“We’ll have to go over there, find out what’s going on.”

“I didn’t want to….”

“You did the right thing,” said Ray. “We’ll get this sorted out.”

Jon led them out into the spring sunshine. “I hope so,” he said, shaking Sue’s hand, then Ray’s.

“Say,” asked Ray, “did you ever see either of them dressed as Amish farmers?”

“Yes, funny you know about that. We have an annual Halloween barn party for the neighborhood, all ages, cider, doughnuts, hay rides in the dark. Tucker and Sam always attend; it might be their one social outing of the year. Tucker plays a concertina, and Sam sort of follows along on a fiddle. They’re an essential part of the evening.”

“By the way,” said Sue, “how’s the science project coming?”

“Oh, Emma, she got interested in owl pellets,” said Jon, rolling his eyes upward and slowly exhaling. “I would have preferred helping her edit video.”

34

“Since you didn’t ask, you obviously know where we can find the potato perps,” said Sue, stopping at the end of the drive and looking over at Ray, waiting for directions.

“Left here, left on the first paved road, and about a half mile down turn right on Veelander. It’s gravel and usually in bad shape this time of year.”

“Their family name?”

“Yes.”

Their progress was interrupted by a call on the police radio asking for a unit to respond to a domestic disturbance. Sue picked up the microphone, “Central. Near that location. Will respond.” She looked over at Ray. “The Veelanders will have to wait.”

Ray turned the laptop mounted between them in his direction and read the information on the screen to Sue. Meet woman in drive in a red Mazda. He moved Simone around on his lap, retrieved his phone, and called the dispatcher.

“Central, this is Ray. I’m riding with Sue. Do you have anything more?”

“Hi, Ray, I’ll put it on screen. 911 call is from a Sally Rood who went to this address to reclaim some personal property from an ex-boyfriend. Apparently there was an argument, and he pushed her out of the house. Rood says she just wants her things back, and she’s afraid if she tries to go back in, he will hurt her. I instructed her to leave the scene, but she’s determined to get her belongings, so I told her to stay in her car, lock the doors, and wait for a deputy.”

“Do you have a name for the man involved?”

“I’m sending the info. It should be on your screen.”

“How about the caller?”

“Nothing. I’ve tentatively confirmed her I.D.”

“Thanks,” said Ray looking at the computer display. “The resident at that address is James Moarse, age 44,” he read to Sue. “Suspended license, series of DUIs, and three domestics, years ago.”

“I’ve never heard of him,” commented Sue, her eyes on the road. “The guy’s not on our top 40. There’s the Mazda.” She pulled behind the vehicle. “Kentucky tags.” They sat for a minute as Sue keyed in the plate numbers. After reading the response, she pushed the screen over.

Sally Rood was leaning against the driver’s side door, a cigarette in one hand, a cell phone in the other. “Okay, they’re here. I gotta go,” she said with a Dolly Parton twang, folding her phone.

Sue stood directly in front of Rood. Ray hung back by the front of the Jeep.

“Look,” said Rood, “all I want is my stuff. And that bastard won’t let me take it. If you just walk in and give me a little protection, I’ll be out of here.”

“Slow down. Tell us what’s happening.”

“Like I said….”

Sue cut her off, “What’s in the house, and how did it end up there?”

“Just some clothes. I moved out a while ago, but I left a few things behind. I called him earlier this morning, and he said he was okay with me coming by. But when I got here he was drunk. Big effing surprise. He started yelling at me. Said he was going to bash in my head with a ball bat. Then he pushed me out the door.”

“Did you see a ball bat or any other weapon?”

“No, but I wasn’t going to stand around while he went to look for one, not that he could find anything in that god damn pig pen.”

“The man inside, the person who threatened you, what’s his name?”

“Jimmy, Jimmy Moarse.”

“Is he alone?

“Yes.”

“How long did you live there.”

“Four or five months. I came up here to waitress last summer, moved in with him in…maybe…October. I went back south in the late winter. Couldn’t stand him or the cold.”

“And what are we talking about; what are you trying to retrieve?”

“A couple of suitcases. They’re packed already. I couldn’t fit them in my car when I went south. He said it was okay if I left them. Now he’s just being a prick about it. Saying I deserted him.”

“Let’s see if we can work this out,” said Sue.

The front door of the house flew open as they approached, and a large man, disheveled and unsteady, smelling of booze and cigarettes, charged out. Ray moved quickly to the man’s side.

“Sally, you didn’t have to go calling fucking Johnny Law. We could have worked this out.”

“Asshole. You said you were going to beat in my brains. What was I…?”

“I was just messing with you. Try to tell these cops you didn’t screw me over good on your way out.” He focused on Ray. “Bitch left in the middle of the night. Woke up, house empty, wallet too.”

“Your name please?” asked Sue.

“James Moarse.”

“Do you have a picture ID?”

The man pulled out a wallet. He retrieved a card and passed it to Sue. She peered at it for a long moment, briefly looked up at him, then returned the ID.

“Does she have some possessions in your house?” asked Sue.

“Yeah, a couple of bags. Should have thrown them out.”

“Where are they?”

“Right where she left them.”

“May we enter your house and get them?”

“Just don’t let her steal anything else.”

Moarse lit a cigarette, offering one to Ray as an afterthought. He shook his head. “She was nothing but trouble.”

Ray didn’t respond. The two women quickly returned, Rood carrying two red plastic suitcases, one in each hand.

“Mr. Moarse, are these the suitcases in question?”

“Yeah.”

“Ms. Rood, is that it? You have no other possessions in Moarse’s house?”

“No.”

“You are sure?”

“Absolutely.”

“And what are you going to do now?” Sue pursued.

“I’m getting in my car and getting outta Dodge. I want some serious distance between me and that asshole before I lay my head down again.”

“Fuck you, bitch.”

Ray stepped away from Moarse, and he and Sue walked behind Rood as she made her way back to her car, suitcases banging against her knees. They stood and waited as she loaded her car, pulled forward, turned around, and headed south on Town Line Road. Then they got into the Jeep and followed her at a distance.

“What did he give you as an ID?”

“An operator’s permit, expired.”

“What was the house like?”

“He’s sitting on a fortune in returnables.”

“Think she’ll be back?” asked Ray.

“Hard to tell. Do you think he’d take her back?”

“In a heartbeat.”

“Should we head to Veelanders?” Sue asked.

“Let’s do lunch first,” Ray responded. “I don’t think they’re going anywhere.”

“Our job,” said Sue, exasperated. “Sometimes I think most of what we do is social work.”

“Yes, social work,” Ray repeated, “with a Glock just in case things go south—or in Ms. Rood’s case, they don’t go south as planned.”

35

Mackenzie felt like she was babbling. She took a deep breath in an attempt to slow down and focus. She sat back and looked hard at the Skype box showing Ken Lee’s face. It appeared that he was giving her his full attention. His gaze didn’t seem to wander off to one of the other screens she knew surrounded his workstation. Ken Lee always seemed available to talk, and she knew that he was spending countless hours researching for her or coming up with and shipping devices to aid her probe. She worried that she had become his full-time project, and, worse, that his emotional tie to her might exceed what she felt for him. Someday soon this will all be over. What are his expectations about the future, our future?