Page 63 of Midnight

“I ran the tag,” Gunner said. “It came back reported stolen. It was stolen after the owner was imprisoned for a crime. Everett Brandt was living in Fort Worth at the time. Apparently, he knew the owner was in prison, so he stole it. And that’s where we are.”

Ash nodded. “We now know they’re somewhere in Amarillo, but we don’t want them picked up just for car theft, and we have zero motive for why they would want Dad dead. We also have hired around-the-clock security on Dad’s room.”

Nora had been silent through the entire scenario they’d laid out, but for her, there was one huge omission.

“I already see a glaring hole in all of it, but if we’re going to discuss this, it needs to be all of you hearing it and answering questions for me. Would it be possible to call Dylan, then put the phone on Speaker so he could be a part of it?”

Asher nodded, then made the call and was waiting for an answer.

Dylan picked up on the fourth ring. “Hey, Ash, what’s up?”

“Nora is here. Long story, but we’ve been having a gathering of evidence meeting, and as we laid out what we knew, she found a gap…something we hadn’t even thought of, but she didn’t want to start discussing it without including you. Are you free to be in on this right now?”

“Absolutely,” he said.

“Okay, I’m going to put you on Speaker so you can hear everything we’re about to hear.” He set the phone down on the table in front of Nora.

“Dylan, this is Nora, can you hear me okay?”

“Yes, ma’am. Fire away.”

“This is for all of you. I’m going to ask questions foryou to think about, and if you know the answers, speak up, okay?”

“Okay,” they echoed, and so she began.

“Pete Brandt told the Feds he hid the money, and that he was taking the location to his grave, and they took that as gospel. Am I right?”

“It’s a written statement in their files,” Asher said.

“And his sons were called to his bedside only hours before he died?” she said.

“The warden notified them what was happening with their father, and they came,” Asher said.

“This is pure conjecture, but what if Pete Brandt told his boys where the money was buried?” Nora said. “And if he did, then why would their next port of call be your father’s bar?”

Gunner stilled. Asher paled, and Dylan was in shock, too stunned to comment.

“Okay…don’t answer that,” Nora said. “Just think about it. Now I’m going to switch gears a bit. You’re all too close to this to see the hole in the investigation, but it’s big as Dallas to me.”

“We’re listening,” Asher said. “Ask.”

“What was happening in your world…in your house…the day of the robbery? Jacob isn’t here, so I can’t ask him, and I know at this time, you’re all three still kids. What do you remember?”

“It was my birthday,” Gunner said. “I turned seven. We were having cake and presents after school.”

“I needed a permission slip signed, and mom couldn’t find a pen. She signed it with a crayon,” Dylan said.

“Mom took us to school like always. She told me she was going to Amarillo to get presents and a birthday cake. This was before Belker’s had the deli. She said she’d be home in time to pick us up from school,” Asher said.

Nora nodded. “Okay then, so whatever part she took in the robbery is unknown, right?”

Asher reeled as if he’d just been slapped. “My God, you’re right.”

“Wait… What?” Gunner said.

Dylan’s heart was pounding. “I don’t get it. What does that mean?”

“It means that there was no official statement ever taken, because she killed herself before they could interrogate her,” Nora said. “Nobody knows what she was doing, only that she’d been ‘in on it’, and that was according to the gang member who was shot and gave them all up.”