CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
May 15, 2015
10 A.M.
A home across the lake from the Tamarack Ski Resort,
Near Cascade, Idaho
The cabin was as Lott had expected. Not a cabin at all, but a huge, modern mansion sitting on a slight rise looking out over an expansive blue lake that seemed to almost shimmer in the morning sun. On the far side of the lake was a massive lodge and ski runs cut out of the trees above the lodge. There was still some snow near the tops of the ridges, but not much.
The cabin had a huge green lawn and flowerbeds around the bases of pine trees. The lawn sloped down to the lake and a large ski-boat sat at the long wooden dock.
The road in, as promised, had been paved and they had passed dozens of other similar mansions along the water. The cabin, as Doc called it, was only about five miles off the main highway and about fifteen miles from McCall.
The house came to life on its own as they entered. A massive gas fireplace that dominated the living room sprang to life as lights came on, clearly triggered by motion sensors.
The place had six bedrooms up a wide wooden staircase and a huge main area that had an open feel of kitchen, large dining table, and vast living room all combined. Everything was done in wood tones, including the wonderful-looking couches and chairs around the fireplace.
Two-story-tall windows opened the living room up to look out over the lake, making the inside feel almost like a patio.
“Wow,” Julia said, looking around.
Lott had to agree. “Wow” expressed seeing this place perfectly.
“No wonder you and your family are comfortable here in the summer,” Lott said to Fleet.
“The kids really love the lawn and the lake and the boat,” Fleet said.
“I’ve really got to learn how to play poker,” Agent Munn said as she looked around, shaking her head.
Lott and Julia were shown to guest rooms up the wide wooden staircase by Annie, and both given time to take showers and change clothes while lunch was prepared.
Lott had started to feel extremely rummy and tired from lack of sleep and the helicopter and then the car ride, but the shower refreshed him. And getting into clean clothes helped as well.
Now some lunch and a good cup of coffee and he might almost feel half human again. But there was no doubt he was going to need a good night’s sleep tonight. He was just too old to be staying up all night. Those days of doing that on stakeouts were long past him.
Julia looked just as refreshed as he felt when she came down the stairs a few minutes after he had joined the other four in the kitchen. Lott had taken a chair at the brown granite kitchen counter facing into the kitchen and Annie was working on sandwiches.
Doc stood to one side watching and drinking a Diet Coke out of a bottle.
Some sort of chicken soup cooking in a large pot on the stove smelled wonderful, and Annie was just finishing making them all sandwiches from fresh French bread and turkey.
Fleet was helping Annie as much as he could, which made Lott smile, since Annie moved so fast on things like this, it made anyone near her look like they were just moving in slow motion. She had been that way as a kid as well.
As Julia joined them, pulling up another stool beside Lott, Agent Munn, who had stepped into the living room to talk, hung up her phone and turned to Fleet. “About thirty of the makes and models and vin numbers of the cars are being sent to you now.”
Fleet nodded and moved from the kitchen and into the living room area to use his iPad and then make a call.
When he came back a moment later, after Annie had given both Lott and Julia fresh cups of coffee, Fleet said, “That’s not going to take long to trace. Even being careful.”
“How much you want to bet none of them were bought around here,” Doc said.
“No bet,” Agent Munn said.
Lott agreed. This was too small an area, too many small towns to have someone buying that many cars even over years, and then having the cars vanish.
They were talking about the wonderful view and Annie was about to serve up lunch when Fleet’s phone beeped and he glanced down at it. Then he answered it, staying at the edge of the kitchen counter instead of moving away, which meant it was news for all of them.
No one spoke as Fleet quickly wrote down a few names and something else Lott couldn’t read from where he was sitting. Then he listened for a minute and then scribbled down more notes.
“Thanks,” Fleet said finally and clicked off his phone.
Then he looked at Lott and Julia and smiled. “Every car was bought from the same used car dealership out on the old Boulder Highway in Las Vegas.”
Lott was stunned. “Las Vegas?”
“You are kidding?” Julia asked.
“I’m not,” Fleet said. “They were all bought by a man by the name of Mack Regan from Boise. All were paid for with cash.”
“I know that name,” Doc said.
Fleet nodded. “A shiftless private detective who manages to skate around the law more than inside it. Red hair, balding, bad teeth, worse breath.”
“Plays private games around Boise,” Doc said, remembering and clearly disgusted. “Never seems to be short of money.”
“The one and the same,” Fleet said, nodding.
“Anyone know where he is now?” Lott asked, feeling suddenly worried.
“We need to get him under wraps quickly,” Julia said.
“I agree,” Agent Munn said.
Fleet smiled. “Mack Regan booked a one-way flight to Vegas yesterday and bought another car with cash just about an hour ago. He reserved two nights at the Golden Nugget downtown and the car he bought is now parked in valet parking for the night, so doesn’t look like he’s headed north until tomorrow morning.”
“I don’t have anyone down there I can completely trust,” Agent Munn said, looking worried.
“We do,” Lott said, smiling. “Let’s send Andor and the rest of the gang to sit on him for a few days. Make sure he and that car never move until we get this all settled up here.”
“Can you do that?” Agent Munn asked.
Lott and Julia both laughed.
Annie smiled and nodded as well. “Five or six retired detectives out to solve cold cases. Trust me, you don’t want to get in their way. They can do it and be trusted completely.”
“And Mack Regan won’t like it one bit,” Lott said, smiling.
“Good,” Doc said.