Page 81 of Deadly Revenge

Weaver briefly shifted his eyes toward the ceiling, then he shook his head. “I’ll have to look at my records.”

“Bryan’s grandson said they scared him.”

“That boy is scared of his own shadow,” Weaver said. “But I know these are nice people.”

His tone said they were insulting him by insinuating he’d rent to anyone who wasn’t.

“I’m sure they are,” Max said. “Would you mind giving us a list of the names and addresses of non-local people renting property for the last six months?”

“I suppose I could, but you’ll have to wait until the morning. I have a doctor’s appointment in Chattanooga, and I’m leaving as soon as I get finished here.”

“Nine o’clock?” Jenna asked.

“That’s when I generally get to my office.” He nodded. “See you there tomorrow.”

When the door closed behind him, Mrs. Croft asked, “Did you find the deeds you were looking for?”

“We think so. Have you ever heard of TerraQuest Corporation?”

Mrs. Croft tapped her lips with her index finger. “The name rings a bell, but I’m not sure how.” She turned to her computer. “Let’s see if that name pops up.”

The hourglass appeared. “This thing has been so slow all day.” She shook the mouse, and a message popped up on the screen.No files found.

“That’s strange,” the registrar said. “Why would a corporation come in and buy that land and then disappear?”

Why indeed? Max intended to find out.

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Jenna took out her phone, pulled up one of the TerraQuest deeds she’d photographed, and examined it. “Says here the deed was prepared by Cal Pipkin. Maybe we can get information from him.”

“I doubt it,” Mrs. Croft said. “He died ten years ago.”

Jenna wanted to growl. Dead ends everywhere they turned. Literally. “Did anyone take over his office?”

“His grandson, Harold, but he may not have kept Cal’s records. His office is across the street.”

Jenna turned to Max. “Why don’t we check while we’re downtown? If we strike out there, Dylan’s computer savvy, maybe he can find the company.”

They thanked the registrar, and Jenna handed her a business card. “If you remember why the name seems familiar, give me a call.”

“I will,” the older woman said as they walked out the door.

When Max suggested the elevator, Jenna shook her head. “I don’t normally avoid elevators, but this one is old. It creaks and rattles.”

They’d reached the second floor when her phone rang. “It’s Alex.” She answered and said, “You’re on speaker and Max is with me.”

“Fine. Just wanted to let you know the two photos of Rick Sebastian have been shown to every retail business in town, and no one has seen him.”

“How about any of his associates?” she asked. “He could’ve had one of them break into my house.”

“We don’t have photos of all his known associates from Chattanooga PD, and no one has seen the ones we do have.”

Jenna didn’t know if the information should make her feel better or more anxious. “As small as Pearl Springs is, if any of them show up, they’ll stick out.”

“Right.”

“How about the file on the wreck my grandfather had?” Jenna asked.

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