Page 30 of Haystacks and Hoaxes

Mr. Plowman ducked his head in embarrassment. “Unfortunately, we experienced a power outage that same evening. We didn’t realize our cameras were down until after the pumpjacks went missing.”

“What about the first two pumpjack thefts?” Rock couldn’t help wondering if the power outage meant the thefts had been an inside job. He’d done some reading on the topic before bed last night. According to the Texas Oil & Gas Association, sometimes robberies were engineered by disgruntled former employees or even disgruntled current employees.

Mr. Plowman shook his head in discouragement. “I didn’t have the security cameras installed until after the second one disappeared.”

“No witnesses?” Rock pressed.

“None,” the older gentleman sighed. “I know what you’re thinking.”

Rock still felt obligated to pursue the topic. “Then I apologize for bringing up such a tough topic, sir.” He watched Mr. Plowman’s expression grow mutinous.

“The answer is no.” His voice tightened with indignation. “Though I can’t prove a blessed thing at the moment, nobody in the company would steal from us. Our executive staff has been on board for more than a decade. The hourly workers are honest and hardworking. Every last one of them passed an extensive background check.”

“How’s your turnover rate, sir?” Rock knew that some or all of these questions had already been asked, but he preferred to do his own due diligence.

“Low.” Mr. Plowman didn’t elaborate.

“How do you measure your employee satisfaction rate?” Some company owners didn’t care enough to even attempt to measure it, but his gut told him that employee satisfaction mattered to someone like Pete Plowman.

He nodded eagerly. “Our human resources director uses a number of tools — everything from employee surveys to an anonymous suggestion box. Our employee satisfaction numbers peak this time of year every year because of the holiday bonuses we award.”

“I bet.” Though Rock had gotten most of his questions answered, theories were still forming inside his head. Even if an unhappy employee wasn’t involved, he was still leaning toward a company vehicle being involved. Or a lookalike vehicle. He intended to share his thoughts on the matter with Gage and Johnny before the end of business today.

He and Mila wrapped up their sketches and moved on to the next crime scene to repeat the process. It took another hour to finish their drawings, gather the requested purchase receipts and model numbers for the missingpumpjacks, and hit the road again. Like he’d done before, Hawk silently rode along in the seat behind Mila.

Rock glanced at his watch and noted they’d worked clean through lunch. “You hungry?” He raised a single eyebrow at his lovely partner.

She wrinkled her nose at him. “Is that a polite way of saying you hear how loud my stomach is growling?”

He grinned. “If it is, it’s being drowned out by how bad my own stomach is complaining. Where’s your favorite restaurant?”

“Anywhere that’s cheap,” she said flatly. “The last place I worked is run by my ex’s mother, so I’ve been between jobs for a few months. Don’t get me wrong,” she added quickly. “I’ve survived off my income as a makeup artist, but I haven’t exactly been living high on the hog.”

He already gathered that for himself, considering she’d also been living without health insurance. He wished he hadn’t said anything about going out to lunch. “Tell you what.” The wheels of his mind spun for a solution that wouldn’t break the bank for her. “We’re about to pass by my brother’s place.” It wasn’t one hundred percent true. Gage’s homestead was about a mile out of their way, but it was close enough for what he was proposing. “And I know for a fact we have cold cuts, bread, and sandwich toppings on tap. Not only would it save the time of waiting in line at a restaurant, Gage keeps a company laptop at home, which means we could make it a working lunch.”

She gave a breathy chuckle. “My pride says no, but my emaciated checkbook says yes to such a generous offer. What about you, Cocklebur?” She tossed a laughing look over her shoulder at Hawk.

He sent her a thumbs up. “It’s your call. I’m just along for the ride.”

Feeling like they’d reached a consensus, Rock made a left turn at the next four-way intersection of stop signs.

“I’ll pay you back,” Mila said quickly. At his incredulous look, she added, “I’ll whip up a batch of cookies or something. What kind do you like?”

“A working lunch means you’ll be paying up in elbow grease,” he assured.

“Fine. I’ll bring the cookies Christmas morning then.” Her voice grew wheedling. “Answer the question, partner.”

“Plain old chocolate chip.” Not only was it the truth, they would be the easiest to make.

“There’s nothing plain or old about my rockstar chocolate chip cookie recipe.” She shot him a sassy look that made his heart thump harder in his chest. “Any food allergies I need to be aware of?”

“Nope.” He was fortunate in that respect. “Nor does my brother.”

“What about Ella and Johnny?” Ella was Gage’s fiancée. “Or anyone else that’s coming?” She turned around in her seat to wrinkle her nose at Hawk. “I’m new to this whole,” she waved her hands between them, “whatever this is.”

“A security detail.” His stoic features relaxed a few degrees.

She gave a long-suffering sigh. “Does this mean we’re permanently glued together or what?”

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