Page 70 of Last Resort

Ben never took his eyes off the road. “I saw it. And the ghost cloud or whatever that was.”

“Okay,” Erik replied quietly. “Good. At least if I’ve gone nuts, we’re both crazy.”

They called Chief Hendricks at the edge of town and arranged to meet him in the parking lot of an abandoned warehouse. He rolled up in an unmarked vehicle, alone as they had requested. Ben, Erik, and Alessia stood next to their car, and Ben knew they all looked worse for the wear.

“What in the name of God happened to you?” Hendricks asked when he got out.

“We found Edwin Raines’s long-lost treasure.” Ben gestured toward the suitcase, which sat in front of their car on the ground. “He buried it in the Pine Barrens.”

They had decided not to mention the glowing stag or the ghost protectors and told the chief that Carr and the Mob showed up while they were retrieving the suitcase but that Ben and the others had managed to sneak away during the battle.

Hendricks eyed the three of them, clearly suspecting there was more to the story. “Anything else you want to tell me?”

“No, sir,” Erik said. If any of the bullets were matched to their registered guns, they’d deal with the issue then.

Hendrick’s gaze raked over him, taking in the blood stains Erik hadn’t been able to wipe away.

“How’d you find it?” he asked.

“Edwin Raines left coded directions on the poker chips that Dolores Quinn sent to Erik’s shop. The chips were from the Fun Factory, the casino Edwin stole from,” Ben said.

“Why am I hearing about these chips for the first time?” Hendricks demanded.

“We didn’t know if they meant anything,” Erik replied. “Technically, they weren’t related to Tom’s death. Edwin’s theft wasn’t being investigated.”

Hendricks looked like he was grinding his teeth. Then he let out a breath and closed his eyes for a second before he shook his head. “I’ll let that go…for now. What’s in the suitcase?”

“Don’t know,” Ben said. “Didn’t open it. But it’s heavy as hell, so my guess is gold and silver, unless it’s a bunch of rocks, and we’ve all gone to a lot of trouble for nothing.”

“I’d suggest making sure there’s a very public announcement about the lost heist money being turned over to the feds to keep any problems from following Ben and Erik,” Alessia spoke up. Her voice sounded particularly honeyed, and Ben wondered if she might be nudging the cop with a bit of magic to cut them a break.

“Yeah, sure,” Hendricks agreed. “Although I doubt that’s the last we’ll see of the Mob with the two of you in town.” He glanced at Ben and Erik.

“On the other hand, they solved a decades-old cold case,” Alessia said persuasively. “Recovered the stolen money and solved Dolores Quinn’s attack.”

Hendricks gave her a look. “Come again?”

“Her mother’s ghost was attached to the poker chips, which had been hidden in their house,” Erik replied. “She witnessed the attack by Holden Carr. He was looking for the chips and got angry when Dolores refused to turn them over.”

“And you’re just telling me this now?”

“It’s been a bit busy,” Erik said with a conciliatory half-smile.

“Speaking of Carr, any idea where he is now?” Hendricks glared at them suspiciously.

“Like we explained, he followed us to the Pine Barrens and got into a shootout with the guys who followed him. He’s probably dead,” Ben replied.

Hendricks passed a hand over his face. “And you left him there?”

“Cause we could have explained ourselves real easily to a bunch of unfamiliar police standing there with a dead guy and a suitcase of stolen gold. We thought we were doing well to get out when we did,” Ben said dryly.

“Okay…” Hendricks wiped a hand over his mouth as he thought. “Give me a minute to figure out how to spin this. Just—don’t leave town.”

That he hadn’t asked why Alessia was with them made Ben suspect that Hendricks knew the witch’s reputation and believed in it.

Hendricks took the suitcase and left. Ben and the others got back into the car. “Well, that went better than it could have.”

“Because we’re not in a prison bus on the way to a Supermax?” Erik snarked.

---