Chapter 52
*Jake *
One night, that’s all it’s been without Payton in my bed but it feels like an eternity. I tossed and turned all night. The nightmares were so real. I would find Payton, unresponsive and barely breathing on the sand. Then as I scooped her up in my arms, she would simply vanish into thin air. It was the same dream I often had about my mother since returning from the desert. Although the two women had never been there, they always disappeared in the damn desert. I drag my ass and take a shower, knowing I have to clear my head if I am going to be any use to her.
When I head to the living area of the apartment, the others are already up and working on intel. Luke is looking at maps, Mike is on his computer and Joe is talking to some guy I never saw before but he looks like a cop. My back stiffens, cops aren't exactly my favorite people right now. However, he is the first guy to notice my entrance, so he must be good at his job. He raises his chin at me in greeting.
I’m in no mood for pleasantries, “Who are you?” I ask.
Before he can speak, Joe scolds me with this voice. “Jake, this is Detective Smith from the SDPD and an old friend of mine. He has been kind enough to help us out, without it going on the record. So, I would appreciate you showing him a little respect.``
Detective Smith doesn’t seem to be offended, “it’s alright, I can understand if he is not in a cheerful mood.” I simply snort at that and head to the coffee pot. I then sit at the table with Luke and Mike. Joe and the detective join us.
The detective starts, “I have some trusted officers on the lookout for one Trixie Marie Rodriguez. It’s the best I could do without putting out a formal APB. MacDonald is on duty until this evening, so I couldn’t raise his suspicions, in case they are working together.” He pauses and seems to debate what he is going to say next. “I spoke to the FBI.” We all take in a breath at that announcement but Smith holds up a hand to show he is not done. “I spoke to the handler of the plant they have with the Devils. Explained to him that they may have a hostage on the premises, whether they know it or not. Sent him a few pics of your girl,” he says as he looks at me. “His guy will keep an eye out for her. They don’t want some hiccup like this ruining two years of undercover work.”
While I feel nothing but helpless right now, I do feel a little better knowing that someone is there looking out for Payton, if that is where she is. I look towards Luke, “What are you looking at?”
Mike responds, “I found a vacation home registered to Dean’s grandparents and a hunting camp in Arizona registered to an uncle. Those are the only places I could find outside of the city where he may have taken her. The grandparents live in Arizona and usually only use the place here during the summer months. Not sure about the hunting camp, that’s almost 4 hours out.”
I am standing as he says this, “then what are we waiting for?” I ask. Luke rolls up the maps he has been looking over and stands with me. Joe stands as well and sticks a hand out to the detective.
“Wish I could help you boys but,” Smith shrugs. “I don’t know anything about this, got it? You get in any trouble, do anything illegal, we never met.” With that he turns and goes out the door.
Mike looks up from his computer. “I’ll keep doing what I do best. Besides, Kara and Melissa are on their way over. They want to be here in case Payton shows up.”
We make our way to the vacation home first. It’s a simple one story, maybe two bedroom bungalow. It looks well taken care of, with the yard maintained on a regular basis. We look around carefully, head to the back of the property, where Luke has the door open in less than a minute. When we enter, it is dead silent and a thin layer of dust covers everything.
We look around, not expecting to find anything and we don’t. “Well, this place hasn’t been distrubed in a while. On to the next place,” Luke commands. We head to the car and I am glad this place is at least in the same direction as the hunting cabin.
Joe makes good time, as a little over two hours later we are turning onto a narrow drive in the middle of nowhere. I'm grateful we are in Joe’s big 4x4 truck as we bounce over holes and rocks. We pull up in front of what can only be described as a shack. The cabin is a single story, square building with a covered veranda on the front. There are a few chairs on the veranda and I have to wonder how they manage to stay upright the way the floor boards are so warped and leaning to one side. A few of the windows are boarded up and I can’t help but say an extra prayer that Payton is not in this place. There is a rundown truck with Arizona plates parked out front but no tracks in the dirt or signs of life.
Joe parks the truck and they walk up to the cabin. Luke stops to place his hand on the hood of the truck and shakes his head. Not warm, meaning not used recently. No surprise there, by the look of the outside of it, I doubt it would even start. As we walk onto the steps and across the floors of the veranda, it’s obvious that no one is inside, who doesn’t want to be found. The boards groan and creak under our weight. Luke tries the door and we are all surprised when the knob turns and the door creaks open. The inside of the cabin is just simply one big room, with a bed in one corner and a small kitchen off to one side. Everything is covered in a thick layer of dust.
“Well, this was a bust as well,” I say feeling totally defeated.
Luke slaps me on the back, “at least we know for sure. Plus,” he continues, “it kept you occupied for the day. Kept you from finding Dean and doing something stupid.” This is delivered with a grin and I simply shake my head at him. This is something he would do to keep me out of trouble, give up his entire day to find out what he probably already knew.
Just then Joe’s phone rings and he looks at the screen before answering. Detective Smith he mouths before he answers the phone. He greets the detective then asks if he can put him on speaker. Holding out his phone, he says, “Luke and Jake are both here with me. We came up empty.”
“Well, I got a little good news for you. We just brought Ms. Rodriguez in. If you get back here ASAP, I may be able to let you watch as we interrogate her. I can manage to delay a few hours.” Detective Smith’s voice is loud and clear through the speaker.
Joe looks up at me, I nod. “We’ll be there as fast as we can. Without breaking any traffic laws of course.” He is chuckling as he says this last part and we all head to his truck with a renewed energy in our steps.