High Desert Hideaway

by Jenna Night

“What did he say when he called?” Wolfsinger asked.

  “That he’d heard what had happened to Lily.” He glanced in her direction.

  The high school kids who’d been in the Starlight Mart had been all over social media telling of their experience. Local news media had picked up the story so everybody in town had a general idea of what had happened.

  “He told me to shut everything down and send everybody home. He said to reroute all the deliveries scheduled to come through the facility for the next three days. One of our dispatchers, Sheila, is over in the dispatch room making sure it’s all been taken care of.”

  “Did he say why he wanted to do that?”

  Nate was curious, too.

  Eddie shrugged. “He told me he’d meant to update security around here for a while. He’s getting new key-card locks for all the doors before everyone returns to work and putting in a system to track the identity of anyone who comes into our buildings. He wants to put up some fencing around the property, maybe even hire a twenty-four-hour security-guard service.”

  Nate glanced at Wolfsinger. It could be the reaction of a business owner shocked to learn his employee had nearly been murdered. But it might be a sign that Torrent knew about the larger criminal connection to what had happened to Lily and he was worried. Maybe he was even involved in it.

  “Is there any surveillance footage of the property available?” Nate asked.

  “Afraid not,” Eddie answered. “There are video cameras in place, but the system’s so old it’s fallen apart and we’ve never updated it.”

  Wolfsinger glanced toward the door that opened onto the hallway. “Could I speak to your dispatcher?”

  “Sure.” Eddie stepped through the door and called out, “Sheila, can you come in here?”

  A few seconds later a young blonde woman in jeans and a flowery sweater strolled into the front office. She was chewing gum and smiling broadly until she saw who was in the room. Then she stopped chewing and her smile vanished. Nate couldn’t tell if her good mood was deflated by the sight of Sheriff Wolfsinger, or the sight of Lily.

  Eddie made the introductions.

  “I don’t want to take up too much of your time,” Sheriff Wolfsinger said. “But I’d like to know if you’ve seen or heard anything that might help us understand what happened to Ms. Doyle.”

  Sheila turned to Lily and cocked her head to the side. “I’m so sorry about what happened to you, but I don’t know anything.” Then she glanced at Nate and gave him a slight smile.

  “Have any new drivers you’ve never worked with before come through here in the last few days?”

  “They might have. I really couldn’t tell you for sure. It’s hard to keep track of everybody who passes through here.”

  “Understandable.” Wolfsinger offered her a patient smile. “Have you seen anybody new back in your break room?”

  “I usually eat lunch at my desk.”

  “Okay.” He handed her his card. “If you think of something later, give me a call.”

  “Sure.” She glanced around the room, her gaze snagging on Eddie for a few lingering seconds before she left.

  “I want to do everything I can to catch the guys who did this to you.” Eddie gave Lily an encouraging smile as soon as the dispatcher was out of the room.

  Nate was curious to see Lily’s reaction. She nodded once, a bare-bones acknowledgment. Then she headed over to a desk and picked up the cell phone and purse that were sitting on top of it.

  “Mr. Drake, who would have paperwork showing who came through here over the last few days?” Sheriff Wolfsinger asked the warehouse supervisor.

  “You’re talking about drivers?”

  The sheriff nodded.

  “Should be in the computer system,” Lily interjected, walking back toward them.

  Eddie glanced at her, then looked past her at something outside a window. Nate followed his gaze and watched as a metallic gold luxury sedan pulled into the parking lot and stopped just outside the entrance. “I think Mr. Torrent might want to have a say in who goes through company computer records,” Eddie said cautiously. “That’s him right there.”

  A tall, slender man, wearing a sharply tailored gray suit, climbed out of the car. His dark hair fell into place with the studied casualness of an expensive cut. He walked through the door and greeted the sheriff.

  “Thank you for meeting us here,” Wolfsinger responded. “This is Deputy Nate Bedford.”

  “Glad to meet you.” Torrent extended his hand and Nate shook it.

  “And I’m sure you know your employee, Lily Doyle,” the sheriff added.

  “Actually, we’ve never met. We hired Lily through an employment service.” Torrent strode toward her and extended his hand. “It’s terrible what happened to you. Is there anything you need?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “I understand you haven’t been working for us for very long, but that you’ve done an excellent job while you’ve been here. Please, take a couple of weeks off. I’ll pay you for them. And when you’re ready to come back, I think we can use you full-time. And give you a raise.”

  She smiled at him. “Thank you.”

  Nate thought Torrent held Lily’s hand a little longer than he needed to before he finally let it go.

  “You must have heard about the trailer and cargo thefts along the highways that pass through the area,” Wolfsinger said. “You haven’t reported anything stolen. Have you had any trouble with theft?”

  “Cargo theft?” Torrent raised his eyebrows and then shook his head. “No, I haven’t.” He glanced at Lily. “What has that got to do with what happened to Lily?”

  “It’s an ongoing investigation,” Wolfsinger replied, smoothly deflecting his question. “Are you aware the two men who took over the Starlight Mart had been seen here at your facility earlier in the day?”

  Torrent drew his head back in surprise. “They were my employees?”

  “Or drivers passing through and making use of your break room.”

