An hour passed before the silver sedan sped past Roger’s hideaway. There appeared to be someone in the passenger seat and possibly in the back seat. They’d gone by so fast Roger hadn’t been able to see clearly. He waited a moment before he pulled out to tail the car. He had to be very careful. Antoine and Hannah knew he’d taken their rental car—they knew what to look for. He could only hope they’d assumed he’d made a run for it instead of waiting to follow them. Now it was a matter of skill to tail them without being detected.
Once Roger had cleared the back road and turned onto a highway, he was able to follow them with less anxiety. Hannah, Antoine, and whoever else was in the vehicle were clearly heading back to Sunflower County—and he hoped to the place where they were holding Trudy. One of his deepest regrets was that he hadn’t been able to make Hannah tell him if Trudy was alive or not. He also regretted he didn’t have his cell phone. How much easier it would have been to call DeWayne or Budgie and gotten them to set up roadblocks. The car he was pursuing could have been stopped and the occupants questioned. As it was, he couldn’t risk trying to borrow a phone. He might lose their trail.
No, he was stuck following like an old hound dog. But when his prey finally came to rest, he’d have them and he’d have the element of surprise.
Roger checked his watch. The afternoon was slipping away as he rolled down a county highway headed vaguely southeast. Soon Tabitha would be going for her date with the guy from Grundle Seed Company, Alan Dotsun. DeWayne and Budgie had promised that one of them would be in Tom’s Big Sizzle to make sure Tabitha was safe, but Roger wanted to be nearby. Just in case. He felt things were coming to a head, and he was afraid for Tabitha. She was so single-minded in her pursuit of her sister. He didn’t blame her for that, but he did worry about her.
And he was worried about Trudy. If only he’d been worried sooner.
He went back over their discussions about the G9-14 seed. Trudy had suggested that he take a pass on planting the seed until the company claims had been proven. He would never classify Trudy as a traditionalist—heck, she was more of a rebel and risk taker. Looking back, he should have listened to her. It seemed only Lisa East had been willing to heed Trudy’s warning and it had cost Lisa her life.
He also wondered how involved Dirk Cotwell had been in Lisa’s death. Dirk had owned the old cotton gin where he felt certain Trudy had been held. And Dirk had ties to Trudy that he might not have wanted exposed. Dirk had a lot to lose. He’d planted a thousand acres in G9-14 and Trudy—his “kind of” girlfriend—could blow the lid off Dirk’s engagement to Lily Kennedy.
Roger couldn’t help but wonder if Trudy had been working Dirk the whole time, dating him to gather information. That would really make Dirk angry, and Dirk had quite a temper. Had Dirk abducted Trudy? How were Hannah and Antoine involved? He thought he had all the pieces, but he couldn’t make them fit together.
He went back over the evidence they’d collected—first off the T&S cufflink proved Antoine was involved in Trudy’s disappearance. And Hannah’s and Antoine’s actions proved they were capable of harming someone. Antoine had knocked him out and left him near a burning house.
But why? Hannah and Antoine wanted money—they wanted to be involved in farming? Why, when his mother had never shown the least interest in what happened at Long Agricultural. Why now the sudden interest?
The thing that had changed in the last four months was that he’d hired Trudy and had planted an experimental cotton seed. Those two things combined had put him in the place he was right now, trailing his mother and her lover as they crossed into Sunflower County. And once he understood how those two things connected with his mother, he would be able to solve the riddle of who had Trudy and where they were holding her. And why.
If he assumed that Lisa East had been killed because of something she knew, then the obvious question was why Trudy had not been killed. And the more time that passed, he felt even more certain Trudy was alive. Sunflower County was very rural, but hiding a body wasn’t as easy as it sounded. But neither was hiding a living woman.
If only he had a phone he could check with the deputies and see if they’d turned up any results from their forensic examination of the old cotton gin mill and the Long cabin. Surely the police had checked it by now, even though Antoine and Hannah had eluded them.
To his surprise, the car he followed headed straight into downtown Zinnia. He dropped back to allow two cars to get between him and his quarry. The vehicle pulled into the back parking lot of the Prince Albert and stopped. Roger parked on the street. Something was very wrong with this. Antoine and Hannah had all but walked into a trap with their eyes wide open.
He walked to the back parking lot, taking care to remain concealed behind some shrubs and other cars, and watched as Dirk Cotwell got out of the silver sedan. Of all the people he’d expected to see, none of them were Dirk. He entered the hotel. After a few minutes, when no one else left the vehicle, Roger eased closer to it. What he’d assumed to be two additional passengers was nothing but piled up clothes. No one else was in the car. He’d been played.
