“Yes, we wore gloves and made it look like a robbery. We tossed the place.”
Leland slapped him across the face, and he stumbled across the room. “That’s the reason they fled, you idiot. I thought you were smarter than this. If you’d only broken in there and saw they were gone and left, they’d have stayed put.”
Minchin rubbed his face. “Normally, I would have done that, but Evans had never done a break-in before. His normal job is dealing with keeping the girls in line like Bidle, but he got carried away in that girl’s room. Jennings and I knew we had to carry through in others as well when we saw it.”
Leland shook his head. “Don’t trust him on other jobs of this nature then. Keep him on a short leash. Was there anything in that house that you saw that we might be able to use in searching for the Justus?”
“Like what, boss?” Minchin asked.
“Her likes. Her interests. Where might she go? What might she do? She can’t stay at home all the time. Does she have an upcoming appointment with a doctor? Hell, I don’t know. You deal with dames on a regular basis as much as anyone else.”
Minchin nodded, gingerly touching his jaw. “No. I don’t recall anything like that. I wasn’t in her room. Evans was, and he’s already gone. But I didn’t see any reminders like that in her sister’s room either. And she was a real neat freak. I could tell by the way everything was put in place.”
“Alright, get out of here. If you find something, use it in your search, but bring me results,” Leland said. “I was serious when I said heads will roll if we don’t stop those girls from testifying.”
Minchin left the Chieftain and walked through the RV Storage lot to the campground area, finally catching up with Jennings and Evans as they walked to the car.
“What did the boss want you to stay behind about?” Jennings asked. “Are we in more trouble than he already said?”
“He just wanted to ensure we covered our tracks at the Killion place,” Minchin explained. “Evans, when you were in the girl’s room, did you notice anything in particular that could be useful to us in helping find her?”
“What do you mean?” Evans grumbled.
“I don’t know. Didshehave an appointment book or anything like that? Maybe a sticky note on a mirror?” Minchin elaborated.
“No. There was nothing out of the ordinary, except there was a pet bed and some toys. I think she might have a dog,” Evans said.
“A dog?” Minchin’s brows arched. “How large a bed?”
“It's not too big, kind of small. We didn’t see or hear one at the house, so I don’t think it was in the backyard while we were there,” Evans said. “They might have taken the dog with them.”
Minchin rubbed his chin and thought. “Good job, Evans. This detail could come in handy for us.”
“How?” Jennings asked. “And what does it matter if she has a dog?”
“Dogs go to the Vet. They need grooming,” Minchin explained as they reached the car. He used his key fob to unlock the doors. “If I can find the right one, it could help me find Justus Killion.”
“Sounds like searching for a needle in a haystack to me,” Jennings said.
“You let me worry about that,” Minchin said.
Justus snappedon For All’s leash and handed the lead to Rafferty so he could take him to the dog park for an early morning walk. “I’ll have breakfast ready when you return,” she said.
“Are you sure?” Rafferty asked. “I could whip something up once we came back with him.”
“I’ve been cooking for myself for years. I know my way around the kitchen. You said you like pancakes, so I’ll make those.”
“Okay.” Rafferty reluctantly turned toward the door with the dog. “I’m locking up when I leave.”
“That’s fine. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Don’t burn the place down,” he warned.
She laughed. “Got it.”
The opening and closing of the door let her know that he had left, and she got busy frying bacon and mixing up the pancake batter. She was flipping the last pancake in the pan and starting to crack eggs when her phone rang. She answered and cradled it between her shoulder and ear.
“Hello?”
