Chapter 13
Kendra was leading the way while following Younger’s scent. He had walked all over the apartment complex. Too bad for him that they could smell his scent. If only they had a tracker on him so that when they couldn’t smell his scent, like when he stole another car, they could still follow him.
They had to go through a lobby to reach the walkway to the apartments, the elevator, and the stairs. Younger had taken the stairs. They followed his scent to an apartment door on the third floor.
“He has got to have gone in there,” Kendra told Grayson.
“Agreed.” Grayson knocked on the door.
At least on the third floor, there was no way out of there unless Younger jumped out a window. He could sustain severe injuries, including skull fractures, brain injuries, broken limbs, and pelvic fractures—even death, so he probably wouldn’t opt for that.
Grayson tried the doorknob. The door was unlocked. “Do you hear someone who sounds like they’re in trouble?”
“Uh, yeah, sure.” That was one way to gain entry, since they didn’t know whether Younger was renting the apartment. What if he had gained access to the apartment and was holding someone hostage?
They headed into the apartment, quietly, not wanting to alert Younger. Then again, what if he had gone the way he had come, leaving his scent at the door and then just walked back the same way he had come?
Kendra texted Rowland, asking whether Younger was renting the apartment or who might be renting it if not Younger.
They smelled Younger’s scent in the apartment, so they knew he had gone inside. And like him, they followed where he’d traveled throughout the apartment. Because he lived there? Or because he was searching for something?
They didn’t smell the teen or Mimi. The apartment was furnished, but something about it felt off. It looked almost like a model apartment, with no personal effects anywhere.
Kendra got a text message back and checked it out. Rowland told her the furnished apartment was vacant.
“Vacant,” Kendra whispered to Grayson.
“Then he got inside illegally.”
“Yeah.” Kind of like they had.
They continued to explore the rest of the apartment, but Younger wasn’t there.
“He came inside and left the way he had come. Let’s go.” Grayson led the way out the door and down the hall to the stairs.
They followed his scent downstairs and looked for him everywhere. But they didn’t find him. What was going on?
“I wonder if he found the empty apartment and thought to hide out here for a while, then was afraid he might get caught and decided to grab another car instead,” Kendra said. “He might have been in the area quite a time before we got here.”
“I think you’re right. Let’s go to the manager’s office and see if we can look at the security video. I figured we would find him before this.”
“I know. Me too. Hopefully, a video will tell us where he went, or if he stole another car, if one was located near, what it is, and where he drove off to.”
They walked to the management office and, when they reached it, introduced themselves to the manager, a pretty brunette with a big smile. She probably assumed they were interested in renting an apartment together.
“We’re bounty hunters,” Kendra said, bursting the manager’s bubble. “We’re trying to track down a man who entered an unleased furnished apartment, 3B.”
“No, really?”
“Yes. It was unlocked. He’d been there but was gone by the time we got there. We need to see if he stole a car near there and took off with it.” Kendra hoped the manager didn’t ask how they knew Younger had been in the apartment if they hadn’t seen him.
Now the manager hopped to and started checking the security monitor. “When did this happen?"
“Maybe just minutes, maybe a half hour ago.”
The manager, Kendra, and Grayson were watching the video for clues, slowing it down to get a better look at a man trying to get into a car. “Is that him?” the manager asked.
His back was to the camera, but he looked like he was trying to break into the car.
“I can’t tell for sure if that’s him, but it’s the only camera that shows someone struggling to get into a car as if he doesn’t own it, and he’s in a hurry to get away. He’s tall and broad like Younger, so it could be him,” Grayson said.
“Do you have any videos that show him leaving the parking lot with the car?” Kendra asked.
“Yeah, he’s heading out this way. You can clearly see his license plate,” the manager said.
“I’m texting Rowland to see if he can run it down,” Kendra said.
“I have it right here,” the manager said. “We have all the renters’ license plates in case there’s trouble. The man who owns that car is Mack Givens, and he is renting an apartment on the second floor of the complex. His car was parked there.”
“Can you call him and see if he’s driving his car somewhere?” Kendra asked.
“Yeah, sure.” The manager looked thrilled to be helping them with the case, rather than stonewalling them because they lacked legal jurisdiction.
But if they helped alert him that his car had just been stolen, that was important too.
The manager called Mack Givens and put it on speakerphone. “Hi, this is Shirley Macrow, manager of the apartment complex. I’m calling to see if you or someone you know has taken your car out of the parking lot.”
