The Escape (US Marshals #1) - Lisa Harris Page 0,48
insight into what it’s like tracking down a felon and putting your life at risk while hunting the worst of the worst.”
Jonas took a step forward. “Mr. Wells, perhaps we can table the soliciting for help with your book series for now.”
“I’m sorry.” Mike held up his hands. “I didn’t mean to overstep. I just thought—”
One of the deputies stepped inside the house. “I think we found your dog.”
“Henry?”
The deputy held open the door and the dog rushed to his owner, jumping up on him and licking him.
“We’re going to leave now,” Madison said. “Please call the sheriff immediately if you see the man from the photo.”
“Are you sure I’m safe? I mean if he’s out there somewhere.”
“We’re not done looking,” Jonas said. “We’re going to canvass the surrounding cabins and have a couple deputies watching the place. In the meantime, keep your doors locked and think of all of this as fodder for your book.”
“Thanks, but I’d prefer not to live my stories.”
“I think Mike the author has a bit of a crush on you,” Jonas said as they walked down the sidewalk to where the sheriff was waiting for them.
“Very funny.”
“I don’t know. You might have ended up as inspiration for his next series.”
“I have no desire to be anyone’s inspiration for a book.”
“Sounds kind of cool to me.”
“Yeah, and Richard Castle already did a great job with it.”
“Marshals.”
Jonas and Madison turned around.
Mike hurried down the sidewalk toward them with Henry nipping at his heels. “You know, I didn’t think about this until now, but I did run into someone out here this morning.”
“Who was that?”
“An old classmate, and it’s crazy, because I haven’t seen the guy for at least ten years. He acted as if he didn’t recognize me—not that we were ever great friends—but we were in the same class.”
“What was his name?”
“Charlie Gibbons.”
The sheriff walked up to them, his boots crunching on the gravel driveway. “Charlie Gibbons is Mary Margaret’s brother.”
Eighteen
Wait a minute.” Jonas turned toward the sheriff. “You know the name?”
“Charlie Gibbons has been in and out of trouble for years. He’s usually unemployed and makes money doing odd jobs around town.”
“So Mary Margaret’s brother just happened to be out here at the cabin where Barrick is supposed to be,” Jonas said.
Madison leaned against the side of the car. “It makes sense that Barrick would need extra help.”
“Charlie could have picked him up and brought him here.”
“I think we should still keep searching,” Jonas said.
“Agreed,” Madison said. “I want to talk to Mary Margaret again, but I want to talk to Charlie first.”
“That’s not a problem.” The sheriff jiggled his keys. “Try at the Bull’s Bar & Grill on Main Street. When he’s not working, he hangs out there.”
“We’ll head back to town and talk to him,” Jonas said. “Can you stay here and keep searching the area for Barrick?”
“And make sure Mary Margaret still has no access to her cell phone,” Madison said. “We need to keep her isolated for the time being.”
“I’ll remind my deputy,” Sheriff Fischer said. “And we’ll check in if we find anything.”
Jonas took the driver’s seat again and he and Madison made their way back toward town on the winding, narrow road that cut through the trees. There was a question nagging at him. “Do you think Barrick has something on her?”
“You mean is he blackmailing her?”
“It’s something to consider. He could have threatened to tell her husband if she didn’t do what he said.”
“It’s possible, but love can have just as strong a hold on a person. Something tells me that she honestly believes he’ll take her with him wherever he runs to. Especially if she had no intentions of turning him in. But I think you’re right in at least considering blackmail. We’re talking about a small town where she’s lived her entire life. Something like that would be devastating. We might even need to talk to her husband. See if he knows anything.” Madison looked out the window. “They say love is blind, but there’s a good chance he at least has suspicions his wife hasn’t been faithful.”
He was impressed with her insight. Her ability to look at a situation from more than one angle. It was their job in tracking down criminals—to get into the heads of whoever they were after, never giving up until they were found.
Once they were close to town, Madison glanced at the GPS on her phone. “Take a left at the next street. That will get us onto Main