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“A competition with a friend?” Jon put in. “I had a buddy who knew I was an Apple fan so he’d give me Microsoft gear.”
“Did you ever use it?” Mason asked.
“Well, no.”
“That’s what I thought. Most of us wouldn’t give a joker that kind of satisfaction.”
Annie turned the two words over in her mind.Massey. Not a common name, not around here anyway.Ferguson. A much more common surname at least. She turned over the picture and found three scrawled words in what seemed a male’s handwriting.
Your turn next.
She showed it to Mason and Jon. The ominous words shook her.Your turn. Someone else’s turn to take a deer? Or something more sinister?
“Do you have a list of his employees and friends?” Jon asked. “Massey Ferguson might have some significance.”
Annie turned the photo faceup. “Are there are any more pictures of Glenn in clothing or hats with words on them? This one probably struck you because it was so contrary to John Deere, but there might be more that aren’t obvious.”
“I’ll check.” Jon went back to the drawer and spread out the rest of the pictures.
While he went through the rest of the photos, Annie and Mason continued to examine the rest of the house. Nothing seemed out of order. She paid particular attention to his office, but nothing jumped out at her.
“Bingo!” Jon called from the living room. “There’s a false bottom in this drawer.”
She and Mason rushed down the hall to see what he’d found. Jon had the drawer apart with three more glossies spread out on the sofa.
Jon scooped up the pictures and handed them over. “I think the Massey Ferguson one was supposed to be in the false drawer. All the others are pictures of Glenn wearing various promotional items. Look here.”
He showed them one of Glenn dressed in a Hawk’s tee. “Check out the back.”
Swift and deadly.
“Here he is in a King’s Camp hat,” Jon said.
“And the back?” Annie asked.
“‘This weekend.’ And here’s the last.” He showed them a picture of Glenn in front of a cabin wearing a Cyclops jacket. “That’s the cabin where he held Michelle.” He turned it over.
Shoot straight.
They would have to figure out what it all meant. They could start with a list of known associates, but Annie suspected it wouldn’t be that easy. The gear meant something important to Glenn and his friends, and none of them would be quick to give up any information.
“Hello?”
Annie turned at a female voice and recognized the woman coming through the doorway as Glenn’s wife. She had thatcreamy skin a true redhead possessed, and a scowl marred her smooth brow. A badge from the top real estate company in town was pinned to the lapel of her camel pantsuit.
“I want you out of my house.” Her accusing gaze swung to Mason. “You said you’d be in here only a little while, and it’s already lunchtime.”
Mason scooped up the pictures and showed them to her. “I have a few questions first.”
***
The two hours Sarah had waited for Max Reardon seemed like years. The staff was nice enough and gave her the run of the house, but Max wanted to personally escort her to the cabin where she was going to stay for the week. Sarah had taken a copy ofJack and Jillby Louisa May Alcott out to the massive back deck to try to kill time.
She fanned through it, not sure she wanted to dive in, and was struck by a paragraph that lodged deep.“Our actions are in our own hands, but the consequences of them are not. Remember that, my dear, and think twice before you do anything.”
She hadn’t considered the consequences of anything she’d done, and look where it had all landed her. How had she ended up here? She rubbed her head and thought back to the moment when revenge seemed her best option. It had been right after Becky had died, and Sean had come to help her. He’d shown her a picture of Annie with their parents that had been in the paper. There’d been no mention of a kidnapped daughter. It was like Sarah had ceased to be relevant or missed in their lives. And she’d decided to make them pay.
It had been stupid. She sighed and put the book down.
