Page 27 of Cowboy Stalker
Before we can review the list again, Zane comes into the police department. I swear under my breath. “I completely forgot about your invoice.”
“I know you’ve got a lot going on right now. I’m here to offer a hand. Wanted to know if y’all need a couple of us from the garage to help out,” he offers.
“Thanks, and I appreciate the discount you gave me on the work for her car,” I tell him, meaning it. I know he only charged me for parts when he sent the invoice. He did the labor as a gift, and he didn’t have to do that.
Zane glances at Luke’s sheet of paper then frowns. “You’re looking for whatever her dead friend stashed away, right?”
I’m not surprised he knows that. We’ve tried to keep things as quiet as possible, but we also need people on alert to help us watch over Missy and her daughter.
“Do you have any ideas?” Luke asks.
Zane taps the paper on the desk, his fingers stained from years of working with grease and oil. “Well, what you have here is that she used to work in an auto shop. Both her and her boyfriend, right?”
“They were fired about a month before,” Luke explains. “We think that’s what prompted her to commit the theft. She probably thought she would sell the product herself and keep the profits.”
“Have you searched Missy’s car? Bootleggers used to take cars apart to hide moonshine. If they both had the knowledge and access…”
“You think they went old school?” Luke asks, with a gleam in his eye.
It’s definitely possible they may have taken Missy’s car and modified it. Given the timeline, she would have just given birth. She might have been in the hospital when they used her vehicle. “It’s a long shot, but it’s worth a try. How long would it take you to take her junker apart?”
“By myself, it could be a while. If I bring my crew in, we can have it done within a few hours.” He folds his arms over his chest. “Reckon we could consider it our good deed of the week.”
Hours later, I blow out a breath as I survey Missy’s car. It’s been completely ravaged, stripped down to nothing but bolts. It was worth it because Zane was right. Everything we were looking for is inside.
I exchange a look with Luke. Now that I have something concrete, I know he’ll back my plan. “We have bait. All we have to do is get the word out.”
Chapter 12
Missy
I can tell something has changed the moment Griffin comes home. It’s funny that I’ve already started to think about this guest room as home. But that’s what it is because Griffin always spends the night with me here. Anywhere he is, that’s home.
I’ve put Daisy down for a nap with her blanket, but she’s fighting sleep. I’ve read parenting books that tell me she needs to learn to self-soothe. I get that it works for some parents. I can’t do it. I want her to know that if she cries, I’ll be here to comfort her.
He joins me in the bedroom, the sounds of his boot scuffing against the worn hardwood floors filling me with warmth. Every time he comes home, I get a little thrill. I think it’ll always be this way.
He joins me over the crib, putting a hand on Daisy’s belly. Her body relaxes completely like she knows her guardian and protector is here. She trusts him completely, and that tells me everything I need to know about the man beside me.
“Is everything OK?” I ask quietly. I suspect she likes the rumbling sound of his voice. She always drifts to sleep when he starts singing lullabies to her.
He says, “We found the drugs we were looking for in your car. It had been modified with several hidden compartments.”
“Wow,” I whisper, taking this new information in. All this time I’ve been driving around with a car filled with drugs. If a police officer with a K-9 had ever stopped me, no one would have believed I didn’t know they were there. It’s one more reason I feel fortunate to have landed in Courage County.
“I’ve arranged a meeting with Roulette and Jagger tomorrow. They think they’re coming to offer a small finder’s fee in exchange for their drugs.”
The weight of this news settles over me like a thick cloud. We can’t give it back and have it be over. I know that’s not the way the world works. Men like Roulette and Jagger will not hesitate to destroy every witness.
In this moment, I decide to accept my fate. There are no other good alternatives. As long as Daisy is safe, I can live with any other outcome, even losing my own life. “Tell me what time I need to be there.”
He swears under his breath. “You’re not going.”
“I have to go. It’s me they want. It’s the only way my daughter will be safe,” I protest.
“These are dangerous men. If something goes wrong, which I don’t think it will, you need to be here. Daisy still needs one parent.”
I swallow hard. “I have to do what’s best for her.”
