“Stay there,” Jed said as he made his way to the chair and squatted next to it. He dipped his finger in it and lifted it to his nose. “Blood.”
I took comfort in the fact that it was a relatively small puddle. “Do you think they did bring Scooter here?”
“If what the parrot said was true . . .” He glanced over at me, and a hint of a grin lifted his lips. “Words I never thought I’d say.”
“No kidding.”
“But there was probably blood upstairs if the parrot heard one of them telling another to clean up blood before . . .” He lifted his eyebrows. “It doesn’t look like they tried to clean it up down here. And you’re sure the bird said Scooter’s name?”
“I heard it myself.”
He stayed squatted down and scanned the floor.
“What are you lookin’ for now?” I asked.
“I’m trying to make out footprints—how many, shoe sizes.”
“Can you tell?”
He stood. “They’re all blended together. They were movin’ around a lot. They may have been interrogatin’ him. They were pacin’. See the straight line that’s deeper than the others?” He pointed to it. “They walked the same path multiple times.”
“But there’s no clue as to where they took him,” I said.
“I’m pretty sure I know where they took him, and it won’t be as easy to get into as this house.”
“You think they took him to the junkyard?” I asked.
He nodded. “Yep. I do now thanks to what you’ve found.”
“So why didn’t they take me there?”
He turned to look at me. “I wish I knew. Maybe they’d already killed Scooter. We have to face that possibility.”
“I haven’t had a vision yet that shows him alive. But I haven’t had a vision that shows him dead either. There’s a gray haze whenever I look.”
“And what does that usually mean?”
“That the future’s still being decided.”
“Then we’ll presume that he’s still alive . . . and that if he dies, it’ll happen tonight.”
He made it all sound very matter-of-fact, but I could see the pain in his eyes. “Okay.”
His gaze held mine. “Make no mistake about it, Rose. The kidnappers won’t be happy to see you if we find him.”
“Good. I’m not too thrilled about seeing them, but I’ll be happy to get one over on ’em.”
“I guess I’m sayin’ it’s dangerous. Not something I’d involve you in before.”
“But I am involved. Just tell me what to do. I want to help you, not be a hindrance.”
He gave me a sad smile. “You’ve changed.”
“For the worse?”
“No. And I take it back. You haven’t changed. You’ve always been headstrong about doin’ what’s right. You’ve rubbed off on Skeeter, whether he wants to admit it or not.”
“But not with this,” I said. “He’s still gonna start this war.”
“Not if we find his brother first.”
I was trusting in my vision. “Are we done here?”
“Yep. Let’s go up.”
He didn’t have to tell me twice. The thought of them holding Scooter down here and hurting him enough to make a puddle on the floor freaked me out. I made it up several seconds before Jed. “So now we head to the junkyard?”
“Not so fast,” he said. “I’d prefer to do this under the cover of darkness, but Merv screwed that up with his eight p.m. meeting time.” He paused, then shook his head. “What was he thinkin’? And what was Skeeter thinkin’ agreeing to it?”
“Whatever proof he thinks he found must have shaken him up.”
“No wonder Merv got me kicked out last night,” Jed said, looking out the back window toward Mr. Whipple’s aviary. “He knew I’d try to negotiate. Merv’s gonna be out for blood.”
“And James would listen to Merv?”
“Skeeter wants his brother back, and now that Merv’s poisoned Skeeter against me, he’s convinced him a show of force is best. Otherwise, he’ll look weak.”
“He’s not poisoned against me.”
Jed gave me a sad look. “It’s only a matter of time.”
“I’m gonna call him again,” I said. “I have to put a stop to this.” I grabbed my phone and placed the call.
James answered right away. “Everything okay?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “You tell me. You’re about to do something you’re gonna regret.”
“Rose. Enough. I’ve got proof.”
“So you keep sayin’, yet you refuse to tell me what it is.”
“It’s a photo, okay? A photo of Scooter tied to a chair. It was sent from Buck Reynolds’ phone, along with a message tellin’ me he’ll kill Scooter if I don’t hand over my kingdom. He demanded a meeting, so we set up a meeting.”
Crappy doodles. That did seem pretty bad.
“And what’s happenin’ at this meetin’?” I asked. “You’re not really goin’ to discuss handin’ it all over, are you?”
“Hell, no. The only thing Reynolds is gonna negotiate tonight is whether or not he’ll get to enter the pearly gates. Now I gotta go.” And he hung up.
I stared at Jed in disbelief and quickly told him what James had said. “Why would Buck hire me if he did it? Dermot’s just as confused as we are.”
“Maybe Reynolds hired some outside guys and hid it from his own men. Less chance of what he’d done getting out. And as to why he’d hire you? Probably trying to throw Skeeter off track and buy some credibility. If you’re lookin’ for Scooter and you tell Skeeter, then you’ve planted some doubt on Reynolds takin’ him. And even if he’s not claiming responsibility for it, he could sure sow the seeds that Skeeter’s too incompetent to run the county if people aren’t too intimidated to snatch his brother and his girlfriend.”
“I’m not his girlfriend.”
“But that’s not what some people think.”
