“I don’t remember hearing about this,” Nic said to cover his laugh.
“Local. The perp and the car,” Mel said. “No one was present, first-time offense, pure smash and grab by a doped-up idiot, which is why I’m not concerned about him threatening anyone here tonight.”
“But he skipped bail,” Nic said, trying to make the irregular pieces fit. “A not insignificant amount either.”
“His parents are wealthy. They posted his bail. He jumped it for a party aboard a private yacht and hasn’t been seen since.”
“How did you get the case?” Cam asked, handing the phone back to her. “Not your usual.”
Cam was right. Mel tended to run down war criminals and high-profile targets, not idiot frat boys.
“His parents are relentlessly pestering Chief Kane about the whereabouts of their son.”
“Probably more about the bond money,” Danny mumbled.
“Probably,” Mel agreed. “In any event, Kane’s got enough other shit on his plate. I can take this off it, and I owe him the favor.”
“How do we know Daley will be here tonight?” Nic asked, hoping the rephrasing of his earlier question would go over better.
Mel tilted her head in acknowledgment. “He fancies himself a restaurateur. A food truck he funded is making its debut here tonight. I don’t think he’ll miss it. And we have this...” She swiped her finger across the phone screen, then laid it back on the table for them to see. “That’s Daley stepping off a sailboat in Carmel this morning.”
Nic wasn’t focused on the picture as much as on something else Mel had said. A debut food truck. “Meat & Cake?” he asked.
Cam whipped his face to the side, grin almost as goofy as Daley’s in his mugshot. “Ooh, yes, please.”
Nic rolled his eyes and put a hand to Cam’s chest, giving him a playful shove. “It’s the name of the food truck, Boston. They’re the only new one on the list tonight.”
“That’s the one,” Mel confirmed. “Flip to the next picture.”
Nic swiped left across the phone screen.
“ATM caught that picture of Daley next to the food truck outside a San Jose ghost kitchen about an hour ago.”
“Eddie said they checked out.” Nic sank back in his chair, nestling into the warmth of the arm Cam had slung across the back. It was a much-needed comfort as Nic’s worry began to grow. “I was in trial all week, so he did all the paperwork.”
“They do check out,” Mel said. “Legit operation. I doubt they even know who they’re in business with.”
“Poor guys,” Danny said. “Brilliant name and concept. Maybe I’ll fund them when this is all over.”
She elbowed him in the side.
Nic quirked a brow. “Problem?”
“A whole list of ’em.”
“Hey!” Danny squawked.
Mel ignored him and leaned forward, her confident gaze urging calm. Nic knew that look; he gave it to witnesses on the regular. “But I promise, Nic, I won’t let this op be a problem for Gravity tonight.”
Her promise should’ve made Nic feel better, but after the last few years, the worry in the back of his mind wasn’t getting any smaller.
THREE
Meat & Cake was the last food truck to arrive, parking in the only available stall next to the back-lot driveway. And it was a sight to behold. Cam felt doubly bad for the chef-owners who were about to get the rug pulled out from under them. Someone had put real work into this. Freshly cleaned and shined, the truck’s base coat was a glossy Carolina blue, and the prominent logo of a pink dancing pig holding a cake platter was a cheeky masterpiece. Add to that the whitewall tires, polished chrome bumpers, and hammered chrome cutouts, and it was clear this baby was someone’s pride and joy. And it was going to be seized as evidence before it even got a proper debut.
“It’s like Easter threw up all over my back lot,” Nic groused as he drew alongside Cam just inside the warehouse door. From this vantage point, they could see the entire lot, but they wouldn’t be the center of attention.
Cam backhanded Nic’s abs. “Oh, come on. That logo is adorable.”
