Chapter 24
“Daphne stopped by a convenience store, picked up some snacks, a prepaid cellular, and a prepaid credit card. Then she checked into the Driftwood,” Jack said.
It was a crappy little motel popular with college kids looking to party and budget-minded tourists.
“Be there in a minute.”
I drove to the Driftwood as the sky lightened. Jack sat on a bench on a sidewalk across the street from the motel. I pulled to the curb, and he hopped in the passenger seat. The city hadn’t quite come alive yet. It was quiet out.
Jack looked tired, his eyes starting to droop.
I caught him up to speed on the Caldwell incident.
He frowned and shook his head at the chaos.
I watched room #6.
“I say we knock down the door and drag her ass back to jail. That girl is more trouble than she’s worth.”
“She’s going to lead us to the dagger,” I said, confident.
“Did you tell the sheriff about any of this?”
I shook my head. “Nope.”
I sent another text to Isabella and asked her to track the burner phone that was in room #6 at the Driftwood. It shouldn’t be too hard for her to find.
We sat in the car at the curb for another half an hour, monitoring the room. Daphne was sound asleep by now. She’d probably sleep till noon. Neither one of us wanted to sit in the car any longer than we had to. Stakeouts were the least glamorous part of the job.
Jack took the opportunity to crash out.
I sat there for an hour before Isabella called.
The amber sun crested the horizon, casting long shadows. It was a new day, but it sure as hell didn't feel like it.
"Do you ever sleep?"
"Not as much as I'd like."
"Well, join the club." She took a deep breath. "There is a prepaid cellular on the grid in room number six of the Driftwood. I'm guessing you want me to keep tabs on that.”
"That's my prisoner. Let me know if that phone moves and who she calls.”
"I can do that. As far as the other things you asked me about, the only cell phones that pinged the tower from the Caldwell residence last night, around the time of the break-in, belong to the Caldwells. Whoever did this was smart enough to turn off their devices or leave them at home.”
I thanked her for the information, ended the call, then dialed Denise.
She picked up after a few rings. In a sleepy voice, she said, "You're up early.”
"I hope I'm not disturbing you.”
"No. Not at all,” she said with a trace of sarcasm. “Just my day off. I was planning on sleeping in. But that's okay."
"I'm sorry. Never mind. Go back to sleep."
"I'm up now. What is it?"
I cringed. “I hate to ask, but I need a favor.”
"What kind of favor?" she asked in a cautious voice.
"Would it be totally outrageous to ask you to sit on a suspect for a few hours?”
"What suspect?"
"Can you keep a secret?”
"What are we, five?”
I laughed. "Let's just say I’ve given my prisoner a long leash. And I need somebody to keep an eye on her."
"Are you trying to tell me she's not in your custody anymore?"
"She's under my remote supervision.”
"Oh, no! You’re not pulling me into this. Daniels is gonna have your ass. What if she escapes?”
"She's not going to escape if you keep eyes on her. All you have to do is call me when she moves and follow her."
"What if I lose her?”
"You won't lose her. Have a little faith in yourself.”
"No. I don't want any part of this. I like my job. I want to keep it. You two can get away with shit I never will.”
I laughed. She was probably right about that.
"Okay. No worries. I shouldn't have asked. I don't want to put you in an uncomfortable situation.”
Denise sighed. "No. You don't get to do that to me."
"Do what?”
"Make me feel guilty.”
"I'm not trying to make you feel guilty. It's no problem. JD and I can handle it.”
She blew out a breath. "How long do you need me to sit on her for?"
"A couple of hours. Did you hear about the break-in at the Caldwell residence last night?”
"No. What happened?"
I gave her the details. "I've got a few leads I need to run down. And I’d like to get an hour or two of sleep.”
She was silent for a long moment before saying, "Where are you?”
With a slight grin, I said, "At the Driftwood.”
"Give me 30 minutes. If anything goes wrong, I'm gonna say I had nothing to do with it. And you're gonna back me up. I don't care whose fault it is. It's not going to be mine. Are we clear?”
"Crystal," I said.
I thanked her profusely, ended the call, then reclined my seat and tried to keep my eyes open.