Page 36 of Chasing Creed

“It was still making noises. Jason thought it might be motion-activated.”

“Cartels aren’t my specialty, but Pakula talks about them using sophisticated drones as mechanical scouts. They send them out to do their surveillance, search out drop sites for drugs or find stash houses for human trafficking. The drones are made of composite materials instead of metal, so radar systems don’t pick them up. If they do, their system treats them like slow-moving birds and disregards them.”

“So, they literally fly below the radar.”

“Pretty much. He’s shown me photos of a couple they’ve found. These machines are equipped with radio transmission, visual capabilities, and GPS tracking. Even if they need to blow them up, they still have all the digital information because it’s already been transmitted somewhere else.”

“Wait a minute. They don’t just send back GPS locations? They have cameras on board?”

“Oh yeah. High-tech visual capabilities. They can remotely zoom in to a license plate on a car in traffic, if they wanted. Why do you ask?”

“Because it sounded like it took photos. Of me. And Brodie.”

23

Wednesday, February 18

Nebraska

Maggie was glad Pakula was driving. This morning, the sun and Nebraska's blue skies were back. Highway 92 was clear, but the rolling hills and snowy landscape gave her road hypnosis. She’d zoned out through a long stretch, thinking about Ryder and what his crew had stumbled on. She knew he and Jason were more than capable of taking care of themselves and their dogs. As well as Brodie. But this latest search sounded more dangerous than finding a missing person.

“Not to stir the pot,” Pakula said, breaking her trance. “But it just occurred to me they use facial recognition software.”

They had spent the first thirty minutes of their road trip picking up donuts and coffee—and Diet Pepsi—and rehashing what Ryder had told her about the drone and the search.

“Thanks,” she told him. “I didn’t think it was possible, but you managed to make it even worse.”

“Don’t worry about it. Didn’t he tell you the Mississippi State Patrol would be taking over?”

“Yes.”

“It’s not like the thing was still loaded with drugs. They didn’t steal anything or see anything.”

“Right. They just found a murdered missing person who may or may not have been dismembered.”

“Oh yeah. That’s true.” He grabbed his coffee out of the cup holder and slung back what must have been the cold dredges. “Somebody messed up big time. This is the part where I tell you to be grateful Ryder’s crew isn’t law enforcement. They did their job. They’ll go home. It’s the State Patrol’s mess now.”

She knew he was right. But there was something that left her unsettled. A few years ago, Creed and Grace had sabotaged a huge shipment of drugs hidden under a boatload of tuna in the Gulf. They weren’t law enforcement then either, but the cartel had targeted Ryder anyway.

“I need to get my mind on other things," Maggie said. "So, tell me about Iris Malone’s mother?”

“I’m not sure this is a good idea. The poor woman is in a care facility. I attempted to talk to her a year ago when all this first happened. She didn’t even acknowledge my presence.”

“That’s because you look like a cop. You said it yourself. I’m supposed to be your charm offensive.”

“I meant in general, with the community. But charm probably won’t have an effect on an old woman with dementia.”

When they arrived, Maggie convinced Pakula to stay outside in his vehicle. She’d suggested he drop her off and go have coffee, but this place was in the middle of nowhere, situated between pastures and what looked like a once-upon-a-time attempt to create a golf course. No shops, no businesses, and no coffee anywhere nearby. Still, he relented and stayed put when she reminded him that he needed her female charms to soften his too-rugged cop look.

Not even two minutes inside and halfway through a charming introduction, and Maggie reverted too quickly to her own “pushy cop” manners.

“Sorry, if you’re not on the family’s list, we can’t allow you to see Mrs. Dunn.”

Maggie brought out her badge. “This is actually a law enforcement matter.”

The young woman’s eyes widened and the piercings along her eyebrow twitched.

“You’re a cop?”