lived, all she had to do was search his name on the internet. The man bragged about his winery and about his big house to many reporters. The man had a large ego, and she couldn’t wait to deflate it.
She stuffed her camera in her backpack and left the office. Taking her motorcycle, she sped toward his mansion – that was no way as lovely as Thomas’ home. As she approached his address, she slowed her bike and parked it out of view from the windows. She took her camera out of her backpack and snuck toward his house. The garage door was open, and his silver truck was parked inside. She found it odd that he wouldn’t close the garage. He was definitely too trusting, especially since he’d been doing criminal acts. Perhaps he didn’t think he’d get caught.
She’d prove him wrong.
As she approached his truck, she noticed it had soot from the burned field. He must have parked close to the fire. Obviously, he thought he was above the law... or he was too busy with the specialty vines to worry about washing his truck.
She checked the door handle to see if it was locked, and was pleasantly surprised when the door opened. She quickly scanned the inside for anything suspicious. There were a couple of fashion magazines on the seat, which was strange. Morgan held back a laugh. She hadn’t taken him for that kind of guy. Then again, if he was conspiring with Joslyn, those magazines could have been hers.
Before closing the door, she noticed a broken grape vine along with a good portion of dirt on the passenger’s side floor. She wasn’t stupid. She knew exactly what this was.
Just as she closed the door, she heard the roar of a car’s engine coming closer. Ducking, she snuck around the front of the truck to hide, but peeked to see who was pulling up the driveway. Joslyn!
Morgan gritted her teeth. They were once friends, but she would no longer associate with a criminal.
Joslyn stopped and turned off her car before climbing out. Keeping her sunglasses on, she sashayed into the garage and to the door to enter the house. Joslyn walked inside as if she was the queen of England. Then again, Joslyn usually walked with an air of confidence.
After waiting a few more seconds, Morgan hurried to Joslyn’s car and looked through the window. Her beaded jacket was lying on the back seat. Morgan quickly opened the door, snatched it, and stuffed it in her backpack. She’d look at it later to see if the bead was missing. But at this point, she already knew the answer.
She hurried toward the inside garage door again. This time, she’d sneak in. However... she stopped and glanced around for something to use as a weapon. A crowbar lay across one of the tables, so she wrapped her fingers around it and held it to her side as she headed for the door.
When she reached the door, she pressed her ear against the thick wood, trying to hear if there were voices on the other side. After several seconds of hearing nothing, she tested the doorknob. It opened. Slowly, she pushed the door open, listening for anything that might alert her to Joslyn or Garth.
Once inside, she closed the door. This area appeared to be some kind of woodworking spot. Several saws and hand tools rested on the benches, but there weren’t any signs of the vines. Garth wouldn’t have kept them here, anyway. He would have taken them somewhere in his house to replant them.
Taking careful steps, she moved forward. Soon, she was out of the work room and entering the laundry room. The dryer was going, but that was all. It blocked out the sounds, which was a good thing and bad. At least Garth and Joslyn wouldn’t hear her, but... she might not hear them, either.
Moisture gathered on her palm where she held the crowbar, so she switched hands and dried her palm on her pants. Her heartbeat thudded like the pounding of the dryer, but she must keep calm. She couldn’t let them get away with destroying other people’s livelihoods... and nearly killing Darion.
As she entered another room, she realized it was the kitchen. Thankfully, nobody was in it, which made her wonder if Garth hired staff to work in his home like Thomas did. She hoped not, because then she’d have to be on watch for the cleaning maids, too.
Just before leaving the kitchen,