Page 58 of Backwater Justice

“And you?” Kat grinned.

Isabelle waited until there was no one in sight. “There seems to be an anti-Dickie, and don’t-like-Oliver consensus.”

“Yeah. I got the same chilly reaction.”

“I wonder, has it always been that way?” Isabelle pondered.

“We’ll have to do a little more digging.”

“I have to say, Jessica was rather forthcoming. I mean, she didn’t seem to be censoring anything she said, although I didn’t get too specific.” Isabelle pulled the flash drive from her pocket. “But I did manage to download some information about the Eugene location, including the blueprints.”

“As Charles would say, ‘Brilliant!’”

They got in their respective automobiles and drove back to The Grand Hotel. They had a lot to cover and got the meeting started right away.

“We Are Family” began to play on everyone’s laptop. Greetings and salutations were followed by a salute to Lady Liberty.

“First thing,” Charles began. “We found a lab in Portland that can do all the tests we need. Poisonous substances and fingerprint DNA. I’ll text you the details and contact person.”

“Excellent. It’s about an hour from here. I can run the evidence up in the morning,” Annie offered. She looked at the group. “Iamthe fastest driver.” No one disagreed. “I’m going to need a sample of Milton’s fingerprints.”

Myra handed Annie a newspaper. “Way ahead of you. I took it from his hospital room this morning.” She paused. “There may be several different people’s fingerprints on the paper, but there should be only two, or three tops, on the glass.”

“Who’s next?” Annie asked.

Kathryn raised her hand. “Transportation area seems tight and well-organized. The only thing that was curious was a slight attitude about Dickie and Oliver. More so about Dickie.”

Isabelle went next. “There’s a very chatty woman in the Cascade Inn division. Been with the company for twenty years. Likes her job. Adores the Spanglers, but, like Kathryn, I got a strange vibe when it came to Oliver. Kathryn and I were speculating on how long this uneasiness about the two men has been going on. I’ll try to get more info from Jessica tomorrow. Meanwhile, I was able to swipe the files, at least the ones I had access to. The Spanglers are the only ones who can access the entire database.”

Fergus chuckled. “For the moment.” Everyone else reacted the same.

“I have the blueprints,” Isabelle added. “I am going to try to get down to Eugene tomorrow or the day after. I’d like to get more info from Jessica. What do you think?” she asked the group.

“The family said they were going to bring in the Bureau of Indian Affairs, but that could squash whatever we’re trying to accomplish. We really don’t want the Feds sniffing around,” Charles added.

“I spoke to Mrs. George today. I told her I would cover her daughter’s missing-person story. Make sure it stayed top of mind. Maybe we can stall their going to the Bureau.”

“What about Ellie’s friend? The U.S. Marshal? Doesn’t he work with missing children?” Isabelle asked.

“He did, but from what Ellie told me, he’s been promoted to Witness Protection. Management position, I believe,” Myra added. “I don’t know if he could be of any help.”

“He may have a new job, but he still has years of experience,” Charles said.

“Good point. But again, I doubt he could help unless it’s off the books,” Myra said.

“Let’s keep him in mind. We may have to call on him for some advice,” Charles said. “We need to find that girl.”

“So, I take it that I should go to Eugene tomorrow.” Isabelle jotted down a few notes.

“Yes,” Annie replied.

Myra was next. “Sasha and Eileen are due here first thing tomorrow. Sasha will tail Bart, and Eileen will tail Dickie. I am going to have lunch with Danielle.”

“And when I get back from Portland, Oliver is going to take me to a few car dealerships.”

Fergus blinked several times into the camera.

“What?” Annie asked. “I’m undercover.”

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