Robbie was long gone when Tammy dropped her bombshell information about his connection to kidnapper and drug dealer Tony Valens. Daisy had left Tammy sitting with Martin as she’d hurried over to the glass door Justine’s son had exited through, but he was nowhere in sight. Racing around campus—or to the grocery store where he allegedly worked—felt too much like Daisy could be walking into some kind of setup. Maybe Robbie had given away Daisy’s current location to someone who wanted her dead.
Her mind reeled as she tried to take in all of this new information. Resisting the temptation to chase after Robbie that still nudged at her, she walked back across the student union to where Tammy and Martin were still seated. Maybe Tammy was part of some planned attack against Daisy. Maybe she was working with Robbie. Maybe she was lying and Robbie was innocent.
In an instant Daisy had gone from feeling like she was finally getting a handle on the criminal situation she was investigating to fearing that she didn’t have any idea at all of what was really going on. A rising sense of panic filled her, tightening her lungs and making it difficult to take a deep breath. Daisy had to quickly tamp it down. Lord, You have not given me a spirit of fear, she’d prayed silently. Please give me Your peace and focus and insight to handle this situation wisely.
Daisy questioned Tammy further and the young woman seemed to be telling the truth when she described several of the times she’d seen Robbie and Tony here in the student union and also on the outside patio when the weather was good. She explained that she’d originally noticed Valens when she’d seen friends of hers who still used drugs stop and chat with him for a minute. These were friends she cared about but could not currently socialize with for fear of backsliding into addiction. She was certain the quick chats were actually drug deals. She’d first seen him when the semester started, around the end of August.
Which was about the time Daltrey and Bunker hit town. After they’d fled Atlanta, but before Peak Bail Bonds had received the request to see if they were hiding near the Idaho-Montana border.
The two hit men weren’t known for dealing drugs; their mob connections back in Miami ran an extensive drug supply network. So that might indicate that the hit men were directed by their bosses to come here and start an illicit drug business. That would explain why the pressure would be on them to stay in town and sow an atmosphere of fear and violence rather than simply attempt to vanish like most bail jumpers. And that could also be the impetus behind the order to kill Daisy.
Or, perhaps Daltrey and Bunker decided to branch out on their own with their drug business. Maybe their bosses back east got wind of it and they were unhappy with their murderous employees.
Trying to think of possible motivations and scenarios was something Daisy typically did to help her decide where to search next for the fugitives she was chasing. But at the moment it was only making her anxious again. That anxiety was made worse by her realization that she’d completely misread Justine’s son when she’d interviewed him. That kind of mistake could be lethal.
Daisy and Martin thanked Tammy for her help and left the student union, heading for the parking lot.
“I believed Robbie.” Daisy shook her head. She knew her admission to Martin wasn’t news to him. She just couldn’t stop mentally kicking herself a few times. How could she not have seen it? She made her living reading people.
“Yeah, I bought his story, too.” Martin fired up the engine in his truck and started making the turns to get them back into town. “But we can’t get hung up on that,” he added a few moments later. “We’ve made mistakes and we’re going to make more. It would be more helpful to focus on going forward. Do you think his mom knows about his connection with Tony Valens?”
Daisy shook her head. “I don’t know. Maybe she’s been covering for him, or maybe she has no clue what he’s involved in. And if he was hanging around with Tony, he has to be involved in something illicit. I don’t for a minute believe that an established drug dealer with a criminal history and a college student are hanging around together on campus because they have similar interests and they like talking about their favorite online game or something.”
“I’ll bet Robbie is calling or texting his mom about what happened right now to let her know how it went,” Martin said. “Even if he has no idea about our conversation with Tammy and that she gave us the connection between him and Tony. Our talk with Robbie had to have made him nervous. And if Tammy noticed him when she walked in, it’s possible he noticed her, too.
“Maybe Robbie is connected to those old friends Tammy stays away from now,” Martin continued. “If his mom knows what he’s mixed up in or if she herself is involved in any way, she might try to get out of the office as soon as she can. Find out exactly what Robbie told you so they can compare notes. And if she’s connected to anything illegal she might try to flee town. Or at the least, she won’t ever come back into the bail bonds office again. And you’ll lose your chance at getting information.”
“You’re right.” Daisy placed a quick call to Millie, made sure she didn’t have her phone on speaker and then gave her a brief recap of what had happened.
“Justine has gotten several texts over the last few minutes,” Millie said quietly into her phone. Daisy imagined Millie walking away to the other side of the office so she wouldn’t be overheard.
“I need to talk to her and I need to talk to Robbie again.” This time Daisy wouldn’t be so gullible.
