“With what?” asked Robie. “You and Bender and a few state cops who obviously want no part of those pricks? They’ve got over a hundred men there and they’re loaded for bear. And they’ll have gotten rid of any evidence, so it becomes our word against theirs.”
“And nailing those bastards is not our job,” added Reel. “Our job is to find Roger Walton. And our leads keep disappearing. Lamarre was our best shot and we have no idea where he is. So we’re back at square one. We don’t have time to be embroiled in a criminal trial.”
“But it could be that Dolph and his skinheads took Walton,” suggested Malloy.
“It could be, but we were there and saw no evidence of that. And like what happened with us, by now they would have covered any trace of that.”
“If you broke out of his place, he’s going to be coming for you.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” said Robie.
“And you can’t guarantee our safety, we know,” said Reel. “But we’ve got this.”
“Look, you want to find Walton. I want to help you do that.”
Reel said, “Okay, got any ideas on where we go from here?”
“Well, now that I have no idea where my sister is, I can focus my energies on coming up with some. I just hope to God she’s safe.”
At these words, Reel looked away.
Robie said, “A white panel van. It stopped at Clyde’s for gas. Lamarre was working that night. He saw what he saw.”
Bender said, “Well, if they stopped for gas, then I guess they were either starting out from here and going a long distance or else they were coming from somewhere and had to stop and fill up before they got there.”
Reel looked impressed. “That’s a good point.”
He smiled shyly. “I have ’em on occasion.”
Robie said, “So if the latter, where might that be?”
Malloy said, “I’ve never seen the skinheads in a white van. They favor pickup trucks. King’s Apostles don’t have any vans. They’ve got trucks and a Hummer.”
“The white supremacists?” asked Reel.
Bender shook his head. “Harleys, Dodge Rams, Ford F150s. An old school bus and a couple of hearses.”
“Hearses.”
“They haul guns and ammo in them,” said Bender.
“And where do they haul them?” asked Robie.
“Wherever they want to. No law against it.”
“Sounds like your hands are tied,” said Reel.
“I can get my sister Patti and her buddies to look for the van,” said Bender. “They get around to places with their work that most around here don’t get to.”
“Okay,” said Reel.
“There’s something else,” said Bender.
“What’s that?” asked Reel.
“It has nothing to do with the investigation. But my mother has invited you two over for dinner tonight. Valerie’s coming too. And Patti.”
“I’m not sure we—” began Reel.
But Robie interrupted and said, “Sounds good. Thanks. Just tell us the time.”
As they walked out of the sheriff’s office a few minutes later Reel said, “What was that about? We have no leads on Blue Man. We’ve got some crazed Nazi gunning for us. The director is going to chew our asses out next time she talks to us, and we’re going to dinner?”
“We have to eat. And maybe what we’re missing on this case is some local color.”
“What does that even mean?”
“It might mean finding Blue Man. And if it does, it’s worth a dinner, Jess.”
CHAPTER
36
“You like Amarone, Will?”
Claire Bender was dressed in sandals, black slacks, and a white sleeveless blouse revealing long and wiry tanned arms. Her silvery blonde hair was pulled back in a bun and clipped in place. Her features were animated and a smile played over her lips.
He looked at the glass of red wine she was holding out. “I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
He took the wine from her and had a sip.
“It’s better than fine,” he commented.
Claire smiled. “I’m glad you like it. This is a beer-and-tequila sort of place. There aren’t many people in Grand who would appreciate a good wine.” She clinked her glass against his. “Roger loves Amarone.” She stopped and looked down. “I’m sorry, I don’t know where that came from. It was just automatic. We’ve shared many bottles of wine.”
“I’m sure you did.”
“Let me show you something.”
She led him through to the rear of the house then out the back door. There was a detached six-car garage behind the main house.
She pulled a remote from her pocket and opened one of the doors.
“What do you think?”
Revealed behind the door was a vintage burgundy Cadillac convertible with a pair of Texas longhorns mounted on the front.
“Impressive.”
“I went to UT. Only time I really left Colorado. It just felt right at the time, but then I wanted to get back here. But I have a fondness in my heart for the Lone Star State. Go ahead and sit in it.”
Robie opened the driver’s door and slid into the front seat. The upholstery was white and in pristine shape.
Claire leaned against the front fender. “Took a year and more money than I want to think about to rehab this thing. It’s a 1966 Cadillac DeVille convertible. It’s got a 340-horsepower overhead cam V8. I think it actually gets minus miles to the gallon. It’s eighteen and a half feet long, which makes it pretty much bigger than my first home here.”
“They don’t make them like this anymore.”
“They don’t make anything like they did anymore. Did you know Roger drove this car when he lived here?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“He earned the money for it working during the summers. When he left for college, he gave it to me. Lot of good memories in this pile of metal and vinyl.”
Robie got out of the car and smiled. “I’m sure.”
Her smile faded as she gripped his arm. “Find him, Will. Please.”
“I’ll do my best. That I promise.”
Back inside Robie looked around and eyed Reel in conversation with Patti Bender. The woman had cleaned up from when they had seen her before. She wore a cream-colored skirt, an off-the-shoulder sweater, hoop earrings, and boots. Robie noted that she was not armed tonight. At least not visibly.
Her brother walked in a moment later with Malloy in tow. Derrick had changed into jeans, a white shirt worn untucked, his Stetson, and worn boots. His service piece rode in a holster on his hip.
Malloy had the most startling transformation. She was in a colorful sundress with strappy heels. Her hair was down around her shoulders and bounced a bit as she walked.
He felt a nudge on his arm. Claire said, “The sheriff looks mighty beautiful tonight, doesn’t she?”
Robie nodded. “She cleans up well.”
Claire smiled. “Yes, she does.”
Then Claire turned serious. “So have you found out anything about Roger’s disappearance?”
“I really can’t discuss that with you.”
“Oh come on. Do you think I’m going to go around telling everybody and maybe messing up your investigation? I want you to find Roger!”
“We’re working on it, Claire. That’s all I can say. And I meant what I said outside. I’m going to do all that I can to bring him back.”
“I heard there was a disturbance yesterday.”
“Where?”
“I can keep a secret, just like you.”
With a triumphant smile, Claire moved off and worked the room playing the gracious host, pouring out wine and handing out beers and chatting everyone up.
Malloy found Robie in the corner.
He said, “Didn’t expect to see you out of uniform.”
“I’m always on duty but that doesn’t mean I can’t occasionally dress like a girl, Robie.”
He lifted his glass. “I’m not saying otherwise. You look great.”
“Thank you,” she said primly.
A twinge of guilt hit Robie sharply enough to make him look away momentarily. He didn’t like holding the truth of Holly’s death from her sister, but they had made a deal with the FBI, and Robie couldn’t jeopardize that investigation. Not even when his gut was telling him to pull Malloy into another room and tell her everything.
“You okay?” she asked.
He looked back at her. “Sorry, just preoccupied.”
“I called a buddy of mine in New York. I told him about the creds you and your partner are carrying. You know what he said?”
“No, but I think you’re going to tell me.”
“He said that those sound like cred packs Feds use to cover up who they really are. And that people who do that are ones who have serious firepower back in DC.”
“Okay.”