Page 30 of Harrison Hyde and the Runaway Bride

“At least this tells us something. A lot, actually,” Willow said. “For one thing, to my mind, it clears Billy Bob. Not for the assault, but for the theft. This was somebody who knew exactly what they were lookin’ for.”

Harrison backed away and pushed a hand through his hair as Willow went on. “I’ve been in touch with the campus cops at Cornell about Carrie Sayre. Her husband had already called the Ithaca City Police so I contacted them. They told me who to contact at the FBI.”

Harrison came to attention. “The FBI?”

“State lines were crossed,” Willow said. “And I get the feeling they’re treatin’ this as a very big deal. Environmental Espionage, was the term they used.”

“Theyoughtto take it seriously,” Maria said. “Harry’s invention will change the world.”

But Harrison wasn’t so sure. He paced, rubbed the back of his neck, and tried to put pieces together in his mind, but they didn’t fit. “This doesn’t make sense. There’s no way anyone could get away with this. We patented the device.”

“Who, specifically, filed that paperwork, Harry?” Willow asked. “Was it you?”

He looked up slowly. “No. Carrie took care of it.”

“Carrie,” Willow repeated, “who went to pick up the prototype from the University, vanished without her car, and stopped answering her phone.”

“Yes,” he said. Then he snapped his fingers. “There’s surveillance on campus. Some of it must have caught Carrie leaving.“

“No,” Willow said. “None of it did. Either she deliberately avoided the cameras or someone else made her.”

“My God,” he said. Then, “I haven’t had any luck reaching Solomon or Robert, either.”

“Neither have the cops up there.” Willow frowned, then looked around the junkyard, and suddenly Harrison felt exposed.

“I’ll stay here and see if I can get any prints from the car before we move it to the impound,” Willow said. “I think the best thing for you two is to head back to the ranch. We don’t know where this person is, the one who did this. What we do know is that they want your gadget, and that your other three partners are unaccounted for.”

Maria’s hand clamped onto Harrison’s forearm like a vise. “Willow, do you think Harry’s in danger?”

“I don’t know yet. But better safe than sorry, right? Best place for both of you is at the ranch. Lots of people around, just in case.”

Maria looked at Harry. “Are you okay with that?”

He didn’t think he had any other option. “Yes. Yeah. Thank you.”

“You take care with that tackle box, okay Will? It’s special to him.”

“I will.”

Maria nodded. “Come on, Harry.” She went and picked up her duffel, slung its strap over her shoulder and took his hand to start the trek back up out of the junkyard. He grabbed his own bag, then took hers as well.

When they’d gone a few steps, she leaned up and whispered, “We won’t sit around twiddlin’ our thumbs. We’re gon’ do some investigatin’ of our own.”

“From the ranch?”

“Trust me,” she said. “I’ve gotresources.”

CHAPTER SIX

She drove. Of course she drove. Harrison didn’t have a car anymore. Willow had imported a forensics team from somewhere to go over what was left of it. They would be there in the morning.

He sat in the passenger seat, pretending to look out the window at the passing terrain, but he was actually looking inward, at his life. Or lack of one. He’d had work. He’d had nothing but work, with brief side journeys to visit his sister in her life and their dad in his life. He should’ve seen them far more often.

“We’ll get it back.” Maria had said it multiple times.

“I don’t know.”

She was quiet for a minute. Then she said, “What if you don’t?”

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