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Back in Mission, they pulled into Yellowhawk and entered the building, following the green signs.
The receptionist glanced up as they approached. “He isn’t in,” she said and went back to typing.
“We know he isn’t in. He’s on the run.” Dela said, standing so close to the desk her thighs were touching the metal trim.
The woman’s hands stopped typing and she looked up. “On the run? What are you talking about?”
“Can you tell us who Levi’s friends are?” Heath asked.
“He is my boss, not my buddy,” the woman said tersely.
Ahhh. Dela leaned down, putting her palms on the top of the desk. “Did you try to make friends with him and he turned you down?”
The woman’s face flushed. “I might have thought we’d make a good couple but he was clear he wasn’t interested.”
“Did anyone call him that wasn’t a patient?” Heath asked.
“His grandmother and Aunt Ruth.” She placed her hands on the keyboard, then glanced up. “Oh, and Jacee Bing called a lot when he first arrived. But she hasn’t called much since.”
Heath grasped Dela’s arm. “Thank you.” He drew her out into the hallway. “Who keeps popping up?” he said, staring into Dela’s eyes.
“Jacee. She hated Paul. And why would she be in contact with Levi when he first arrived?” Dela pulled her phone out of her purse.
“You can text that information to Quinn as we drive to talk to Rosie.”
Dela already had the message typed and sent by the time they left the Yellowhawk parking lot.
Quinn replied. Good to know. I have her in for questioning. I’ll let you know what I find out.
“Quinn liked the information. I hope Rosie can explain her sister’s involvement with Levi and who Trace Talent is.” Dela tried to lean back in the seat and relax, but for some reason, she felt as if there was a ticking bomb and they had to pull the right wire to stop more destruction.
At the Casino, Heath kept his gait even with Dela’s. He walked close enough she could feel his nervous energy. “We’re getting close,” she said, as they both stepped into the designated deli area.
“I feel it, too,” he said, walking up to the counter.
A young Umatilla woman stood behind the counter. “May I help you?”
“Is Rosie working today?” Dela asked.
“No, she had to help her sister. I can give you her phone number.” The young woman reached into her pocket and pulled out a phone.
“I know her number, thank you. Which sister is she helping? Is it Willow?” Rosie lived with her oldest sister, brother-in-law, and their children.
“No. I think she is helping Daisy move.”
“Thank you!” Dela led Heath back to the entrance as she called her friend.
“Hey, Dela,” Rosie answered.
“Hi, Rosie. Heath and I were at the casino looking for you. Can we come chat with you and Daisy?” Dela walked through the doors and into the parking lot.
Heath touched her elbow, directing her around objects as she focused on the call.
“Sure. I’m helping Daisy move out of her trailer and into her boyfriend’s place. We’re headed there with a load.” Rosie rattled off how to get to where they were headed. “We should be there in about twenty minutes.”
“We’ll meet you there.” Dela climbed up into the passenger seat of Heath’s Chevy. “They are moving Daisy in with her boyfriend. He has a house in Minthorn.”
The drive took them less than ten minutes. Dela pointed out the small house that had a fresh coat of paint, but the porch looked dubious.
Heath parked on the road in front of the house and they waited for Rosie and her sister to arrive.
“Do you know who the boyfriend is?” Heath asked.
“No. Rosie didn’t say a name.” Dela studied the small house. It wasn’t in as bad a condition as hers when she’d bought it. The change Travis had made in the shell she’d bought and what she lived in today was a miracle. And as a newbie carpenter, Travis had been half the cost of a regular contractor.
A yellow VW bug drove up the road toward them followed by a slow-moving truck with furniture piled in the bed. Dela recognized Daisy driving the truck. Rosie parked her Volkswagon behind Heath and the truck drove up onto the lawn in front of the porch.
Dela and Heath exited his truck and walked behind Rosie up to the truck.
“What did you need to see me about?” Rosie asked when Daisy stood beside her.
The sisters were close in age. Daisy looked a lot like Rosie in the face. They shared the same welcoming smile. That is where the similarities stopped. Rosie was stout and round, while Daisy was long and lean.
“We actually wanted to talk to Daisy. We had asked for you at the casino to ask how to contact her,” Heath said.
