by Jenna Night
“No problem, I’ll let the sheriff know that the fugitives were here.” Daisy pulled her phone, which had been found beside Martin’s truck near the campground where she must have dropped it, out of her pocket. “Is there any chance you have security cameras in the parking lot?” She hadn’t thought to look for any when she and Martin were out there earlier.
Roger nodded. “We do have a couple of cameras out there.”
Daisy caught Martin’s eye and smiled. A slight smile played across his lips in return. If the outside video had captured Daltrey and Bunker, then they could see what vehicle they’d been driving at the time. Maybe they were still driving the same vehicle now.
Daisy sent a text to the sheriff. Within a couple of minutes, she got a reply telling her that deputies were on the way to the store to talk to the manager.
Daisy thanked the store employees for their help, and then she and Martin left. It would take a while for the sheriff’s department to get all the pertinent video, scan it, identify Daltrey and Bunker and make a plan of action based on the information they gleaned. Daisy trusted the sheriff to keep her posted as soon as they learned anything useful. In the meantime, Daisy would go back to chasing down small details, hoping they would eventually lead to a big arrest.
“Where to now?” Martin asked once they were back in his truck.
“Before we go anywhere, don’t you want to tell me again what a great idea I had?”
Martin chuckled and shook his head. “No. I do not.”
His laugh made Daisy feel better. She tucked her hair behind her ears and rubbed her hands together, energized by the discovery of some fresh new information about the fugitives.
“I’ve been thinking about Sheriff Russell’s comment,” Daisy said. “That the combined sheriff and police department task force was still using Tony Valens as a possible starting point to find our fugitives. She’s right. Even though he was murdered and can’t speak, he might still lead us to useful information if we can figure out where he’d spent most of his time lately and who he spent time with.”
“How do you plan to do that?” Martin asked, steering the truck out of the parking lot and onto the road.
“I think it’s still a good idea to ask around about him at the university. Justine should be in the office by now. Maybe she can talk to her son again about Valens. Even if Robbie doesn’t actually know anything, he might have some guesses as to where we should be looking for people who knew Valens. The fact that he was wearing a university T-shirt when he grabbed me in the alley has me convinced he spent at least some of his time hanging around on the campus.”
“Makes sense.”
“So, let’s go back to the office and then out to the university.”
“All right,” Martin said. “You’re the boss.”
“Yes, I am,” Daisy said, hoping to get another chuckle out of him. She had her confidence back and it felt good. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed it until now.
Granted, she did feel a shadow of anxiety hovering near the edge of her thoughts. There were a lot of open spaces on the campus. And if someone with bad intent identified her, she could be an easy target to pick off. She took a deep breath and tried to balance the two emotions of optimism and worry. They weren’t out of the woods yet. She and Martin needed to be very careful. Daltrey and Bunker were still at large. But right now, she felt ready to fight.
* * *
Justine was seated at her desk in the Peak Bail Bonds office when Daisy and Martin arrived back there.
“So, do you think Robbie could get us any information at all about Tony Valens and his connection to the university?” Daisy asked Justine the minute she walked in the door.
Martin was right behind her, pausing to take a look back to see if anyone had followed them to the office or was perhaps driving by slowly out on the street. It was no secret that Daisy worked and lived here, but there was always the possibility that a potential assassin was looking to confirm when she was actually in the building in order to launch an attack.
“I’m asking for Robbie’s help again because we just got a good lead on Daltrey and Bunker that we handed over to law enforcement and now I want to keep going and see what else we can dig up,” Daisy continued. “I’m pretty certain our fugitives have some kind of network helping them out, one that included Jimmy Nestor and Tony Valens. And Valens was wearing that university T-shirt so I really want to follow that university connection and see where it leads.”
Martin felt a smile pass across his lips. Here was the Daisy he so admired, locked on to a target—or in this case two targets—and refusing to let go until they were in custody.
And there, also, was the woman of faith and strength and determination who added such richness and humor and vibrancy to his life. Qualities that he would not risk losing. He held back on his smile, refusing to share the moment with her as she turned to him, eyes flashing, her whole being appearing energized at finally getting some traction in this hunt.
The moments shared between him and Daisy needed to happen a little less often. Much as it pained him, he would create some distance between them. Get their relationship back to a just friends and coworkers vibe. For the sake of keeping what they had, for the sake of not letting their relationship get overheated and then fall apart when things went back to normal.
Because normal for him meant not letting things get too serious. Because as a potential lifelong partner, as a husband, he would not have anything worthwhile to offer her.
Justine ran her hand through her red hair. “My son doesn’t know who Tony Valens was or where he liked to hang out because Robbie’s busy going to class, studying and working at his job at a grocery store. He doesn’t have time to socialize or keep track of who’s hanging out where.” She shook her head. “He’d like to help you but he doesn’t know anything.”
“Can I talk to him, anyway?” Daisy pulled up a chair and sat close to Justine. “Please.”
Martin glanced at Millie, who was sitting at her desk, watching the conversation. Alvis was carrying on his own conversation while pacing in the lobby with his phone to his ear. Steve, who was covering the front counter as usual, appeared to be eavesdropping while tapping away on the laptop in front of him.
