His teammates spread out in the headquarters armed with computers and telephones. Before he could ask Hicks about it, an officer came in with three files and USB sticks.
"Thank you," he nodded to the uniform.
Hicks cleared his throat. "Hondo, whatever you need, you'll get it. I want this guy off the street once and for all. "
"Big words, Commander," Hondo couldn't help himself.
"Find the guy. And the woman," Hicks repeated, leaving him standing.
"Hondo." Deac had to call him a second time before he was turning around. "Hondo?"
"Yes?"
"Don't remember a moment me having to tell you to stay cool. Stay cool, Hondo. We'll do everything we can. "
"Damn it, Deac. Have you seen her files? The woman was in Iraq. Now she works at the hospital and for people without insurance. Her husband is risking his ass for us over there. I can't stand up and tell the man 'you're going to war for us and we're not even able to protect your wife'!"
Deacon came around the table and stood in front of him. "Is this the marine coming through now? Semper Fi and all? Damn it, Hondo, hit the punch bag or take a cold shower. But remember, while you're having a breakdown here, the clock is ticking for Christina Brown."
He looked at him for a moment.
"Get started." Hondo turned and ran into the kitchen. It was empty, so he didn't go to the locker room and stuck his head under the cold tap right here. He ignored the puzzled looks of the others as he passed them with a wet T-shirt. Deacon was reading the file on the first victim when he reached him. He took the second folder and went through it. Finally he tossed it on the table in frustration.
"There is just as much in it as last time. He strangled the first woman with his bare hands. The second was strangled with a string. On the third he expanded his rope skills, I don't want to know what he's doing with Christina. On the pictures we have, you can only see he is white or light Latino, dark hair, about 6 feet tall and not particularly strong. And as soon as he gets out with the woman, the trail is lost - until we find a body behind a garbage can in an alley somewhere in the South LA area. Damn it, Deacon."
"I am aware of all this, Hondo. And it pisses me off as much as it does you. Let's see if the others have a lead, otherwise we'll drive out to San Pedro and take a look around on site."
"OK."
The others from the team were still in the operations center. As they entered, they heard Chris curse. "This guy has a real knack for avoiding the camera. He got on one stop after Christina and until he forced her to get off he didn't even look at the damn camera. There is a traffic camera at the intersection, but it only has him from behind."
"Call the transport company. If he parked a car at the exit point, he must have got to the entrance somehow. They should send you all the tapes from the buses in the opposite direction in the period in question. Tan, Luca, anything? "
"Around the intersection at 5th, where they got off, there are lots of shops, loads of cameras. At the intersection of S Pacific and West 5th there is a large parking lot right next to the stop, they get off, he leads her away, there is a truck, out of sight, end. No clear shot from our man."
"No car leaving? Nothing?"
"No. At least nowhere we can see it. There are side streets in the block. One leads to a motel, cameras again, nothing to see. The other ends on a side street. Residential houses. There are probably cameras there, but to get there ... "
"Mhm."
Street thanked someone and put down the phone. "The footage iscoming. Our friends from Harbor Community sent us something. They talked to the bus driver. He knows Christina, but wasn't surprised when she got off earlier. She often goes to the Mexican supermarket on the corner, they open at seven. He hardly saw the guy, only his brown T-shirt. Paid with coins, which doesn't help us because we can hardly dig them out for fingerprints."
"OK. Tan, Luca, keep looking for footage. Chris, Street, you and Deac come with me to San Pedro."

Half an hour later they were driving down West 15th Street.
"This is their house," Deac pointed outside as they passed a neat little Mission Style house. "Jose's mini market is two blocks down."
"We're going there."
The old man behind the checkout counter jumped off his chair when they entered.
"Are you here about Christie? Did you find out something? "
"Something, but not enough. Sergeant Harrelson, Sergeant Kay, Officers Alonso and Street, "he introduced his company. "We know who has her, but not who or where he is. Have you seen this man before? Maybe in the last few days? "
He held out his phone to the man.
"The face doesn't ring a bell. Wait a second. My sons and I share shifts here, we're open twenty hours a day. Joey, "he called. A younger version of the man before them emerged from a side door. "My oldest son. Joey, the people here are trying to find Christina. Look at this picture. Have you seen the man before? "
The man nodded in greeting, then picked up Hondo's phone from his father.
"Pretty blurry. But somehow ... Let me think about. "
"Okay. Do you have cameras in the shop? "
"Yes. Even if you don't see them at first sight. Sean, Christina's husband, recommended us a friend who upgraded the system. Two years ago there was a series of break-ins around here, "explained José.
"You know them both well? I wonder what brought the Browns to San Pedro."
"You mean as a white military couple?" The old man answered Street with a question.
"Mhm?"
"Christina's grandmother lived here. She was an immigrant. Among other things, she speaks fluent Spanish. Many people around here don't have insurance. She helps a lot in her free time because people don't dare to see a doctor because of the costs. A few weeks ago she even helped a young woman giving birth in her house because the ambulance never came. Not that you're thinking wrong, she has licenses and permits and all that, "he quickly added.
"When was the last time you saw her?"
"Yesterday morning. I don't sleep much, I work the morning shift."
"She was here last night before she took the bus into town. Took a juice and a mug of tea."
"Coffee," corrected his father.
"What?" Joey looked being miles away.
"Christina drinks coffee. Big mug, two sugars, lots of milk. "
"Before, Padre. Now she's drinking tea. With two sugars. Nothing more."
Deacon gave him a quick look that Hondo couldn't understand and cleared his throat. "Joey, can you remember when Christina started drinking tea?"
"Maybe a couple of weeks. Come with me."
He waved her over to the door he'd come out of.
"Chris, Street, stay here," Hondo ordered, then followed Deacon and the other man.