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Dela stared at the number. It was the same number as before. Why hadn’t the Feds or Heath gotten back to her with who it was?
She dialed Quinn knowing that Heath was busy with Alex and possibly Natalie.
“What are you doing calling me? You’re supposed to be resting,” Quinn answered the phone.
“That number called again. The one that threatened me? Now it says I should have died. Did you learn anything about it?” Dela asked.
“That person has balls. Why do they keep calling you? It’s almost as if they want to be caught. We know it is a burner phone. We’ll try to triangulate the call using your phone and the number.”
“Have you checked records to see if Gus Sanders owns any burner phones? If it’s not him then who and why?” Dela had been scared several times while in Iraq. Always when she didn’t know what lay ahead and there was a good chance she would die. It was a different feeling than she’d had when Paul Winters attacked her and when Detective Jones had a gun pointed at her. Both those times she’d known her attackers. This, not knowing who it was who wanted her dead, frightened her more. She was better with action not sitting around waiting and wondering.
“I’m afraid only that person knows why. You do have a way of pissing people off. It could be anything.” Pierce spoke to someone near him. “Keep your doors locked. Heath’s with you, right?”
“No, he is questioning Alex, and if they find Natalie, her as well. They found Alex’s pickup with the front end smashed. He’d been keeping it at Natalie’s.” Dela glanced at the French doors in the dining room. They weren’t locked and Jethro was still out in the pasture. “I’ll let you go.”
“Don’t hang up,” Quinn insisted. “Call your friend to stay with you until Heath gets home.”
When Dela didn’t say anything, he said, “Please, ask someone to sit with you. You’re injured and vulnerable. If it’s the same person who rammed your car last night, they know that, and may try to finish the job.”
“Fine. I’ll call Molly. I’m not calling my mom. She might be on a date and I don’t want her to think I need her and she shouldn’t have her own happiness.”
She heard Quinn chuckle.
“Good. As soon as you hang up call Molly.” Quinn ended the call.
Dela grabbed her crutches and shoved to her foot. She swung over to the dining room and the doors to the backyard. Peering out the glass door, she studied the yard.
“Mugshot, let’s go put Jethro in for the night.” She opened the door when the dog joined her.
He went out first, sniffing the air.
Jethro brayed. It sounded as if he was waiting at the gate to be let in. It was still light enough for Dela to navigate across the yard and open the gate to the pasture. Jethro pushed his head against the gate almost knocking her over in his hurry to get in the backyard.
“Do you like spending the night in here that much?” she asked him after she closed the gate and stood scratching the animal around his ears. Jethro raised his nose in the air and curled his lip back.
“I’ll take that as a yes. Mow the lawn and we’ll see you in the morning.” Dela and Mugshot returned to the house. She locked the doors and then scrolled through the phone for Molly’s number. She hit the dial icon and waited. Molly didn’t answer. She could be out on a date with Marty.
Dela scrolled through her contacts and found Travis, Molly’s son.
He picked up as soon as the phone rang. “Dela, are you okay?”
“I’m as good as I can be having been a victim of a hit and run last night. Is your mom out on a date?”
“No. Marty’s working. She’s at grandma’s. She didn’t want to go, but grandma insisted. Something about the wedding.” The boy’s tone sounded a lot like his mom’s when she talked about her mother’s thoughts on the wedding.
“I see. She’s not answering her phone. Not that I’m in trouble or anything but Special Agent Quinn thought it would be a good idea if I had someone stay with me until Heath gets home.” She hated asking the young man but she was feeling vulnerable with a neck brace and bruised ribs.
“I can come over. I bet Toby would come with me, too,” he added.
“That would be a good idea. I have a project I want the two of you to work on for me. When do you think you’ll be here?” she asked, wondering if she’d have enough time to properly think through what she wanted them to make.
“I’ll pick him up and we’ll be there in twenty minutes.” The call ended.
She glanced at the clock. Not a lot of time. Dela found a large notepad and a pencil and began sketching her idea. When she finished that she put on her prosthesis. She wanted to know if anyone had talked to Natalie’s neighbor.
♠ ♣ ♥ ♦
Once Travis and Toby arrived and Dela showed them her sketch, it took the two of them about fifteen minutes to converse and Toby to draw what they had in mind. It was much better than she’d come up with.
“That’s great,” Dela said, amazed by the creativity of both the young men. “How about you drive all three of us to Pendleton, and I’ll buy you a case of your favorite non-alcoholic drink.” Neither young man was twenty-one yet. Travis would be in six months, she wasn’t sure about Toby.
“Aren’t you supposed to stay here and rest?” Travis asked.
“I’m bored. And I’d like to know if someone has been home since last night.” She smiled and walked over to the coat rack by the front door to get her purse.
Travis dropped onto the couch and picked up the remote. “Nope. I don’t want to get yelled at by Mom, Marty, and Heath. Sit down and let’s watch a movie.”
“I don’t have any popcorn,” Dela said, not sure if she was lying or not. “We can get popcorn and the drinks at the same time. Then come back here and watch a movie.”
“I can just run up to Arrowhead and get some popcorn and pop,” Toby said.
“Good idea.” Travis tossed him his keys.
Dela knew when she was beat. But she wasn’t defeated. She sat on the couch next to Travis. “I want to know if the person who lives on this side of this duplex can tell you anything about her neighbor the last two days.” She had opened her phone map to Natalie’s address and brought up a picture of the duplex.
“What is the person’s name?” Travis asked.
“I don’t know the name of the person you’ll talk to, but the one I want to know about is Natalie.” Dela studied the young man. “If Natalie is home, don’t talk to her. Only talk to the neighbor.”
“Got it. I’ll go when Toby comes back with my truck. You and him can watch a movie and eat popcorn while I’m gone.” Travis turned the TV on.
♠ ♣ ♥ ♦
Toby and Dela were on their second bag of popcorn when Travis returned. He also had a case of root beer with him.
“What do I owe you for the pop?” Dela asked.
“Don’t worry about it.” He placed the case on the table and pulled out three. He sat on the couch next to Toby. Dela was in her recliner.
Toby turned the television off before taking a can and opening it.
Travis held a can out to Dela. “The girl’s name is Leah. She’s a single mother who doesn’t work.”
“Was she willing to talk to you?” Dela asked.
“Yeah, she seems like she’s lonely. She said that Natalie hadn’t been going to work and when Leah tried to ask her what was going on, Natalie told her to mind her own business.”
Dela hoped Natalie didn’t decide her neighbor was too nosey and retaliated.
“According to Leah, Natalie drove away late last night in the truck she’d been keeping behind her place for her boyfriend. She said she didn’t hear her return during the night and didn’t see her at all today.” Travis opened his can of pop and chugged.
Dela wondered if Natalie had been hurt in the crash and was lying somewhere injured or dead not far from where the vehicle stopped. “That’s good information. Thank you.” She rose out of the chair and handed her bowl of popcorn to Travis. “You two continue the movie. I have a phone call to make.”
Once she was in her bedroom, Dela called Heath. He answered when she had expected to leave a message.
“Officer Seaver,” he said.
“It’s Dela.”
“I’m on my way home. I can’t get Alex to say anything and they can’t find Natalie.” His frustration vibrated in his voice.
“Travis and Toby are with me.”
“What are they doing?” Heath asked.
“Watching a movie.”
“No, I mean why are they there?”
She told him about the second phone call and Quinn not knowing who the phone belonged to yet and that he wanted her to have someone with her at all times.
“Good call by Pierce. Did you just call to find out what Alex said? I’ll be home in five minutes.”
“Then I’ll hang up and tell you in person what Travis found out.” She ended the call and walked back into the living room.