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“I don’t know.” Grimm’s face was set in tight lines. “But it makes sense. That same person probably stole the map from your uncle’s home. If he has both, he could follow the clues just as well as we have.”
“It’s like a race now.” Dezi sighed. “All the more reason for us to get to the next clue before he does.”
“It won’t do him any good to get there sooner,” Grimm said. “Based on the letter, he’ll have to wait until the late afternoon, just like us.”
“We should at least let Hank Patterson know what’s happening. At the very least, a satellite phone will come in handy should we get into trouble out there. Are you ready to go?”
“Give me a minute.” He stepped away from her and shrugged into a shoulder holster. He grabbed his handgun from the drawer in his nightstand, fitted it into the holster then donned a leather jacket. “You’ll want to wear something warmer. Since we’ll be in the mountains close to sundown, it’ll get colder.”
She patted the lump beneath his jacket, where the pistol rested against his side. “You don’t happen to have another one of these, do you?”
He shook his head. “Sorry. But I do have this.” Grimm reached into a pocket of his duffel bag and pulled out what looked like a pocketknife. “It has a lever on the side that makes the blade pop out.” He demonstrated how to use the knife, then handed it to Dezi.
She practiced with it several times until she could easily pop the blade out. She shoved it into her jeans pocket and led the way back to her room, where she pulled on a sweatshirt over her blouse and slipped into a leather jacket.
Dezi faced Grimm, her jaw firm and her determination rock-solid. Some bastard was killing people to get to her uncle’s treasure, and he’d stolen the map and the letter her uncle had left for her. Dezi was ready to beat him to the goal and take him down in the process. “Let’s do this.”
CHAPTER10
Grimm called ahead,letting Hank know he and Dezi were on their way out to his place. When they arrived, Hank met them on the porch and led the way down to his operations center in the basement of his house.
Once there, Hank equipped them with a satellite phone and GPS trackers to wear so that Hank and Swede could follow their progress and know exactly where they were in case they ran into more trouble.
“All of my guys are tasked with protective duties. I can come with you if you want,” he said.
Grimm shook his head. “I think we can manage this for now.”
“Swede and I will be monitoring your progress. You have the sat phone. Use it if you get into a pinch. Swede and I will respond and step in as backup.”
“Thank you,” Dezi said. “I feel better knowing you’ll be looking out for us, even if it is from a distance.”
“Good luck out there. Maintain your situational awareness at all times.” Hank clapped a hand on Grimm’s shoulder. “I know I don’t have to tell you that. You know the drill.”
Grimm nodded. “It doesn’t hurt to have the reminder.”
Dezi led the way out of the basement. Grimm followed with Hank behind him.
A baby’s cry made Hank stop at the front door. “That’s my cue. My little guy must be waking up from his nap. I’ve got McClain today while Sadie and Emma have a girl’s morning out in Bozeman.” He held up a hand. “Don’t worry. They’re already on their way back. Good luck.” Hank turned and hurried toward the cries.
Grimm’s followed the fierce Navy SEAL who took parenting as seriously as he had his career in the Navy. “He’s a good father.”
Dezi slipped her hand into his. “Yes, he is. And a good husband to take charge of the baby while his wife has a little timeout with her daughter.”
“That’s how it should be.” He gently squeezed Dezi’s hand and walked with her out to the truck.
When she climbed up into the passenger seat, he stared up at her.
Dezi frowned. “What?”
“I’m worried that I’m taking you into a dangerous situation and thinking you should stay here with Hank and Swede. I could locate the next clue and bring it back to you.”
Before he finished speaking, she was already shaking her head. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily. This is something I have to do. My uncle died trying to get this information to me. His killer is looking for what he wanted me to find. If we find it first, we might catch the killer.”
Grimm’s eyebrows rose. “Do you hear what you’re saying?”
Dezi frowned. “Yes. So?”
“You want to catch a killer. How are you going to do that?”