“Oh! Why do you want to talk to her?” Rosie took one step in front of her sister as though protecting her.
Dela smiled. “We just want to know how well she knows Levi Murdoch. His phone records show they talked frequently on his private phone, not at work.”
Daisy stepped around her sister. “Lora and I went to school together. When Levi first came back, he called all her old friends. He was worried about her and wanted to know if we still hung out together and how she was doing.” Daisy shrugged. “I couldn’t tell him much. Lora was always into using substances to forget about the real world. We went our separate ways after high school.”
Heath nodded. “Thank you. We’re trying to locate Levi. Did he and Lora have any place they liked to go together?”
“I’m not sure. I can’t remember anywhere in particular. You could ask Trace Talent. He and Lora were seeing each other in high school and later. He would know more about Levi and Lora’s actions since he was also one of Levi’s friends.” Daisy shook her head. “When I heard about Lora I wasn’t surprised, but at the same time, she was careful about who she bought her stuff from and having someone around when she used. I never thought she’d die all alone like she did.”
Dela glanced at Heath. Did Levi know this about his sister? “Thank you, Daisy. Did you happen to know if Lora bought her drugs from Paul Winter?”
“You’ll have to ask Trace that.”
“Thanks,” Heath said, capturing Dela’s elbow and leading her away.
“Aren’t you going to stay and lend some muscle to help unload this truck?” Rosie called after them.
“Not today. We have more people to talk to.” Heath faced the house and Rosie. “Where’s the boyfriend? He should be helping.”
Rosie walked closer to them. “He’s in the military. He sent her money to buy a house for them. Daisy and Dave have been working on this every spare minute because Eddie is coming home in a couple of weeks and she wanted the house ready when he arrives.”
“If you still need some muscle later today, give me a call,” Heath said.
When they were settled in the truck, Dela said, “Softy. You’re going to help them get moved in, aren’t you?”
Heath shrugged. “Sounds like a good way to help Rosie for all the information she and her sister have given us. Find out how we can talk to Trace.”
“If you had your work vehicle you could look him up on your computer,” she said, dialing Quinn.
“Special Agent Pierce,” he answered.
“It’s Dela. We found out that Daisy was a high school friend of Lora Murdoch’s, Levi’s sister. Levi had contacted her asking questions about his sister.” She went on to tell him all they learned and asked if he had an address for Trace Talent.
He rattled off the man’s work and home addresses.
Bells rang in Dela’s head. “Trace works for Sander Construction?”
“That’s the last known place of employment,” Pierce said. “We had a sighting of Levi’s Jeep. He was in Idaho, but when they staked out his Jeep he never came back to it.”
“Double frickin’ shit,” Dela muttered. “From what we heard from Daisy, he could be out to kill everyone who might have sold or left his sister alone during her last high.”
“Shaffer is still sitting at Warm Springs trying to get someone to help him talk to Mrs. Swan. He won’t leave until she’s talked to him. There’s a reason other agents call him Bulldog. He’s as tenacious as a bulldog when it comes to waiting out and getting information from someone.”
“We’ll go talk to Trace, now. I’ll let you know what we learn.” Dela ended the call.
“Trace works for Sander?” Heath asked, pulling away from the curb and turning the vehicle toward Pendleton.
“That’s what Quinn said.” Dela drew in a deep breath and let it out. The tension that had built on the way over to talk to Daisy felt like a vise squeezing her head and shooting phantom pains down her missing leg. She breathed in deeply again. They told her stress could bring on the pains in her non-existent leg. The kicker was how did she exorcise pain from a body part that didn’t exist. Her brain was using her anxiety to transmit false pain out the end of her stub. She massaged her thigh and continued to even out her breathing.
“What’s wrong?” Heath asked, slowing the truck as they entered the Pendleton city limits.
“Phantom pain.” She grimaced as a pain shot from her knee to the invisible big toe.
He pulled into the first parking lot and faced her. “What can I do?”
“Nothing. That’s the problem. There is nothing that anyone but me can do. I have to relax and try to think of other things.”
Heath unbuckled and twisted in his seat. “Unbuckle, turn, and lay your head in my lap.”
