Page 92 of High Frequency

Hmm. Defiantly verbose before, she suddenly seems awfully subdued with that one-syllable response.

She could be lying, andhasseen him since, in which case I’d love to know why, but if I push her she might shut down altogether, and I still have some questions I’d like her to answer.

“I only have a few more questions and then I’ll get out of your hair,” I mention, drawing a look of relief from her.

“Sure.”

“Did you often go up to the cabin with him?”

I’m purposely making it sound like I already know she’s familiar with the existence of the cabin.

“That hunting shack he has up on Kenelty Mountain? Hell no. He’d disappear there for days with…uh, with friends.”

She appears to catch herself, which is interesting. Does she know something?

“Anyone in particular?” I prompt.

“No.” She shakes her head firmly for good measure. “Hunting friends, I don’t know them.”

“Does he still go up there? To hunt?”

“How the hell am I supposed to know?” she snaps, annoyed. “Didn’t I tell you I haven’t seen him?”

An older man comes walking through a door that looks to connect with a storage space in the back. His eyes are sharp on me.

“Can I help you with anything?”

Shelby looks uncomfortable. “I’ve got it covered, Dad.”

I get the vibe she doesn’t want her father to clue in on what, or probably who, we were talking about. Not sure why but I understand a little something about family dynamics and decide to give her a break.

“Thank you,” I address Shelby, scribbling my number on an empty page in my notebook and handing it to her. “Give me a call if you think of anything that might be helpful. I appreciate your time.”

With a nod for the older man, I turn and head for the door. I can feel two pairs of eyes burning my back as I hobble outside. So much for a graceful exit.

“Get everything you need?” Jason asks when I get into the cruiser.

“I’m not sure,” I admit. “Sounds like the subject was a dick, who didn’t think twice about hitting her in the middle of the day outside the courthouse. She was forthcoming about that, but I get the sense there’s something more, maybe she was aware of what Cedric was up to. She did suggest he wasn’t up at the cabin by himself, but I never managed to get names because her father walked in. I’ll try her again later, and in the meantime, I left her my number.”

He takes me back to the office, at my request, and I assure him he doesn’t have to wait around for me; I’ll find my way home. If worse comes to worst, I’m sure I can convince my aunt or Ira, who is a mechanic for Pippa at her Pit Stop Auto Shop, to run me home. I know I could call Dan and he’d probably drop everything, but I know he has his hands full today with trades showing up.

Junior is in his office and raises his head when I knock on his doorpost. Folding his hands behind his neck, he leans back in his chair as I walk in.

“How’d it go?”

“Found out our man didn’t think twice to beat on her in public.”

“Not a surprise,” he grumbles.

“She knew of the cabin’s existence; claims she never went up with him but he spent time there withfriends.” I use my fingers to make air quotes. “I think she knows something, but I didn’t want to lean too hard and then we got interrupted. Left my number with her, and I can try again.”

“Good. I’d like to have a name for those friends. Bellinger called again, turns out Cedric is in the wind and has been for some time.”

“What do you mean?” I take a seat across from his desk.

“Agents went to check at his address, a rental place, but found new tenants in there. According to the landlord, Cedric forfeited his rent two months in a row, and when he went to collect he noticed mail had piled up with stamps dating back to early November and his pickup was parked outside, but the delivery truck was gone. The landlord ended up putting his belongings in storage and getting the truck towed. The feds discovered he hadn’t been paying his bills and his cell phone account had been suspended since January. Looks like he’s been off the grid for almost a year.”

“Yet we have him and his truck on video,” I point out.

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