I resisted the urge to groan. Why was I fighting my pull to James so hard if all these people thought I was with him anyway?
“Reynolds being behind all of this still makes no sense to me . . .”
“You said yourself that Reynolds is a fool.”
“But my vision . . .”
“Did you flat-out see proof of his innocence?”
“No, but—”
“Then I think we need to presume Reynolds took him after all. Hell, three weeks ago he was on the verge of a power play. It’s not outside the realm of possibility that he did it. In fact, it stands to reason that he did.”
It made sense—his behavior had been off all along. And yet . . .
“My gut says he didn’t do it,” I said, knowing I sounded like a fool.
“Then how do you explain the text with the photo?” Jed demanded.
Good point. “I don’t know, but I think I should place a call to Tim Dermot.”
After it rang for several seconds, I wasn’t sure he was going to answer, but he picked it up just before it went to voicemail. “Lady. Whatcha got?”
“Did Buck Reynolds kidnap Scooter Malcolm or not?” I demanded in a no-nonsense voice.
“Of course he didn’t kidnap him,” he asked, speaking slowly as if he suspected I might have a head injury. “That’s why he hired you. What’s this all about?”
“Then why did he send Skeeter Malcolm a photo of Scooter tied to a chair?”
“What?”
“That’s right. He sent him a photo—from his number—and demanded Skeeter show up at a meetin’ to discuss handin’ over the county. I want to know where they’re meeting.”
“How could Buck text a photo he has no way of gettin’?”
“Are you sure about that?” I asked. “Maybe Buck’s cuttin’ you out of the loop.”
He paused for several seconds. “Shit.”
“Am I chasin’ my tail here, Dermot? What was I really hired for?”
“Buck went to a whole lot of trouble to hire you if he did it himself.”
“Then how do you explain the photo from his phone?”
His tone turned cold. “How do you explain knowin’ about Skeeter Malcolm’s texts?”
I could have lied, but I wasn’t feeling up to it.
“Yeah,” Dermot said. “You’re not workin’ independent. For all I know, you’re lying about the photo and settin’ us up.”
“I called him, just like I called you. I’ve made no attempt to cover up that I’ve worked with him, and he knows I’m helpin’ Buck with something. I’m usin’ all the resources at my disposal to find Scooter, just like I said. But I need to know where Buck is meeting Skeeter.”
“I’m tellin’ you,” Dermot said in a snotty tone. “Buck doesn’t know anything about it. All he knows is that he got an ultimatum from Malcolm via text to meet tonight.”
“You saw the text yourself?” I asked. “Did you see the photo of Scooter?”
“I saw the damn text, and there was no photo.”
“Then how did Skeeter get the photo from Buck’s number?”
“How can you be so sure Malcolm’s not lyin’ to you?” But before I could answer, he said, “But in any case—you’re fired. You agreed to keep Malcolm out of the loop, and you disregarded the terms of the contract. We’re breaking the terms of the agreement.” Then he hung up.
“He’s still declaring their innocence,” I said, overwhelmed with frustration. “And he claims he saw the text and there was no photo sent to James. Yet James says it came from Buck’s number.”
“Reynolds sent it and deleted it,” Jed said. “It’s the logical explanation.”
I wanted to argue, but it made the most sense. “We have to stop this. Can you find out where they’re meeting?”
Jed shook his head. “No. I’m definitely out of the loop.”
“Any ideas where it could be?”
“No. Maybe I would if Skeeter had planned it, but it sounds like someone else set it up.”
“Maybe I should try to talk some reason into James in person.”
“You’ve tried twice on the phone. We’d do better to use our time to find Scooter and get the truth from his own mouth.”
I mulled it over for a few seconds, then said, “Okay. What do we do next?”
“We scope out the junkyard.”
Chapter 26
The junkyard was on the west side of town, just outside the city limits. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad one considering Joe was a whole lot more perceptive than the Henryetta Police Department. It was close to seven, which meant we barely had an hour left before James met Buck Reynolds.
“Do you think they’ll really meet?” I asked.
“I think somebody’s gonna show somewhere.”
“Meaning?”
“Meanin’ Skeeter will show up to get his brother back, but Reynolds . . . I can see him cuttin’ and runnin’. Especially if you’re right and he doesn’t have him. And Skeeter will hunt Reynolds down and demand for him to hand over his brother. Make no mistake of that,” Jed said, looking through his binoculars at the junkyard. “Maybe we’re scopin’ out the wrong place. Maybe we should head down to the warehouse where they took you.”
“It’ll take over a half hour to get there. Do we really want to take the chance? How about we follow James?”
“He’ll notice. And it won’t stop him,” Jed said. “We need Scooter.”
He continued to study the junkyard, but I was nearly jumping out of my skin. “I have a really bad feeling about all of this,” I said, a panic attack brewing.
“Me too, but we’re trying to fix it.”
I shook my head. “No. I’m sure James is walkin’ into a trap.”
Jed lowered his binoculars and held out his hand to me. “Look.”
I grabbed his hand and tried to slow my breathing so I could focus. I closed my eyes and asked if James was being set up. After a few seconds, I saw James lying on the ground in a puddle of blood with multiple gunshot wounds.
