“Can you tell me why?” Diesel wished she’d quit staring at the floor. It made him feel like a bully, looming over a frail old woman he’d known his entire life.
“The thing is…it’s a secret that could be used against me as well.” She finally lifted her head. He could see the resolute demeanor in her expression. “I’m sorry, but no, that information is too dangerous to be out in the world. There are so few of my race left, that I can’t in good conscious reveal it. I’m sorry, Diesel.”
Diesel nodded. “Not to worry. I understand.” He would be putting that factoid into his back pocket for possible use in the future, now that he knew it existed.
Wyatt said, “What if we got hold of the manifest from last night’s transport? Perhaps we could narrow down our suspect pool.”
“What are you thinking?” Diesel asked.
“We get a list, check the names and pictures of the passengers, crossing off anyone who already lives here or regulars that we know and search out the shortened list for potential folks that could be Indigo Smith shifted into a fake person.”
“Didn’t Francine Duvall and her bounty hunter fiancé come back last night?” Aunt Dixie asked. “Maybe you could ask them if they saw anyone suspicious on the flight.”
Diesel tilted his head to one side. “That’s a great idea, Aunt Dixie. Thanks.”
She beamed from ear to ear. “I have lots of great ideas, Diesel. Want to hear a few more?”
“No time. I’ve got to go find a criminal.”
“Fine.” Her faux dejected tone didn’t sway him to stop and listen to any more of her “great” ideas. The thought of what else she might want to show in the nude for a moneymaking scheme made him shudder.
Diesel and Wyatt exited his aunt’s home and hopped back into Wyatt’s cruiser. “Where to next?” Wyatt asked, starting the car and revving it like he was about to stomp the gas pedal to the floorboard and try to win a stop-light race.
“Let me send a message to Raphael and see where he is.”
The moment his phone was flat in his hand, it started playing his standard ringtone for a phone call.
“Hello?” he answered, wondering why his sister-in-law, Lucy, would be calling him.
“Diesel!” she said loudly. She started crying so hard he couldn’t understand a single word she said after his name.
When Lucy burst into tears, Raphael put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. It wasn’t in his nature to cry and he rarely did it, but right now was the perfect reason. Francine was missing. There was no sign of her anywhere. No one had seen her and besides the three texts from the night before to him, Lucy and Mr. Petey, no one had heard from her. No one had seen her. No one.
He didn’t understand any of the words Lucy was trying to say to Diesel, so he held out his hand and she gave him her phone.
“Diesel, it’s Raphael. Francine is missing.”
“Missing? Just since last night?”
“Yes. We’ve already looked in all the expected places. She sent a text to me, one to Lucy and one to her boss at work. She quit her job with no notice.”
“That doesn’t sound like her. I mean, I don’t know her super well, but it seems out of character.”
“I don’t think she made it home last night after our flight.” Raphael couldn’t believe he was holding it together. His insides felt much like how Lucy was reacting.
“Space potatoes,” he heard Diesel say under his breath. “I’m sorry, Raphael.”
“I’m worried that Indigo Smith is somehow involved, even though I don’t have a shred of proof.” Raphael’s insides started to shed the sadness as his anger built. He needed to have his sharpest focus for what came next: Indigo’s apprehension. He vowed to make that a reality and soon.
“Well, I have a shred of proof,” Diesel said. “I’m with Wyatt. We think Indigo Smith is here in town, hiding out. The two incidents could be related.” He explained the issue with the rice paddy and what Miss Penny had shared about shifters like Indigo Smith.
Diesel asked, “Did you see anyone on the flight that looked out of place or suspicious?”
Raphael’s heartbeat sped in concern. “Possibly. Where can we meet?”
“How about in my office belowstairs? I’d like to have you look at passenger photos from the flight manifest and see if anyone stands out.”
