Search Me(34)

“Yes sir.”

He shifted the chaw of tobacco in his mouth. “Don’t believe I know any Montgomery’s round here.”

“We actually live in Ellijay,” Maddox replied.

After eying the American flag sticker and Vietnam emblem on the side of the windshield, I blurted, “He’s actually just home from service.”

Byron’s eyes brightened. “Is that right? Well, lemme say how pleased I am to be helping out a fellow serviceman.”

“Thank you,” Maddox said.

“Which branch?”

“Army. 101st Airborne.”

A wide grin stretched across Byron’s face. “The Screaming Eagles. I was one myself!”

Maddox laughed. “Which arm?”

My mouth gaped open at the instant friendship between the two of them. Byron kept one hand on the wheel, and he used the other to roll up the sleeve on his right arm. A giant eagle with talons outstretched covered most of his bicep. Maddox nodded and then rolled up his left sleeve to show his smaller eagle with the words Airborne underneath.

I chuckled. “Wow, I think I just had a really odd déjà vu moment of that scene in the A-Team movie where they all reveal their Army Ranger tats and unite to fight evil.”

“With Jensen on the loose, we could use all the help we can get,” Maddox muttered under his breath.

Byron adjusted his shirt, never losing his grin. “I knew there was somethin’ good about you two when I saw you. I don’t usually pick up strangers.”

“We’re really glad you did,” I replied.

The road ended at the highway, and I realized we weren’t as far from civilization as I thought. Maddox nudged me. I followed his gaze out the windshield to where a used- car lot sat in the distance. “Hey Byron, would you mind dropping us off at that Waffle House up ahead? Seeing as we’re probably going to be waiting awhile for these tires, we sure could use something to eat.”

“No problem.” He turned on his blinker and eased us into the parking lot.

“Thanks again for the lift,” Madox said, with a smile.

“I was glad to do it.”

“Can we give you some gas money?” I asked.

Byron shook his head. “I was glad to help out a fellow veteran and his sweet girl.”

I swallowed hard at the thought of being Maddox’s girl. “Well, thanks again,” I said, before sliding across the seat. I guess he was pretending to be the perfect boyfriend because Maddox helped me down.

We walked around the front of the truck to stand on Byron’s side. Maddox stuck his hand through the window and once again shook Byron’s hand. “It really was nice meeting you, sir. I have a lot of respect for what you did over in Nam, despite what some people say.”

Byron appeared speechless by Maddox’s words. Finally, he cleared his throat. “Listen, if you ever need anything, you just give me a holler, you here? I’m Byron Sutton in the phone book. I don’t do much of that cell phone stuff.”

Maddox nodded. “Thanks. I really appreciate that.”

“You two take care.”

“We will,” I replied.

With one last wave, Byron put the truck in gear and then drove away. Maddox watched him leave with a shadow of a smile on his face. “I bet he and a couple of his buddies could totally help us with the Jensen situation.”

“Then I guess it’s good we know how to get in touch with him.”

Maddox nodded and then he motioned for me to go on in the restaurant. It was pretty packed with truckers and tourists. After we slid into the only empty booth, a waitress with bouffant hair and heavy blue eyeliner sidled up to us and took our order. She had just left when my cell-phone started ringing in my purse. “Jeez, I thought it would be dead by now,” I murmured as I fumbled in my purse. One look at the caller ID, and I was filled with both fear and annoyance.

I brought the phone to my ear and said, “Hi Mom.”

Chapter Eleven

“Lane Elizabeth Montgomery, do you have any idea what you’ve just put us through?”

I grimaced and held the phone away from my ear. Mom’s high-pitched shrieking coupled with the sniffling on the other end told me she knew everything about Maudie, and I was in big, big trouble.

“I’m sorry. Listen I—”

“Why haven’t you been in touch with us? The police officer, who called us this morning to tell us about Maudie, said he went by the house, and you weren’t there. Just where are you?”

“I’m with Maddox,” I replied.

She sighed with relief. “Oh, so, you two are at the hospital then?”

Oh shit. There was no way to dig myself out of this one that didn’t involve even more lies. I couldn’t possibly tell her that instead of being by Maudie’s bedside like a good girl, I had not only committed breaking and entering on a cabin somewhere in Blue Ridge, but I was about to continue a hunt for hidden Cherokee gold while armed henchmen hunted us down.

“Um, yeah, I’m with him,” I answered, trying to cover by saying as little as possible.

“Good. I’m trying to get us a flight out of here while your dad’s gone to the bookstore to try to smooth things over about missing the signing. As soon as we can, we’re coming to the hospital to be with Maudie.”