  His expression turned into a scowl and his face flushed with anger. “I’ll send you digital copies of the drivers’ manifests immediately. Eddie, how do we access that information?” He glanced back at Wolfsinger. “I don’t spend much time here.”

  Eddie sat at a computer, asked the sheriff for his email address, and a couple of minutes later Wolfsinger’s phone chimed. The sheriff glanced down at the screen. “Got it.”

  “That’s everything for the last thirty days,” Eddie said. He moved his mouse to scroll through the images on his computer. “Looks like it’s all been regular drivers passing through.”

  “This will help us dig into things a little deeper.” The sheriff looked up from his phone. “Thank you for your time.” He gestured to Nate that it was time to go.

  Lily started to walk out the door and Eddie stepped in front of her. Nate’s muscles tightened and irritation shot through his body like a zap of electric current. If Lily wanted Eddie moved out of her way, Nate would be happy to move him. Because it was his job. As a lawman. And he was nothing but professional.

  “I hope this terrible incident doesn’t scare you away,” Eddie said to Lily with a toothy, hopeful smile. “You are returning to work when things get back to normal, right?”

  She glanced at Bryan Torrent, who was now sitting on the edge of a desk, still fuming. Torrent saw her looking at him, relaxed his expression slightly and managed a faint, encouraging smile.

  Lily responded with a weak smile of her own. “I think I’ll be back.”

  Eddie moved out of her way.

  “Before all of this happened, had you seen or heard anything unusual going on around here?” Nate asked Lily after they were outside and well away from Torrent and Eddie.

  “I couldn’t tell you. I haven’t been working
here long enough to know what’s unusual.”

  Wolfsinger had taken a few steps away from them with his phone to his ear. He disconnected from a call and walked back toward them.

  “Nate, I know if I tell you to butt out of this investigation and head back to the Blue Spruce to relax you probably won’t listen to me. And the fact is you’re going to be back on duty in a week, anyway, so you might as well stay up to speed.”

  “Appreciate it.”

  “You’re still assigned to Painted Rock even while you’re working on the task force. That’s not changing. It might be a small town in the middle of nowhere, but they get big rig traffic cutting across the mountain pass up there. It’s possible the cargo thieves are breaking down their goods into less noticeable amounts and hauling them across the back roads.”

  “I’ll keep an eye out for that as soon as I get back on duty.”

  Wolfsinger glanced around at the empty parking lot where they stood and sighed. “I don’t like this. The attempted hits on Lily look like pure panic. Whoever’s behind them will want to finish the job and tie up any loose ends. After you pick up Lily’s car, you both better stay out of sight for a while.”

  “We’ll head right back to the ranch.”

  “Good. I just got off the phone with Deputy Rios. She and Bubba will meet you at the Starlight Mart to make sure Lily’s car is safe to move and hasn’t been rigged with explosives.”

  “Explosives?” Lily’s eyes widened.

  “There’s big money involved here,” Wolfsinger said to her. “And somebody thinks you’ve gotten in their way.” His phone started to ring. He answered it and turned away, heading toward his patrol car.

  Nate opened the passenger door of his truck for Lily, then walked around and got in. He started up the engine.

  “Rios and Bubba?” Lily asked, her voice a little shaky.

  “They’ll make sure nothing bad happens to you.”

  “Deputy Bubba?” Lily muttered. “That’s got to be a nickname.”

  “I don’t know his legal name,” Nate said. “But he’s very good at what he does.”

  * * *

  Lily gazed through the dusty front windshield of Nate’s truck. They’d reached the intersection with the highway that ran north toward Painted Rock. There, perched on a corner, was the Starlight Mart. The owner didn’t put much effort into maintaining the store’s appearance. He didn’t have to. If you were this far out of Copper Mesa and low on fuel, craving a microwave burrito or dying for a sugary drink, you’d stop. There was nowhere else to go.

  The Starlight Mart was Lily’s only option last night and she was fortunate the dilapidated old store was here. If those two thugs had caught her on the highway, or if her car had run out of gas in the darkness... She shuddered at the thought and reminded herself she was all right. Thank You, Lord.

  Nate made the bumpy turn off the highway into the store parking lot. Lily spotted her secondhand olive-green sedan right where she’d left it last night.

  An Oso County sheriff’s department patrol car was parked by the side of the store and Nate pulled up next to it. The car door opened and a deputy got out. She opened the back door of her car and a large black-and-tan police dog hopped down.

  “How ya doing?” the deputy called out to them as the dog sat obediently at her feet. The deputy’s jet-black hair was pulled back in a French braid with a sweep of bangs. Dark glasses hid her eyes. She wore a thick jacket for protection against the cold breeze.

  “I’m doing all right,” Nate answered as he and Lily climbed out of his truck. “Crystal, this is Lily Doyle. Lily, meet Deputy Crystal Rios. She’s covering my territory up around Painted Rock until I officially return from leave. And that’s her partner, Bubba.”

  Lily nodded a greeting at the deputy, then turned to the handsome dog, who looked at her with intelligent, coffee-colored eyes. “He’s a beauty.”

