Detective Ruiz's Point of View
Stephen Caldwell sits across from me, his arms folded in front of his chest, his jaw clenched tightly. I slowly flip open a slim file folder and place a photo on the table between us. A timestamped still of Rachel at the gas station.
"We have footage of your daughter just outside of Merrowville. An hour before, your phone lit up with a call from an unregistered number."
I say slowly, deliberately pushing the picture towards him, but Stephen doesn’t even glance at the photo. He continues to stare at me, looking unimpressed.
"I didn’t take the call. Must have been a spam number or something. You guys really get worked up over nothing."
He says, shrugging.
"Don’t insult my intelligence, Caldwell. We pulled your phone records. Not only did you answer the
