help?”
    â€œI’m hoping for assistance in setting up a multi-­camera surveillance system in a remote location.”
    â€œA permanent system or temporary?”
    â€œDefinitely temporary.”
    â€œTo capture what?”
    â€œA vehicle license plate,” Joanna answered.
    â€œWhere?”
    â€œAt the overpass on I–17 at General Crook Trail. That RV wreck this morning was no accident. My stepfather was shot. We’re reasonably sure that the shooter was standing on the overpass at the time since we found several pieces of brass up there.”
    â€œAnd you’re thinking he’ll come back looking for it?”
    â€œExactly. Once we ID his vehicle, it’ll be much easier to nail him, but the problem is, the location is out in the middle of nowhere, and I have no idea how to pull it off.”
    â€œAnd I suppose you want this done immediately if not sooner?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œLet me think for a moment,” Ali said. Then after a pause, she said, “What about setting up a phony construction zone? Knowing a construction crew is liable to turn up on the scene should give the bad guy a certain urgency in getting back there to collect the evidence. It so happens I have a whole closetful of wireless video cameras right here at our company headquarters in Cottonwood that can be deployed at a moment’s notice. The problem is, they all look like video cameras. If we put up construction zone barrels and cones, we may be able to conceal the cameras inside them, and slowing traffic will give the gear a chance to capture better images.”
    â€œEven in the dark?”
    â€œYes, but I suspect that’s going to require some careful rigging. We’ll need some cones and barrels to carve up jack-­o’-­lantern style so we can see which ones work best with our video equipment. It might also be a good idea to have one or two of those construction generators parked at the site just to make the whole construction scenario more believable.”
    â€œThere’s a Department of Public Works