Heat flushed through him and he pivoted on his heel and stalked toward the hotel door. Where in the hell was his mother and Antoine? And then he knew. Dirk had been the bait, the tease that had drawn Roger away so that Hannah and Antoine could make good on their escape. But how? They didn’t have a vehicle, or at least not one he’d seen. Obviously, Hannah had hidden a get-away car somewhere nearby. Roger felt his temper flair. Dirk would answer for his role in what was happening.
Roger went into the hotel and it didn’t take him long to find Dirk at the bar. The bartender put a Maker’s Mark on the rocks in front of him, and Dirk took a healthy swallow.
Roger put a hand on Dirk’s shoulder and spun him around, “Where’s my mother?”
Dirk shook him off and stood. “At the cabin.”
“You left her and Antoine there?” Roger hadn’t anticipated that comment.
“They were fine. They said a friend was coming up to visit with them. What’s wrong with you? You’re acting like I robbed a bank or something.”
“Or something. What were you doing there?” Roger asked.
Dirk studied him for a moment before he answered. “I don’t know what bee got in your bonnet, but it’s clear you’re really upset, so I’ll tell you. It was really weird, but I got a call from a woman who said that Trudy was waiting for me in the cabin. I’ve been trying to find her for a couple of weeks.” He sighed. “Look, I’m worried about her. I care. I know I don’t have a right to care. I know I’m making trouble for myself and my future. But I can’t help but worry that dating me has something to do with Trudy’s disappearance. Maybe I put her in danger.”
That was a revelation Roger hadn’t expected. Dirk had put his whole heart into winning Lily Kennedy’s hand. She was everything he needed to boost his social and economic aspirations to the moon. Roger didn’t know if Dirk loved Lily, but they were a perfect match--they each brought something remarkable to the table. With Lily, it was her family and social standing. Dirk brought great business sense and a willingness to work long and hard. Never had he thought to hear Dirk proclaim feelings for a woman who could upset his carefully laid plans.
“Did you harm Trudy?” He had to ask.
Dirk’s shoulders slumped. “No. I would never. I’m as worried about her as you are.”
“This woman who called you—do you know who it was?”
“I can’t say for certain, and I have no idea why she wanted me to drive to the Long cabin. It doesn’t make any sense. Trudy wasn’t there. Just your mother and Antoine. They were as shocked to see me as I was them.” He frowned. “They were really weird acting and seemed in a rush to get me out of there. I was in a hurry too, so I didn’t question it. But I should have. Your mother acted like she was afraid.”
Roger didn’t know if that was accurate. It seemed Hannah and Antoine had a knack for manipulating people and they knew everyone was looking for Trudy. Maybe they’d used Dirk. “Did you ever notice anyone else watching Trudy?”
Dirk thought for a long moment. “You know, I did see a car near her cottage several times. I didn’t think much about it.”
Roger swallowed. “Can you tell me anything about it?”
“It was a nondescript car parked down the street. A couple of times there was a woman in the car.”
“Could it have been my mother?” Roger was prepared for anything.
“No, this woman was more petite. Short.” Dirk shrugged. “I figured she was visiting someone on the road. I didn’t give it another thought.”
Roger had one more thought. He motioned the bartender for a pen and picked up a napkin. He drew the strange symbol that Trouble had found in Trudy’s car and on her calendar. “Does this mean anything to you?”
Dirk nodded. “Not sure what it means, but it looks like a rune. A Celtic divination tool.”
“And you know this how?”
“Trudy. She was very interested in runes. She said she had a friend in New Orleans who used them to tell fortunes. She cast the stones a few times for me, but just for fun.”
“And how do runes work?” It made sense. Tabitha had friends who’d given her enough schooling in psychic methodology to pass herself off. She’d learned it in the French Quarter where she and Trudy lived.
“The symbols have specific meanings. The stones are cast and the pattern they fall in tells the person reading them answers to questions.”
“And this rune?”
“I couldn’t say. Look it up on the internet.”
“Brilliant! Can I borrow your phone?” Roger asked.
Dirk handed over his cell phone. “Go ahead, man. I’m going to finish this drink and try to figure out how to piece my life back together. You always told me playing around would end up hurting me. I should have listened.”
Roger clicked through the screens until he came to a website with illustrated runes. It took only a moment to find the one he recognized. When he did, he felt a cold chill. The rune represented poison. He examined it closely to be sure. There was no mistake. Trudy had been trying to tell them something with the symbol in the car—and it was the same thing that was on her calendar the day she disappeared.
“I’m going to make a few calls,” Roger told Dirk.
“Sure. Help yourself.” Dirk motioned the bartender for another drink as Roger stepped away from the bar for some privacy.
