CHAPTER 32
Chapter Title: More Bait
Kathy
Ace’s explanation for why he’d kept the SUV’s details quiet had been smooth—too smooth. But Earl was sweating bullets, and every twitch of his hands told me he wasn’t built for improvisation. He was the clean-up guy.
My beam landed on him, pinning him like a roach. “So that leaves you and Dorsey,” I said, stepping closer. “Why do you think Dorsey didn’t go to Chief Morgan?”
Earl snorted, spitting into the gravel. “Just like Ace here, Dorsey don’t trust Morgan. Nobody with half a brain does. Guy’s in Divine Williamson’s pocket, deep. Dorsey figured if the SUV was important, Morgan’d make it vanish faster than a crab in a trap. And look at that junk—seems Dorsey was right.”
“And you said you didn’t know about the SUV,” I shot back, stepping closer, my flashlight lingering on Earl’s face, searching for a flinch. “If Dorsey found it when he got here at six, how’d it get in on your watch? It didn’t drive itself into a scrapyard, Earl. Someone got past you—or you let them in.” I moved in close, so close I could smell the stale whiskey on his breath. “An SUV shows up while you’re here. Gets crushed while you’re here. And you didn’t hear a damn thing? In a quiet place like this? You’re either drunk, deaf, or hiding something.”
Earl’s eyes widened for a split second before he bristled. “I told you, I didn’t hear nothin’.”
“Any cameras on site?” I asked, switching tactics.
“Nope,” Earl said, too quick.
I let the silence stretch, heavy as the stacks of crushed cars looming around us. “Then let’s call Dorsey. Have him haul his ass down here.” My voice dropped, cold as the ocean breeze.
“You callin’ me a liar?” Earl snapped, his voice rising, fingers twitching faster.
“Maybe,” I said, locking eyes with him, letting the word hang heavy. “You’re not telling me everything, Earl. And I’m not buying your story.” I flashed a hard smile, all teeth. “I’m getting a warrant. When I do, I’ll drag your sorry ass to jail for kidnapping. You hear me? Kidnapping.” I slapped my business card against his chest, hard enough to make him flinch. “When you’re ready to talk, call me. Save yourself, or you’re going down for Kimberly’s abduction.”
His hand crushed the card in a sweaty fist, his eyes darting toward Ace like a kid begging a parent to step in. That glance was all I needed. Earl wasn’t just scared—he was owned. And the odds of his leash being held by Divine Williamson, the woman who ran this town like her personal fiefdom, were higher than the rusted hulks surrounding us.
Ace cut in, his voice sharp. “Ease up, Hastings. He’s telling what he knows.”
I spun to face him, my anger flaring. “You think he’s telling the truth? He’s lying through his teeth, Ace, and you know it. Why are you covering for him?” My words were a jab, testing him. “What’s your deal, anyway? You’re so quick to shut this down.”
Ace’s jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing as he stepped closer. “I’m not covering for anyone. I want answers as much as you do. But pushing Earl won’t get us anywhere if he’s got nothing.”
“Nothing?” I scoffed, closing the gap between us. “He’s hiding something, and you’re acting like it’s no big deal. You told me about the SUV. You told her. So, whose side are you on, Ace? Divine’s or mine?”
His eyes darkened, and for a moment, the air crackled with tension. “I’m on Kimberly’s side,” he said, his voice low, steady. “Same as you. But you’re so busy chasing ghosts, you’re not seeing straight. Earl’s a dead end.”
Dead end.
The words hung in the air, but it was the wink he slipped me—quick, subtle, that half-smirk curving his lips—that stopped me cold. It was the same smirk that made me want to slug him and kiss him in equal measure, and it told me everything. Ace wasn’t dismissing Earl. He was baiting him.
My pulse skittered, but I kept my face neutral. A lead. Finally.
“You're right,” I said, playing along. “Earl’s a dead end. So, what now?"
"Now? We get some breakfast. Let’s go,” he said, nudging me toward the exit.
