Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 78227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
“Our men combed both locations,” Dad says. “Grabbed any evidence they could.”
“Did they find anything?” I ask.
“Both were clean, except for one more red fingernail.”
“Someone wants to implicate Brittany,” I say.
“It would seem so,” Dad agrees. “Brittany isn’t as smart as she thinks she is.”
“No, she’s just a little bit sociopathic,” Uncle Bryce says dryly.
“Brittany’s the least of our worries,” I say. “She’s not the one who can get us arrested.”
“We won’t be arrested,” Uncle Bryce says. “Your father and I have already seen to that.”
“So what’s next?”
Dad adjusts his Stetson. “We have the evidence, what was found, analyzed. We have the red fingernails, and we have the bones that belong to Patty Watson. We have the human femur, though its DNA hasn’t been tested yet. In the meantime, the barns on both properties have been bulldozed, along with whatever was underneath them.”
“You mean you didn’t check?”
“I expect there were probably more bones.”
“But Dad, if there were, then those bones belong to people. Missing people. We could at least give their families some kind of peace. Closure.”
“I’m sorry, son. I wish we could. But the stuff is on our property. We had nothing to do with it, but it may not look that way in the eyes of the law.”
“Have you asked Aunt Jade? Donny?”
“We haven’t brought Jade into this mess. But yes, we checked with Donny. He agrees.”
I shove my hands in my pockets. “So what now, then?”
“There was one more GPS coordinate that we didn’t check. So we sent our men out there and found basically the same thing. A couple of barns but nothing in them.”
“Dogs?”
“The dogs have been moved at this point.”
“So they know we’re looking.”
“They do. They know we found out what they’re doing, so they’ll be even sneakier now.”
“Maybe they’ll stay off our property,” Uncle Bryce says.
“Probably. At least for now.” Dad nods. “This isn’t over. Not by a long shot. Not until we can find out who’s behind it all and bring them to justice.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
RORY
Our first night in Grand Junction went well, but of course there were no agents waiting for us after the show.
Just as well.
I have a sour taste in my mouth after Selena Campbell and Sequoia McAllister.
I sit at the bar with the band after the show.
Several patrons come to visit us, tell us how great we were. We paste on our smiles, shake hands, even hug some of them.
We sell a few of our CDs. Well, a few of the band’s CDs. I’m not on them.
“We should record a new CD,” Jesse says. “With you, Rory.”
“Maybe. Maybe I’ll try to find the time.”
“You know…”
“What?”
“The rest of the band and I… We were hoping that you’d consider joining us full time.”
I can’t say I haven’t thought about doing so. But… “Are we going to go through this again? I have a full-time job, Jess.”
“I know. I know you can’t afford to stop teaching. It’s just… You’re such a draw. We might actually get a contract with an agent if you’re around.”
“I didn’t help last night or the night before.”
“Yeah, we got a couple of bad seeds. But we’ve played for agents before, and we’ve had their interest. Then we ultimately don’t get signed for one reason or another.”
“What reasons have they given?”
“Mostly that they didn’t have room on their roster for a rock band, but I remember this one time, there was an agent from LA who wanted to turn us into a boy band.”
I burst into giggles. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I’m not. But we’re rockers through and through. So we declined.”
“Thank God. I can’t imagine you, Cage, Jake—and, oh my God, Dragon—in bright clothes bopping around the stage.”
“Being all NSYNC. Yeah, I know.”
“Did you consider it for a minute?”
“Maybe for a second. I mean, they were offering us a lot. They were guaranteeing us openings for some of the biggest boy bands out there.”
“But after that second, you got a clue, right?”
“Yeah. Although…”
“Although what?”
“That was before the fire, sis. If we got that same offer now… I don’t know if I could afford not to take it.”
“You’re not the only voice of the band, though.”
“Yeah, but Cage and Uncle Scott and Aunt Lena are in the same position we are.”
“Dragon and Jake?”
“I could get Jake on board. Dragon? He’s another story.”
“Oh my God, Dragon is so not boy band material.”
“Right?” Jesse shakes his head, chuckling.
I finish the water in front of me. “If it’s all right with you all, I think I’m going to head to bed.”
“Yeah, I’m right behind you.” Jesse turns to Cage, who’s sitting on his other side. “Rory and I are heading to the hotel.”
“Gotcha. We’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
Jesse and I walk to the car.
I’m hoping.
I’m hoping that maybe Brock has come to surprise me again.
We get to the hotel, and…no Brock.