“Let’s ask some more questions around town. Maybe someone else will be more cooperative.”
“And then—” Luca sighed “—we’re headed to the Mojave.”
“The place where only crazy people go,” Tate finished.
“Then we’ll fit right in,” Stephanie said, leading the way back outside. “By the way.” She pressed Tate’s shoulder. “That was pretty gooddetective work in there, with the photo.”
He shrugged, her fingers warm through his T-shirt sleeve. “Just trying to keep up with the real treasure hunters.”
Luca gave him a quick nod of approval. “We would have come up with that eventually, but you saved us some time.”
Tate put a hand to his baseball cap. “Anything to help.”
She smiled, but beneath the expression he saw thedeep current of fatigue, and something else...fear.
He flashed back to his own feelings the moment he’d woken up in the hospital and asked about his father after the car accident that took his life. Was the terror still etched deep inside his own eyes? he wondered. One moment had been rich with laughter and teasing.
“When you gonna seal the deal and propose to that Stephanie gal? Sheneeds a real man in her life.”
He remembered his father’s hand, thick and callused, waving out the window of the truck as Tate followed in a second vehicle until the unthinkable happened. Before Tate’s unbelieving eyes, his father suddenly careened over the side of a cliff. After a moment of frozen shock, Tate was out of his car, panic propelling him down the slope. Flames spurted from thewreck.
I’m coming, Dad. I’m coming.
But he was still fifteen feet away when there was a boom that shook the ground. He could not get out of the way as a hurtling piece of metal barreled at him with missilelike intensity. There was a sense of something slicing through his leg, the feel of bone snapping and then...darkness.
The darkness had not gone away when he came to. In fact,it seemed to have burrowed deep down inside him, awakening pain so excruciating he’d believed the pills were the only solution. His own weakness disgusted him. He was sure, even though he was no longer the same person he’d been, that his weakness disgusted Stephanie, too.
“Tate?”
He blinked back to the present. “So what’s the next step?”
Luca pointed to a small café, fronted insun-parched wood. “I’m going to go there, ask around. I want to run Mr. Devlin through our computers and see what comes up, and give Tuney a call.”
Stephanie explained that Tuney was a private investigator who had helped them find Brooke’s missing painting. “We’re going to have him look for Dad.” Her voice trembled a tiny bit until she cleared her throat.
“Tuney’s not conventional, buthe’s more tenacious than anybody I’ve ever met. If anyone can find a crack in Bittman’s plan, it’s him. Steph, see if you can find out if Maria’s been sighted around here,” Luca said.
“So what am I supposed to do while the Treasure Seekers are hard at work?” Tate asked.
Luca marched across the street. “Poke around,” he fired over his shoulder. “Check in with your source and see if anything’sturned up on Maria’s computer.”
Tate scanned the street, a wide swath of worn asphalt, bordered by a few storefronts standing on either side, interrupted by flat stretches of dusty ground and piñon junipers. The mountains rose in the distance, giving Tate an uncomfortable, hemmed-in feeling. The street was completely deserted. Not a soul to be seen anywhere. He sighed. “Poke around, huh?”
Stephanie shouldered her laptop. “Luca is focused. He knows how to follow a trail. That’s what we do.”
He didn’t answer. His leg was stiff from the long drive, a dull ache throbbing above the knee.
“We’re going to find Maria,” she added.
The token effort goaded him. He rounded on her. “So you’re concerned now? Why did you let her hook up with Bittman in the first place? If youwere trying to punish
“And then—” Luca sighed “—we’re headed to the Mojave.”
“The place where only crazy people go,” Tate finished.
“Then we’ll fit right in,” Stephanie said, leading the way back outside. “By the way.” She pressed Tate’s shoulder. “That was pretty gooddetective work in there, with the photo.”
He shrugged, her fingers warm through his T-shirt sleeve. “Just trying to keep up with the real treasure hunters.”
Luca gave him a quick nod of approval. “We would have come up with that eventually, but you saved us some time.”
Tate put a hand to his baseball cap. “Anything to help.”
She smiled, but beneath the expression he saw thedeep current of fatigue, and something else...fear.
He flashed back to his own feelings the moment he’d woken up in the hospital and asked about his father after the car accident that took his life. Was the terror still etched deep inside his own eyes? he wondered. One moment had been rich with laughter and teasing.
“When you gonna seal the deal and propose to that Stephanie gal? Sheneeds a real man in her life.”
He remembered his father’s hand, thick and callused, waving out the window of the truck as Tate followed in a second vehicle until the unthinkable happened. Before Tate’s unbelieving eyes, his father suddenly careened over the side of a cliff. After a moment of frozen shock, Tate was out of his car, panic propelling him down the slope. Flames spurted from thewreck.
I’m coming, Dad. I’m coming.
But he was still fifteen feet away when there was a boom that shook the ground. He could not get out of the way as a hurtling piece of metal barreled at him with missilelike intensity. There was a sense of something slicing through his leg, the feel of bone snapping and then...darkness.
The darkness had not gone away when he came to. In fact,it seemed to have burrowed deep down inside him, awakening pain so excruciating he’d believed the pills were the only solution. His own weakness disgusted him. He was sure, even though he was no longer the same person he’d been, that his weakness disgusted Stephanie, too.
“Tate?”
He blinked back to the present. “So what’s the next step?”
Luca pointed to a small café, fronted insun-parched wood. “I’m going to go there, ask around. I want to run Mr. Devlin through our computers and see what comes up, and give Tuney a call.”
Stephanie explained that Tuney was a private investigator who had helped them find Brooke’s missing painting. “We’re going to have him look for Dad.” Her voice trembled a tiny bit until she cleared her throat.
“Tuney’s not conventional, buthe’s more tenacious than anybody I’ve ever met. If anyone can find a crack in Bittman’s plan, it’s him. Steph, see if you can find out if Maria’s been sighted around here,” Luca said.
“So what am I supposed to do while the Treasure Seekers are hard at work?” Tate asked.
Luca marched across the street. “Poke around,” he fired over his shoulder. “Check in with your source and see if anything’sturned up on Maria’s computer.”
Tate scanned the street, a wide swath of worn asphalt, bordered by a few storefronts standing on either side, interrupted by flat stretches of dusty ground and piñon junipers. The mountains rose in the distance, giving Tate an uncomfortable, hemmed-in feeling. The street was completely deserted. Not a soul to be seen anywhere. He sighed. “Poke around, huh?”
Stephanie shouldered her laptop. “Luca is focused. He knows how to follow a trail. That’s what we do.”
He didn’t answer. His leg was stiff from the long drive, a dull ache throbbing above the knee.
“We’re going to find Maria,” she added.
The token effort goaded him. He rounded on her. “So you’re concerned now? Why did you let her hook up with Bittman in the first place? If youwere trying to punish
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