Chapter Twenty-Eight
Presley and Seth had loaded Eric into the truck and headed back to Harper where they were supposed to meet a couple of US Marshals. They would pick up Eric and take him off to hide somewhere until the DEA, at some point in the near or far future, decided to bring down the cartel. Eric was rather morose about leaving his life behind and starting a new one and Presley was trying to cheer him up. He looked like he’d lost his best friend which he had, in a way. He wasn’t going to see his friends again and she was the only other person in that vehicle who understood how that felt.
“I won’t know anyone,” Eric lamented as they sped down the highway. “I’ll be completely alone.”
She remembered what Alexa had said about Eric and Danny. “Were you close to your family?”
“Not really,” Eric replied. “Danny was always different than me when we were growing up. Always in trouble, always pushing boundaries. Our parents died when we were young so you’d think that would bring us closer, but it really didn’t. We went to live with an aunt but Danny just became even more out of control. He left home the minute he turned eighteen. I stayed on through college but Aunt Lena eventually died. She’d mortgaged the place to the hilt for my education and then Danny was in and out of prison, of course.”
Presley snuck a glance at her husband but he was wearing a bland expression and keeping his gaze trained on the road ahead of them.
“One of Danny’s girlfriends said you and your brother were close. That you spent a lot of time together and that he was a partner in your consulting business.”
Why not find out what Eric would say about Alexa’s story? They were all stuck together in the truck for the duration of the trip.
Laughing, Eric shook his head. “That must have been…what was her name? Anna? Danny asked me to do that. Said he was turning over a new leaf and divorcing Lyndsey. I wanted to believe him but it didn’t last long. He was going to go straight and wanted me to pretend that he was an upstanding, boring guy. That’s how he described it too. I guess that’s what I am. Upstanding and boring.”
“You stole a car.” Seth’s voice was amused and hard at the same time. “That’s hardly upstanding. Or boring.”
Eric grinned and slapped his knee. “I’ll be damned, I guess for the first time in my life I’m interesting. And I have Danny to thank. They can put that on my tombstone.”
“There aren’t going to be any tombstones,” Presley protested. “Let’s think positive.”
“You’re right,” Eric agreed. “I’m positive I’m going to be the victim of a grisly murder. How’s that?”
“You’re a tough guy to cheer up,” Seth observed, although he never took his eyes off the road. “Kind of glass half full kind of person, huh?”
Seth wasn’t helping but Presley had the feeling he wasn’t trying. Her husband was annoyed that all they’d found at the cabin was Eric Harbaugh and now finding the money looked impossible. They had no other leads.
“I have to leave my entire life because a drug cartel wants me dead. I don’t think anything positive is going to come out of that. Sorry, I guess I’m a little depressed.”
“You’ll make new friends,” Presley said in what she hoped was a soothing tone. “Better friends. Just think about this way…you get a chance at a brand new life. Not many people have that opportunity. You can become anybody you want to.”
Eric gave her a crooked smile. “James Bond is taken, but I guess you have a point. My old life wasn’t all that fantastic. My business was doing okay but nothing to shout about. Most of my buddies are either married with kids and don’t have time to hang out or they’re like me, divorced with no money. The few that do have money are dating twentysomethings. My family’s all gone and the only thing I have left are the memories. They can’t take those from me.”
“You see, it might be a good thing. You could end up with a really terrific life. At least you’ll be alive. That’s a positive thing.”
Presley’s gift at getting people to talk about themselves was working in high gear today because Eric couldn’t seem to stop talking.
“Breathing is good,” Eric agreed. “I’m so pissed at my brother right now, though. He’s caused me trouble my whole life and now this. I know he didn’t intend to die in that explosion but he’s certainly left me holding the bag. But of course, that’s nothing new either. I was always bailing him out of trouble when we were kids. I thought Aunt Lena was going to rip her hair out a few times, God rest her soul. I remember all the times that Danny would hide in the space under the barn until Aunt Lena had calmed down a little. Later when he was older, he’d just take off for a few days. Eventually Danny just moved out. She said he was turning into a hoodlum. I guess she was right.”
From the signs on the road, they were getting close to Harper and soon Eric would be turned over to the US Marshals. Presley sent up a wish that his new life would be as good as hers had turned to be. It sounded like he deserved a break.
