She stepped into the space that reeked of motor oil and spotted the reason for his enthusiasm. Several tubes of explosives matching the ones in Shadow Lake Logging’s explosives’ depot and various parts for constructing a bomb were laid out neatly on a worn workbench. Her gaze landed on a photoelectric cell.
Adrenaline cut a straight path through her body.
She moved closer, easing past Grady, her heart racing now. “Dates are written on the tubes just like the ones Tobias’s company uses.”
“Yeah,” he said, sounding way too calm for this important discovery. “But how did Vick get into the shed? Or get past the cameras for that matter?”
“So maybe these aren’t the missing explosives,” she said.
“Explain,” Grady said.
She glanced between the men. “If Vick knows the brand of explosives Shadow Lake Logging uses and how they handle inventory, he could’ve put a date on the tubes to make it look like these came from there.”
“Then where are the missing ones?” Russ asked.
“Keenan took them and stashed them somewhere but never got to use them.”
Russ nodded. “You could be right.”
“Either way.” She took several breaths and looked at Russ. “We could really have our bomber.”
“Looks like it, but we need concrete proof.” How he kept his tone so controlled, she would never know when her heart threatened to leap out of her chest.
Grady stepped closer. “These are the same materials used in our bombs. Or at least the same brand and the dates are similar.”
“Then he could really be our bomber.” Russ dug out his phone. “And we need this place secured as a crime scene then torn apart for leads.”
“I’ll get Sierra out here.” Grady went to the door.
The men made their phone calls. Adrenaline flowing, Ryleigh couldn’t stand around. She had to move. To do. But what? Maybe there were other buildings in the large yard. Other discoveries that could provide even more proof that Vick was their bomber.
“I’ll take a look around outside.” She fairly bolted from the shed and turned on her phone’s flashlight. She shone the beam into the tall grass, weeds, and shrubs as she walked the perimeter filled with shadows. She took her time, making sure she didn’t succumb to a trap set by Vick. With the plans out in plain sight and the shed clear, she didn’t really expect one, but better to be safe than sorry.
The neighbor’s dog barked on the other side of the fence, the little yips breaking the quiet night.
She took a long breath and continued down the fence line, found nothing. But what did she expect to see? They’d already hit the motherlode of evidence. Not only bomb schematics, but the materials to make them.
She reached her starting point. Flicked the light over the back of the shed. A shovel perched against the fence behind the small building caught her attention. Vick had neatly hung his other tools. Why would this one be outside?
She eased between the fence and the shed and came up short.
Oh no. No. No. He didn’t.
“Russ!” she screamed. “You’ll want to see this.”
She held her flashlight in place, her hands growing clammy. Her breath shallow. The beam of her light still focused ahead. Illuminating the mounded soil. A rectangle about six feet long by three feet wide.
Russ came up behind her. “A grave? You found a grave?”
“Yeah,” she said, her mind filled with implications. “Could be I just found Uri Gates.”
Nearing two a.m., Ryleigh watched Dr. Pierre Meadows, the medical examiner, clear away the soil behind Vick’s shed. Russ had connections in the state ME’s office and was able to get someone onsite right away due to a bomber on the loose.
Her adrenaline had fled long ago, swamping her with fatigue. The grave and lack of leads as to Vick’s whereabouts had doused it. Nick imaged the computer, but Vick hadn’t searched for campgrounds or made an online reservation with that device. He could’ve used his phone, but he would have that with him.
And it was too late to get anyone in the state’s IT department to look up a reservation under his name. She ought to know. She and Russ had both tried to find someone to help them, but were told to wait until morning. Fine. They would have to do that and would have to arrest Vick at his work.
“We have a body,” Dr. Meadows called out. “Hasn’t been here long. Come take a look to see if he’s your guy.”
