Month or so? The timing of when we’d started working together couldn’t be coincidental. Then again, when he’d been out of it with his concussion, he’d told me he’d been interested in me for much longer than I’d realized.
He climbed out of bed. “We need to come up with a plan for the day. I figured we’d track down some of my contacts this time.” He walked into the bathroom, leaving the door open. “We’ll start after breakfast.”
“How happy will they be to see you?”
“About as happy as a cat in a bathtub.” His voice was faint from the bathroom.
“Then what makes you think they’ll talk to you?”
“I have my ways.”
I knew he did. The question was how far he’d go to make them talk.
“Do you want to drive our car or call Alex?”
“I say we drive ourselves today,” he said. “Carter has another car parked for us at a parking garage a few blocks away, so we can slip out the back door. Maybe save Alex for another time.”
“If we’re going to do some questionable activities, then it’s probably better to not involve him anyway,” I agreed.
He poked his head out of the door, his toothbrush in his hand. A twinkle filled his eyes. “Who said we were going to do anything questionable?”
I lifted a brow and gave him a pointed look.
He grinned and disappeared into the bathroom.
I was relieved things weren’t awkward. We had work to do. Feelings would only get in the way.
When he walked out a few minutes later, he wore a pair of grey sweatpants and no shirt.
“So, who are your contacts?” I asked.
He sat down beside me and slung an arm along the back of the sofa. “I want to start with Miguel Herra. Last I heard, he owns All American Autobody. It’s a body shop in south Little Rock.”
“How do you know him?”
“He did a few jobs for Simmons over the last couple of decades.”
I gave him a questioning look.
A dark look crossed his face. “He made a couple of cars disappear after the owners vanished.”
“And you had a part in making the cars disappear?” I asked cautiously.
He gave me a sardonic look. “Allegedly.”
“What about their owners?”
He shrugged.
I really didn’t want to think of the implications of that.
“What do you hope to get from Miguel?”
“He got busted about ten years ago and served a few years in prison. He’s out now and running a new shop. Supposedly legit. But he was the go-to guy back in the day, and I’d bet money he knows Gerald Knox or did some jobs for Gerry’s father. I’m hoping he can give me the name of someone who currently works for Knox.”
I took a moment. “And if he has a contact, we follow that lead. But what if he doesn’t?”
He pursed his lips. “I have several more people I can track down, but I want to start with Miguel and see where it takes us.”