“Justine’s putting on her sweater,” Millie said softly. “I think she’s getting ready to go.”
“Hurry up!” Daisy snapped at Martin. And then to Millie she said, “Don’t let her leave.”
Martin pressed harder on the accelerator and began changing lanes to get around slower-moving traffic.
“I can’t stop Justine from leaving if she wants to,” Millie said into her phone. “We haven’t written a bond on her. She’s not a bail jumper and we’re not the police.”
Martin made a sharp turn and Daisy jostled against the passenger door. She bit back a small yelp of pain. The shoulder part of the seat belt had tugged on her body in just the right spot to make her wound from getting shot by the arrow hurt, but she didn’t acknowledge that because she didn’t want Martin to slow down.
“I know you can’t detain Justine against her will,” Daisy said into her phone. “Just please do something to keep her there a few more minutes. We’re almost there.”
“Of course,” Millie said evenly. “And you try to take a breath and calm down before you get here. You’re a bounty hunter and a good one. Use your skills and figure out how you’re going to get her to want to talk to you.”
Millie disconnected. Daisy took in a deep breath and blew it out. Her boss was right. Daisy needed to make sure she handled the situation carefully every step of the way while she hunted for Daltrey and Bunker. No matter how close she got to finding them, if she made a misstep she risked losing everything. Including her life.
“How’d your meeting with Robbie go?” Justine asked Daisy as she walked into the office with Martin closely behind her. Peak Bail Bonds’s skip tracer wore a bland smile on her lips. The expression in her blue eyes was flat and guarded.
Fine, Daisy thought, certain that Justine had received some kind of communication about her conversation with Robbie by now. We can dance around the real topic at hand for a while if you want to. Daisy would do whatever it took to keep Justine in the office and talking until she finally gave up some information. Her sly behavior already telegraphed that she knew something.
“Robbie didn’t really have anything useful to tell me,” Daisy said.
Justine’s shoulders visibly relaxed, but her bland smile sharpened. “I told you he didn’t know anything.” She fastened a couple of buttons on her sweater, then opened a desk drawer and pulled out her purse.
“You going somewhere?” Daisy asked casually.
Justine nodded and threw a glance toward Millie. “I was just saying before you got here that I wasn’t feeling well. Now that you’re back, I think I’ll go. Alvis and Steve are out delivering Sammie Carlisle to county lockup. She decided to skip her appointment in court this morning and hang out at her boyfriend’s house instead. I stayed here because I didn’t want to leave Millie alone. Not with everything that’s been going on lately.”
She’d probably really stayed because she wanted to get a handle on how much Daisy had figured out after meeting with Robbie.
Daisy sat on the edge of the desk across from Justine. From the corner of her eye, she saw Martin walk around behind her and then heard him drop into an office chair, making the springs creak. He was probably pulling his pistol from his holster, keeping his moves subtle and getting ready for anything. Before they’d walked through the office door, he and Daisy had discussed the possibility that Justine had somehow been compromised and now worked for Daltrey and Bunker or the Miami mob.
“That’s sad news about Sammie,” Daisy said, still maintaining an easygoing, conversational tone. “Behavior like that always makes me wonder what people are thinking. It makes me wonder why people choose to let things spiral out of control like that. Sammie could have gone to court, faced up to whatever she needed to and had a lot less trouble.”
“Yeah, well, some people make stupid decisions,” Justine said, getting to her feet.
“Are you one of those people who makes stupid decisions?” Daisy asked, deciding the time had come to ramp up the conversation. She’d found a lead on people trying to kill her and it had led back to her own office. Keeping her frustration under control was difficult, but she knew she had to do it. She crossed her arms over her chest. “Has Robbie been making stupid decisions?”
“Who are you to talk to me like that?” Justine’s eyes narrowed as she ground out the words. “I’ve worked here for nearly a year.” She glanced toward Millie, and then back at Daisy. “You know what kind of person I am. And you know Robbie is a good kid.” She shoved her chair against her desk. “I don’t know why you suddenly have suspicions about us, but I do know I don’t have to listen to this.”
“You can talk to us, or you can talk to Sheriff Russell,” Daisy said calmly. “Actually, I’m sure you and Robbie are going to be talking to the sheriff, either way. The student union building at the university has security cameras inside and out. Now that the sheriff will know to ask for that security footage—because I intend to tell her everything I know—she’ll see Tony Valens with Robbie on numerous occasions, and I have a feeling that’s going to open a whole big can of worms. If you talk to us first, show that you’re trying to be helpful, that might help you in the long run.”
