Page 52 of For the Birds

“Exactly. But the thing about Scooter is he never wantedmuch.”

His words piqued my interest. “Wait. It sounds like you know Scooter personally.”

Buck shifted in his seat again. “I may have befriended him in an attempt to get some secrets about his brother, but that was a couple of yearsago.”

“I presume everyone knows Scooter is Skeeter’s brother,” I said. “And it’s no coincidence that someone took me so soon after he went missing. I need the name of the other guy who snatched me. And all the information you have about both ofthem.”

“Why would I give you that?” he asked in a bittertone.

“I’m gonna need everything you know about Scooter’s disappearance and my kidnapping if I’m gonna look for him. There’s no sense in me duplicating the work you’ve alreadydone.”

“You’re gonna look forhim?”

“I’m not doin’ it to save your sorry butt. I’m doin’ it to keep peace in this county.”

“I still expect you to report your results tome.”

That seemed fair, but it also felt traitorous. “I’ll keep you in theloop.”

“What’s your price?”

That caught me slack-jawed. “You plan to payme?”

“I said I was hiring you, didn’tI?”

I knew we were on the south side of the county—we’d passed several familiar landmarks—but I was surprised when he flipped on his turn signal as we approached the old fertilizer plant.

“What are youdoin’?”

“I’m sure as hell not gonna risk taking you any further into town and runnin’ into Malcolm’s men. You’ll be safe here until Malcolm comes to getyou.”

He drove onto the abandoned complex and stopped in front of the office. This place had seen a lot of criminal activity in the past, so I wasn’t sure how safe it would be, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. I wanted out of Buck’scar.

I opened the door and scrambled out, ignoring the gravel poking the soles of my feet. Thank God my leg was stillnumb.

Buck rolled down his window.

“And how is anyone supposed to find mehere?”

He held up his phone. “You’re gonna make a call. But first we need to work out your price.”

I was about to tell him I wouldn’t take a cent from him, but then I realized he had something more valuable to offer than money. “I want a favor.”

“What do youwant?”

“I don’t know yet, but if I call in my favor, you have to do it, no questions asked.”

He remained silent.

“Let’s be honest, Mr. Reynolds,” I said in a dry tone. “You want me to find Scooter to save your butt, yet you can’t deny that you’re also tryin’ to get one over on Skeeter. You seem to think I’m his girlfriend, so it would be quite the feather in your cap if you got Skeeter Malcolm’s girlfriend to do your biddin’.”

His mouth pinched into a flatline.

“But I am not Skeeter Malcolm’s girlfriend. Neely Kate and I investigate things. On our own. So I’ll do this, but when the time comes, you will do a favor of my choosing, no questions asked.”

“Only if you prove I didn’t takehim.”

“Done. I’ll start lookin’ tomorrow.” I held out my hand. “Now I need to make thatcall.”

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