Page 112 of Deadly Revenge

“Thanks.” Jenna crossed her arms. “But I want an active part in it.”

Alex pressed her lips together. Jenna had probably stepped over the line. “Talk to the people who know your dad the best—Sam, your grandmother ... his friends.”

That was better than giving her busy work. If Sebastian had been using the Armstrong place to move drugs, maybe he had her dad stashed wherever they’d moved. And the location could be one of the addresses Tom Weaver gave them of rentals in the last month. “I’ll check out Tom Weaver’s rentals for the past few months. Sebastian could be staying in one of them.”

Alex hesitated, then she nodded.

“What time is the funeral?” Jenna asked.

“Three.”

They should make that easy unless something broke with her dad’s kidnapping.

57

Friday morning Sebastian let himself into Jenna Hart’s house through the kitchen door. This morning he had plenty of time—he’d overheard the deputy and the TBI cop talking about their schedule for today. Besides, the app would alert him if they got within a mile of him.

But first things first. Sebastian opened the cabinet door where he’d seen her over-the-counter pain relievers. He fingered the box of headache powders ... it’d be so easy to replace the powder with heroin ... maybe a little extra fentanyl ... The thought made him laugh. No. He wanted Jenna Hart to know who killed her.

Instead, he quickly grouped the pill bottles accordingly, vitamins on one side and pain meds on the other, including the powders. Then he turned to the pantry and grouped the cans according to size and content. That should be a nice little surprise for her.

Now for the photos that Phillip Ross insisted were here. He methodically searched each room, leaving no space untouched, even her dresser. He spied a small box and lifted the top.

Not photos but her business cards. With her cell phone number on it, and he pocketed it. That would come in handy very soon. Tonight, in fact.

Sebastian moved to the second bedroom and repeated the process. Nada. This was a waste of time. There were no photos anywhere in this house.

The app buzzed. Sebastian jerked out his phone and swore. Hart and the TBI agent were a mile away. They weren’t supposed to be anywhere near the house. He hurried to the kitchen, let himself out, and pressed the tape back in place before he jogged to the wooded area. His car was parked on a farm road a mile away.

Sebastian wished he’d installed a camera—he’d love to see her face when she opened the cabinet door. As soon as he reached his car, he would listen in, then tomorrow he would break in one last time and remove the bugs.

It was time to stop toying with the mouse and end the game. Tonight was thepièce de résistance.

58

Jenna pulled into her grandmother’s drive, and Max checked his watch. “It’s only 7:30. Are you certain Eva is up?”

“Yes. I’ve already talked to her once, but I want to make sure she’s okay.”

The aroma of cinnamon rolls reached them when her grandmother opened the door dressed in her blue robe and house slippers. “Has there been any word?”

“Not yet,” Jenna said as they stepped inside the house. She hugged her grandmother. “How are you?”

“Praying. And baking.”

That’s what Jenna expected her to say. “We’ll find him.”

“I know. God has this—it didn’t take him by surprise.”

Jenna wished her faith was as strong as her grandmother’s. But this was her dad. And she’d seen the worst people were capable of, especially someone like Sebastian ... or Phillip.

“When did you see him last?”

“He stopped by here on his way home from the post office. Said he was going to take a nap before he drove to the woods.”

That’s what Sam had told her last night both before and after they knew he was missing.

“Come on to the kitchen,” Granna said. “Have you two eaten? I have rolls and coffee.”

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