Missing in Mudbug (Ghost-in-Law #5)(58)

“I’ve got to check on some things. See if you can get a diver for that last car, but don’t wait on it to start hauling them to town. Call Marty and get him to start moving them to the garage. Tell him to take the back roads in and cover the cars with tarps.”

“Yes, sir.”

As they started back to his truck, Colt handed Jadyn the paper with the names. “Notice whose name is on there? I think we should pay Mr. Pickett a visit. See what he or the police might know about his stolen car.”

They climbed into Colt’s truck and Jadyn looked over at him as he started the engine.

“I’ve been thinking,” she said.

“What about?”

“About how Tyler was ribbing Bart about not working, but Bart said he turned off his cell phone because he had work to do and didn’t want to be interrupted. He’s got that big shop and that enclosed trailer…wouldn’t a master welder be able to easily parcel out a car?”

Colt froze and stared out the windshield. He’d been so busy thinking about how the stolen cars tied into Raissa’s abduction that he hadn’t spent any time trying to pinpoint who was running the chop shop. But what Jadyn said made sense. Perfect sense.

He slammed his hand on the steering wheel and cursed. How many more criminals were living right under his nose?

“We should check out his shop on the way back,” she said. “Given those cars are dumped in the game preserve, I have probable cause to search. No waiting on a warrant.”

Colt put the truck in gear and pulled away. “Which means no alerting anyone else as to what we’re doing.”

“Exactly. And if we hurry, we may be able to get it done before Ross arrives.” She pulled her pistol from her holster and checked the magazine. “I hope he doesn’t give us any trouble.”

Colt nodded. He didn’t want to think about the possibility of shooting someone he’d known his entire life. But if it was Bart who’d shot at them the night before and had a hand in kidnapping Raissa, then he wouldn’t hesitate to do his job. There was plenty of time later for mourning the loss of his childhood home.





[page]Chapter Fourteen


Bart’s truck and the enclosed trailer were gone when they pulled up in front of his house. Jadyn scanned the property, but didn’t see any sign of activity.

“Looks like he’s gone,” Colt said.

“You did tell him Agent Ross would be by. Maybe he’s looking to avoid that conversation.”

“Well, it’s not like you need permission to look around.”

They climbed out of the truck and made their way to the shop. The shop had a padlock on it but Colt made quick work of it with a pair of bolt cutters he carried. They pulled open the huge swinging doors and walked inside.

Jadyn was surprised to see how neat the inside of the shop was. Toolboxes and cabinets lined one wall and workbenches lined the other. The back wall contained windows that let in natural light, and the front of the shop contained a refrigerator and tiny table with chairs. The center of the shop was completely empty.

“Whatever he was working on is gone now,” Colt said.

Jadyn walked over to the workbenches and pulled out one of the plastic containers stored beneath. She pulled the lid off and whistled. It was piled high with car parts. Colt peered inside and pulled the lid of the next container, then another, and another until they’d opened all six containers.

They were all filled with car parts.

Colt stared into the container, not speaking. Jadyn had a good idea of the things roaming through his mind. She barely knew Bart but felt a sense of betrayal. The man had pursued her knowing he was committing a criminal offense on the very land she was paid to protect.

“Do you think he’s the one who shot at us?” she asked.

Colt’s jaw flexed. “I don’t want to think so, but I can’t help feeling all of this—the stolen cars, Raissa’s kidnapping—are all part of the same thing.”

She nodded. “I agree, but I can’t make any of the pieces fit.”

“Me either.” He put the lid back on the container and sighed. “Let’s put these back and pay Mr. Pickett a visit. Might as well collect another piece to our puzzle.”

[page]###

Maryse and Mildred stood in the hotel room, their ears pressed to the wall. In the next room, Agent Ross yelled at Stepford and the other agents, blaming them for everything from failure to find Raissa first to the US inflation rate. Maryse was fairly certain when he was done, her face would remain frozen in a permanent grin. Mildred had been standing with her hand over her mouth for the last five minutes, and Maryse knew that as soon as they were back downstairs, the hotel owner would laugh until she cried.

Helena, as usual, wasn’t helping matters. Because no one in the next room could hear her, she had no problem chortling so hard that she fell off the edge of the bed and rolled across the bedroom floor.

Finally, the door opened and they heard the agents hurrying past in the hallway. Maryse signaled to Helena, who stuck her head through the wall, then popped back in and shook her head.

“Ross is still in there,” she said. “He’s pulling out his cell phone.”

“Then get back in there,” Maryse whispered, “and find out what he’s saying.”

Maryse put her ear back to the wall as Helena walked through it, but all she could hear was the faint rumble of Ross’s voice. Finally, she gave up and sat on the bed to wait on Helena. Mildred held in place for another thirty seconds and then joined her.