ENDING OF CHAPTER 26 

"But —" Crissy didn't understand exactly what was happening, but she knew she recognized fear in the deputy's facial expressions.   

"No buts about it! Don't know where you're from, but we don't take kindly to civilians getting in our way of an investigation." Wyatt Tucker crossed the road and opened Crissy's car door. "It's for your safety, ma'am. I got this under control, and you need to continue down the road to wherever you're headed this morning."  

The deputy reached for Chrissy's arm, but she side-stepped his hand. A low growl came from behind her. "Brandi, no. Get in the car." She moved around the officer, not taking her eyes off him, and pointed toward the front seat. "Let's go, girl."  

Brandi jumped onto the front seat, with Crissy following close behind. Deputy Tucker slammed the car door as she glared out the window at him.  

"You take care now, Miss. Thanks for all your help."  

Crissy turned the key and put the car in gear as soon as the engine turned over. "Something tells me Deputy Tucker knows more about that car than he's saying." She patted her co-pilot's head. "I smell a story brewing."  

As Crissy's car disappeared down the road, Tucker punched a number into his phone. When the man at the other end of the line answered, the deputy stammered, "We've — we've got — big trouble out here, Smythe. Mighty big trouble." 

******************************************************************************* 

BEGINNING OF CHAPTER 27 

"Wyatt, tone it down. The entire department can hear you." Terry glanced around the room, noting most of his co-workers gathered around the coffee machine, out of hearing distance. "What's got you so worked up?" 

"Your simple favor has exploded in my face!" Wyatt stood staring down into the ravine at the car. "I'm standing on the side of the road, looking at it." 

"Okay, so now you can report that you found it. Any idea where the occupants might be?" 

"Oh yeah, Terry." Wyatt wiped beads of perspiration from his forehead. "They're lying dead inside of the bullet-riddled car at the bottom of a ravine. This is no simple stolen vehicle case, my friend. What have you gotten me mixed up in?" The distraught deputy removed his hat, tossing it on the hood of his vehicle before running his fingers through his hair. "I've got to call this in, Terry. What am I going to say to the Sheriff?" 

The magnitude of the problem was slowly seeping into Terry Smythe's brain. He shoved his chair away from his paper-littered desk and walked to one of the conference rooms, closing the door behind him.  

"Your 'it's just some car thieves, Wyatt' appears to be much bigger than that, my friend. What did you neglect to tell me?" Wyatt screamed into the phone. "This is something out of a bad gangster movie, and you've put me right in the middle of it." Wyatt peered into the ravine again, shaking his head. "I ain't prepared to lose my career or my life for whatever this is." 

"Calm down, Wyatt. It's early out there, and you're the only one who knows about the car. So, go back to town, file your report on the stolen vehicle, and leave it on your boss's desk. He'll think he overlooked it. Then, you can drive back out to the car and call in a rollover. Wrap it up in a neat little package." 

"Thing is, Terry, a woman and her dog discovered the car before I did." 

Terry gulped and fell unceremoniously into a chair. His thoughts were racing in far too many directions as he tried to focus on what to do next. "A woman? Where is she, and what was said between the two of you?"  

"I sent her on her way. I told her it was safer for her to leave and let the police handle the situation." 

"Did you get her name, a license plate, anything?" Terry shook his head. "She's a woman, Wyatt. Women yap about everything, especially a car shot full of bullet holes." 

"I know what she was driving. A blue GMC Terrain with a dog sticker on the side window. It's a newer model, but I'm not positive about the year."

"Okay, I'll handle it from here. You get back to the office and write that report, dating it yesterday. Stay put till I get back to you, okay?" 

"Sure, Terry, but you better be able to fix this." 

"Didn't I always fix things when we were kids? I'll take care of it." Terry's voice sounded far more confident than he felt. "Just stay calm and keep your mouth shut."  

After ending the call, Terry laid his head on the table, cradling it in his arms. Thoughts of Peter Costello and his response to the situation, regardless of whether his men had a hand in it, caused chills to run up and down his spine. Wyatt could stall reporting the car, but not for long. Then, the original stolen car would be discovered and reported. Soon, the occupants' identities would be known, but could the police connect them to Boston and the jewels? No one knew who they were except maybe Sandy.  

"I need to pay our bartender a visit." Satisfied he had a plan, Smythe hurried from the building. He didn't know how long things would stay under wraps, but he knew it wouldn't be long. 

*************************** 

After leaving the O'Hara's home, Hank and Emmy stopped at a nearby coffee shop to compare thoughts on the case. While Hank ordered two coffees and pastries, Emmy checked in with the office for any updates. 

"Thanks for the coffee, but I'll pass on that pastry, my friend." Emmy slid her phone into her pocket.  

"No problem. I'm sure it won't go to waste." Hank laughed as he placed the coffee in front of Emmy and the pastries in front of his place. "After all, we have been working hard this morning." 

"It appears we aren't alone. According to dispatch, there's been a lot of activity last night and this morning, especially regarding the jewel heist." 

"Interesting to know that Boston's finest are on top of the case." Hank chuckled. "It's only been dormant for how many years?" 

"Now watch yourself, my friend. No one knew anything about the jewels until Rudy and his son entered the picture. Unfortunately, Rudy's loose lips and life-altering beating brought the case to the surface." 

"Cool down. I didn't mean to offend anyone, especially those I have the courtesy of working with." Hank took a bite out of his pastry, sighing in satisfaction. "You don't know what you're missing, Emmy. These are excellent." 

She laughed. "You'd say that about any filled pastry smothered in icing."  

"So, what's the team discovered? Anything that will direct us toward the missing jewels?" 

"Possibly. The son left his father a message on the house recorder. He mentioned that his friend, Lance, the lawyer, and himself were taking a short vacation to the Smokies." She flipped through her small notebook. "Trenton, Tennessee." 

"Anything else?" 

"They found an expensive ring on the bathroom sink. Probably forgotten in their rush to leave town." Emmy sighed. "Oh yeah, a car was stolen from a parking lot, which happens to be near the scene of the crime and Rudy's house. Not sure if the vehicle is connected to our suspects, but it's a lead." 

"Sounds like a feasible escape route. They were on foot, right? Maybe they stole the car so they could get out of town." 

Emmy leaned across the table. "Or maybe, and I know it's a long shot, our suspects are a jump ahead of us, and they followed the diamonds out of town." 

"Has anyone told you what a brilliant detective you would make, young lady?" They both laughed as Hank added, "If I were in their shoes, that's exactly what I would do. Long stretches of the highway would give them a second chance at hijacking the jewels." 

"Lest you forget, the road between Boston and Tennessee isn't exactly in our jurisdiction. I imagine there's a BOLO out on the car. We should probably notify the authorities in Trenton to be on the lookout for them." Emmy sipped her coffee. "Not much else we can do." 

Hank stared out the window for a few minutes before a huge smile covered his face. "Road trip!" 

"What? Have you lost your mind?" Emmy rolled her eyes and shook her head. 

"It's Friday. The Porsche needs to stretch its wheels. It's the weekend, and we can do what we want, right?"  

"But, Hank —" Emmy wrinkled her nose. "We're supposed to be checking out the lawyer's office. Besides, we don't have the Chief's approval." 

"It's early. We can still go to the lawyer's office before we leave. It shouldn't take long. As for the Chief's approval, I'll be on my time, not his. Are you in?" 

"You, my friend, are a bad influence." Emmy looked across the table and smiled, knowing being alone for two days with her partner had promise. "I don't know why I agree with your wild hare idea, but — I'm in."