Page 31 of Scent of Peril

“We won’t be using our phones from this point forward,” Jessica said. “They’re in the Elk Lodge. I’d like your officers toget our gear out, though. I have a lot of Teddy’s things in there that I need back.”

“That’s no problem, but why are you getting rid of your phones?” Wayne scowled. “I can’t imagine Benton can track them.”

“I don’t know of any other way he could have found us.” Logan reached out to take Jessica’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. They were totally in sync on this. “We’ll pick up some burners. We’ll let you know those numbers once we have them.”

After a brief hesitation, Wayne nodded. “Okay.”

“I would like to know when you and the feds plan to head back up to the mountain.” When Jess rose to her feet, Teddy jumped up too. “We’ll need to go with you, or you’ll never find the place. And Teddy is your best chance at finding Benton and the drugs.”

“I’ll let FBI agent Griff Flannery know.” Wayne stood. “And as soon as I have your contact information, I’ll pass that along to him.”

“We’ll need a ride to a new location. And it would be nice if you’d stop at a store along the way so we can get those phones.” Logan tried to remember what places, if any, they’d passed on the way to the Elk Lodge.

“And don’t forget to send someone to get our stuff from the Lodge too,” Jessica added. Then she frowned. “We also need one of the officers to drive Shane’s SUV to our new location as well.”

“What if the gunman recognizes the SUV?” Logan asked.

“I need the supplies from the back for Teddy.” She grimaced, then added, “I guess I can ask the officer to bring that stuff to us, while leaving the SUV behind. It makes me nervous, though, not to have a K9 SUV at our disposal.”

He turned toward Wayne. “Can your guys do that?”

Wayne didn’t look thrilled with their list of requests, but he didn’t balk. Logan knew that was likely because nobody,especially the local police, wanted to get on the bad side of the Sullivan family.

Not when they’d done so much for the community.

“Wait here a minute.” Wayne gestured to an empty desk. “I need to follow up with my officers and make the arrangements.”

He gestured for Jess to take the chair. “Where do you think we should go next?”

“I’ve been thinking about that.” She stared down at Teddy. “I feel bad Chase paid for a suite we can’t even use. But I think it would be better to keep him out of this for now.”

He frowned. “I don’t think your brother will appreciate being out of the loop.”

“I know, but he’ll just feel like he has to come back here to babysit me, rather than sticking close to his wife and son.” She shook her head. “This isn’t his problem, it’s ours. Let’s wait until we’re settled and have our new phones. I’ll have to give him the new number. He’ll go nuts if I don’t answer his calls.”

That made him feel slightly better. “Okay. I have the cash Benton paid me. We can use that for the room.”

“I can’t deny I like the idea of using his money to hide from him.” Her smile faded. “But my family will reimburse you, Logan. For this and the damage to your plane.”

“It’s fine.” He shrugged off the offer. “I feel like this is my fault anyway. And like you said, there’s some satisfaction in using his own cash against him.”

Sergeant Wayne Carter returned a few minutes later. “Okay, who has the keys to the SUV?”

Jess pulled them from her pocket and handed them to him.

“Burt Jones will pick up the supplies from your hotel room and the SUV. Where do you want to go after we pick up the phones?”

“The Great Frontier should have rooms available.” Logan knew the place was more reasonably priced as compared to the Elk Lodge.

“I’ll let him know on the way.” Wayne gestured toward the door. “Let’s go.”

The ride to the store to pick up disposable phones didn’t take long. Logan went inside to grab them, returning ten minutes later. A few people stared in surprise as he slid into the squad, but he ignored them.

“Did you hear if anyone saw the shooter?” He glanced at Wayne as he left the parking lot. “I assume the officers who stayed behind asked around.”

“They’re still working on that,” Wayne said. “People around here generally cooperate. If someone saw the gunman, they’ll call and provide the information.”

Logan didn’t argue. Normally, big crimes like murder and shootouts didn’t happen in small-town Cody or Greybull. And the residents would absolutely band together against outsiders trying to take over.

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