Chapter Ten
Rick frowned, sitting in Jake’s office a few days after arriving in Crystal Rock, staring at the image Jake had brought up on his computer screen.
“I’ll admit, I can’t really see the resemblance, so how were you able to get any kind of facial recognition on a fuzzy image like that?”
“We did an age progression, of course, after Sam’s wife suggested that we check out the footage from the mall. She thought she was seeing things. It’s a shame that the security feed runs on a loop so we couldn’t go back further.”
“Sam’s wife?” Rick asked, puzzled.
“That would be Chief Danielson’s wife, Penny, the owner of Sanders’ Floral, in the mall.”
“Oh, yes. I remember the Chief and his wife,” Rick replied.
“As you probably recall, Shanna’s sister Anya worked at Sanders’ Floral when she was a teenager. Penny always thought that except for their coloring and height, Anya and Shanna looked exactly alike.”
Rick nodded his agreement. “I remember thinking that too, the last time I talked with Shanna.” He sighed. “So, I guess you’ve come up with an idea since the last time we talked, a couple of days ago?”
“Maybe,” Jake answered. “I’ve got some background information on Montgomery for you to go over, although it’s kind of strange that I couldn’t find much.”
“Why’s that, I wonder?” Rick asked.
“He does a good business,” Jake admitted. “My guess is that he’s probably using cash for any of his purchases. That could even include property or anything else he’s invested in if he’s actually part of the trafficking ring. It means that anyone like me who’s been looking into his background won’t find a thing. If he’s really part of this, it could indicate that he had a mentor—someone who taught him how to hide his assets in plain sight.”
“So where do I come in?” Rick asked.
“While I’m digging deep into his background, and even going as far as to research his family tree, there are a few things I’ve uncovered just by having a conversation with one of my contacts who lives in Rice Lake.”
Rick pursed his lips. “What did you discover?”
“Occasionally, they get a run of drifters travelling through town during midsummer because some of the fair and carnival managers hire them from other cities to go along with them to do odd jobs. There were some reports that a couple of men had gone missing, but since there wasn’t enough information that could be provided about their identities, the authorities had to let it go. My contact wouldn’t have been surprised if it had happened other times in the past as well.”
“How does that relate to Wes Montgomery?” Rick asked.
“One thing that they all had in common was that they were supposedly working part time at the marina and were being paid cash to do it. Enough cash to maybe get them back on the road so they wouldn’t be arrested for loitering.”
“Who’s to say that these guys really disappeared, huh? Maybe they just left town, is what the cops would end up thinking,” Rick muttered.
“Exactly. But while I was checking Wes Montgomery out online, I noticed something we might be able to take advantage of,” Jake admitted, handing over a printed version of the local paper.
He’d circled one of the ads.
“ Help wanted, Montgomery Marina ,” Rick read aloud. “That’s my way in.”
“Right,” Jake said. “Except we’re not going to let you apply for a job without giving you a past.”
“I need to earn his trust. And then make sure that I’m not disposable,” Rick said.
Jake agreed with a nod of his head. “After I find out more about the guy, we’ll talk about how you’re going to be able to do that.”
“That sounds like the beginning of a plan,” Rick admitted.
“It does, doesn’t it?” Jake observed.
“Okay, be sure to let me know what you turn up. I’m on my way to physical therapy.”
“How’s it going?”
“Not as well as I was hoping. Steve is worried about my knee. He’s afraid I’m going to need more surgery,” Rick confessed, frowning.
Jake heaved a sigh. “I’m sorry to hear that, Rick. Is he sure?”
“No, not yet. He said we’d give therapy a shot for a while. Either way, my pararescue days might be over,” Rick admitted, standing.
Jake eased back in his chair, studying Rick. “Let’s see how this investigation goes. Give me a couple of weeks to find out more about Wes Montgomery. It might be time for me to work with a full-time investigative team if we come up with any leads about the traffickers.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” As Rick reached the door, he hesitated with his hand on the knob, looking back before unlocking it. “What makes you think I’ll be any good at this?”
