“Then he’s not completely stupid,” Ellen said with a slight smile.
She looked out the kitchen window and watched the truck driveoff. The license plate was a private Texas plate, not a county exempt plate. Not wholly unusual—she had a friend who worked for the county and she’d drive her own truck for some county business—but on a day like this, she found it odd.
Penny said, “Clive Robertson dropped off a contract for you earlier. They want to trade part of the Baldwin property for the two hundred acres between the Robinson and Coulter properties. Then Travis called, and said Clive came by and gave him a copy, asked that Travis talk to you about it, they need it Sunday night. I put it on the desk over there,” she said, gesturing to the small desk under the phone.
“They don’t listen!” Ellen exclaimed.
A timer went off and Penny pushed herself out of the rocking chair.
“I can get it,” Ellen said.
“Naw, I need to move,” Penny said, sounding tired. “Just more cookies. The stew is still warm on the stove for when Jake and Bobby get back, and Millie’s shepherd’s pie is edible, I have it on warm in the second oven. But I’m going to lie down for a spell, if you don’t mind.”
Penny got the cookies from the oven and turned it off. She shuffled around and Ellen was worried about her.
“Are you feeling okay?”
She didn’t immediately answer.
“Grandma,” Ellen said, and looked her in the eyes.
“I just want Avery back home. Is that too much to ask?” Tears welled in her eyes and Ellen hugged her, fighting her own tears.
“No, definitely not too much to ask,” Ellen said.
When Penny went down the hall to her room, Ellen called Rick. It took him more than a minute before he answered.
“Sheriff Perez.”
“It’s Ellen. Any word about Avery?”
“No. I’ve alerted every deputy, and I’ve brought in everyoneI can. I alerted state police, the rangers, and every county in a hundred-mile radius. Photo and description of the Mendozas’ truck as well as the license plate you gave me. No one has seen them, but there’s not a lot of people out there right now. More cops and county work crews than people, to be honest. It’s bad out there. Have you seen Ryan yet?”
“No.”
“Dammit. LuAnne is panicking, he should be there by now, and he hasn’t answered his phone. I tell her the cell phones are hit-or-miss, and lightning took out one of the towers.”
“My power’s out.”
“Half the county is out. Your generators working?”
“Yes, but someone sabotaged our barn generator with copper wire, and the shock knocked Lyla back.”
“Did you saysabotage?”
“Yes. It’s not the first damage to our barn; I was going to file a report tomorrow.”
“I’ll get over to you when I can. Is Orchard Lane open?”
“West of Whisper Creek should be okay, but someone from the county just came by to tell me they were closing Orchard Lane at both ends.”
“Must be even worse than I think, and I think it’s pretty damn bad. Please call me or have Ryan call as soon as he gets there.”
“I will. Thanks.”
She hung up, ate one of the warm cookies, and picked up the folder labeledVerdacorp Offer for Whisper Creek Ranch.
She had to do something to get her mind off Avery.
