They stepped inside command central. The guys were still there. Chase looked up from his monitor.
“What did you find?” he asked.
Caleb filled him in about meeting Sabrina and Heather. About talking to Mia’s dad. Saying it out loud made it feel too real.
“Did Liam get back to you?” Caleb asked.
Chase nodded. “Sheriff’s department had no reports of accidents. He checked neighboring towns too. Nothing.”
Caleb swallowed. As twisted as it sounded, an accident would’ve been easier. Hospitals meant records. Paper trails. Hope.
Now they were back where they had started.
Except for the pig.
Finn stepped forward and carefully unrolled the cloth bundle on the table.
The ceramic pig stared jauntily up at them, with a ridiculous little smile painted on its face and a blue bow tie around its neck. Cute. Innocent. And completely out of place in command central.
“That was on her counter,” he said. “Right by the landline.
Finn tipped it carefully to expose the seam along the bottom.
“Fuck,” said Dex. He walked into the computer room and returned with a small toolkit and worked quickly. A soft click, then another. The base came loose.
Nestled inside was a compact transmitter.
Chase swore under his breath.
“Is it live?” Chase asked.
Dex studied the pig, then shook his head. “Not anymore. Battery’s dead. It ran until it burned itself out.”
Caleb’s chest tightened. “To where?”
Dex shook his head. “No relay. No encryption. One-way audio transmitter. Whoever planted it had to be close enough to listen. A mile or two, tops.”
Finn frowned. “So, not random?”
“No,” Dex said. “Personal.”
Finn stared at the pig again. “So the question is who and why.”
“We’ve talked to competitors,” said Caleb. “Sabrina Masters and another, both genuinely surprised to hear she haddisappeared. Heather Pierce fromTaste of Haywoodhad more context.”
“We’re asking the wrong thing,” Finn said.
Chase looked up. “Meaning?”
“It’s not whocoulddo this,” Finn said. “It’s who had the most to lose if Mia succeeded.”
Caleb nodded slowly. “Sabrina was upset, sure. But she said it was part of business. Heather claimed Sabrina was the most vocal about losing business, but Dana…” He trailed off, frowning. That part still bothered him. “Dana stayed neutral. Sympathetic. Almost careful.”
No one spoke for a beat.
Then, Caleb added, “Mia’s father mentioned a friend from high school she kept in touch with.”
Another pause, just long enough for the room to lean in.