“I knew it the moment I talked with you as a teenager. You’re an observer and judging by the way you connected with Shanna and knew instinctively what was going on with her, you’re not afraid to go with your gut and do what you think is right.”
Clearing his throat, Rick opened the door. “I just sure hope you’re right, Jake.”
“I know I am,” Jake said firmly.
Grimacing, Rick walked through the doorway, closing the door softly behind him.
Rick was distracted during his entire physical therapy session, although he could definitely feel the tightness in his knee, even with the slightest movement. At least he wasn’t quite as concerned about the future as he’d been before talking with Jake.
But he was anxious about beginning this investigation, although he probably wasn’t in good enough shape at this point to get a job at the marina if it would require a lot of physical labor.
He had his doubts about the images that Jake had shown him. Of course, what did he know? Jake was the one with experience, so he had to be pretty sure it was Shanna if he was willing to begin this investigation.
“You seem distracted today,” Steve muttered, inspecting Rick’s knee as he bent it in different positions.
“I am. Jake might have some work for me to do while I’m here in town.”
Steve became thoughtful. “I imagine that it’s probably something I shouldn’t ask about.”
“You’d be right,” Rick agreed.
“Then I’d probably better tell you that someone working out here thought they recognized you the other day,” Steve said.
Rick frowned. “That’s not good.”
Steve turned away to type some notes on his pad, motioning that he was done with inspecting Rick’s legs. “I said you were a friend of Jake’s from out of town and that I couldn’t remember your name. But can I suggest something that might help?”
“Sure,” Rick said, sitting on the edge of the workout table.
“Why don’t you just grow a beard? It’s the best way to remain invisible around here.”
“I might just do that,” Rick agreed.
“It’s August, and the nights are beginning to get cooler, so it shouldn’t be too uncomfortable for you either. I’ll see you again tomorrow around six. I’m going to introduce you to one of my assistants. He’ll probably be working with you in the evening after you show some improvement and we’re ready to step it up a little.”
“Thanks, Steve,” Rick said, standing from the bench. “I don’t feel as stiff today.”
Steve nodded agreeably. “Good.”
Another twenty minutes later, Rick had showered and dressed and was trying to decide what to do about dinner when he stepped outside of the rehab facility. It was strange that someone might have recognized him nearly ten years after leaving Crystal Rock. He’d put on quite a bit of weight from regularly working out and had even grown a few more inches, so he barely resembled his younger self.
He probably wouldn’t be recognized at the grocery store, he decided. When Jake had given him the keys to their family home, Rick had been stunned. Apparently, Jake had been keeping an eye on the place and occasionally rented it out to people he trusted. Dad must have been doing alright financially after all when they’d left Crystal Rock. Despite Brian’s run in with the men whom they’d assumed were probably traffickers, Brian had no further trouble once he’d enlisted in the Army. Rick hadn’t talked to Eric for a while, but he’d enlisted in the Air Force after graduating high school, and his enthusiasm had been why Rick had ended up in the Air Force as well.
Mom and Dad were supposedly still living apart, although Rick suspected that things might have changed after he and his brothers were on their own, especially since Mom had been reaching out to all of them.
In other words, Rick didn’t know what the heck was going on, but he’d been told more than once that he wasn’t supposed to ask. Jake said that the men were probably still on the lookout for Rick’s mom and Aaron Mitchum, but that maybe they’d come to the realization that neither one of them had whatever the men had been looking for nine years earlier. It might not have had anything to do at all with the missing funds, Jake had mentioned.
Rick decided to head to the store and pick up some groceries. Jake had someone stock a few things in the fridge and freezer at the house before Rick had arrived, but he needed a little more variety so he wouldn’t have to eat out. What Steve had said about someone recognizing him worried him, so he’d grow his beard, like Steve had suggested, and just lay low for now. In fact, he’d do a little research on his own about Wes Montgomery with the laptop that Jake had provided.