Page 92 of Zero Divergence
Sawyer followed the chief to his SUV. Other than the police radio chatter, they rode in silence for three blocks to where Bonita’s car was parked beneath a carport. The tall weeds and detritus littering the property indicated the house was vacant. Sawyer strode over to the car, hoping it would give clues. It was too much to expect a map with an X marking the spot on the front seat, but Sawyer knew the amount of mud caked in the wheel wells and splattered on her paint was significant. It looked like she’d taken the small car off-road.
Mendoza dialed his cell phone, placing the call on speakerphone. “Valentino, where’s Humphries?” he asked when a man answered the phone.
“As far as I can tell, he’s still at home, Chief,” the man said. “From my vantage point down the street, I can see both cars are parked in his driveway. The little old lady who lives next to Humphries was starting to get suspicious, so we’ve had to pull back a bit. It’s difficult to tail suspects in residential neighborhoods like this one.”
“When was the last time you saw Humphries?” Mendoza asked.
“Last night when he answered the door to accept his pizza delivery,” Valentino replied. “It was around seven.”
“Any unusual activity today?” Sawyer asked.
“He’s been lying low a lot since returning home from vacation, only leaving the house to walk the dogs or get food.” Because Humphries knew they were watching him, and he was establishing new habits to lure his detail into a false sense of normalcy.
“Did he walk the dogs today?” Chief asked.
“Not since I arrived, but I just took over for Johansen about an hour ago, Chief,” Valentino replied. “Want me to call him and find out?”
“No, I want you to go knock on his door and make sure he’s home.” When there was no immediate reply, Mendoza added, “Right fucking now, Valentino. Sergeant Locke could be in grave danger.”
Grave danger.Don’t you dare freak out now, asshole. Sawyer could hear Royce’s voice so clearly in his head, and it helped him remain calm.
They heard Valentino’s car door opening and his footfalls rapidly smacking against concrete as he ran toward Humphries’s house. “What do you want me to say if he answers, Chief?”
“Tell him you’re selling magazines. For fuck’s sake, Val,” Mendoza groused. “Worry about that if the bastard answers.”If.Sawyer and Mendoza exchanged a grim glance. They both knew Humphries wasn’t going to answer the door.
They said nothing, only listening to Valentino’s breathing as he sprinted down the street until he reached Humphries’s house. Then came the sounds of Valentino pounding on a door.Bang. Bang. Bang.“Savannah Police Department!” Valentino yelled as he continued slamming his fists against wood. “Open up, Mr. Humphries.”
“No dogs,” Sawyer whispered.
“What?” Mendoza asked.
“His dogs aren’t barking, which means they’re not inside and neither is he,” Sawyer replied.
The pounding stopped suddenly, and Sawyer hoped to hear Humphries’s voice, but instead, Valentino said, “This is official police business, ma’am. Please go back inside your house.”
“Kiss my ass,” an elderly lady said. “You people should be ashamed of yourselves for harassing a good man like Franco.” It was Lucretia Meyers—dog sitter and Franco defender.
“Ma’am—” Chief disconnected the call before they could hear the rest of his response.
“Son of a bitch,” Mendoza snarled.
Humphries was missing and so was Royce.
“Based on the mud on her car, she’s been hiding someplace rural. I’ll see if her family owns property,” Sawyer said, pulling up the public records on the Chatham County auditor’s site. After a quick search, he came up empty. “Both her parents and grandparents have moved out of Georgia, but I’d hoped maybe her grandfather still owned property like a fishing or hunting cabin or something.”Fishing.He dialed Rocky’s number.
“Catch a break in the case?” Rocky asked when he picked up.
“Maybe, but it’s not the kind we want,” Sawyer said grimly. “When Clyde Brothers talked your ear off, did he happen to specifically mention where they went for their hunting and fishing adventures?”
“He mentioned Bryan County. He’d said Reggie’s family had an old homestead there with a run-down cabin on it. The place wasn’t much, but it was a nice break from work and family stress. He said Reggie talked about demolishing it and selling the land when property values went up a few years back.”
“Anything else you think could be helpful?”
“Nothing comes to mind. What’s going—”
Sawyer disconnected the call without saying goodbye or thanking the PI. He’d ask Rocky to forgive him after he got his man back. And hewouldget him back. Sawyer switched to the auditor’s site for Bryan County and typed Dozer in the search field. Sure enough. Reggie hadn’t sold the lake property in the northern part of the county, and according to the auditor, there was still a small structure on it.
“I know where Royce is, Chief.”