Page 96 of Pepper, the Biker & the Vanishing Body

“Technically, Anderson found it first and he works for us,” Stone corrected.

“But she found it on her own, not by following a suspect,” my dad clarified.

“He’s got you there,” Josh said, with a grin even wider than mine.

I turned to Stone. “The vanishing guy works for you too, doesn’t he?” I barely paused before continuing. “Let me guess—you offered him a deal to avoid jail. He didn’t live up to his end of the bargain and you came looking for him. He was last spotted in the surrounding area, so that’s what brought you here. What I can’t figure out is why you’re undercover as a biker.”

Then it hit me.

“Oh, wait, I got it. Everything went south fast, and the FBI needed someone embedded immediately. You were already undercover as a biker in the area, so you kept the pretense because it kept you more relatable to the vanishing guy.”

My dad beamed with pride. “I told you she’d figure it out.”

“So, what deal did you make with the motorcycle gang you arrived with in exchange for showing up with you at the cemetery?” I asked. “An easy assumption since they weren’t seen again after that.”

“She’s good,” Agent Sadler admitted. “Most people wouldn’t have noticed that detail.”

“Sheriff Madison did,” Josh said defensively, standing up for our dad. “He was suspicious of you since the beginning.”

Stone chuckled. “I guess I’m losing my touch.”

“Or Willow Lake’s Sheriff’s Department is a lot sharper than you give them credit for,” my dad countered.

Stone laughed. “I didn’t expect you to have a secret weapon.” He nodded toward me.

Ian’s arm slid around my waist. “I assume you’ll be leaving soon since this case is nearly done.”

“We’ll be gone once we finish tying up loose ends.” Stone’s gaze landed on me. “Now, I need all of you to come down to the police station for interviews about what happened in the mausoleum.” Stone smirked. “And I’ll be handling yours personally, Spicy.”

My dad stepped forward. “I don’t think so and her name is Pepper. I’ll do the interview, and you can sit in if you’d like.”

Ian leaned down and whispered in my ear, “Your dad is the best.”

I smiled. To me, my dad is my superhero, and he always will be.

Chaos erupted at the police station as soon as we arrived.

The second Anderson and Swatcher spotted each other, they started arguing and throwing accusations so fast that I wondered if they’d rehearsed this moment.

Stone barked out an order. “Separate rooms. Let them cool off.”

Sadler took Amy and Beau to be interviewed, while my dad and Stone sat down with Ian and me.

I detailed what happened quickly, eager to ask questions of my own.

Stone leaned back in his chair, watching me carefully and when I finished, said, “How convenient that Anderson just happened to find the bloody knife in the passageway.”

“Or how convenient that he wants us to believe he just found it,” Ian suggested.

“Anderson most likely is working with you guys to clear his name. It doesn’t make sense that he would kill anyone,” I said.

“Unless he’s guilty and doesn’t want us to figure that out,” Stone countered.

Ian nodded. “So, he misdirects.”

“Shifts the blame onto Swatcher,” Stone agreed. “Who, for all we know, was never guilty in the first place.”

My dad leaned forward where he sat at his desk. “But let’s not forget what Pepper said—Swatcher did hire Jones to help him. That’s already suspicious.”

---