“Blair Nelson.” She shook it. “They seem like good people, the ones I’ve met.”
“The best.” He grinned. “You enjoy your day, Blair.”
“You two as well.” She looked back at Courtney. “Thank you. I’ll be back.”
“Once you taste those cookies, I know you will.” Courtney waved her out.
Blair stepped onto the sidewalk and looked up the street. Festive Finds was a few doors down, a little shop she’d noticed before but never got around to. Christmas things year-round if the window display was anything to go by, and that was enough to pull her in. She loved that time of year.
She waited for a break in traffic, crossed over and pushed the door open. The smell hit her first, pine and something warm and spiced, and she smiled before she’d even looked around. The displays were everywhere, cheerful and well arranged, and shealready knew she was going to spend money in here.
“Welcome to Festive Finds,” a young woman called from somewhere between the shelves.
“Thank you. Just browsing.”
“Take all the time you want. I’m around if you need anything.”
Blair moved slowly up and down the aisles, picking things up and setting most of them back down.
Most of them.
****
Hud pulled up to the bay doors of the old tire shop, and the three of them stepped out, hands on their weapons as they approached. Hud cupped his hands against the glass and peered inside. Empty. Not just vacant but stripped, every piece of machinery, every rack, every tire gone. The concrete floor swept clean.
“This place was cleared out a long time ago,” he said. “Too clean for a business that just closed up.”
Creed had already moved to the warehouse next door. He tried the handle and the door swung open. He stood in the doorway without crossing the threshold.
“Don’t go in,” Luke said.
“I’m looking.” Creed turned back. “Hud, did Saunders pull a warrant on this place?”
“I don’t know. Call Dave.”
Creed made the call, listened, then looked up. “Warrant’s still valid. Two days left.”
“Then let’s go.” Hud drew his weapon and went in first, giving his eyes a moment to adjust. The windows let in enough light to see by. The space was large and hollow, the kind of empty that echoed. He moved through it slowly.
“Saunders is thorough,” he said after a while,holstering his weapon. “I don’t expect we’ll find anything he missed.”
Creed and Luke holstered theirs.
Hud took one last look around. “Alright. Let’s go find Tanner Whitman. See if we can get something out of him.”
“Or scare it out of him,” Creed said with a grin.
“Works too.” Hud moved toward the door. “Let’s go.”
Creed pulled the warehouse door shut behind them, and they climbed back into the truck. Hud punched Whitman’s address into the GPS and followed it out of town and down a long rural road.
When they pulled up to the property nobody said anything for a moment.
The place looked still. Too still.
“I don’t like this,” Luke said quietly.
“Too quiet,” Creed agreed.
