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I glanced at everyone in the room. “I need to know something first.”
“All right.”
“Logan sent a man after River when she first arrived.”
I could hear Shirley suck in air. “That dirty bastard.”
“You know him?”
“I do. He’s a piece of shit. What I don’t understand is how he tracked her to Idaho.”
Her words knocked the air out of my lungs. Shirley didn’t know that River was in Spokane, which meant she was either playing me, or she hadn’t led Logan to her.
“There was a tracker in the phone you gave her,” I explained.
Shirley’s cell clattered and static crackled in my ear, then she swore a blue streak. If she really hadn’t put River in harm’s way, then she seemed like someone I could quickly appreciate.
“Sorry. Hopefully that didn’t break your eardrum.” I heard the flicker of a lighter, then Shirley inhaled deeply from what I suspected was a cigarette. “Now I understand why she never reached out to me. She thought I helped Logan find her. I didn’t. I swear it. I’d never do that to her. Neither would Ed.”
I could picture Shirley pacing. “It had to be the little girl I sent to buy the phone and a few other things for River before I put her on the bus. Her name is Josie. She works at the diner with us. When she brought the items to me, the plastic case on the cell had been opened. She said it was cheaper since it was an open item. I didn’t think twice about it. Hell, I’ve bought some of those marked-down products myself. But the next day, she missed her shift. Josie never came back. I’m gonna make a wild guess it’s because she did a favor for Logan with that damn tracker.”
I massaged my temple with my free hand, debating to believe her or not. My head ached as if, at any second, my skull would splinter. “So, you think she planted the device?”
“Hell, she had to have. It wasn’t Ed. He didn’t even touch the phone. I was the only person to handle it other than Josie, and I swear to you on my mother’s grave that it wasn’t me.”
I squeezed my eyes closed, attempting to clear the haze of emotions. I wanted to trust Shirley. What she said made sense, but I still wasn’t sure.
“Logan sent one of his buddies to my house. Instead of snatching River, he grabbed an innocent …” Brynn scoffed loudly, and I shot her a dirty look. Although we understood that Becky was far from harmless, I didn’t have time to explain it to Shirley. “He took someone else and held her at gunpoint. I was able to help River stay out of sight. That’s when we learned about Logan and that he was looking for her.”
“Good God. Logan is pure evil. Thank you for keeping her safe.”
I couldn’t ignore the sincerity in her voice.
“Can I ask how the two of you met?” Shirley asked softly.
A slight grin pulled at the corner of my mouth. “I found her sleeping in my recycling bin.”
“Wait. What? She was supposed to be at the women’s shelter,” Shirley said, obviously alarmed.
“She missed her stop in Idaho and ended up in Spokane. When I saw her, I invited her into my parent’s place and made her some food. She got spooked and ran out of the house. I tried to catch her but … she hauled ass into the street and was hit by a car.”
“Oh my God! Please tell me that she’s okay. How bad was the damage?” Shirley paused, inhaling again. By this time, I wanted to join her. The stress was eating me alive.
“She broke her leg. I rushed her to the hospital, and she stayed with me until she healed.” A sharp pain spread through me. River had to be alive. “I fell in love with her,” I admitted. “Hard.”
“It would be difficult not to fall in love with her. She’s strong, beautiful, and smart as a whip. Wherever she is, I have to believe that she’s going to be all right.” Shirley continued. “Dan, River’s guardian, was found a few days later. His death has been the biggest gossip all over town ever since she moved. They’re still investigating it. Some animal got hold of the body, so there wasn’t much of him left.”
I couldn’t stop my smile. I was glad the bastard had died painfully. “From what River said, Dan owed Logan a lot of money and they were planning to take River for payment.”
“I’m going to kill that son of a bitch myself,” she blurted, then grew silent.
“Have you seen Logan lately? Does he come into the diner?” I asked, my heart hammering against my ribcage.
“He’s been around, but he mentioned leaving town a few days ago for a while. Do you … Do you think he took River?” Her voice trembled.
“That’s what we’re trying to find out. Anything that you learn could save her life,” I added.
“I’ll talk to Ed tonight. He’s at the diner now, but he should be back by seven. We both hear a lot of rumors, so maybe one of them will end up helpful. In the meantime, I’ll see if I can locate Josie.”
