Page 75 of Operation: Unify

“Okay, but just know that it’s Connor you have to convince, not me.” Lacy shoved a pair of gloves into her coat pocket and headed for the door.

Connor was already waiting for them in the parking lot with Cole and Edwyn. He looked up and his face immediately clouded over. “Lacy?”

Melinda interrupted her. “I told her I’m going. And I am. No one knows Tod as well as I do. It may not matter, but there are things that I need to say to him before the police take him away.”

“Speaking of which, I talked to Officer Daniels. He’ll be joining us in town,” Cole said. “He has some idea where Tod and his brother might be. He agrees that’s the first place to look for Randy, given the history.”

“Good.” Connor touched his side where his pistol was hidden under his coat. “Cole and Edwyn, take truck 2. We’ll follow in the car.”

Cole gave a nod. “Meet at the gas station. We’ll go from there.”

Lacy followed Connor to the red sedan Wayside had owned for years. She hoped Officer Daniels had already been scheduled to work today and they weren’t taking him away from Family. Officers often had to miss holidays. The idea that Officer Daniels might miss a rare, unscheduled holiday for their needs made her furious.

She buckled in and Melinda sat right behind her in the back seat. She remained silent and Lacy had the impression she was stewing over what to say.

“What if we don’t see them? If Tod and Cal aren’t where Officer Daniels thinks they are, what is the plan?” Lacy asked.

“That will be up to the officer. We’re there in the hopes that Randy will be there, and we can bring him home. I called the gas station, and they remembered him coming in this morning, but the truck is still there. Officer Daniels told them to leave it be and he’d check it out later today.”

“They’re hoping to pull evidence off of it?” Lacy assumed.

“Yes. They did say that there is no damage on the outside, so whatever happened to Randy didn’t happen right next to the truck.”

Melinda spoke up from the back, almost too quietly for Lacy to hear. “He’s not a fighter. Even if he tried to get away, he’s not built to fight back.”

Lacy was of a mind that if someone was trying to take her captive, she would fight back with everything in her, so would Randy. There was no way to know what he was capable of doing. “We’ll take a hands-off look at the truck when we get there, but I’m sure the guy working at the gas station is right. There’s probably no sign of him outside the truck,” Lacy said.

Her fingers tapped the armrest on the car, and she wished the trip to town was faster. Living in that area her entire life, the drive didn’t bother her, until she was in a hurry. She watched for any vehicles on the road. Maybe Randy had gone for a walk, lost track of time, didn’t return calls, and was on his way back home right now. She cringed at how Pollyanna her thoughts had become. Even the stressful year they’d had couldn’t take away her hope that nothing had happened.

Connor pulled into the gas station and parked behind the Wayside truck. Cole and Edwyn had already parked on the other side of the gas station alongside Officer Daniels in his cruiser. Lacy got out and stood back a few feet as she looked inside the truck as well as around it. All four gas cans still sat in the back. She could see the level of gasoline inside when the sun shone down on them.

“He made it here. He filled the tanks. What then?” she asked.

Melinda crossed her arms at Lacy’s side. “I have to wonder. He wouldn’t have gotten into a vehicle with them. Maybe Officer Daniels will ask for the security footage?”

“I hope he does. Let’s go over and see what he has to say.”

They joined all the men who’d gathered near the cruiser. Officer Daniels was speaking to the group. “It’s our belief that Tod and Cal are with one particular relative who tends to keep tothemselves. He’s a recluse and tends to shoot first, ask questions later. We avoid interacting with him unless we have to.”

“I can see why you wouldn’t want to go check for Tod and Cal there before now. Is that our last resort?” Connor asked.

“Yes. The other three family members who live nearby agreed to a search of their residences. Honestly, since we hadn’t seen any vehicles from out of state and hadn’t found them at those more likely homes, we assumed they weren’t here.”

“It’s still possible they aren’t. Not likely, but possible. Right?” Melinda said. “I mean, this could be a horrible coincidence. He could’ve been taken by anyone. Right?”

Lacy bit her lip and closed her eyes. There was far too much hope in Melinda’s voice. As much as she had to agree, it waspossible, it wasn’tprobable.

“There is always a possibility we’ve got it wrong,” Officer Daniels confirmed. “Innocent until proven guilty. I just have to look at the facts as I have them and right now, they are our prime suspects.”

Melinda’s jaw hardened and she nodded her agreement.

“Because of the danger inherent in driving up the driveway, I’ll have all of you wait parked beside the road. I’ll notify you if I find Randy and when you can come in to get him. Understood?”

Connor nodded and looked at Melinda for confirmation. Lacy touched his arm, letting him know he was scowling at Melinda. He immediately relaxed his features. “Are you good with that?” he asked Melinda.

“I’ll have to be. I’m not going to go rogue on you or anything. But if it comes down to negotiating with Tod, I’m the one who can do it.”

Officer Daniels frowned slightly. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. I’ll drive up, ask if I can look around his place. If I see the vehicles you described parked anywhere near the house, thatwill be evidence I can use to call a judge and get a warrant. Hopefully, I won’t need to.”

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