to swing by my house so I can get Wyatt’s police report and pick up my police cruiser and a uniform. I’m covering a shift for a friend tonight, so I can go straight from the tavern to work. Since my Explorer’s still in the tavern parking lot, maybe you can help me get it home later.”
“Marco,” I said, worry filling my head. “Of course I’ll help you, but you should have taken a nap instead of running around the county with me.”
“No,” he said with a finality that told me it wasn’t up for debate. “I wouldn’t have been able to sleep knowin’ you were lookin’ into this alone.” He cracked a grin. “Besides, you know how much I love investigatin’. But I really do think you should go to work tonight. Max and Tiny will keep you safe when I leave for my shift, and I’ll hang out in Max’s office and make some calls to further our own investigation while I wait for my shift to start. We can have Max call Lula and ask her to send Bingham to talk to you.”
Bingham would likely be furious at that, but maybe Lula could convince him that it was to save her brother. “Okay. But I want to keep my car too. You can follow me into town. I feel anxious not having it.”
We had a plan for the next few hours, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that the last few grains of sand were drifting down in the hourglass.
Chapter Twenty-Six
We didn’t take long at his house, and Marco followed me into town. We walked in through the back door of the tavern at around four thirty. Marco headed to Max’s office to get started on his research, and I made my way into the dining room.
Max’s eyes widened when he saw me sliding behind the bar in my work shirt.
“I thought you were investigatin’,” he said in a lowered voice.
“We decided to take a moment to figure out our next move,” I said. “Plus, I need to talk to Bingham, and I was hoping you could call Lula and ask her to send him in.”
His eyes darkened. “Are you sure you really want to do that?”
“I need to talk to him, and this seems like the safest way.”
He scowled but didn’t respond.
“Have you heard from Wyatt?”
A worried look filled his eyes. “No.”
“Lula knows where he is—I’m certain of it. You can always ask her.” I took a beat, considering his call with Lula. “In fact, when you talk to her, can you tell her to have him call me again? I have more questions that might help move things along.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” His brow furrowed. “My mother called and left you a message.”
“Really? What did she say?”
“She said to tell you the check was cashed two weeks later in Tulsa.” His eyes narrowed. “Is she talkin’ about the check they gave to Heather?”
“Yeah,” I said. “That’s very helpful.”
“When did you talk to my mother?” he asked. He looked a little put out, but I saw some fear behind it. What was he afraid of?
I was about to answer him, but a customer was flagging him, and he reluctantly moved down to the other end of the bar to get the man a refill.
Ruth hadn’t shown up yet, but Ginger had left for the day. Molly was working the dining room. She didn’t seem as angry as earlier, but she ignored me as I scanned the dining room to gauge how busy we were.
Ruth came in a little before five, and I filled her in on how well Ginger had done, leaving out the part about Molly’s sass. A rush of construction workers came in soon afterward, and the three of us were busy for the next two hours. Marco even came out and helped Max behind the bar, giving me a small shake of his head as if to say he didn’t have anything yet. The men seemed to be in good moods and ordered plenty of beers to go with their dinners, then stayed after they finished to watch a Braves game on TV.
Business slowed down a bit, most of the families heading home, and Max sent Molly home at around seven thirty. Not long afterward, I noticed Marco talking on the phone behind the bar. A few minutes later, he headed me off as I was walking to the bar to get refills.
“I think I have a lead on someone who