Scratchgravel Road (Josie Gray Mysteries #2)(83)
Otto made a fist. “We got him!”
Diego looked at them in confusion. “What’s the significance?”
“Juan saved his paychecks, took a bus, and delivered the money to his family once a month. He kept the cash in a shoebox in the back of his closet. The box is missing.”
Diego took a step back. “And you think Leo stole Juan’s money?”
“It gets better. Cassidy also said Leo knew where the body was located in the desert.” Josie recounted the conversation for Otto.
“I don’t understand people. How could she sit on information like that and not tell us?” Otto said.
“She claims she was afraid he would kill her if she told anyone.”
Otto shook his head. “What about Leo?”
“I won’t bring him in until I know the charges will stick. We’ll have to wait until we’re finished here.”
*
They returned to the mud and spent another thirty minutes digging a ten-foot-long shallow trench, each of them lost in their own thoughts, spinning their own theories as to how Juan Santiago lost his money and ended up left for dead. After the trench was finished, they stepped back and watched as Mitch assembled the pieces for the trial run. He laid the C-4, then attached blasting caps to the explosives. Next he crimped the detonation cord into the caps and attached the primer to the end of the det cord. Josie was impressed at his efficiency. He took charge of the situation with ease and had no trouble shouting orders when necessary. She tried to imagine the danger he had been in, setting up similar explosions in a war zone, and figured his life had often depended on his ability to react with confidence.
Mitch was wearing a headset with a direct line to Sandy, who was checking out the peak farther up the mountain. He talked intermittently with Otto and Sandy, explaining his moves as he went. Otto was fascinated by the setup, and Josie was certain he would light the fuse himself if given the opportunity.
“That’s it,” Mitch yelled. “Let’s get these charges set!”
He took off at a fast walk on legs long enough to leave the rest of them jogging to keep up. As he walked, he unraveled the det cord from a large spool hanging on his right hip. At twenty feet he stopped, cut the cord, and told Josie, Otto, and Diego to keep heading toward the plant. They did so, maintaining the jog. They didn’t turn around until they heard Mitch yell, “We have smoke!”
About four minutes later, the ground exploded, spewing mud into the air like a fountain. The mess fell to the ground in patties, splattering their clothes and boots, falling onto the hoods of their rain ponchos like a hailstorm. In its aftermath, a ten-foot-wide swath of ground was carved out of the desert to the depth of about four feet. Mitch and Otto cheered as Diego looked on smiling. It was exactly what they had hoped for. Josie could imagine the sight when a half mile of dirt flew into the sky and landed back down onto the wet ground.
After the explosion Sandy had a four-wheel-drive SUV pick them up for a quick trip back to the parking lot so that Mitch could assemble his equipment and the explosives crew he had called in. A ragtag group of twenty-something-year-old guys climbed out of an extended-cab pickup and high-fived Mitch before he proceeded to explain his plan. Josie was impressed how quickly they turned to business.
The weather remained dismal: the sky full of dark clouds, and the rain continuing to fall in a steady downpour. The clothes under Josie’s rain poncho and the socks inside her boots were soaked. Water dripped down the sides of her face even with the large hood pulled over her head.
*
Josie noticed Diego and Skip in a serious discussion on the other side of the truck that was carrying the explosives. She realized the timing was lousy, but she couldn’t shake the investigation from her thoughts, especially given the information Cassidy had just provided. She decided to ask Skip about the information on Santiago that she had requested.
When Josie reached them, Diego put a finger in the air to halt her. “Sylvia called and said the NRC is on the line and refusing to hang up before I talk to them. I need to take care of business. Anything urgent?”
“No, I just need to talk with Skip,” Josie said.
“Excellent. I’ll be back shortly.” Diego walked quickly toward the main office building and Josie turned to Skip. “Did Diego tell you I need Santiago’s work duties for the days before he disappeared? I sent you an e-mail too.”
Skip sighed and rubbed his eyes. “I’m sorry. I actually pulled that together for you yesterday. I just haven’t had time to call.”
Josie gave a noncommittal shrug. “Discover anything?”
Skip squinted his eyes and looked guilty. “I knew Juan was working on the vitrification project in Unit Seven. Our team has been in the building for almost a year now.”
“Okay.”
“What I forgot, in all the commotion the day you arrived, was that he was working in the pilot unit the week before. Just a short assignment to clean equipment.”
“Why is that important?” she asked.
“The vitrification project is still experimental. We’re working through issues constantly. Our goal is to perfect the science and share it with other scientists.”
Or, sell the science and make a fortune, Josie thought. “What kind of work was he doing?”
Skip squinted at her again. “He was working cleanup with caustic chemicals. If he was careless, if safety precautions weren’t followed and the chemicals reached his skin, he could have ended up with some nasty sores on his arms.”