“I’m sorry about your aunt,” Presley said. “All my family is gone too.”
She didn’t count Nora, her stepsister, as family anymore. Once a relative takes out a hit on your life and tries to frame you for arms dealing they get cut out of the family tree. If events had gone another way Presley could easily be serving a life sentence in federal prison.
“I miss her and I was sad to sell the home and property, but it was mortgaged to the hilt so I had no choice. Now it’s part of the Perry ranch. They’re buying up everything around these parts. Soon they’ll own everything between here and Springwood.”
Presley hadn’t missed the sound of Seth’s quietly indrawn breath. His knuckles gripping the steering wheel were white.
“Did you say that your former family home is now part of the Perry ranch? Whereabouts?”
“On the west side of the Perry place. Closer to Springwood than Harper. Near the lake.”
Near the lake. Now Presley understood what Seth was getting at.
Because that was damn close to where Seth had found and arrested Danny Harbaugh.
Could the money be there?
* * * *
After a quick call to the agents coming to pick up Eric, Seth pointed the truck toward the Perry ranch, the home of Angus Perry, one of the largest landowners in the area. Seth knew from experience that if anyone was sniffing around the ranch, Perry would know about it. He was constantly bombarding the sheriff’s station with calls regarding would-be cattle rustlers. The rancher took paranoia to a whole new level.
Pulling in front of the large house, Seth could only hope that Angus was at home. Despite his failing health, he liked to be out on the land and overseeing the day to day workings. His two sons had taken over a couple of years ago, but Angus still had a firm hand on the reins.
“Just stay here in the truck while I talk to Angus real quick. It won’t take long.”
Eric nodded his agreement but Presley gave him a dirty look. He would have taken her in with him but someone needed to watch Eric. He pulled his service revolver and handed it to his wife.
“Shoot him if he tries to make a run for it.”
Eric looked startled but Presley finally smiled. She now understood why she was staying in the truck.
“Will do.”
“I taught her everything I know about marksmanship,” Seth told a wide-eyed Eric. “So if I were you, I’d stay put.”
His sweet and pretty wife was a damn good shot. He’d made sure of that after the first time she’d had killers after her.
Swinging out of the truck, he bounded up the front porch steps and rang the doorbell. He only had to wait a moment and then the door opened. Angus. That was good. This really shouldn’t take long then.
“Angus, got a minute to talk?”
The older man nodded and stepped back to let Seth pass into the small foyer.
“What can I help you with, Sheriff? Is it rustlers again?”
Seth wished that was all it was. This was much more complicated.
“I wanted to ask if you’d seen anyone recently looking around that parcel of land you purchased from Lena Harbaugh’s estate. Man or woman? It’s important, Angus.”
The older man scowled and shook his head. “I haven’t seen anyone. We use it for storage mostly. I haven’t even bothered to knock down the house yet. Why? What’s so important about that parcel of land?”
Probably nothing. But maybe something.
“Not a lot but I’d like to see. Do you mind if I take a look around? I don’t have a warrant so I’ll need your permission.”
Angus shrugged. “Sure, you can look around. It’s just a plot of land, though.”
It might just be the answer to the question Seth had been asking himself for years. It might be the location of the bank money.
Striding down the front steps and back to the truck, Seth pulled out his cell phone and dialed Tanner, who would be closest to the location. He’d have jurisdiction.
“Tanner? It’s Seth. I think I might be on to something. There’s a possibility that Danny Harbaugh hid the money on a piece of property that used to be owned by his aunt but is now part of the Perry ranch. It’s near the lake. I’ll send you the directions. Presley and I could use a hand searching it. I don’t suppose…?”
The chuckle on the other end of the phone had Seth smiling. Help was on the way.
“Let me gather a few more people and we’ll be on our way. I hope this is it.”
“No problem. I have to stop off at the sheriff’s station and hand over Eric Harbaugh to a couple of US Marshals.”
“What? Wait…when did…? You have Harbaugh? Damn, I think there’s a bunch of this story that I missed.”
That was an understatement.
“Just meet me at the location in about an hour and I’ll tell you everything. But I’m not sure you’re going to believe it.”
The mystery that had bothered Seth for years just might be solved today.