  “He is,” Rios agreed. “And right now he’s going to work.” She gave a command and Bubba got to his feet. They started toward Lily’s parked car. Rios led Bubba around the car, giving him encouragement and directions as the K-9 gave everything a good sniff.

  “Bomb detection is one of Bubba’s many skills,” Nate said. “He’s an excellent tracker, too.”

  Lily hugged herself. She was cold and a little freaked out. “Do you really believe my car needs to be checked out for some kind of bomb?”

  “Plenty of people will do anything for money,” Nate said, watching Rios and Bubba at work. “Theft of cargo along the interstate is big business. We’re talking tens of millions of dollars in a single month. If someone believes you overheard something that could expose their plans, it would be worth a lot to get rid of you.”

  “I never thought about things getting stolen out here,” Lily said, glancing at the highway. Cold facts were something she could handle right now. She steered the conversation in that direction. Dwelling on the potential danger to her was just a little too much.

  “Electronics, tech equipment, phones, pharmaceuticals. You name it,” Nate said. “Everything’s got to be transported somehow. Small-time thieves break into parked trailers and grab the stuff inside. Organized criminals take the entire trailer.”

  Lily shivered. It wasn’t just from the cold. She turned her attention back to Bubba as he sniffed around her car. Deputy Rios kept up a steady stream of direction and encouragement for her dog.

  “I don’t understand how the thieves can get away with it,” Lily said. “The trailers have tracking components in them. For that matter, so do the tractors.” She’d learned that working at Torrent Trucking.

  “I don’t have any inside information since I haven’t officially checked in with the task force yet,” Nate said. “But I’d guess someone has figured out a way to disrupt the tracking system.”

  “Bubba is signaling we’re clear,” Deputy Rios called out.

  Nate and Lily walked toward her.

  After lavishly praising Bubba and giving him a drink of water, Deputy Rios let him into the backseat of her patrol car and tossed him a squeaky toy. He caught it and chewed happily as she shut the door.

  “Do you need us for anything else?” she asked Nate.

  “Nope.”

  “Okay.” She got into her patrol car and started the engine. “Be careful,” she called out, and then she drove off.

  “Let me see your keys,” Nate said.

  Lily dug them out of her pocket. He took them, got into her car and started the engine. Then he drove the few feet over to one of the pumps and started filling the tank with gas.

  “Let me take care of this and we’ll head back up to the ranch,” Nate said as she walked up to him.

  “I’ll be up there as soon as I talk to my bosses for my two other jobs.”

  Nate raised his eyebrows, looking at her as if she was out of her mind.

  “I need to tell them in person what happened and ask for a couple of days off. To show them I’m not some flaky new employee making up a wild story because I don’t want to come into work.”

  “But Bryan Torrent offered you a full-time job. Aren’t you going to take it?”

  “Probably. But I want to keep my options open.” She sighed. “It felt creepy being back there and I’m not sure I could go back every day without thinking about what happened. But I really need the money.”

  “So what’s going on between you and Eddie Drake?”

  “Nothing. I work with him. That’s it.” She crossed her arms over her chest and felt her eyes narrow. “You’re just dying to find some dirt on me, aren’t you? Why?”

  “I know what I saw.” He ignored her questions and leaned against her car. A taunting smile played across his lips while the gas pump kept running. “I’m a trained observer. There’s something between you two.”

  He kept his ton
e light, but it was clear he expected an answer.

  She turned away and looked at the neon signs in the Starlight Mart window. For a moment it felt like she was back in there, terrified and on the verge of hopelessness. She tried to shake off the feeling and turned back to Nate. He’d saved her life when he walked in there. She owed him. “Eddie talks about himself a lot. Trying to impress me, I think. And he’s asked me out a few times.”

  “But you turned him down?”

  “I’m not interested.” She took a deep breath. “The last thing I want to do is get involved with anyone. I have a life to rebuild.”

  “I understand. Not everybody is looking for a date. I’m not exactly husband material myself. Obviously.”

  Not husband material? What did that mean? No, wait. She wasn’t going to let herself even start to wonder about that. It didn’t matter.

  “Look, I’m not especially brave,” she said, turning the conversation back toward her objective goals. “I want to hide as soon as I can and stay hidden until somebody can figure out what’s going on. But while I’m in town I need to make sure my mom’s okay. Then I need to stop at a couple of places and talk to my bosses. I’ll make it quick, I promise. And I’ll see you back at the Blue Spruce in an hour.”

  “You’ll see me in your rearview mirror.”

  Her heart fluttered and she didn’t want it to. She needed to stay practical, not get all loopy over an acquaintance who was probably helping her because he wanted to honor an old friend. It wasn’t personal. He was obviously trying to remind her of that with the husband-material comment.

  “Don’t they need your help at the ranch?” she asked, grasping for a reason to send him on his way.

  “Gaston won’t have anything to complain about if I start helping him on my first day back. He’ll hate that.” Nate took the nozzle out of the car, attached it back to the pump and snapped the gas cap shut. “Look, I know you want to get back to normal life as soon as you can. But the gunman who got away last night is still out there. He knows where you live. He knows what your car looks like. He’s probably hanging around watching and waiting for his chance to get to you.”