Page 60 of Bourbon Bliss
“Hm.” He rubbed his jaw. “And I’m no cult leader, but if I was, I don’t think I’d choose to put my compound in the way of a criminal biker gang. Sounds like that would mean a higher chance of the authorities sniffing around, even if the bikers didn’t run them out first.”
“That was my thought as well.”
“But wait.” George got up and started pacing. “Let’s think this through from another angle. What if the cult made a deal with the bikers? They paid them tribute, mafia style, for protection.”
“Your theory is not impossible,” I said. “But it is highly improbable. Cult leaders and heads of criminal organizations often have traits that make them prone to self-aggrandizement.”
“They have big heads, sure.”
“I would imagine clinical narcissism as well, but I don’t have statistics on that.” I’d have to look that up later. “My point is, I don’t think the two groups would have coexisted in the same region.”
“What if they were isolated? Maybe the bikers left them alone because they weren’t close by.”
I shook my head. “The Free Renegades have an established territorial range that includes the outlying areas.”
“So what are you saying?”
“I don’t have enough evidence to draw a solid conclusion. But I think it’s possible Callie Kendall was lying about where she was all those years.”
George grinned. “God, you’re sexy when you’re being smart.”
I couldn’t help but smile back—a little. “That’s… I don’t know what that has to do with the topic at hand.”
“You just are. I love watching that big brain of yours work. But why do you think she’d lie?”
I closed my laptop, frustration leaving a knot in my stomach. “I don’t know. Human motivations are such a mystery to me. On the surface, her story is entirely plausible. The only reason I questioned Callie’s story was her mention of Hollis Corner. I knew I’d read something about it before.”
George sat back down. “All right. Let’s think about her motives. Why would Callie lie and say she was held prisoner by a cult?”
“I was hoping you’d have some ideas.”
“Well, maybe she’s ashamed of the truth. Maybe she really just ran off with a guy and when it didn’t work out, she decided to come back to her life. But she feels bad for staying away for so long, especially when there was so much media attention on her story.”
I wished I understood people better. Maybe I should have listened to my sister and tried harder to socialize.
“Or maybe she’s doing it for the attention,” he said. “I’m very familiar with that sort of thing.”
“How so?”
“Groupies. A lot of the reason girls chase athletes is for the attention. They want to be seen. If they’re dating someone who gets media attention, they get some by being with them. It’s more than that, usually. They want to be spoiled with expensive things. Those designer purses and shoes are like Girl Scout badges to them. They want to collect them and show them off. But the attention is a big deal, too.”
“I suspect a desire for attention is a strong motivator. But if she wasn’t with the cult, where was she? And why now? Why come forward after all these years?”
“I don’t know,” he said.
“Regardless of her potential motives, I’m sure about this, George. Something doesn’t add up.”
“It bothers you when you don’t understand an equation, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s exactly it. This doesn’t make sense, and it’s more than a statistical anomaly or an aberrant data point.”
“Well, do you think you can put it aside long enough for dinner and a movie? We’re supposed to meet Cassidy and Bowie in ten minutes.”
I closed my laptop. Surprisingly, I could. Even more surprisingly, a double-date with George held more appeal than an evening spent looking up numbers and calculating probabilities. Callie’s mystery would be waiting for me tomorrow.
Tonight, I had a date.
19
