Georgia googled “IEDs and beef jerky.” There were no connections. She tried “Bushmasters and beef jerky.” Nothing. Dogged determination kept her at it. She had no idea what time it was when Jimmy’s light snoring told her he was out. She checked the clock. After nine. She’d been working for more than an hour. And she hadn’t heard from Paul Kelly. She leaned over Jimmy and picked up her phone, which woke Jimmy up.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you. I just need to call Paul Kelly.” She took the phone to her side of the bed and punched in Kelly’s number.
Jimmy grunted and started to roll away from her, presumably to go back to sleep. Then he stopped. “Hey. Did you ever talk to JoBeth?”
“JoBeth? Where did that come from?” Georgia looked over.
“She called me a few days ago.”
“You? Why?”
“She’s been leaving messages for you but says you never call her back. She really wants to connect with you.”
“Right.”
“But you don’t want to connect with her.”
Georgia put the phone down. “Look, Jimmy. I know you’re trying to help. And I know you have a close relationship with your mother. And your aunt. And everyone else in your very big, fat Greek family. The very idea that family members might be estranged from each other is inconceivable to you.” She pulled the sheet and blanket up to her chin. “And to be honest, I miss Vanna and Charlie. I keep telling myself I shouldn’t be upset by a girl half my age. But then I realize this isn’t any girl. Vanna’s been through hell and back.” She hesitated. “And we’re sisters.”
“With a mother.”
“See, that’s the thing. She has a mother. I don’t.”
“But you do.”
“I can’t go there, Jimmy. She walked out on me.”
“And you survived.” He sat up and cupped her face in his hands. “You’re a wonderful human being. Kind and considerate. You don’t have a mean bone in your body.”
“My backbone.”
He inclined his head.
“It’s become very strong. And cruel.” She thought she was making a joke, but it fell flat.
“Not cruel. Maybe stubborn . . .”
“Listen to me. I’ve lived all my adult life without a family. Then Vanna showed up. I thought it would be the two of us. And then there was Charlie. And you.”
“Us against the world.”
“I don’t know if I’d—”
The trill of her phone cut her off. She glanced at the screen. “I’ve got to get this. It’s Paul.”
Jimmy let her go and fell back against the pillows.
“Hey, Paul. I was just calling you.” She told him about the yurt and how it was paid for. “Can you get a subpoena for the check? It would move things forward in a big way.”
She listened to his response. “That long?” A pause. “Fucking bureaucracy. But yeah. Go ahead. And thanks.”
“Now I need to tell you something,” Kelly said. “Dena’s father, Carl Baldwin, is AWOL.”
“What are you talking about?”
“He disappeared. And no one knows where he is.”
“How do you know?”
“Erica was trying to get some finances settled, but he never returned her messages. His assistant called today—the guy has no idea where he went. Erica and I agree that you need to get yourself to DC and find him.”
“But I’m just getting somewhere here.”
“Look, Georgia, whatever is going on with Carl Baldwin could be more important than a subpoena. And Erica wants you to go. I just got off the phone with her.” He paused. “Wasn’t there a man associated with Dena you needed to interview in DC?”
“Yes. Willie Remson. He lives outside DC.”
“Well?”
Kelly was right, Georgia realized. She planned to go to DC at some point. And now wasn’t a bad time. Zach Dolan and his team of hackers were still doing background checks on ResistanceUSA group members. And Kelly had just told her a subpoena could take as long as a month to process and deliver. She started to warm to the idea. She could kill three birds with one stone: she could look into Carl Baldwin’s disappearance; interview Remson; and put some distance between JoBeth and herself.
“By the way, Georgia . . .”
“Yes, Paul?”
“Be careful when you’re nosing around DC. It could be dangerous.”
“I’ll take precautions.”