Page 90 of Vanish From Sight

“Did they?”

“I wasn’t the only collector.”

“Oh. Is that the title they gave you? You piece of shit!” Noah gritted his teeth, one hand balled tight. It was taking everything in him to restrain himself.

Thomas’ face was pale and drawn, with a sheen of sweat glistening on his forehead. His eyes were wide and darted between them, as if searching for an exit. He bit down on his lower lip nervously, and his breath came in shallow and quick gasps.

Seeing the need to dial it back, Callie turned toward him. “Okay. Okay. Look. It’s relevant now. That’s all that matters. You need to tell us everything you know about Teresa Barkley and the others.”

Thomas nodded. “I will,” he said.

“Beginning with where they can be found,” Noah said.

CHAPTER 25

Wednesday, November 23, 11:15 a.m.

Hours, minutes, seconds, it all came down to a matter of timing.

Although Thomas had offered up multiple locations for a so-called “trap house” where drug users, dealers and criminals on the run could hide out, they’d been able to verify fast that the place wasn’t being used to harbor the assholes. They were smarter than that. It was the reason they were able to stay one step ahead.

Instead, the most concrete tip came simply by way of Thomas’ cousin, who gave them what they wanted. Dogs.

As no one knew Thomas was in jail, Noah figured the best way to catch a mouse was to put out some bait.

Noah had Thomas call his cousin Jethro Ford to set up a time to meet. He said he’d obtained two French bulldogs, a Labrador retriever and a poodle, but that he’d swung by the farm and no one was there.

From there it was just a matter of following him.

As the U.S. Marshals had been chasing leads and tracking down every possible clue to the whereabouts of Teresa Barkley, it was only fitting they would take the lead. More often than not marshals would conduct raids at dawn as it gave them the element of surprise when apprehending criminals who might be armed and ready to resist arrest.

Safety was a huge factor. Daylight hours posed a greater risk because it was easier for targets to see them approaching. Of course, who could forget the one organization that cops hated almost as much as criminals — the media. Drawing the attention of media occurred far more in the hours they were active than at dawn, and with all the heat that the case had already drawn, the fear was Teresa would leave the county or state, if she hadn’t already.

“I hope you are right about this,” Rivera said as she picked up the phone to call the marshals and make the arrangements. While she did that, Noah stepped out to take a call from his sister.

“How did it go?” he asked, holding a finger up to his ear.

The office that morning was buzzing with activity, deputies coming and going, phones ringing off the hook and radios crackling. Murmuring voices talked about the case, from the raid on the farm through to what was now being put in motion. The sound of footsteps echoed, along with the occasional shout or whistle from a supervisor trying to get someone’s attention.

“Noah, he got himself in a whole world of trouble. If I hadn’t shown up when I did, who knows what would have happened.”

“Did they accept it?”

“Of course. They want it by the end of today. Except it’s going to cost an extra $50,000.”

“Seriously?”

“It’s interest.”

“And if not?”

“You do the math. They’re too smart to say anything in front of an attorney and legally they have grounds to collect. How they do that without taking a pound of flesh is what concerns me. I didn’t get the impression that they were the type to put this kind of debt into collections, at least not the ones that phone you day and night or try to garnish wages.” She paused. “Have you told dad?”

“Are you kidding? He would fly off the handle. Besides, Ray already hit him up for money. He’s already paying him back.”

“Which makes trying to pay this—”

“Impossible,” Noah said. He ran a hand around the back of his neck. Callie and McKenzie were observing him from across the room. “Look, is he safe?”