Deadly Revenge (Pearl River #3)

Chapter 45

45

“We’re doing what?” Jenna braked at the end of her grandmother’s drive and stared at Max.

“Your uncle invited me—us—to join him and his buddies on a dog training session tomorrow night.”

“How ...” She looked to see if somehow Max had sprouted two heads—that was the only way she knew he could’ve elicited an invitation from Sam like that. “How in the world did that come about?”

Jenna pulled out of the drive and followed the GPS directions as he related the conversation about Sam knowing Max’s brother who was a dog trainer and Max showing an interest in one of her uncle’s dogs. It made sense in a convoluted way. “Good. It’ll save us some time running down some of the landowners, and with Sam’s invitation, they’ll come nearer accepting you.”

“My thoughts exactly. And Sam said neither he nor your dad killed Paul Nelson.”

“You asked him that and he answered?”

“Yes and yes. Seemed to be telling the truth.”

Jenna turned the words over in her mind, amazed her uncle hadn’t blown up. “Are you really interested in Sam’s dog?”

“Actually, I am. My brother has been trying to get me involved since I moved back home—it’s a hobby that would give us an opportunity to spend time together,” he said. “Oh, and I sort of let Sam think my brother and I have a rivalry.”

“Gotcha,” Jenna said with a laugh. “How is Lewis?”

“Good. Between training his dogs and his job and my job, I don’t see much of him—it’s one reason he wants me to hunt with him.”

She’d met Lewis when she worked with Max in robbery, and he was one of the most laid-back men she knew. Jenna checked her phone. Alex had sent the address of one of the families TerraQuest had bought out, and it wasn’t too far from the Bishop farm. “Ready to check on Ace and talk to Kirk and his grandfather? See if any more of those rough characters have shown up next door?”

“Sure. I hope the boy has stayed away from the river. I’d hate for him to tangle with the person who attacked me.”

“Me too.” The memory of finding Max unconscious sent a chill through her. “While we’re in that area, we could stop by and see if Eric Darby will give us a little more information.”

“That’ll be a waste of time. Darby will come to us if he decides to talk. Our time would be better spent researching the newspaper archives.”

Max was probably right. Jenna followed the GPS directions, and soon they turned into a drive with a modest, ranch-style house. A tricycle and jungle gym in the side yard indicated a family with small children. “I don’t see any vehicles.”

“I’ll go see if anyone is home and leave a note on the door if they’re not.”

She watched as he jogged to the house and left a note when no one answered his knock.

“Maybe they’ll call when they read the note,” he said. “Although whoever lives here is probably young—I doubt they can tell us much about TerraQuest.”

That’s the way it went with investigations. A lot of time spent knocking on doors with zero results. Maybe the Bishops had seen something at the farm next to them. She backed out of the drive and drove to the barn, where they found Kirk at the stables, cleaning bridles. “Miss Jenna! Are you going to ride?”

She tousled the boy’s red hair. “I don’t have time to ride today. How much do I owe you for taking care of Ace?”

He named a figure that Jenna thought was too low and added twenty dollars to the check she was writing while Max talked to Kirk.

“You been staying away from the river?” he asked.

“Yes, sir. Granddad won’t let me go there anymore.”

“Good.”

Jenna handed him the check, and the boy’s eyes grew big. “Thanks, Miss Jenna. You want me to keep doing what I’m doing?”

“If you don’t mind. We have a big case we’re working on.” She glanced toward the woods, then opened her phone and scrolled to the photos of Sebastian. “Before, when you saw people, did any of them look like this person?” She showed him the photos.

Kirk studied one of the pictures. “Can you make it bigger?”

She tapped on the photo so that it filled her screen.

“When I first saw that one”—he pointed at the photo of Sebastian taken during intake at the prison—“I thought he might’ve been the one who had the creepy grin, but the guy in the picture is too skinny.”

“And the creepy guy isn’t?”

His eyes widened and he shook his head. “He’s got these huge muscles.”

Jenna turned her phone where she could see the photo, trying to imagine what Sebastian would look like if he’d pumped up. “Is your granddad around?”

“He’s putting a new fan up in the hall by Ace’s stable.”

“Good. I think I’ll check on my horse.”

“I’ll come with you,” Max said.

They walked the short distance to the other barn and found Bryan Bishop on a ladder about to hang a fan from the ceiling. “Here,” Max said. “Let me help you.”

While Max helped hang the fan, Jenna walked to the refrigerator in a small alcove and grabbed a carrot she’d stashed for treats. She loved the smell of the barn, a mixture of hay and grain and horse. She wished she had time to ride this afternoon. The ebony horse stuck his head over the stall door and nickered, and she gave him the carrot.

“How are you, boy?” She smoothed her hand down his neck. “I sure miss riding you, but this case will be over soon.”

She turned toward the fan when she felt the air circulating through the hallway. “That feels good,” Jenna said when Bryan crawled down from the ladder.

“Wanted to get these up before it turned hot.” He turned to Max. “Thank you. Made it a lot easier.”

“Glad to help.” Max tilted his head. “You didn’t happen to find out who owns the place next to you or who’s renting it, did you?”

“Afraid not. I have seen Tom Weaver there, and I figure he’s seeing after the place.”

“He said he was,” Jenna said. “We’re meeting with him in the morning.”

“Okay if we drive down to the edge of woods?” Max asked.

“No problem.”

Jenna patted Ace’s neck. “Okay, boy. I’ll see you later.”

The horse nickered, and Max laughed. “I swear, I think he understood what you said.”

Jenna grinned at him. “Better believe it.”

They walked back to the SUV, and Max opened the gate to the access road to the woods and river. After he closed it, he hopped in the SUV. “Do you think Sebastian rented the place next door?”

“I don’t know,” Jenna said. “Mr. Weaver didn’t recognize the photos, but maybe Sebastian wasn’t the one he dealt with. Hopefully tomorrow we can find out.”

A shadow raced across the dirt road, sending a shiver through Jenna. What if Sebastian was here, living right next to where she kept her horse?