Page 91 of Deadly Revenge

He named a figure that Jenna thought was too low and added twenty dollars to the check she was writing while Max talked to Kirk.

“You been staying away from the river?” he asked.

“Yes, sir. Granddad won’t let me go there anymore.”

“Good.”

Jenna handed him the check, and the boy’s eyes grew big. “Thanks, Miss Jenna. You want me to keep doing what I’m doing?”

“If you don’t mind. We have a big case we’re working on.” She glanced toward the woods, then opened her phone and scrolled to the photos of Sebastian. “Before, when you saw people, did any of them look like this person?” She showed him the photos.

Kirk studied one of the pictures. “Can you make it bigger?”

She tapped on the photo so that it filled her screen.

“When I first saw that one”—he pointed at the photo of Sebastian taken during intake at the prison—“I thought he might’ve been the one who had the creepy grin, but the guy in the picture is too skinny.”

“And the creepy guy isn’t?”

His eyes widened and he shook his head. “He’s got thesehugemuscles.”

Jenna turned her phone where she could see the photo, trying to imagine what Sebastian would look like if he’d pumped up. “Is your granddad around?”

“He’s putting a new fan up in the hall by Ace’s stable.”

“Good. I think I’ll check on my horse.”

“I’ll come with you,” Max said.

They walked the short distance to the other barn and found Bryan Bishop on a ladder about to hang a fan from the ceiling. “Here,” Max said. “Let me help you.”

While Max helped hang the fan, Jenna walked to the refrigerator in a small alcove and grabbed a carrot she’d stashed for treats. She loved the smell of the barn, a mixture of hay and grain and horse. She wished she had time to ride this afternoon. The ebony horse stuck his head over the stall door and nickered, and she gave him the carrot.

“How are you, boy?” She smoothed her hand down his neck. “I sure miss riding you, but this case will be over soon.”

She turned toward the fan when she felt the air circulating through the hallway. “That feels good,” Jenna said when Bryan crawled down from the ladder.

“Wanted to get these up before it turned hot.” He turned to Max. “Thank you. Made it a lot easier.”

“Glad to help.” Max tilted his head. “You didn’t happen to find out who owns the place next to you or who’s renting it, did you?”

“Afraid not. I have seen Tom Weaver there, and I figure he’s seeing after the place.”

“He said he was,” Jenna said. “We’re meeting with him in the morning.”

“Okay if we drive down to the edge of woods?” Max asked.

“No problem.”

Jenna patted Ace’s neck. “Okay, boy. I’ll see you later.”

The horse nickered, and Max laughed. “I swear, I think he understood what you said.”

Jenna grinned at him. “Better believe it.”

They walked back to the SUV, and Max opened the gate to the access road to the woods and river. After he closed it, he hopped in the SUV. “Do you think Sebastian rented the place next door?”

“I don’t know,” Jenna said. “Mr. Weaver didn’t recognize thephotos, but maybe Sebastian wasn’t the one he dealt with. Hopefully tomorrow we can find out.”

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