Page 37 of Nick
“We need your people looking into how Cassandra and Jesse could both be out of the country for eight weeks and nobody notices. Jesse Norville has a job. Did he take leave? Or did he just up and vanish on them? Cassandra might be more difficult to track, since she travels a lot, but what about friends, neighbors? Has anybody missed her and wondered about where she’s at? Two people can’t simply up and ghost without somebody noticing.”
“Already got him working on it. Let’s look at your timeline, because everything revolves around you at this point. Over the past four months, you’ve been in Dubai and then Shiloh Springs, where you blew your cover and we ended up moving up the timeline to arrest Brashear. After that, you came back to Melbourne to deal with the actual arrest, all the paperwork and processing between the Aussie government and the States. Right so far?”
“Pretty much. Took a short trip here for the vow renewal of the Boudreaus, then back to Melbourne. Just over seven weeks ago I came back to Shiloh Springs, and Antonio Boudreau took a bullet meant for me.”
“Right, right. Then it was back here while we searched for clues. A week ago, you went back to Shiloh Springs. In that time, you’ve had your tires slashed and a car bomb nearly took you out. Am I missing anything?”
“That pretty much covers it.”
In the background, it was easy to hear other voices and machinery, as well as occasional messages playing over the intercom, and he figured Calvin was still at the hospital. RMH had superb security, so figuring out how Norville managed to give the slip to both the prison guards and RMH’s security would have taken up-to-the-minute timing to make everything work. As much as he wished he could be there because Norville was partly his responsibility, it was more important he stay put. If, as he suspected, Jesse Norville and Cassandra Bishop were in Shiloh Springs, he needed to be ready for their next move.
“I’m thinking, son, if Cassandra and Jesse have waited around in Texas for the last eight weeks, and they’re still around, we have to assume they’ve spent a good deal of time in Shiloh Springs, either watching you from a distance whenever you’ve been in town, or they’ve been scoping out the place. Maybe talking to locals. Figuring out your moves, when you’d been there, the places you’re likely to spend time. Like at the Boudreau ranch, or places in town. Might be a good call to show pictures to some of the people around town, see if anything pops. If they’ve been nosing around, someone might recognize them.”
“Good idea. I’m getting ready to head into town, so I’ll ask around. If we’re lucky, maybe we’ll catch a break and somebody has seen them, maybe talked with them.”
“Keep me posted. I’ve got to run, see if we can figure out where Norville disappeared to and catch the bugger before he can do any more harm.”
Calvin disconnected the call without a goodbye. Nick rose from the swing and started toward his rental. He hadn’t made it far before he heard his name called from his right. Looking up, he spotted Douglas striding toward him. He still got a sense of breathlessness whenever he saw the big man, memories of long past days swelling deep within. Those days had helped keep his sanity when he’d been younger, had grounded him in ways he couldn’t put into words, but had been the lifeline he’d clung to.
“Everything okay, Nick? Saw you coming back from Dane’s place a few minutes ago. You find out anything about who’s put a target on your back yet?”
“We’ve actually got a couple of leads, thanks to Destiny’s fancy computer skills.”
A smile spread across Douglas’ face at the mention of his daughter-in-law. “She’s amazing. I swear there is magic in her fingertips when she touches a keyboard.”
“I’m about to head into town and ask around, see if anybody has seen our new persons of interest.” He pulled his phone back out of his pocket and pulled up the pictures of Cassandra and Jesse, showing them to Douglas. “Do you recognize either one of them? Or maybe have seen them around Shiloh Springs?”
Douglas studied the photos intently before shaking his head. “Sorry, neither looks familiar.”
“It was worth a shot.”
“Do you mind if I tag along? I was getting ready to head into town anyway. Supposed to meet the missus at Daisy’s for a late lunch date.”
“No problem, I’d enjoy the company.”
Gracie stood behindthe counter and stretched her back, feeling the slight tightness in the muscles from bending over and stacking the shelves. As it was edging closer to the lunch hour, there were only a handful of customers still lingering in the shop. A few stragglers had meandered in over the last half hour, but the whole morning rush was past, and now she’d be able to get some work finished before having to hit the books. It was almost tax time and she needed to put in some extra hours to make sure she had everything ready to send to her accountant.
She glanced up as the front door opened and a tall woman with brilliant platinum blonde hair strode inside and made her way straight to the counter. With a quick glance at the menu posted above the register, she ordered a large chai latte. Pulling free a credit card from the large shoulder bag she carried, she paid for her drink.
“While I’m waiting, could you tell me if Grace Medeiros is working today?”
“I’m Gracie. How can I help you?”
“Gracie, my name is Alexis and I work for a travel blog. We’re doing a series of coffee shops around the globe, highlighting small mom and pop places, instead of the big chains most people are familiar with. Trying to bring a little attention, shine the spotlight on the smaller shops who deserve recognition. I heard Gracie’s Grounds mentioned a couple of times as I was driving north from Houston to Dallas. You’ve got glowing recommendations, by the way.”
“Wow, that’s nice to hear. I’ve got an excellent supplier and my employees work really hard to ensure that each customer has the best experience possible.”
The blonde smiled but it didn’t quite reach her eyes, and a skitter of nervousness tickled the back of Gracie’s neck. Unease filled her as the last remaining customers exited through the front door, leaving her alone with the steely-gazed blonde. Well, not completely alone. Alice, the part-time barista, was doing inventory in the back and cataloging the new blend that had just arrived. A new distributor wanted Gracie to check out their new dark roast, and she’d agreed to give it a trial. But other than Alice, they were for all intents and purposes alone.
Her hands worked to complete the chai latte the blonde had ordered, and handed it over.
“Is there somewhere we could talk in private?”
The sick feeling of unease morphed into distress when the blonde moved closer, starting to come around the counter, and Gracie blocked her. “I appreciate you thinking about featuring Gracie’s Grounds in your blog, but I think I’m going to have to decline. I’m exceptionally busy at this time. Good luck with your articles.”
The blonde placed her latte on the counter and smiled at Gracie. All those pearly white teeth reminded Gracie of a barracuda ready to shred the flesh from its unsuspecting victim. Unconsciously, she took a step back before catching herself. This was her place, and she wasn’t about to let anybody push her around, especially some glorified wannabe influencer.
“You don’t understand, Ms. Medeiros. Or should I call you by your old name, Caroline? Carolina Francesca Suarez, daughter of Miguel and Susana Suarez of San Antonio.”
