Page 92 of Deadly Revenge

A shadow raced across the dirt road, sending a shiver through Jenna. What if Sebastian was here, living right next to where she kept her horse?

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Was it possible Sebastian had rented the place next door? Max hoped they got more information from Weaver in the morning. Regardless, they needed a more recent picture of Sebastian. And if he was in Russell County, could he have somehow gotten into Jenna’s house?

But how? Deadbolts that required keyed entry were on both doors, and the windows were all locked. He’d meant to walk around the house to see if anyone had trampled the grass outside any of the windows. He’d do that as soon as they returned to her house.

Jenna glanced toward the Armstrong place. “That’s a perfect place to set up and make meth or grow marijuana—we’re short on deputies, and people around here tend to mind their own business.”

Jenna had a point. He took out his notepad and looked back over the notes he’d taken Tuesday. “Kirk said the men came on Thursday or Friday—maybe to pick up a shipment of drugs?”

“It wouldn’t have to be meth,” Jenna said. She pulled the SUV close to the edge of the woods and killed the motor. “They could be making pills with heroin and fentanyl. And they could be taking it out in canoes or kayaks to a location on the lake.”

“Good point.” He climbed out of the SUV and waited for Jenna to join him at the tree line. “We’re searching for anything that might look like a path.”

“They could go a different way each time.”

“True. Maybe we need to walk to the river and see if they tie up their boats at the same place each time.”

She agreed with him, and they hiked through the woods to the riverbank. “The best place to tie up a boat is the sandbar.”

Ten minutes later they approached the river. “Looks like there’s been traffic through here.” Max pointed at trampled grass near the bank.

Jenna hopped down to the sandy bar and pointed upriver. “Shoe prints! And a lot of them.”

Yes!Max joined her and carefully skirted the prints. “Do you have any of that plaster casting material with you?”

“No, but Dylan and Taylor do. Do you want me to ask Alex to send them here?”

He slapped at a deer fly hovering around his face. “We don’t actually have a crime here, so maybe we should just photograph the prints.”

“Let me see what they’re involved in.” Jenna punched in Alex’s number, and when she answered, Jenna put the phone on speaker and explained what they wanted.

“You think something is going on at the old Armstrong place?”

Max spoke up. “Yes, possibly drug action, but we don’t have anything to base a warrant on. We’ve taken photos of the shoe prints, but casts would be better—just in case it turns out our suspicions are correct.”

“Is there any chance this could be tied to Nelson’s and Slater’s deaths?”

“That’s hard to say,” Jenna said. “More likely it’d be tied to Rick Sebastian.”

“Good enough. Dylan is busy right now, but I’ll send Taylor.”

“Good deal,” Max said. “We’ll see what other information we can gather. Tell Taylor to text when she gets to the woods and one of us will come get her.”

“I will. Oh, and Jenna, we got more photos of Sebastian’s key players in Chattanooga. I’ll send them to you—email or text?”

Jenna turned to Max, her expression questioning.

“Text would be easier to access.”

“Got it,” Alex said. “You’ll get them shortly.”

Jenna disconnected. “I’d like to get inside the barn where Kirk said the mean guys scared him,” she said.

“Without a warrant, anything we found couldn’t be used in court.”

“I know, but this is highly suspicious.”

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