Daisy wasn’t certain she wanted to help Justine or Robbie at all. But if that was what it took to wrap up this case and get a couple of professional hit men off the streets—and mountain paths—of Jameson, she’d do it.
Justine wordlessly stared at her, her expression angry and defiant, her face turning red. And then, finally, she pulled her chair back out and sat down. “They threatened to kill Robbie if he didn’t help them,” she said.
“Daltrey and Bunker?” Daisy asked, wondering how in the world Robbie could have ever crossed paths with the Miami mob assassins.
Justine sighed heavily. “Robbie was working hard to get through school.” She glanced at Daisy. “He was getting some financial assistance money for tuition, but he needed to keep up his grades to continue receiving it. He needed to work at the grocery store to cover living expenses. He was getting so tired. He needed a boost.” Justine looked down at her feet. “So he started taking pills.”
Daisy waited to hear the rest. Although it wasn’t exactly the same as Tammy’s story of developing an addiction, it was similar. A story of somebody trying to find a way to function in a world that felt overwhelming. Thinking they could try a little something to take the edge off their anxiety or exhaustion. Believing, at least at the beginning, that they would be able to keep it under control.
Daisy felt sympathy. But at the moment, when she felt pain somewhere in her body every time she moved because people had tried to kill her, multiple times, and were still trying to kill her, the sympathetic feeling wasn’t exactly overwhelming.
“So Robbie became addicted to whatever he was taking and then he began assisting Tony Valens with the sales and distribution to help pay for his own habit,” Daisy said. The career criminals tended to avoid taking the drugs they sold. The small fries, like Robbie, were easy to control once they were addicted.
“At some point Robbie mentioned to Tony that I worked for a bail bond company,” Justine said. “Later, Tony asked Robbie for information on you to help his so-called friends.”
“The friends being Daltrey and Bunker,” Martin said from his seat at the desk behind Daisy.
“Yeah,” Justine said. “And Tony told Robbie that if he didn’t get me to help them, they would kill Robbie.”
“And it didn’t occur to you to tell the cops about this?” Millie said sharply. “Or to tell us?”
“I had no idea that Robbie was mixed up with selling drugs until he told me about the threat and pleaded with me to help him.” Justine shook her head. “If I told anyone about this and law enforcement got involved, I knew Robbie could end up facing drug charges. And that having a criminal record could ruin his life forever.” She sighed deeply. “I couldn’t let that happen. He’s practically still a kid.”
“But you could help someone try to kill me,” Daisy said flatly.
“No,” Justine protested, holding up her hands. “No. I told Robbie to let them know I could get a list of your confidential informants and that might be of some help. But that other than that, there wasn’t anything I could do. Robbie convinced them that I didn’t know your daily schedule and couldn’t help them anticipate where you’d be at any specific time. I didn’t want you to get hurt. I just wanted to keep my son from getting murdered or going to prison.”
So that explained the whole issue of Daisy’s informants refusing to help her. And it explained how the bad guys knew who her informants were.
“You sat right here and watched as we tried to figure out how to get leads on finding Daltrey and Bunker. You saw me leave here, knowing people were trying to kill me, and you didn’t offer up the information you had.” Betrayal and anger churned in her stomach, nearly making Daisy physically sick. “When I came back into the office after my mother had been kidnapped, after I’d been shot at and kidnapped, myself, and after I’d been shot with an arrow, you looked me in the eyes and pretended that you didn’t know a thing. How could you do that?”
Justine set her jaw. And then said, “I did it to protect my son.”
Justine’s phone chimed. She lifted it up to glance at the screen and Daisy snatched it out of her hand. “It’s Robbie,” Daisy said after reading the text. “He wonders why you haven’t met up with him yet. He’s outside and he sees that your car is still here.”
Come into the office, Daisy typed into the phone, and then she hit Send.
“Give me my phone back,” Justine snapped.
Daisy held on to the phone. “I will eventually.”
Robbie showed up at the front door, which was still being kept locked for security’s sake, a couple of minutes later. Martin got up to let him in and followed him closely as he walked into the office toward Daisy and Justine.
“Hey, Mom,” Robbie greeted Justine uncertainly. “What’s going on?”
Justine explained to him that Daisy knew everything.
“None of this is my mom’s fault,” Robbie blurted out when she was finished talking. He turned to Daisy, tears in his eyes. “This is all on me.”
“It’s all on both of you,” Millie said, having stood up and walked a little closer.
