Wild Jailbreak

Chapter 1

"Iwant you to find those scumbags and bring them in, ASAP!" the sheriff barked into the phone.

"What happened?" I asked.

"A guard is dead, and two dirtbags are on the loose.” He filled me in on the situation.

"How did they escape the pod?”

"It doesn't matter how they escaped. I want you to get down here and talk to one of their co-conspirators.

See what you can find out about these two—where they might go, people they might lean on for support.

I've got every deputy in the county on the lookout, and I've contacted the US Marshals.

" The sheriff was pissed. This was personal. We were one big family.

"We’re on our way," I said, before ending the call.

I filled JD in on the situation. We left the Avventura, hustled down the dock to the parking lot, and climbed into the Lugano Blue convertible 911.

Jack had picked it up in Hollywood during our last adventure.

We had a hell of a road trip back. I wouldn't exactly call it a vacation, but now it was time to get back to work.

I slid into the passenger seat, and Jack cranked up the engine. Classic rock pumped through the speakers. He dropped the car into gear and hurried out of the lot. It was a nice ride. With any luck, we’d hang onto it for a while. But there were no guarantees.

At the station, we caught up with the sheriff. We chatted as we walked the hallway toward one of the interrogation rooms.

"I’ve got the prisoner in room #2," Daniels said. "She allegedly ripped off some precious artifact with the other two sleazeballs that escaped. One of them rolled over on her when they got pinched on an unrelated charge." He handed me her file.

"When did the heist happen?"

"When you two were dicking around in California," Daniels said in an annoyed voice.

"What did she steal?"

"It’s in the file," Daniels muttered.

The three of us stepped to the door of the interrogation room. The sheriff looked me dead in the eye and said, "Be careful with this one. She's trouble waiting to happen."

Daniels continued down the hall and slipped into the observation room. JD and I pushed into the interrogation room and took a seat across the table from the inmate.

I knew exactly what Daniels was warning me about.

Even in the orange jumpsuit, she was a knockout. Red hair, emerald eyes, fair skin, elegant cheekbones. She looked cute and adorable—not a hardened criminal.

That was the dangerous part.

The jumpsuit hid certain talents. Even without makeup, she was something to look at. The kind of woman who makes your heart beat a little faster and your stomach flutter. I would imagine she could talk a man into doing just about anything. Maybe that's exactly how she got here.

The overhead fluorescents buzzed, and the walls of the tiny space closed in.

With her file in hand, I looked over the details without saying a word. I drew the moment out, so it was long and uncomfortable. Most people can't stand to sit in silence. They'll fill it up with anything.

She finally said, "Anytime I can get out of that cell, I'll take it. But do you want to tell me why I'm here?"

"Looks like you are here because you made some bad choices," I said.

She gave me a flat look.

"Your buddies, Dane and Brock, broke out of prison. Killed a guard in the process.”

Her eyes rounded with surprise. There was a little something more in there. Concern.

"Where would they go?”

"How should I know?”

I shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. The three of you just ripped off a rare artifact worth $30 million."

"Allegedly," she corrected.

"The dagger was never recovered.”

Daphne looked at me and said nothing.

I referenced the file again. "Your friends are pretty stupid.”

She huffed and agreed.

"Don't get too cocky, you're not so bright either."

Her emerald eyes glared at me.

"You wouldn't be in here if you had any sense."

"I've got plenty of sense.”

"You got mixed up with the wrong crowd. Show me your friends, and I'll show you your future."

She sneered at me. "That's what my dad used to say."

"You should have listened to him."

She considered it. "Maybe you're right.”

"It says here that Dane and Brock got busted trying to fence stolen goods to an FBI informant.” I couldn't help but laugh. "They cut a deal and flipped on you for the theft of the dagger.”

Her plump lips tightened.

"Real good friends,” I said. “The way I see it, you don't owe them anything. Something tells me they couldn't stand to see you on the outside living the good life while they were looking at 15 to 20 in a federal prison.”

Daphne didn't say anything. She didn't have to. The betrayal was written on her face. It stung.

"So where's the dagger? Something like that can't be easy to move. It’s a high-value item, a limited number of collectors, and a lot of heat on it at this point. There's probably only a handful of people in the world who would want to buy something like that.”

Daphne continued with the silent act. What was she going to say? I was right over the target.

"My guess is you’ve got it stashed somewhere,” I said. “With Dane and Brock looking at a long stretch, they started worrying about their share of the score. That's why they flipped on you. Am I right?”

Daphne said nothing.

“I’m going to go out on a limb and say your co-conspirators are out there right now, actively looking for that dagger.”

Her jaw tightened, and dread filled her eyes.

"It's in your best interest to help us find them.”

"That's a pretty imaginative story you’ve concocted,” she said.

"I think it's pretty close to the truth, don't you?"

"I think you're way off base. I've done nothing wrong. I'm innocent,” she said with a confident grin.

"That's fantastic," I said. "You’ll get a chance to prove that at trial. Have fun sitting in the housing pod until then. It doesn't seem like there's anybody on the outside willing to bail you out. Better get used to that 6x8 cell. You might be spending the next 30 years in one.”

She swallowed hard.

I let that hang there for a moment before I said, "The sheriff talked to the prosecuting attorney, and we’re prepared to offer you a deal if you cooperate.”

"I'm sorry, but I can't help you. I really have no involvement in any of this.”

My eyes narrowed at her. "Which one did you date?”

"Excuse me?”

"Dane or Brock?”

She shifted in her seat and glared at me. "That's none of your business.”

"My money's on Dane."

Her eyes flared, telling me everything I needed to know.

I tried to contain a grin. "What caused the falling out? I mean, that's pretty harsh for a guy you dated to send you to prison.”

A frustrated exhale escaped her nostrils. "You have no idea what you're talking about.”

I chuckled. "You're probably right." Then I added, "According to the file, you got busted twice with him. Once for shoplifting, once for possession. Seems like you guys go way back." My eyes narrowed again. "I'm trying to figure out who's the bad influence, you or him."

"Do I look like a bad influence?"

I laughed. "You look like trouble."

"Some guys can handle me, some guys can't."

"Well, your dating life is about to take a drastic turn if you don't cooperate."

She said nothing.

After a long pause, I said, “Suit yourself.”

The chair squealed as I pushed away from the table and stood up. JD and I marched toward the door.

I knocked, and a guard buzzed the door open.

"What kind of deal?” Daphne asked in a burst of last-minute desperation.