Chapter Fourteen #2
“We can poke into those different angles, Fairhurst. I get that you’re worried, and I’m going to do everything to help, but keep in mind it’s kind of a leap.
Just because Dani was in that drug deal video doesn’t mean Sammy’s disappearance connects beyond Dani wanting to talk to her daughter.
They could have gone somewhere to talk privately.
I’m willing to investigate, but this might not be worst case scenario. ”
“I’d love that to be the case, but I can’t hope for better and not prepare for worse. Not with Sammy at risk. You need to look into Roger Hamilton.”
“I really don’t see how the job offer Dani got—”
“It connects,” Lia said firmly, earning her a very suspicious glare from Laurel.
“That house you went to when you broke your nose, Gard. Dani had that address. I know you didn’t find anything, but there’s something to that,” Lia said, clearly not fazed by Laurel’s hard look. “And it connecting to the guy who offered her this shady job means there’s something to that too.”
“There wasn’t any evidence of anything going on in that house except drugs,” Laurel said, still eyeing Lia suspiciously. “Maybe Roger Hamilton wasn’t in the drug deal security footage, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t just…drugs.”
“Gard, Dani has disappeared a lot on you before because of drugs. Does this follow any pattern of those times?” Lia demanded.
He couldn’t count the ways this had been abnormal, and he’d just kept having to shove that knowledge away, convinced he was grasping for straws. And now…it was possible he wasn’t.
He felt sick to his stomach. “No.”
“No, because it’s not just drugs. It’s something more.
Something bigger. That house with the drugs is likely a…
staging area, you’d call it. A centralized party location.
So yes, drugs. But they’re doing the deals in Hardy, and they’re keeping Dani somewhere out of sight.
If there are other missing women… No one would be kept at the party house.
But they’d be nearby. What about some kind of outbuilding on the property?
Or a cellar? Not in sight of the house, but close. ”
Gard looked over at Laurel, who was staring at Lia with that same suspicion. But she didn’t voice it.
“I’d have to double-check with Beckett, but I don’t think they got a warrant to search the property beyond the house,” Laurel said.
Gard exchanged a look with Lia. He wasn’t waiting for any damn warrant, and clearly she didn’t think he should either.
“I’ll work on a search warrant for the surrounding property,” Laurel said, like she could read his mind.
“Look, I know you have to find her, and you’re not on duty so whatever you’re about to do is your business.
I’m not telling you not to. All I’m saying is we also want to put these guys behind bars, so while me and the other Bent County officers on duty are following the letter of the law… try not to get in the way of that.”
Gard didn’t say anything.
“I’ll put Beckett on finding Roger Hamilton. Hart will hold down the fort here, see if we can track down someone who saw something. I’ll coordinate warrants and whatever else we need. Leave your cell on in case we find her,” Laurel said, then she strode away.
Gard took Lia by the arm, began ushering her out of the theater. “Can Albennie come pick you up? Or Franny? Hell, I can call Royal and—”
“I’m coming with you, Gard.”
“You can’t come with, Lia.”
“I have to,” she replied stubbornly. “I know what you need to look for and look out for. I’m the best chance you’ve got.”
Yeah, he really wanted to know how, but he didn’t have time. “This is police business.”
“You’re not going as a cop. You’re going as an uncle. And a brother. Which means it’s not police business for you. Which means I’m going with you.”
“I’m going with a gun.”
She stopped and looked up at him. Still grim, but now with some determination in that grimness too. It was almost a relief.
Determination felt like an active positive. Grim had felt…like the worst had already happened.
“You can leave me here, but I’ll only follow. You can’t cut me out of this. It’s too important, and I offer too much.”
He didn’t know what to do with this. Lia wasn’t someone who lied or exaggerated. She never acted like she thought she was any tougher than she was, but how could he just let her come with? This could be dangerous. He had training. He knew how to deal with criminals.
But the way she was talking…maybe she did too.
Still. The thought of her in the middle of all this…
He reached out, cupped her face with his hands. “How am I supposed to save them if I have to worry about you?” And he had to save them. God, he’d let this go on so long, convinced it was…
He couldn’t think about that now.
“I can find them, Gard,” she said, so seriously, reaching up and putting her hands over his. “And I can handle myself. I always have.”
He didn’t want to risk it, but…if Lia was right, if she really understood what was going on here better than he did, Dani and Sammy were in so much more danger than he wanted to believe.
And he needed Lia to make sure he saved them.
“Let’s go then.”