I nodded, letting him play his hand. We turned back toward the gate, boots crunching gravel. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Earl dig out his phone, thumb jabbing numbers like his life depended on it. I wanted to pivot, catch the name glowing on that screen, but Ace’s hand closed around my elbow.
"Walk, Hastings," Ace whispered. "We need to make him believe we've hit a wall."
The scrapyard closed in around us, rows of crushed cars stacked like tombstones under the bruised sky. Every step echoed with what I already knew: Divine Williamson owned this town—cops, chiefs, warehouses, maybe even the drunks who manned scrapyards like Earl. Kimberly had stumbled into something big—money, leverage, blackmail, maybe all three—and Divine was erasing it, one scrap of evidence at a time.
“You sure Dorsey didn’t tell anyone else?” I asked Ace, my eyes narrowing as we walked.
“Just me,” he said, meeting my gaze without flinching, but that flicker was there—defiance, or something he wasn’t saying. “Dorsey and Archer are tight. No way Dorsey would ruin that level of trust."
Maybe, but Earl’s nervous twitch only made me more wary—maybe he’d crushed the SUV on Divine’s orders, and Ace was too close to it all to trust.
When we reached the gate, Ace pulled a slim device from his jacket and pressed it against the rusted metal wall. A motion-activated camera, small enough to vanish in the shadows.
“You brought toys,” I said, my lips quirking despite myself.
“Only way to flush out a rat,” he replied, winking again.
As we neared our cars, Ace glanced at me, his face unreadable. “What’s next?”
"We find out who crushed that SUV. And why. That's where Earl comes in. I also need to talk to Dorsey myself, see what he knows,” I said, my voice firm. I didn’t mention the warehouse camera feed, the cash, or my plan to dig deeper into Divine’s empire alone. Ace didn’t need to know—not until I knew whose side he was really on. He nodded, his eyes lingering, searching for cracks I wouldn’t show. The scrapyard felt tighter, the metal stacks closing in like silent witnesses to our shaky alliance. I was close to answers, but still so far from finding Kimberly.
As I reached my car, Ace called out, “I'll meet you at the diner."
I shook my head. "I'll just head back to Kimberly's. We’ll meet later, talk to Dorsey.”
Ace tilted his head, considering me like a puzzle he hadn’t quite cracked. "How about we pay the rental company a visit before seeing Dorsey? I tried asking them for information, but since I don't have a badge, I got nothing. But if you flash that shiny one of yours, we might break this wide open.”
He had a point—getting the rental info could break this case open. "Where is the rental company located?"
"Ocean City," he said. "About an hour away. Why don't you ride with me?"
I hesitated. Two hours in close quarters with Ace Ryder was dangerous ground—like dangling candy in front of a kid with a sweet tooth and no self-control. His smirk, his quick wit, the way he moved like he owned every room he walked into—it was a distraction I didn’t need. But he was right. The rental records could be gold, the kind of lead that might finally point to where Kimberly had gone—or who had taken her.
“Where can I leave my car?” I asked. “I don’t trust Earl. I might come back to a pile of parts.”
Ace grinned, taking a sip from his thermos. “That’s why we’re eating at the diner. Archer owns it. Park there. I’ll have Archer keep an eye on your car.”
Archer owns the diner?” I asked, surprised.
“Yeah,” Ace said, smirking. “He called dibs, but I found you at the bakery first.” I pursed my lips, irritation flaring. The Ryder brothers were going to drive me up a wall. “Fine. Quick bite at the diner, then Ocean City. I’ll meet you at the diner."
I slid into my driver’s seat, then paused, a loose end nagging me. “One more thing—where do I find that witness, Allison?”
“Lace and Timber,” Ace said without missing a beat. “She owns the shop.”
Lace and Timber...
The name coiled in my mind as my engine rumbled to life. The mysterious grocery fairy might turn out to be the only ally worth trusting in this rotten town. But first, breakfast. The rental company. And Ace Ryder’s dangerous smirk in the seat beside me.
One secret at a time.