Millie was probably concerned that Robbie was armed. Or that he might now act out violently. Daisy’s boss was a good-hearted woman of advanced years, but she could still break out some pretty good moves if people who were upset decided to get physical. The emotion in the room was high, and both Justine and Robbie were looking anxious and unstable. Experience had taught Daisy that people were capable of anything if they thought they were about to be arrested.
“What if I give you some information that might help you out?” Robbie asked, nervously licking his lips. “Would you let my mom go? Let her stay out of this?”
“What kind of information?” Justine asked, eyebrows raised.
“First, before I say anything, I want to make a deal. You don’t let my mom get charged with anything.”
“I can’t make any kind of deal,” Daisy said. “That’s up to cops and prosecutors. But I can tell them that you helped us. If, in fact, you do help us.”
“I overhead some stuff I wasn’t supposed to,” Robbie finally blurted out after nearly a minute of silence. “I was at Tony’s apartment. It was at night on the day that he saw you and grabbed you in the old part of town in the alley. Daltrey and Bunker came by the apartment to talk to him about what had happened and what they wanted to do with you. They weren’t there for long. I think they were just looking for a safe place to mentally regroup before deciding their next move.
“Beau Daltrey was really upset. He was on his phone yelling at someone, demanding they help him. He had the volume turned up loud enough that I could hear the other side of the conversation. It sounded like his mob friends were sending a couple of their guys to Jameson by plane. Guys who are known by the FBI. Not wanted criminals, but men who are known to be mob thugs. The idea is that once they arrive at the airport in Jameson, the cops will latch onto them and tail them, hoping to find Daltrey and Bunker. And the thugs will lead them on a wild-goose chase.
“In reality, those thugs are decoys. The same flight will have a man and woman on it who are not known criminals. But they are connected to the mob. They’ll be dressed in flannels and jeans so they’ll blend in with a lot of other people on the flight. Those two are the people who will actually meet up with Daltrey and Bunker and help them escape town without leaving a trail behind them.”
Daisy turned to Martin, hoping to see whether or not he believed Robbie’s story. Because she’d believed Robbie earlier today when he was lying to her. Maybe he was lying to her now. Normally, she trusted her gut. But right now she didn’t. What if all of this was just another, more elaborate lie? What if she acted on it and it led to an ambush?
Martin met Daisy’s gaze and raised his eyebrows slightly. She knew Martin well enough to read the expression. He questioned what Robbie said, but hadn’t completely decided that he disbelieved him, either.
“Why go through this elaborate process to get them out of town?” Millie asked Robbie. “Why didn’t Daltrey and Bunker just hire Tony Valens to drive them out of town? Or hire you to drive, for that matter?”
Robbie shrugged.
“Maybe they don’t trust anyone other than their mob friends,” Daisy said. “Daltrey and Bunker were found when they were hiding near Atlanta. Maybe they were afraid to leave a trail and get found again.” She turned to Robbie. “When was all of this supposed to happen?”
“They mentioned Tuesday,” Robbie said. “Maybe they meant tomorrow Tuesday, but I don’t know for certain.”
“We’re going to need to tell the sheriff about this so she can set up countermeasures,” Daisy said to Millie.
“If you’re going to tell the cops so they can sweep in and bust everybody, you might as well paint a target on my back,” Robbie said. “If Beau Daltrey and Ivan Bunker get captured by the police after their organized buddies fly into town, one or both of them will eventually remember seeing me in Tony’s apartment. They’ll put everything together and figure out I was the one who ultimately got the information to the police. Even if they’re locked up, they’ll get the information to their bosses and then the mob will come after me for revenge.”
Justine burst into tears and stood up to wrap her arms around her son.
Martin moved to Daisy. “Maybe we can figure something out. Find a way to capture Daltrey and Bunker without there being dozens of law enforcement officers in place after their criminal friends arrive at the airport so it isn’t so obvious that Robbie informed on them. He and his mom will still have to ultimately face up to what they’ve done, but that way they won’t be targeted by the mob and they won’t have to pay for their bad decisions with their lives.”
Daisy nodded. She was still angry, but she knew that eventually, with prayer, she would get her emotions sorted out. She could do her job and still show mercy. Because mercy had been shown to her so many times in her life. Granted, her mistakes hadn’t been as extreme as what Robbie and Justine had done. But she was still imperfect, like anyone else.
“I think it’s time for you to call in your reinforcements at Rock Solid Bail Bonds,” she said quietly to Martin. “We’re going to need more bounty hunters.”
“I’ll call Harry and Leon tonight.”
Daisy took in a deep breath and blew it out. The time to get this case wrapped up might finally be at hand. She just hoped that everyone working the case would live through it.