Page 120 of The Fixer

“Hey!” he shouted and launched into a sprint.

The silhouettes jumped and dove into a dark truck hauling the trailer, and the rig squealed out of the yard. He chased it, nearly caught the back end of the rig, but it rounded a corner and tore down Bowen Street headed for the highway. Without lights.

He bent over, hands braced on his knees as he caught his breath. Glancing over his shoulder at the back of the store, he grinned.

“Gotcha.”

Soon he’d know exactly who was playing the part of thief and saboteur.

Chapter 34

Same Place, Different Dimension

“That’s a damn shame.”Deputy Shane O’Brien shook his head as he stood in Charlie’s home office. Charlie was seated, and they were both staring at the computer screen. Charlie replayed the video, but it didn’t help them make out the culprits.

He threw a pen down on the desk. “Fuck it all to hell! I thought putting up those cameras would be the answer.” He hadn’t told Joy what he’d done because he hadn’t wanted to freak her out and let her know how bad the problem had become. Hence, his “ulterior motive” for getting her over to his house. Not that he hadn’t had other ulterior motives, like getting to sleep through the night with her.

And he wasn’t going to tell her just yet—she had enough to deal with.

Shane pointed at the screen. “Well, you would have stood a better chance if they had actually worked.”

“No shit, Sherlock.” Shane cocked an admonishing eyebrow. “Sorry. I’m just so damn frustrated. Didanybodysee them peel out?”

“Surprisingly, we had a volunteer firefighter dropping off a girlfriend at her house and old Mrs. Danvers watering her tomatoes.”

Charlie whipped his head up, and Shane raised his hand. “Believe me, I asked. She said she couldn’t sleep, and it was better for the plants to water them while it was dark. First time I’d heard that.” He shrugged. “She wasn’t wearing her glasses, so she heard more than saw it race past. Said it was a dark blur.”

“What about the firefighter?”

“He didn’t get a good look at anyone in the truck because they almost ran him off the road, and he was trying not to get hit. He’s fairly certain the windows were tinted, though, and, like you, he thinks the tags were either removed or blacked out. He would have given chase, but with the girlfriend in the car, he decided against it.”

“Was he able to ID the make and model?”

“He thinks it was a late-model Dodge, black or dark blue.”

Damn it!The guy’s description was as useless as Charlie’s.

“You’re covered by insurance, right?”

“Yeah, but I still have to front the money until they cut me a check. What’s worse is that we’re delayed—again—and I don’t know how soon I’ll be able to replace everything. Can’t you do tire impressions or some CSI shit to catch these guys? Fibers and hairs and skin cells? Those fuckers had to be shedding them all over the damn place, didn’t they?”

One side of Shane’s mouth quirked. “Don’t believe everything you see on TV. But yeah, we’ll get some impressions. You’ve got a list of what was taken?”

Charlie handed him a printed sheet of paper with multiple line items and their values. “That’s my best guess. I took inventory and compared what was there against what my bill of materials says I should have.”

“Do you think it’s an inside job? Do you know where I should be looking to compare tracks?”

“A few days ago, I would have pointed you to Jimmy Culbertson, but he drives an old beater S-10 that’s got about every color on itexceptblack or navy blue. Come to think of it, no one on my crew drives a truck that new.”

“Have you thought about putting up chain link with a locking gate?”

“Yeah,” Charlie groused, “but I was hoping to catch the damn thieves and not have to spend time and money doing that. Besides, the supplies are backordered, and the chain link isn’t going to keep out whoever’s screwing with the work we’re doing inside.” Charlie filled him in on theelectrical panel and some plumbing “alterations” that had occurred right before—of course—the plumbing inspection. And naturally, none of the inspectors had had time to return and re-inspect.

“You said stuff’s disappearing from the other site?”

“Yeah, but not as much, and I don’t have cameras set up there. They’re backordered, like everything else. I don’t have a structure to attach them to or hide them in yet. Which explains why we haven’t lost as much. There’s nothing to steal.”

“Before your cameras stopped working, did they record the Haven’s comings and goings?”

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