Uh-oh. What happened?
“Truman. Karl.” Samuel nodded at Mercy’s father and then focused on Truman, his expression completely businesslike. “I’ve been looking into the finances of Sandy’s B&B like you asked me to.” His tone was grim. “That place almost went tits up several years ago.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. Sandy said it’s been a hard road,” said Truman, unease growing in his belly. Samuel clearly had something on his mind.
“She had a lot of repairs and remodeling done one year. I hunted down her contractor because I found it odd since she was virtually broke. He said she paid every single bill immediately—and some of them were pretty big invoices—in cash.”
Truman’s skin crawled. “That’s what cash is for.”
Exasperation crossed Samuel’s face. “One time she invited him into her office to pay him. Shocked the hell out of him when she opened a small safe right in front of him and counted out three thousand dollars.”
Truman stared at Samuel.
“And he could see more cash in the safe.”
“That’s a lot of money,” said Karl, who’d been blatantly eavesdropping.
Truman’s phone rang. Ollie.
“Hey—”
“Truman! I found the truck and I found the guy and he and another guy are headed out on an ATV and Mercy’s truck is here too and they’ve got rifles—”
“Ollie. Slow the fuck down. What are you talking about?” Did he say “rifles”? Anxiety bloomed in the base of his spine.
The boy sucked in a breath. “I followed a red truck. They went to Bree’s,” he said in a staccato. “I think Mercy is here somewhere and they said they’re looking for her.”
The anxiety shot up his spinal cord, giving him an instant headache. “Did you see Mercy?”
Karl turned and looked at him sharply.
“No. Her Tahoe is here. They got on an ATV and headed across a field . . . One of them said he shot Tabitha Huff. And one asked the other if he wanted to do this to a federal agent.”
Holy shit. Truman steadied his breathing. “Did you say ‘rifles’ before?”
“Yes. Each had a rifle.”
Mercy said she was going somewhere on horseback with Sandy.
“Ollie, is Sandy’s Ford Explorer there?”
“There’s one here. I dunno whose it is.”
“Shit.” Truman’s mouth went dry.
“What do I do, Truman? I can’t follow them.” Ollie’s voice shook.
“I know. It’s okay, Ollie. Mercy told me where they were going.” His mind raced with panic as he tried to calm the teen. I have no idea how to find the place she mentioned.
“Where?”
“Horse’s Head Rock.”
Karl’s eyebrows shot up.
“You know where that is?” Truman asked Karl, who nodded. “Ollie, stay there. I’m going to send Ben to get you.”
“I can drive.”
“Stay put anyway.”
THIRTY-FIVE
“How do I get there?”
Adrenaline pumped through Truman. He and Samuel focused on Karl Kilpatrick. The closest person at his disposal who knew how to get to Horse’s Head Rock.
“Helicopter would be the best way,” Karl said, rubbing the back of his neck, his eyes pensive.
“Helicopter? Karl . . . do you really think I can afford a helicopter? I’m lucky to have all our department vehicles running smoothly at once.”
“How about asking the FBI to pay for it? I’m sure they have the big bucks.”
“Is this horse head location that remote?” Samuel asked.
“Yup.” Karl looked from one man to the other.
“Mercy said she was riding in,” Truman told him. “If you can get there by horseback, you should be able to get there by four-wheel drive.”
“Nope. Not happening. There’s a dense forest and rocks to wind through. Got a dirt bike?”
“Jesus Christ.” Truman felt time ticking away. “Mercy is being followed by two guys with rifles. One of them killed that reporter, and I’m wondering if one of them shot your granddaughter.” He glared at Karl. “One theory is that they thought they were firing at Mercy. Ollie just told me they mentioned Mercy specifically.”
Karl held his gaze. “Your best bet is getting in on horseback.”
“How do I do that?”
“I can loan you a couple of mounts. You ride?” He included Samuel in the question, who nodded immediately.
“I rode when I was a teen,” Truman said. Summers with his uncle had included many hours on horseback. Usually drunken escapades with friends.
“Then you’ll do fine. The best way in to Horse’s Head Rock is off Old Sherman Road.”
“Mercy and Sandy left from Bree Ingram’s house.”
Karl nodded. “I can see how they’d get there from that location. Old Sherman is a lot faster. Still remote and dense but faster.”
“Perfect. You can get horses there?”
“Yep. Let me call one of my guys. He can load them up and meet us there.”
“Thank you, Karl.” Truman’s heart slowed the slightest bit. We have a plan. Karl pulled out his cell phone, and Truman glanced at Samuel, who didn’t look pleased. “What?”
“Those guys are on ATVs. They’ll be way ahead of us.”
“Got any other ideas?”
“No.” He looked away, a muscle in his jaw twitching. “Was I wrong about Sandy?” he asked in a low voice.
Truman understood. Nothing like finding out you might be infatuated with a criminal. “We don’t know the full story. Her money might have been legitimate.”
“Don’t know how,” Samuel muttered. “Everything I saw and heard from her says she’s always struggled.”
“Maybe she got a loan back then.”
“But paid people in cash?” Samuel was skeptical.
“How about we wait and ask her instead of jumping to conclusions?” Even as he said the words, Truman worried he’d missed something. An answer to the Gamble-Helmet Heist might have been living in his town for the last ten years. An answer that wanted to stay a secret.
Enough to murder?
Tabitha Huff was the answer to that question.
“Call Ben and tell him what’s going on. We’ll need county backup . . . if they can find the place.”
Karl turned back to the two men. “Let’s go.” As he stood from his bar stool, his phone rang again. “Deborah,” he mumbled, but he motioned for Truman and Samuel to start walking. He followed the two men out of Leaky’s and then stopped. “What?” Karl shouted into the phone. “Why did she do that?”
Truman and Samuel both turned to listen. Who?
Karl’s eyes widened. “Are you sure? That bad? Shit!”
Kaylie?
“I’ll be right there.” He hung up the phone, concern filling his face. “I gotta go.”
“What?” Truman grabbed his arm as the man started to leave. “You need to show us how to get to Horse’s Head. What the hell just happened?”
“Rose is in labor. She’s been in labor all fucking day and didn’t tell anyone, but she finally called Nick, who took her to the hospital. The baby is breech, and Rose is severely dehydrated from the flu. She wasn’t taking care of herself, and they think that’s why she went into early labor.” He pulled his arm out of Truman’s grasp and turned his back. “I gotta go.”
Truman took a hard step and spun the older man around. “We’ve got to get to Mercy.”