The guy had no priors. That reassured Blake somewhat. But that didn’t let him off the hook. Everyone’s life of crime started with the first one and sometimes they weren’t caught until the tenth—or more. And Rachel had chosen to follow him for some reason.
Blake sat in the passenger seat of Chloe’s SUV. She’d parked it across the street from the house but down about three doors where they had a good view of the front door and the side. A team of agents and other law enforcement stood ready to move in should they need to, but for now everything remained quiet.
Linc approached the house and knocked on the door. If Wright was home and looked out the window, he’d see a man dressed in khakis and a dark blue collared shirt. Linc would identify himself as FBI when Wright opened the door.
Only no one answered.
Linc knocked again.
Still nothing.
Chloe chewed her bottom lip.
“What is it?” Blake asked her.
“I don’t know. It’s almost too quiet.”
He glanced around. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”
“Bryce would have told Wright that two cops came to the museum asking about him, right?”
“Probably.” He paused. “Unless he didn’t.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re a big help. So, let’s say he told him for the sake of argument. If Wright’s guilty of something, he’s going to wonder if we’ve found anything. And if he’s not guilty, he should wonder what we wanted. The fact that he hasn’t called makes my skin itch.”
Blake raised a brow. “But you’re assuming Bryce told him about our visit.”
“True.” She paused. “But why would he not tell him? He has to know we’ll be back if we don’t hear from Wright.”
“Having two cops show up could rattle anyone. Maybe he doesn’t want to rock the boat. Maybe he’s worried his client is in trouble with the police and he’s got that auction coming up. If his most sought-after artist gets arrested, where’s that going to leave his precious auction?”
“In which case, he’d probably tell him to lay low until after the auction.”
“I keep coming back to that.”
“What?”
“The auction. Rachel mentioned the girls being sold at an auction. I think we should check into the possibility that there’s a connection between that auction and the art auction.”
“We can discuss that in more detail after we deal with this.”
“Fine.”
Linc had walked the perimeter of the house by this point and was now making his way back toward them. He stopped at Chloe’s window and she rolled it down. “He’s not here,” Linc said. “Or, at least he’s not answering the door. All the blinds are shut. There’s an outbuilding in the back, but just looks like storage.”
Chloe frowned. “The Suburban’s in the drive.”
“Might not mean much,” Linc said. “Someone could have picked him up.”
“Could have,” she said.
Linc raised a brow. “But?”
But for some reason, she didn’t think so. “You know, we were looking for him the other day. It’s possible someone might be upset about that. You think Wright might be in some kind of danger?”
Her brother paused, studied her. Then gave a slow nod. “I think it’s possible. If he’s involved in the trafficking business and someone found out you two were asking around about him, then yeah, I’d say it’s a real possibility. I might even say there are exigent circumstances warranting an immediate search of the property to ensure the safety of the occupant.”
With exigent circumstances, they wouldn’t need a warrant to search. This might be stretching it a bit, but then again, there was no way to know for sure. “Great. Let’s take a look and make sure Mr. Wright isn’t in any immediate danger.”
She climbed out of the SUV, slipped on a heavier coat to ward off the chill, and let Hank out of his area. She clipped the lead on his harness and walked toward the house. If the man had anything to do with the drugs being moved in the trailer where they’d found the girls, it’s possible there would be traces of it on the property. She tucked the rope toy into her belt. But first, she really was rather concerned for the man. Linc’s assessment could be spot-on. They needed to check on Ethan.
And find out why he hadn’t called them. She, Hank, Blake, and Linc walked the perimeter of the home. Linc was on his phone getting background on the aunt.
“I don’t see any sign of trouble, do you guys?” Blake asked.
“No, but . . .” Chloe shook her head. “He called in sick yesterday, but he’s not at home. That’s a red flag.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time someone’s played hooky.”
“True.” But . . . “Hank, find the dope.”
The dog went to work. She shortened the lead to about fifteen feet and let him have his way. Hank led her to the corner of the house, then around to the back and up on the deck. Hank took her back down the steps and across the yard to the outbuilding. He nosed the door, then sat. Chloe glanced through the only clean spot on the window and couldn’t see much. She turned the knob and heard a slight snick that didn’t sound anything like a simple door opening. She knew that sound. Or a similar sound. It could be nothing. Or it could be something big.
She froze. Her heart rate picked up and she blew out a slow breath while keeping the knob in the turned position. “Guys?”
Chloe turned her head slowly and spotted Linc walking toward her. She lifted the hand that held Hank’s leash. “Stay back.” He frowned and jogged toward her, followed by Blake. She scowled. “You don’t listen very well, do you?”
“What’s wrong?”
“There might be drugs inside the building. Hank says so anyway. But we’ll have to do something about the bomb first. Now get back and call the bomb squad, would you?”
Her brother stilled and Blake jerked. “What?” he said.
She tilted her head toward her hand. “Something clicked when I turned the knob. I’m assuming it’s rigged to blow when I either open the door or release the knob.”
All color drained from his face. “You’re sure? It wasn’t just the release of the plunger?”
“I guess I could let go and find out.”
Linc shot her a black look.
Blake was on the phone. She heard the words “bomb squad,” then the address.
“Switch places with me,” Linc said. “Let me have the knob.”
“No way. Now back off and let the bomb squad come do their job.”
“Chloe, I’m not kidding—”
“I’m not either. What if the only reason it didn’t blow is because I have the right amount of pressure on the knob? If we try to change places, you could change that dynamic and blow us all up.” Truthfully, she had no idea if that argument carried any weight at all, but it sounded good and might get him out of the way.
He winced, but didn’t argue. He didn’t move back either. Neither did Blake. She handed the leash to Blake. “Will you put Hank in his area in the truck?”
Blake took the leash, hesitated only a brief moment, then nodded. “Fine, but I’m coming back.”
When he left, she looked at Linc. “Ethan Wright is former Army. What’d he do in the Army?”
“Not explosives, if that’s what you’re wondering. At least that wasn’t in the file. He was a first lieutenant. Saw some action in Afghanistan, but was honorably discharged after being wounded by a roadside IED. Came back to the States and took up teaching and art.”
All innocent enough. So, why rig his outbuilding to blow? It was locked. The knob turned easily, but there were two deadbolts that she could see were engaged.
The bomb squad chose that moment to roll to a stop just beyond the front of the house. Chloe’s hand began to cramp and she clamped her lips together until the spasm passed.
Two bomb squad team members clad in their protective gear descended the sloping yard. One led an explosive ordnance detection K-9 who had his nose to the ground when they reached her. The handler looked at Chloe. “I’m Brad and this is K-9 Lulu. My friend there is Mitch.”
Chloe nodded. She didn’t recognize either of these guys and figured they were probably new. She hoped they weren’t new when it came to explosives.
Mitch motioned for Blake and Linc to get out of the way. Linc grasped her free hand. “Don’t let go of that knob until they give you the all clear.”