“Okay.” Justine blew out a breath and some of her defensiveness seemed to vanish. She reached for her personal phone, lying on the desk next to her work phone. “I’ll text Robbie. I can’t ever remember his schedule and he might be in class right now. I don’t know for sure. Do you want me to have him call you?”
“If he could meet me on campus today, whatever time’s convenient for him, that would be great,” Daisy said. “Maybe he could point me toward an acquaintance who does know something helpful. Tell him if he wants to meet me at the student union building, I’ll buy him lunch or an espresso. I’ll make it worth his while.” Daisy flashed Justine her most winning smile and Martin felt his heart do a small flip.
Justine shook her head and laughed. “Okay, okay. You’ve sold me on the idea. You can back down now.”
“Thanks. I owe you a favor.” Daisy sprang up so suddenly that her office chair rolled a couple of feet away and smacked a waste paper basket.
“We’ve written bonds for a few clients that are college students over the last year or so,” Millie said, leaning back in her desk chair and crossing her arms over her chest. “Mostly drug charges or driving under the influence. Maybe we could contact some of them and see what they know, too.”
“The more information, the better,” Martin said. And the sooner they got this solved, the better. Daisy was feeling a boost in spirits right now, and there was no way he’d begrudge her that. Maybe they finally were closing in on the fugitives. But that meant Daltrey and Bunker would start to feel the heat, and that might make them even more ruthless.
“Tammy Little,” Alvis said walking over from the lobby, where he’d
finished his phone conversation a couple of minutes ago.
“Good idea,” Millie said.
“Tammy’s been busted for drug possession on campus a couple of times and we’ve written bail for her,” Daisy explained to Martin. “So far this semester she’s stayed out of trouble, but her addiction is real and it’s a battle she’s still fighting. She comes to church now and then, for services as well as twelve-step meetings. Maybe she’d talk to us, too.”
“I’ve got her contact information in the database,” Millie said, tapping on her keyboard. “Let me see if I can get a hold of her.”
Daisy turned to Martin. “Meanwhile, let’s you and I try to change up our appearance a bit.” She glanced down toward her khakis and utility belt, and then back up at him. “Maybe we can find something that makes us look more like college students so people feel more relaxed talking to us.”
“Anything that would make you look different than you normally do would make me happy,” Martin said.
Daisy raised her eyebrows. “Thanks a lot.”
“You know what I mean. You’re a target. Let’s not make it too easy for anyone to pick you out in a crowd.”
“Right.” She smiled at him. “I’ll do what I can.”
And yeah, Martin was willing to change things up so he looked more relaxed. But he wasn’t going to be relaxed. He was going to be armed and ready. Because an attack could come at any time from any direction.
* * *
Dawson University was situated at the southwest edge of Jameson and consisted of several widely spaced buildings set among the low rolling hills. While Martin could easily acknowledge that the layout made for a beautiful campus, it was also true that the sparse scattering of trees made for wide-open spaces where a skilled gunman could target Daisy from a far enough distance that he may not be seen until it was too late.
“Quit turning your head so much,” Daisy said from beside him. “I know we need to remain alert, but right now you look like a soldier on patrol in hostile territory and that’s not the vibe we’re going for.”
Martin glanced over and saw the smile on her face. She was teasing him while making her point. She was also professional enough to make certain that anyone watching them, nearby or through a scope from some distance away, would peg them as nothing more than easygoing college students enjoying a fall day made slightly warmer than usual by the bright sunlight in the cloudless blue Montana sky overhead.
Martin wore a dark green hoodie instead of his normal jean jacket, and sneakers instead of boots. Daisy had tucked her long dark hair up into a ball cap and wore her dark gray ballet flats instead of the sturdy lace-up shoes that were good support for chasing down a perp. Neither of them thought they were masking their identity from anyone who knew them. The goal was simply not to stand out starkly among the other students.
Martin had parked his truck as close to the student union as possible, and now they were walking along one of the many concrete paths that crisscrossed the campus. This one led to the three-story student union building with its student government offices, counseling center, student resource office and main dining facility.
“We’re right on time,” Daisy said after a quick glance at her phone as they approached the building. “Robbie should be getting out of class and stopping by to meet us here on his way to work any minute now.” Tammy would be stopping by to meet them, as well, at roughly the same time or perhaps a few minutes later. It depended on when she finished her shift working in the laundry department of student housing.
The main lounge inside the student union was filled with sofas, tables with chairs, and television screens. Martin breathed in the scents of coffee from the nearby coffee bar and food from the dining hall at the other end of the building.
“Let’s sit here,” Daisy said, moving toward a grouping of padded chairs with a table located by a wall that still afforded a reasonable view of the campus outside through a window opposite them.
She sat down and Martin sat beside her, keeping his gaze moving as he tried to get a look at everyone in the building, checking for anything that might indicate threatening behavior. Like someone staring too long in their direction. Or a person reaching into their pocket to potentially grab a gun.
Daisy was looking around, too, and after a minute or so she lifted her hand to get someone’s attention while saying to Martin, “Oh, good. There he is.”
