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Belinda’s fork clattered against her plate where she dropped it. “That’s horrible. I have a little boy and I can’t even imagine. Dax is like a father to him. I still can’t stomach the thought of him being involved in snatching children.”
“And whoever was behind it twenty-five years ago wants to do it again. That’s what I can’t fathom. Why?” Scarlett shoved her full plate away.
Jim said, “As long as those drugs stay hidden, they’re not going to get another chance. Whoever Danny has lined up to kidnap children this time is not going to do it without payment in the form of those drugs.”
“Danny?” Belinda looked up from her coffee cup. “You do know?”
Scarlett kicked him under the table. “W-we have a good idea but no proof.”
“Maybe that’s where we start—with Danny. If he launched this whole plot years ago, maybe that’s what Dax means. We need to start with him. We need to start at the reservation.”
“Reservation?” Belinda’s gaze darted between them. “This Danny, he’s Native American like you?”
“Unfortunately, we’re related, but forget everything we told you about his involvement. You did your part by sending that text to Jim. Now you just need to make sure Dax gets better.” Scarlett aimed her fork at Belinda’s plate. “And you can’t do that on an empty stomach.”
Jim dragged Scarlett’s plate back in front of her. “And you can’t investigate on an empty stomach.”
“You’re not sending me away?”
“How am I going to get on the reservation without you?”
“Granny has pretty much adopted you. I’m sure she’d be happy to entertain you.”
Did she want to go back to San Francisco? He should be insisting instead of dragging her into this any further.
He tucked an errant strand of silky hair behind Scarlett’s ear. “Then I’ll go on my own.”
“Oh, no.” She jabbed a potato with her fork. “Granny might be ready to adopt you, but the rest of them still hate you. I’ll be tagging along.”
The three of them managed to finish their breakfasts and leave the restaurant without running into anyone they knew. The sooner Belinda could get Dax out of this town, the better.
When they dropped her off, Jim turned to Scarlett. “Can we go by the sheriff’s station first? Stevens wanted me to check in today when Musgrove was there.”
Their visit to the sheriff’s station was a waste of time. The Timberline deputies didn’t know much of anything about his brother’s case, and Musgrove wasn’t even at the station.
As they walked out, Jim mumbled, “How much golf can one guy play?”
“Especially at the tail of autumn on the Washington peninsula.” Scarlett tipped her head back to take in the gray sky.
Jim joined her in the car and put his hand over hers. “One more stop? I’d like to drop by my place for a change of clothes.”
“Of course.” Her gaze flicked over her body. “Although you look fine to me.”
“At least my boxers are dry.”
As she started the car, her shoulders dropped and a smile touched her lips.
He’d never been much of a comedian, but someone had to lighten the mood. Scarlett had been so tense he was afraid she was ready to crack.
Hunching forward, he smacked the dashboard. “I think we’re going to get to the bottom of this, Scarlett. Bit by bit, we’re piecing things together.”
She pulled onto the highway, back to the center of town. “Begin at the beginning. So, you think the beginning is with Danny and the reservation?”
“If he’s the one who ordered the kidnappings or was part of the ring that originally ordered them twenty-five years ago, and it looks like he was. Unless...” Jim massaged the back of his neck as a shaft of pain shot through his skull.
She twisted her head to the side. “Unless what?”
“Maybe the beginning was with me. The kidnappings started after someone tried to snatch me, and instead of turning the guy in, my dad had a long talk with him. Maybe that’s where it all started.”
Scarlett’s eyes got wide. “D-do you think your dad made some kind of deal with the kidnappers that night?”