“A blue Ford Taurus? Hell, no.” Mack was quiet for a moment, then said, “I just looked out my window, and it’s not where I parked it. Hell, someone stole it.”
“We’re reporting it to the police.” Kendra got on her phone and let Rowland know that Younger was probably the one who stole the vehicle. “But even if it wasn’t him, the owner, Mack Givens, said he didn’t give anyone permission to use his car.”
“I’m putting a BOLO on it.”
Kendra gave Rowland the address where the car had been parked.
Then they thanked the apartment manager for her help and took off to see if they could locate where the car had gone.
Grayson got a call on Bluetooth. “Yeah, Ivy, what’s up?”
“I don’t have Kendra’s phone number or email address.”
He frowned. “And you need them, why?”
“Because I’m inviting her to my sixteenth birthday party.”
Grayson glanced at Kendra.
She smiled. “I would love to attend.”
“Good. Make sure you bring Grayson with you, just in case he forgot about the date, but I’m sure he didn’t.” Ivy’s tone of voice was definitely sarcastic.
“We’ll be there. What time?” Grayson asked.
“Noon. At Dad’s house. You were supposed to order pizzas for everyone, but I guess Marcus can do it since you’ll probably be there until you come to the party.
Kendra, be sure to bring your roller skates if you have them.
You too, Grayson. If you didn’t know it, I’m including you as family, Kendra.
See you both tomorrow.” Then Ivy hung up on them.
“You did not forget her birthday party.” Kendra folded her arms across her waist. She figured Grayson had.
Grayson chuckled. “I’m not going to lie, Kendra. With all that’s going on, I did forget about Ivy’s birthday. If I had been home, doing my regular bounty hunter business, I wouldn’t have. But I did get her a gift.”
“What did you get her?”
“New skates. She hinted at what she wanted and the size. I bought them right away so I wouldn’t forget.”
Kendra laughed. “I need to get her something.”
“Nah, we’ll be together, and she won’t be expecting anything from you.”
“She was wearing earrings. I’ll get her a pair of hearts for her sweet sixteenth birthday. Which means we need to drop by the jewelry store.”
“All right.” He was glad Kendra seemed to like his sister. He knew Ivy liked Kendra. She would appreciate the gesture.
They drove to the newest jewelry store and walked inside. Kendra looked for the earrings she liked best. They were crystal, and a couple of hundred dollars.
Grayson brought out his leather wallet.
“Nope, this is on me.”
“Let me pay for half at least.”
Kendra smiled and pulled out her credit card. “I’ve got it. Ivy called me family.”
He chuckled. “She’s a natural manipulator.”
“She’s sweet. And maybe it would help if she had an older female adult to talk to. Not a mother. I’m not old enough, but someone who can understand what she’s been through since I went through this with my sister.”
“I agree.” He suspected Kendra wouldn’t have time to talk to Ivy during the birthday celebration, but maybe they could have dinner with just the family at some other time. Kendra and his sister could have a private conversation while he, his dad, and brother made dinner.
Kendra paid for the earrings and then took them out to the car. “You’re staying overnight at my place.” She wasn’t giving him a choice, which amused him, but he was all for staying with her whenever he was in town.
“That sounds like a great idea.” When they were in his hometown, he expected Kendra to stay with him.
“Dinner at my house? We can eat out if you would like, but I have some salmon steaks I need to cook.”
“Sounds good to me.” He finally pulled into the driveway at her home.
“All bears own the properties around mine on Flathead Lake.”
“That’s great. We have homes all together like that, butted up against a forest. Perfect for running as bears.”
“Oh, that’s great. We often take a dip in the lake at night when everyone’s gone to sleep. The people in the cabins across the lake from us can’t see us. Unless they had telescopes or binoculars. We’ve never had any trouble.”
“That sounds like fun.”
“It is. I guess we’ll hike in the forest behind your homes, then, after the birthday party?”
“Yeah, that will be the plan.”
“I think it’s cute that Ivy wants her family to go with her and not just some of her friends who are her age.”
“I’m sure at some point, she’ll want to do that, but right now, she still loves to run with us.
Of course, we usually go as bears, but can’t this time because of her splinted arm.
We’re glad she wants us to go with her because we don’t want her to run with a group of juvenile bears and get into trouble. ”
“I don’t blame you.”