She wasn’t sure what good that would do, but it would take her mind off her leg for a few minutes. Once she was situated with her head in his lap, Heath began messaging her temples, her ears, and down to her neck and shoulders.
“Breath slow and easy,” he said quietly, his strong but gentle fingers sending the tension away. They remained like this for what seemed like only a few seconds, but when Dela sat back up and looked at the clock on the dash, he’d spent fifteen minutes soothing her nerves.
The pain in her leg was gone. “Thank you. I might just keep you around.”
Heath grinned. “I’m going to remember you said that.” He put the vehicle in gear and headed to the Sander Construction office.
Parked in front of the building, Dela said, “We only have to ask where to find Trace. We don’t have to talk to Sander himself.”
Heath nodded. “We’ll ask the receptionist and see if we can find out how long he’s been working for Sander.”
Dela walked up to the receptionist, smiled, and asked, “Could you tell me where we could find Trace Talent?”
“He’s in the office with Mr. Sander,” the receptionist replied.
“Do you know when he’ll be coming out?” Dela asked.
The woman frowned. “He’ll be in there until Mr. Sander leaves.”
Seconds ticked and Dela gasped, facing Heath. “He’s the bodyguard.”
They both stared at the receptionist.
“Yes. Trace was hired when Mr. Sander received death threats.” The receptionist studied them as if they had a problem putting two and two together.
“When was that?” Heath asked.
“Not quite a year ago.” She picked up the phone. “Would you like me to buzz the office and tell them you want to talk to Trace?”
Dela’s heart raced. How would they get him away from Sander? Did he ever leave Sander? “Does Mr. Sander only have the one bodyguard?”
“No, he has a different one every twelve hours. They change at noon and midnight.”
It was shortly after noon, which meant Trace must have just come on duty. Dela walked away from the desk and Heath followed.
“What do we do?” Dela asked. She wanted to talk to Trace but didn’t want to encounter Sander’s wrath any more than they already had. “If Sander or Trace had something to do with Lora and Paul’s deaths, they aren’t going to want to talk to us and will know we are getting close to the truth if we start asking questions.”
“I agree, but on the other hand, we could ask to talk to Trace alone and if Sander agrees, he either has nothing to hide or knows Trace is loyal.” Heath put a hand on her arm. “We’re this close, we need to talk to Trace.”
She nodded and gave herself a firm reprimand for letting someone like Sander scare her while Heath told the receptionist they’d like to talk to Trace. Would she please ask her boss if he’d allow it?
The woman relayed their request. Her eyebrows rose at something said on the other end of the line and she replaced the phone. “I’ll show you back.”
They followed her quick steps down the hall. She knocked, opened the door, and stepped aside for them to enter.
Dela walked in ahead of Heath. It was her way of telling herself she wasn’t scared to go into the lion’s den.
Sander stood up behind his desk. “Why do you want to talk to my bodyguard?”
“We wanted to talk to him about a friend he grew up with. Levi Murdoch,” Heath said.
“Levi? What do you want to know about him?” Trace asked, stepping up beside the desk, ignoring his boss.
“We can’t find him. We need him to help us talk to his grandmother. We’re talking to all his friends to see if they might know a place he would go to hide.” Heath pulled out his notepad.
Trace narrowed his eyes. “What makes you think I’d tell on a friend?”
“You are only helping us make sure he is safe,” Dela chimed in. “His grandmother is scared. We think Levi is running scared, too. If we could get them together it would be easier to help them.”
“I don’t understand.” Trace said, moving closer to them.
Dela glanced at Sander. He was listening intently. “Is there a chance we can go somewhere and talk with you?” she asked.
“He’s paid to be by my side at all times,” Sander said.
“Even when you go to the john?” Heath asked.
“Don’t be absurd.” Sander glared at Heath.
“What does he do when you go to the john?”
“I go in first, check to make sure there isn’t anyone else in there and make sure there isn’t another way in, then I stand at the outside door,” Trace offered.
“You’ve been in this room and there isn’t anyone else in here, correct?” Heath asked.
The bodyguard nodded.
“Then you could stand outside the door and answer our questions.” Heath walked to the door.
Dela followed, opening the door.
Trace glanced at Sander. “Sir, I’ll be right outside the door.”
Sander nodded and sat behind his desk.
