Page 55 of Vanishing Legacy

For the first time in a week, Cash could breathe.

Bailey had called and now began speaking rapid-fire before he could utter a greeting.

“Listen up, Cash. I got an update on Trejo.” Bailey’s tone was low but firm. “I scored my meeting, and the FBI gave Williams the green light to execute their warrant. Expect them to arrest Trejo and some of his crew tonight or tomorrow morning. They have a thing for six a.m. wake-up calls.”

A weight lifted off his chest. “That’s great news, Bailey. Sounds like we could be closer to figuring out what he wants. Any update about Sonia?”

“Cash, I can’t talk long. Williams has news and he’ll call?—”

“Please don’t make me wait, Bay. I need to know about Sonia.”

Sounds of a bustling restaurant filled the silence as he waited for Bailey’s reply. “The Coasties confirmed it’s her car. You guys weren’t far off in your search, and they’re pulling it up as we speak.”

Cash groaned. “And no one thought to tell me? I wanted to be there.”

“No way. They won’t let a civilian on the barge. Besides, they’re taking it straight to a secure evidence storage facility to process it. But I’ll see if my SAC can get our evidence response team involved since we believe it could be tied to the cartel’s illegal activity.”

Cash sighed. “I guess that works. Just…be careful when you go to meet this leader. I don’t like thinking about my little sister tied up in all this.”

“First, you’re only two minutes older than me. Second, I have the weight of the agency behind me. We’re going to get some answers and put an end to this.” Cash could hear dishes clattering in the background.

“I know. Don’t take any risks, Bailey. I don’t want to lose you too.”

Bailey scoffed. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily. We’ll talk more later.”

The call disconnected and Cash glanced up to see Noelle eyeing him from her spot on the floor beside Penny. “You all good?”

“Yeah. Sounds like things are moving, but nothing concrete.” He liked Noelle and trusted her, but he couldn’t divulge much more than that. Only he and Alana had been authorized to be briefed on the details of Bailey’s undercover case.

It didn’t matter. In a day or two this would all be over and he could return to normal life with his daughter.

Noelle sat beside Penny, who was sprawled out on the living room floor and surrounded by crayons and pages of colorful drawings. Penny’s little hand scrawled across the page, filling in the white space with a vibrant green.

Noelle lined the crayons up in tidy lines according to their shade each time Penny switched colors. “She has a natural ability for art.”

“Yeah, I think she could spend hours dedicated to a single drawing. Although, be sure to give her ample time to detach from her work. She doesn’t like it when you try and pull her off abruptly.”

“Good to know,” Noelle said. “I heard you talking to Libby earlier. How’s she doing?”

“Tired, but chipper. She was released to recover at home this morning and asked if I could bring…You Know Who…over to see her. I said we’d visit soon, but kept it vague.”

“I take it she doesn’t know what’s been going on?”

He shook his head. “No, and I’d like to keep it that way. She needs to rest, not worry about us.”

“That’s smart.” Noelle took the green crayon Penny had abandoned and lined it up with the rest. “Alana’s on her way with Rocco. She said Rocco checked out fine.”

“Great. I think I’ll start dinner. Penny, you wanna help Dad in the kitchen?”

“No! I color!” Penny shouted, not bothering to look up.

Noelle smiled and Cash shrugged. “I think she knows I’m useless in the kitchen.”

“I’d help, but…” She dipped her head to Penny. “Busy.”

Cash chuckled and opened his tablet. “Surely I can follow a simple recipe, right?” He’d decided to try burrito bowls, which mostly required transferring ingredients from their original containers into a larger one. He only had to cook the chicken and cut a few vegetables.

He washed his hands and began pulling ingredients out of the fridge. Alana had offered to make dinner every night. It could be her way of ensuring Rocco ate diabetic-friendly meals, but if she didn’t trust his cooking, he wouldn’t blame her. One thing was for sure, they couldn’t keep eating takeout every night.

---