Page 44 of To Die For

“The cops drove me to the police station. I don’t know what happened to our car.”

“Did the two guys look like any of the men with your uncle at the Four Seasons?”

“No, nothing like them.”

“Did you tell the police or the FBI about your parents’ meeting the men and them receiving the duffel?”

Odom glanced at Saxby. “No, they never asked.”

Devine shot Saxby a look. “Okay, Betsy, thanks. This has been a big help.”

“Why does DHS care about this?” asked Saxby irritably. “Is it even their jurisdiction?”

“Everything on American soil is their jurisdiction.” Devine had no idea if that was true, but he had no interest in getting into a pissing contest with the Bureau right now, either.

“So what’s your next move?” asked Saxby.

“I’m going to have to travel to Ricketts, where I’ve been told the police chief is his own little dictator.”

“Exactly where is it located?” asked Saxby.

“Southeast corner of the state. Pretty remote.”

“Like where we lived,” said Odom. “Not many people around.”

“Did your parents work?” asked Devine.

“Dad did off and on. There are some farms out there and Dad said they grow a lot of hay, stuff like that. It goes out of the country for, like, racehorses—least that’s what he said. Then sometimes he’d work construction, or do some landscaping stuff. There was like a community college not too far away, where he’d go to work sometimes. Dad liked to be outdoors. My mom homeschooled me like I said, and took care of the house and all. But she would work down at the local grocery store, stocking shelves and stuff, in her spare time.”

“I know it’s pretty remote. But did you have any neighbors? Any friends?”

“The closest home was miles away. And there was nobody around there my age. So I just had my parents. And Nate and Kor when they would visit.”

Saxby glanced at Devine. “You better be careful when you visit Ricketts; some local cops see feds as the enemy.”

Maybe we are, thought Devine. He was also wondering why the FBI hadn’t questioned Odom about her parents’ deaths, or about any strange events on their final day of life. Did they know something Devine didn’t?

After they’d finished eating and left, the older woman who had been seated a half dozen tables away and listening to something with her AirPods in watched them go, while fingering a gaudy broach pinned to her blouse.

Pru Jackson had just learned an awful lot. She was still going to kill Devine, but it had gotten a bit more complicated.

CHAPTER

19

DEVINE LEFT SAXBY AND ODOMback at their hotel and he drove to his. As he was about to step inside, a man appeared next to him. He’d been waiting just inside the small archway that led into the hotel.

“Mr. Devine?”

He turned to see Dennis Hastings, Glass’s man, standing there. Hastings was all mean-looking, and clearly not wanting to be here.

“Yeah?”

“Mr. Glass wants to meet with you.”

“He’ll have to make an appointment. I’m busy.”

Hastings looked scandalized. “Mr. Glass wants to meet with younow.”

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