Tabitha took the call on the first ring. She was parked outside Tom’s Big Sizzle, killing time until her “date” with Alan Dotsun. Budgie was there, out of uniform and posing as a typical customer. Everything was perfectly set up—except she didn’t know where Roger was or what had happened to him. Beside her, Trouble stared out the window, watching people come and go.
“Roger! Where are you? Are you okay?” The relief she felt was so overwhelming she wanted to cry. It was the release from fear and worry.
“Fine. I’m in Zinnia at the Prince Albert bar with Dirk. Let me tell you what I know.”
Tabitha caught a glimpse of a fancy car pulling into the jammed parking lot. Tom’s Big Sizzle was a hopping dinner place. Blues throbbed in the night, along with laughter. This was a good place to meet someone she was suspicious of, she thought, watching as a young woman got out of the fancy car—a woman who looked vaguely familiar to Tabitha.
“Make it quick, Roger. I’ve got five minutes before I need to go inside and start this charade of a date. I’d like to get inside before he arrives so I can watch him.” Trouble sat up and put a paw on the window button. The glass rolled down and the cat took off, disappearing into the night.
“The symbol on Trudy’s calendar and in her car represents poison. You have to be really careful, Tabitha. I don’t understand how everything fits, but I believe Trudy has been investigating the cotton from the beginning. Grundle Seed may be behind all of this. They stand to lose a huge amount of money if that seed is poisonous or doesn’t live up to the hype.”
“Poison?” That stopped Tabitha.
“I don’t know what Trudy may have meant, but I found out from Dirk that the symbol is a rune. Trudy told him that much. Did your sister ever study Celtic runes?”
Tabitha tried to keep an eye on Trouble, but he’d disappeared. “Maybe. She had a lot of the same friends I did in New Orleans. We’ve always been around tarot cards and other things like that. Runes are just another tool.” She hesitated. “I think maybe Trudy had a set of the stones. I seem to remember them.”
“Okay, so what role does the poison play?”
Tabitha knew. It was so simple. So absolutely simple. “It’s the cotton seed. Trudy was studying it and she must have realized the seed was dangerous. Poisonous. Lisa was clutching seed in her hand when she died, remember?”
“Don’t leave that restaurant. I’m on my way,” Roger said.
“Budgie and Trouble are here with me. Where are Hannah and Antoine?”
“I don’t know and don’t really care right now. I just want you to stay safe until I get there. Whatever you do, don’t leave the restaurant. Especially not with anyone from Grundle Seed company. You could be in real danger, Tabitha.”
“And so could my sister,” Tabitha said. She got out of the car and started into the restaurant. “I have to go, Roger.” She clicked the phone off, slid it into her purse, and walked into the restaurant with a smile.
Budgie leaned against the bar, sipping a cola, along with four or five other single men. There were plenty of available women there too, and in the dining area, couples watched the band and the action at the bar. Tabitha checked her watch. She was on time, but there was no sign of Alan Dotsun. The dating service had sent her a video profile and she’d studied his features. He simply wasn’t at the restaurant.
“Tabitha!” A woman called out to her. She faced Felicity Montgomery, who had taken a table and was waving her over.
“I didn’t expect to see you here,” Tabitha said. She was a little unnerved to find Roger’s employee there, but she realized she shouldn’t have been. The Delta was a very social place and music was at the heart of it. Music and good food. And she could smell the delicious aroma of grilling steaks.
Felicity stood to whisper in her ear. “Alan sent me. Something came up. It’s about Trudy.” Felicity could barely contain her excitement. “I know where she is. Alan asked me to meet you and bring you to her.”
Tabitha swallowed. “You know where Trudy is? Is she okay?”
“She is. But you need to come with me. Alan said he could help us negotiate for her freedom. We don’t have long. Come on!”
Tabitha glanced back at the bar. She had to alert Budgie. She’d promised she wouldn’t leave the bar. To her surprise, the man sitting next to Budgie took a swing at him. The deputy countered the swing, but in a matter of seconds, several people were engaged in the brawl, which seemed to be spreading. “What the hell?”
Felicity laughed. “That’s Howdy Howell. He starts a fight somewhere every night. Budgie can handle him. Let’s go.”
Tabitha looked around for Trouble. She couldn’t just leave the cat. “Have you seen that black cat?”
“Yeah, he went out the door. He’s smart enough to avoid a bar fight.” Felicity lightly grasped her wrist. “Come on. Alan said time was of the essence.”
Tabitha left her lingering doubt behind. If Felicity knew where Trudy was, then she had no option but to go with the young woman. Besides, Roger trusted her. She was his employee. “Let’s go.”
Two minutes later they were tearing out of the parking lot and headed south.