Page 61 of Sultry Nights

"We did, Dad. I saw some there today that looked fresh. I thought those kids were back and saw our stuff there and left."

"Hang on." Quinn hustled to the kitchen where Lance and Allison were. "I have to go. Stay close to your phones."

He hustled toward the back door. "Trey. Erin. I have a lead. The barracks. We've seen Prius tire tracks there the past week and Jared said he saw fresh ones there today."

Trey looked at Erin. "You stay and finish the investigation here, so we don't lose any evidence. I'll go with Quinn."

They hustled through the bakery. Quinn stopped in the kitchen. "You may want to lock the front door behind us."

Lance stood and shuffled toward him. He didn't wait. He hurried through the bakery, collected Jared, and ran to his truck. Jared jumped in with him. Trey was already in his cruiser and rushing the wrong way out of the square toward the barracks.

31

Hanna pleaded with this woman, these women, whoever they were. "Please know if I had the money I would help you hire an attorney."

"We don't need your help to hire an attorney. We want our money back. That was part of my retirement, hers, too. I gave it to that piece of shit because he was going to come and marry me. He said he was going to. He said he loved me."

The other woman spoke for the first time. Her footsteps drew near, her voice was softer. "He said he was going to marry me, too. Told me he wanted to start a business, and we'd work it together."

Hanna felt bad for these women, but she was also afraid of them. "Have you ever met him in person?"

The first woman barked, "No, I never did. He said you kept stealing the money. I would send him money to come to me, and he said you got a hold of it and stole it. You have all my money."

Hanna shook her head and was immediately sorry as the headache slammed hard. "I didn't steal anything from him. It was quite the opposite. He's been stealing from me. As a matter of fact, I couldn't even afford to buy a thirty-five-dollar bathroom vanity at a thrift store because he had cleared out my bank account just two weeks ago."

"We don't want your pity story. He said you were stealing from him."

Hanna threw caution to the wind. "He also said he was going to come and marry you."

The woman yelled, "Quiet! I don't want to hear anything from you. Do you understand me? You're liars. You're both liars."

Hanna's stomach twisted. Her breathing came in spurts and she consciously tried to slow her breathing down, so panic didn't cloud her judgment. But she was getting closer to panic with each passing minute.

"I'm not a liar. I'm not a liar." She repeated. "I was duped by him just like you were."

"I don't want to hear it." The first woman barked again.

Hanna tried a softer tactic. "Have you tried getting in touch with him?"

"How would I get in touch with him? The only way I was able to get in touch with him was from a cell phone that he gave me that he no longer answers."

Hanna swallowed. That's how he was doing it. He had different cell phones. Likely pre-paids.

She inhaled a deep breath. "He called me last night. He said he was in town and wanted to meet. I told him no."

The second woman came closer. "He said he wanted to meet you and he's in town. Where is he in town?"

She swallowed. "I have no idea. I didn't want to meet him. I told him no."

The first woman asked, "Are you sure he's in town?"

Hanna shrugged. She wished she could see these women. If she could look into their eyes, they'd hopefully see she was being truthful with them. "Well, he asked me to come and meet him and I said no."

The second woman, with the softer voice, asked, "Where would he be then? Does he have friends here?"

Hanna scoffed. "No, he doesn't have friends. If he'd be anywhere, he'd be at the hotel."

The first woman jumped up quickly, knocking the chair over, and stormed toward the door. Hanna watched the door open and light filled the room. One woman was muscular with short, spiked hair. The other woman had longer hair, just past her shoulders. It was blonde, and she was on the small side. She heard the door lock from the outside and swallowed the despair climbing up her spine. She'd get out of here. If they didn't find Isaac, what would they do to her? So far, they hadn't hurt her, and she was their bargaining chip. That made her feel better.

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