Free Murder on Sagebrush Lane by Patricia Smith Wood

until this whole thing is over. Nothing is going to happen right now. You have to reserve all your strength and resources to deal with the immediate situation of keeping Katie safe. Come on, we need to get back to her with all these clothes and toys we’ve gathered. She’ll feel better when she has her things around her.”
    Harrie nodded, and unclasped the tight grip on her arms. Ginger put her arm around her shoulders and started back down the hall with her. She looked over her shoulder at DJ and smiled.
    DJ smiled back and conveyed his unspoken “Thanks” with a nod of his head. Then he followed them and picked up the suitcase and canvas bag. “Come on,” he said. “I’ll walk you back home. I want you to take Katie and go with my mother to her house. We have to get her where Bonnie Bellows won’t be able to find her. Do you agree?”
    Harrie nodded. “Absolutely. I’ll pack clothes for you and me, and I’ll take my car.” She stopped suddenly and turned back. “We need a car seat for Katie. There must be one in Michael Rinaldi’s car.”
    DJ said, “I’ll look in the garage.”
    As they waited, Swannie walked in the door. “Hey, I thought DJ would be here by now.”
    Harrie pointed to the garage door. “He’s out there, looking for Katie’s car seat. We’re going home right now, pack a few things, then take Katie to my mother-in-law’s house.”
    Swannie said, “Didn’t DJ’s mom move to Canyon Estates? I think I heard that recently.”
    Harrie nodded. “She did, but she’s been there more than a year now. We thought she’d never agree to move. It took her quite a while to decide it was okay to spend her inheritance.”
    “You know,” Swannie said, “I was delighted when I heard Caroline was the beneficiary of old Daniel Snow’s millions. But I can understand her reluctance to spend it.”
    “I do, too. But Caroline finally came to realize she could do a lot of good with that money, and she has.” Harrie looked at her watch. “DJ must be having trouble finding the car seat. I thought it would be in Rinaldi’s car.”
    The garage door opened, and DJ came back in, empty-handed. Harrie looked at him. “Where’s the car seat?”
    DJ shook his head. “I didn’t find one. I searched the entire garage. It’s not there.”
    “Did you look in Rinaldi’s car?” Harrie asked.
    DJ shrugged. “What car? There’s no automobile in that garage. There’s space for three of them, and there are tire marks where one used to be. But there’s no car.”
    Harrie frowned. “Isn’t that rather odd? I mean a guy like that who worked at Sandia Labs. He’d have to have a car, wouldn’t he?”
    Swannie said, “Just so you know, he did have a car. We found his auto insurance policy for a brand new, dark blue BMW. I’ve already put out a BOLO on it.”
    DJ smiled. “Efficient, as always, Swannie. And I suspect when you locate the BMW, you’ll find your murderer.”

21
     
    “I don’t know, DJ. This guy has been waiting a couple of hours. I told him I was in charge, and he could speak with me, but now he says he’ll only talk to the FBI, and the other agents have already left.”
    The nameless man from earlier in the day had shown up again. Swannie never dreamed it would actually turn out to be the FBI’s problem. Harrie and Ginger had left with Katie’s toys and clothes. Swannie had asked DJ to stay behind, but DJ was anxious to get back to Harrie.
    “Why me?” DJ asked.
    “He says it involves national security, and he’ll only talk to the FBI. I tried to get him to at least give me his name, but he’s like a clam.”
    DJ’s impatience to leave didn’t keep him from recognizing Swannie’s problem. He knew this couldn’t wait any longer. “Ok. I suppose Harrie and my mother can manage Katie without me for a while. Where is he?”
    “I just put him in the den. Do you want me to go check on Harrie?”
    DJ shook his head. “No. That’s all right. She sent Ginger out to get a car