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“It’s an on-demand service. There would be a wide range of clients. Record keeping would likely be shoddy, and many people pay in cash. The IRS is not coming to Lovewell to count how many dogs someone walks a day, so it’s really an ideal way to launder shady drug money.”
“You think Hebert is a drug dealer?” It wasn’t hard to believe the asshole could be up to shady shit. Tax fraud? I’m sure. And probably loads of other illegal shit. But a large-scale multinational drug trafficking ring? He was a terrible person, but he was also dumb as a box of rocks. But if it was true, this was big. Huge, really. And made the ache in my stomach even worse. Not only was my family still in danger, but Parker was too. Sure, she’d brushed off that note, but I knew better. She was on to something, and people were scared.
She shrugged. “The dog walking business raised a major red flag. I want to see if he comes to the trailer and what he’s up to.”
“You think we’ll see him tonight?”
“Hope so. I hung out here a couple of days ago. Wanted to get a feel for the place. The trailer was empty and dark. Looks like it’s cared for, though. There are a few potted plants out front that are healthy, and the yard is well maintained. I bumped into this sweet old lady. Mrs. Revelle. She’s in her eighties and maybe doesn’t have the best memory, but she told me no one lives there.”
“I think I know her. She’s a friend of Bernice’s.”
“She invited me in for tea and told me how the place has gone downhill. She said every other Wednesday a bunch of men come by, but they don’t stay long.”
“And it’s Mitch.”
“She didn’t know their names and couldn’t really identify them. But she mentioned two white SUVs parked out front.”
“Ah. That stupid fucking G-Wagon.”
“Bingo. Paul has one too. So I scoped out a few potential vantage points and figured we’d try our luck.”
“But what if it’s too late? Did she say what time?”
“She said they always arrived duringChicago Fire. Not duringChicago Med. Said it annoyed her because the engines were loud, and it’s her favorite show.”
“I don’t know what that means.”
“It means the poor woman just wants to watch sexy firefighters in peace. But it also means they arrive after nine p.m.”
She drove past the entrance to Mountain Meadows and looped around toward the forest. In silence, we continued down the dark, deserted road for another minute or so. Then she slowed and pulled onto the shoulder.
“There,” she said, pointing over the dash.
I had to hand it to her. Less than one hundred feet away was the mint green trailer. At this angle, we could see the front area and the small porch that led up to the door.
The country road we were on was desolate and had no streetlights. As long as we were quiet, we’d remain undetectable here.
She reached across me and popped the glove compartment. “What the hell?” she said, leaning over and squinting, giving me a quick peek down her T-shirt. Damn. Naturally, this was the one time she was actually wearing a bra. “What is this stuff?”
“This,” I said, holding up a small red pouch, “is a first aid kit. There’s also a flashlight and a seat belt cutter.”
“Did you clean this out? I want my lip balm.”
“I organized it for you and added some safety gear.”
She glared at me. “Why?”
“Because you’re unprepared for emergencies. This isn’t Portland, where you can call AAA and wait thirty minutes to be rescued. You’re up in the woods. You need the basics. I also added a collapsible shovel, an emergency blanket, and a box of protein bars to your trunk.”
I hadn’t thought twice about it. I’d stocked my mom’s car with the essentials. My siblings too. For Christmas this year, they were getting top-of-the-line traction tracks for their cars. That would keep them from getting stuck in snow or mud. Thinking things through, being careful, it was in my DNA. Second nature. I just did it.
And here she was getting worked up over it.
She pinched the bridge of her nose and huffed. “What even is this thing?” she asked, holding up an orange and black tool.
“That’s a seat belt cutter. If you’re trapped, it will slice through the seat belt.” I turned the tool around so she could see the metal point. “This will break a car window.”
“All that, and it’s the size of a credit card.” She turned it around in her hand and studied it.