My vision ended and I said, “Someone’s gonna kill James.”
“What did you see?”
Nausea washed over me. “His dead body. He’d been shot multiple times.”
“Where was he?”
I tried not to give in to my panic. I needed to focus if I wanted to save him. “I don’t remember. All I remember is his body.”
“Try it again and pay attention to your surroundings this time.”
My eyes burned as I closed them again and focused on whether or not James was walking into a trap. His dead body was there again, but the surroundings were dark, and I couldn’t make anything out.
“Someone’s goin’ to kill James,” I repeated when my vision was over.
“Anything this time?” Jed asked.
I shook my head and my voice broke when I said, “No. I couldn’t see anything but him.”
Jed was silent for a moment. Then he finally said, “I’m goin’ in to look for Scooter.”
“I’m comin’ with you.”
“No,” he said in a direct tone. “I know you mean well, Rose, but this will go faster if I do it on my own.”
I wanted to argue, but I was still shaken up over the visions. “Okay,” I said. “But check in, would you? Let me know what’s goin’ on.”
“Okay, I will. I’ll be back.” Then he got out of the car and strode toward the junkyard like he owned the place. Once he got to the gate, two large, vicious dogs began jumping against the fence, snarling and snapping, but Jed Tased them and they fell to the ground.
He scaled the fence and soon disappeared behind a row of smashed cars.
I was surprised I hadn’t heard from Neely Kate, and I knew I needed to let her know what was going on, so I called her.
She answered with, “Rose. I was gettin’ worried.”
“I know where he is, Neely Kate,” I said with tears in my voice. I needed to convince her so she’d let this go, and the only way to do that was to make her think we’d found Scooter. “I found him.”
I heard her tell Witt, “She found him.” Then she said to me, “Where?”
“I’ll explain it all to you later, okay? I need to take care of something first. Just sit tight and wait for me to let you know.” As I hung up, I realized I’d reenacted the vision I’d had earlier, even if it had been unintentional. But if that vision came true, I felt even more panicked over my vision of Skeeter dying.
I tried calling James again, but it went straight to voicemail.
Dang it.
I was considering taking Jed’s car and driving to the pool hall myself when my phone vibrated with a text from James.
I need to see you.
I rapidly texted back. I need to see you too. You’re not safe. I just had a vision that you were murdered. Call me.
There was a pause for nearly ten seconds. Can’t talk now. I’m sending Merv to get you. Where are you?
I considered telling him, but with Merv and Jed having their dispute, I didn’t want to risk it. I’ll have Jed bring me.
It will distract Merv. They’re at odds and I need Merv on top of his game.
I can come to you.
No. Then seconds later he sent: I’m in a secret location. I need you to come with Merv.
Was he in a safe house? I could see him not wanting to give me directions if that was the case. Bottom line was that I needed to see him, even if I had to endure Merv to do so.
Okay. Tell Merv to pick me up at the gas station at the corner of County Roads 5 and 66. I can be there in five minutes.
Thank you.
I considered sending Jed a text but decided to wait, figuring he might turn back and try to take me to James himself. What Jed was doing was more important. Finding Scooter was the surest way to end this.
The gas station was a short walk down the road. Thankfully, clouds had filled the sky and the wind had cooled things down. The sun was setting, casting everything in an unearthly orange tone. When I got to the gas station, I was surprised to see Merv already park
ed in the corner of the lot, his car idling.
I opened the back door but didn’t slide in yet. “How’d you get here so fast?”
“I was already on this side of town. Skeeter’s not far from here. Climb in so we can go see him.”
“Where is he? The pool hall?”
“No. Get in and I’ll tell you.”
“Why don’t you tell me now?”
“Because I think you’re workin’ with Carlisle, and Skeeter doesn’t want him to know.”
I called James again, wanting to verify that he’d really asked for me, but it went straight to voicemail. That left me unsettled. He never turned off his phone. And I would have expected him to keep his phone on in case I texted. There was a lot about this situation that felt wrong, but I needed to get to James, and going with Merv was the surest and fastest way to do that. I felt like a traitor leaving Jed behind, but it made sense to split up in this instance. I climbed into the backseat and shut the door.
“Where is he?” I asked.
“He’s at the fertilizer plant.”
“That place has seen plenty of action the last few days.”
He didn’t respond.
My phone vibrated in my hand. I glanced down and saw a text from Violet.
Merv’s gaze jerked to the rearview mirror. “No phones.”
“Why not? It’s just a text from my sister. I haven’t even read it yet.”
He reached his hand over the seat, palm up. “Skeeter’s rules.”
I had no intention of giving up my phone before I read Violet’s text, but as soon as I read it, I knew I was in deep trouble.
I just remembered Pam’s boy’s last name. Chapman. And her oldest boy didn’t go by Merlin. He went by Merv.
My jaw dropped as I glanced up into the rearview mirror and held eye contact with Merv Chapman, James’ betrayer.
Chapter 27
I wasn’t sure how to play this, but it seemed inevitable that the look on my face would give me away. I reached for the door handle, only to find it was locked.
For the Birds: Rose Gardner Investigations #2 (Rose Gardner Investigatons) Page 26