A short kid who looked to be in his early twenties with reddish hair like Justine’s acknowledged Daisy’s wave and walked up to them.
“It’s great to see you again,” Daisy said to Robbie after introducing him to Martin. “I told your mom I’d buy you a coffee or lunch in return for your help.”
Robbie sank down into a chair and dropped his daypack on the ground beside him.
“It’s a little late for lunch,” Daisy said. “So why don’t you just get whatever you want whenever you want it.” She reached into her pocket, pulled out some folded bills and set them on the table in front of him.
“You don’t have to do that,” Robbie said.
“I want to.”
“But I can’t help you.” Robbie looked intently at Daisy and then at Martin. “I’m sure my mom already told you that.”
Daisy cocked her head and flashed him one of her winning smiles. “Robbie.” She dropped her chin and leaned closer toward him. “I know you aren’t a kid anymore and that you probably don’t tell your mom everything. You don’t want to worry her. I understand that. And that’s why I figured I’d come here and talk to you myself.”
Martin felt a ripple of appreciation for the way she was setting up the conversation to get him to open up to her. She really was good.
She took a photo of Tony Valens out of the daypack she’d brought with her, placed it on the table so it was facing Robbie and slid it toward him. “Have you ever seen this guy?”
Robbie glanced at the picture and then at Daisy. “No. I’ve never seen him.”
“Are you sure? Take another look. Maybe you’ve seen him around friends that I’m not going to ask you to name. Or maybe you’ve seen him hanging around campus. See, he’s a drug dealer, Robbie. And a kidnapper. He cut me with a knife. Locked me up in a storage closet. And now he’s dead.” Her tone got sharper with every word, and Martin could see the effect on Robbie as the young man appeared to look at the bruises on Daisy’s face.
She took out pictures of Daltrey and Bunker and put them on the table.
“Valens was connected to these people. People who are trying to kill me. That’s why I want information about him. I’m not looking to bust your friends. Or you. That’s not my job. So if you don’t know anything, but you have a connection to someone who might be able to give me some information, that would be very helpful.”
Martin had been continually shifting his gaze between Robbie and the other people who were sitting and walking in the building. He looked away, and when his gaze settled on Robbie’s face again, the young man’s eyes were wide and his face was pale. “I don’t know anything,” he said in a voice stilted with fear. “I don’t know what you think or why you think it, but I go to class, I work and I study. That’s all. Really.”
“Okay,” Daisy said, nodding and leaning back in her chair.
Martin could practically feel the disappointment rolling off her.
She sighed heavily. “If you don’t know anything, you don’t know anything.” She picked up the photos and tucked them back into her pack. “Thanks for your time. And if you think of anything, please let me know.” She pushed the money she’d offered, which was still on the table, all the way over to him.
He hesitated, then picked it up and put it in his pocket. “Thank you.” He stood and Martin watched him walk across the lounge toward a set of double glass doors. He pushed one open and stepped outside.
“Here comes Tammy,” Daisy said, sounding a little deflated aft
er her dead-end conversation with Robbie. “Maybe she can be more helpful.” Both she and Martin got to their feet.
A young woman with short dark blond hair and a nose ring walked to their table with a smile on her face until she got closer. Then the smile faded as her gaze lingered on Daisy’s face. “I’ve heard about what happened to you,” she said slowly, “but I guess I didn’t really realize how bad it was. Those are some serious bruises.”
“Don’t worry, I’m a quick healer.” Daisy made the introductions between Tammy and Martin and then they all sat down.
“To start with, Millie told me you wanted to talk about someone named Tony Valens,” Tammy said. “That’s not a name I’m familiar with so I don’t think I can help you.” She looked at Daisy. “And honestly, I’m working hard to stay out of trouble. So I’m careful about who I spend time with these days.”
“I believe you.” Daisy pulled out the picture of Tony Valens again and put it on the table so Tammy could see it. “This is the man we’re asking about.”
“Oh, him,” Tammy said slowly, peering closely at the picture. “He sells drugs on campus.” She looked up. “Or he did, anyway. But that’s all I know.”
“We’re interested in absolutely any information that we can get about him,” Daisy said. “We’d especially like to know where he used to hang out and who his friends were.”
“Can’t help you. Sorry.” Tammy shook her head. “But you must have gotten some helpful information out of that guy you were just talking to. I saw him leaving as I was walking over to your table.”
“Robbie?” Daisy said. “Why would you think Robbie would know anything?”
“Yeah, I guess Robbie. The red-haired dude.” She tapped the photo. “I’ve seen him right here in the student union sitting and talking with this Tony Valens guy lots of times.”
ELEVEN
Robbie was long gone when Tammy dropped her bombshell information about his connection to kidnapper and drug dealer Tony Valens. Daisy had left Tammy sitting with Martin as she’d hurried over to the glass door Justine’s son had exited through, but he was nowhere in sight. Racing around campus—or to the grocery store where he allegedly worked—felt too much like Daisy could be walking into some kind of setup. Maybe Robbie had given away Daisy’s current location to someone who wanted her dead.
