now that you're here, I think it would be good for her to get up and move around a little bit."
Dani smiled. "I'll go get her and see if she wants to go shopping for clothes. You guys lost everything right?"
Hawk nodded grimly. They had. Even their cars were burnt messes.
Dani disappeared down the hallway. Hawk lifted his chin at JT and motioned for him to follow him into the office area. Once they got in there, Hawk closed the door. "JT, I need a favor."
"Go," JT said, leaning against the door.
Hawk ran a hand through his hair. "It's a big favor. I need you to make something disappear. And if you're caught, it could mean jail time, depending on how you do it."
JT didn't even blink. "Anything for you, Hawk. You know that."
Hawk shook his head. He hated asking his brother-in-law to do this, but he and Craig didn't think they had any choice. "Thanks man. I need you to go into the woods behind the house and cut to the left. Walk about two hundred yards. You'll see a falling down shed behind the big black and white house four houses down. It's all overgrown, like nobody's been in there for years. Inside you'll find four containers of butane and a huge tub of marijuana. I need you to make them all disappear. Like they never existed."
JT nodded, a light coming into his eyes. "Consider it done. How soon?"
A rock rolled off of Hawk's chest. JT would probably do a better job than even he or Craig could have of making that stuff disappear into the night like smoke.
"It's gotta be tonight, man. We need it gone."
JT nodded and Hawk sat down, relieved.
"I need a favor too," JT said, his voice full of regret.
Hawk looked at him and nodded, knowing he would do anything JT asked, even though he couldn't think of a worse time for the request to come.
JT held up his hands. "I know you're out of your mind busy right now but all I need is for you to look up a license plate for me. You have access to DMV records, right?"
"Yeah," Hawk said. That wouldn't take long.
JT pulled a small piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Hawk. Hawk turned around to face the computer and typed away until he got back a result. He read it off the screen. "Battaini Investigations. PO Box 3497A in San Francisco."
Hawk swiveled around in his chair to face JT. "I know of the company. It's a private investigator's office in San Francisco."
JT shook his head. "Why would a private investigator be following me?"
"Following you?"
"Yeah, I saw this car a couple times in San Francisco last week and now it's been parked outside our hotel every day."
"Are you sure it's the same car?" Hawk asked.
JT nodded. "I saw the guy in San Francisco and then again here. He was watching us a couple of times when we went out for breakfast. A big, heavyset, solid guy who looks former military. That the owner?"
Hawk shook his head. "The owner is Brindi Battaini. She's a new hotshot PI down there. I've heard of some of her exploits over the last year. My boss has worked with her twice. That guy is probably one of her employees."
"Maybe," JT said. "All I know is he's freaking me out. I've tried to approach him twice and he just took off."
Hawk gave him an appraising glance. "Look, JT. I've got to head down to San Francisco anyway. I'll try to talk to her, and see what's going on."
JT shook his head. "Yeah but she's not going to tell you anything."
Hawk stilled, thinking. Finally he spoke again. "She might, though. I can be very persuasive."
JT stared at him for a long moment. "When?"
"Maybe today. Let me make a call."
***
Hawk stepped out of the building into the cool San Francisco air. He'd caught a last-minute, military hop flight to San Francisco and promised Vivian he would be back by dinnertime. Blitz Palmer had been a complete dead-end. Definitely not the guy they were looking for. He glanced at his watch. He had exactly ten minutes to get across town to make his appointment with Brindi Battaini. Impossible. But he would try anyway.
Hawk
Dani smiled. "I'll go get her and see if she wants to go shopping for clothes. You guys lost everything right?"
Hawk nodded grimly. They had. Even their cars were burnt messes.
Dani disappeared down the hallway. Hawk lifted his chin at JT and motioned for him to follow him into the office area. Once they got in there, Hawk closed the door. "JT, I need a favor."
"Go," JT said, leaning against the door.
Hawk ran a hand through his hair. "It's a big favor. I need you to make something disappear. And if you're caught, it could mean jail time, depending on how you do it."
JT didn't even blink. "Anything for you, Hawk. You know that."
Hawk shook his head. He hated asking his brother-in-law to do this, but he and Craig didn't think they had any choice. "Thanks man. I need you to go into the woods behind the house and cut to the left. Walk about two hundred yards. You'll see a falling down shed behind the big black and white house four houses down. It's all overgrown, like nobody's been in there for years. Inside you'll find four containers of butane and a huge tub of marijuana. I need you to make them all disappear. Like they never existed."
JT nodded, a light coming into his eyes. "Consider it done. How soon?"
A rock rolled off of Hawk's chest. JT would probably do a better job than even he or Craig could have of making that stuff disappear into the night like smoke.
"It's gotta be tonight, man. We need it gone."
JT nodded and Hawk sat down, relieved.
"I need a favor too," JT said, his voice full of regret.
Hawk looked at him and nodded, knowing he would do anything JT asked, even though he couldn't think of a worse time for the request to come.
JT held up his hands. "I know you're out of your mind busy right now but all I need is for you to look up a license plate for me. You have access to DMV records, right?"
"Yeah," Hawk said. That wouldn't take long.
JT pulled a small piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Hawk. Hawk turned around to face the computer and typed away until he got back a result. He read it off the screen. "Battaini Investigations. PO Box 3497A in San Francisco."
Hawk swiveled around in his chair to face JT. "I know of the company. It's a private investigator's office in San Francisco."
JT shook his head. "Why would a private investigator be following me?"
"Following you?"
"Yeah, I saw this car a couple times in San Francisco last week and now it's been parked outside our hotel every day."
"Are you sure it's the same car?" Hawk asked.
JT nodded. "I saw the guy in San Francisco and then again here. He was watching us a couple of times when we went out for breakfast. A big, heavyset, solid guy who looks former military. That the owner?"
Hawk shook his head. "The owner is Brindi Battaini. She's a new hotshot PI down there. I've heard of some of her exploits over the last year. My boss has worked with her twice. That guy is probably one of her employees."
"Maybe," JT said. "All I know is he's freaking me out. I've tried to approach him twice and he just took off."
Hawk gave him an appraising glance. "Look, JT. I've got to head down to San Francisco anyway. I'll try to talk to her, and see what's going on."
JT shook his head. "Yeah but she's not going to tell you anything."
Hawk stilled, thinking. Finally he spoke again. "She might, though. I can be very persuasive."
JT stared at him for a long moment. "When?"
"Maybe today. Let me make a call."
***
Hawk stepped out of the building into the cool San Francisco air. He'd caught a last-minute, military hop flight to San Francisco and promised Vivian he would be back by dinnertime. Blitz Palmer had been a complete dead-end. Definitely not the guy they were looking for. He glanced at his watch. He had exactly ten minutes to get across town to make his appointment with Brindi Battaini. Impossible. But he would try anyway.
Hawk
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