Page 90 of Talk Birdie to Me

Cody briefly considered calling the police, but their disinterest so far told him that would be a waste of time. Time Gary and Geena might not have.

His best option was to follow them.

Follow them? How had his life become a tangle of heists and tailing suspects?

No time to ponder the how.

Cody returned as discreetly as possible to his car, keeping Geena in his line of vision and himself out of the man’s sight. He watched them both enter an old silver sedan that was not Geena’s car. Geena sat behind the wheel, while the man occupied the passenger’s seat.

Cody waited for them to exit their spot before backing out of his and following several car lengths behind.

“Get out. Slowly.”

Geena did as commanded, her hands shaking slightly as she walked around James’s car. She’d parked it in front of a little house painted sea foam green, not far from the shelter.

Geena recognized the place as the house James said that he and his fiancee had purchased together to live in after the wedding. If she remembered correctly, it needed renovations that wouldn’t be finished for a few months, so the building would be empty for a while.

Empty and surrounded by nothing but oak, pecan, and crepe myrtle trees along with giant old azalea bushes out front. A perfect place to stash a bird where no one would notice.

Also, a perfect place to wave a gun at her.

“Where did you get that?” Geena figured she should keep him talking. Remind him she was his friend. That she wasn’t a threat to him, even if she knew his secret. “Why are you pointing that at me?”

James waved the gun between her and the house, demonstrating very little control over the weapon. “Inside. Please. Now.”

“Okay, okay,” Geena said with her hands raised in front of her. “How do you know how to use that thing?”

“You should be worrying about yourself right now, not my gun skills,” he said, his voice wobbling as much as that weapon. “Which are just fine, by the way. Now head inside.”

Sunshine peeked through the clouds during a brief break in the rain. The flood waters hadn’t reached this property yet, but more dark clouds were rolling in.

Geena walked toward the front porch, climbing creaking stairs that clearly were last on the list of repairs the place needed. “Why are you doing this?”

“You know why,” he said from behind her. “I know you figured out that I have that bird.”

Actually, she knew the who of Gary’s disappearance, but not the why and certainly not the whole how. Not yet, at least.

“Okay, fine,” she said. “I figured it out.”

She paused in front of the entrance with her hands raised. James kept the gun pointed at her while he unlocked the door. He pushed it open, then waved the gun to gesture at her to enter the house.

Geena visually examined the room, which was completely empty. Of furniture. Of wall hangings. Of everything.

Including no Gary.

“I meant, why are you doing all of this? Why take Gary in the first place?”

“How many times have I mentioned how expensive this wedding is?“

This whole thing really was about money. They’d suspected that all along, but she never guessed James could be involved.

Then she remembered the desperation she’d seen on his face over the last couple of weeks. The weariness. She could tell the stress was pushing him to a breaking point. But this?

“So you’re going to murder me to keep a stolen bird to help pay for your fiancée’s dream wedding?”

“Stop being so dramatic,” James said. “It doesn’t suit you.”

“I’m not being dramatic. The facts are terrible all on their own.”

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