Free Sneaking Suspicions (The Tharon Trace Mysteries Book 1) by Jan Hinds Page A

long as the ones that goes to the company.  He likes little girls.  Recon he’d like that one just fine.”
    A new voice cut the air like a knife.  He sounded younger than the other men and when he said a word with an s or z he made a slight whistling sound. “You morons.  What the hell do you think you’re playing at here?  Don’t you realize we have just two weeks before the plan goes into motion?”
    “Well if it isn’t our dandy police officer.” Marty’s voice dripped with sarcasm.  “Careful, you might smudge those shiny boots of yours mingling here with us riff-raff.”
    The policeman sniffed loudly and sneezed. “The Hamron administration is targeting Indiana for a reason.  This state has to be brought to its knees.  Once we take the school bus hostage and claim the secessionist did it, the feds plan to save the day with a Homeland Security military strike force and Indiana will become the first police state in the Union.  That will put an end once and for all to the secession movement.”
    Burt growled. “You ain’t telling us nothing we don’t already know.  What are you doing here officer?”   He said officer like it was a dirty word.  “I thought we were supposed to keep a respectable distance —so today of all days you show up here?  We found a spy and we took care of him, so what do you want?”
    The officer made a short barking laugh. “ You took care of him?  Yeah, I heard how you took care of him.  It’s all over the news.  I’m here because I got a call from the top to find out if you idiots thought to find out who hired him and what he told them?”
    Burt sputtered.  In his gravel voice, he grumbled, “We was askin’ him but my gun’s got a hair trigger an’ it went off before we finished talkin’ to him.”
    Marty snorted. “Hair trigger—you’re going with that excuse?”
    “Shut up!” the officer shouted. “What were you doing out there anyway?”
    “We was checking out the bus route,” Burt grumbled. “That’s how we found out Wil was a spy.  We caught him using his phone.  He was recording the GPS of the route.  We stopped him before he could send it to anyone.”
    The officer’s voice took on a more menacing tone, “What about the kids you took?  Did you kill them?”
    “Not yet,” Burt growled.  “My brother has qualms about killing kids.  Marty and I was just coming up with a plan for them.”
    “Just as well.  The boss wants the girl alive,” the officer said. “But the boys dead.  Might be a good idea if you kill them and dump their bodies in one of the rivers to decoy searchers from looking for her elsewhere.”
    “Why do they want the girl and not the boys?” Marty’s voice sounded suspicious.
    “I’m sure I don’t know and didn’t feel inclined to ask.  I got the impression the girl was always a target.  That’s why her bus route was picked and there was always going to be other kids who would disappear with her,” the officer’s voice was laced with contempt.  “Your team wasn’t on the need to know list.”
    “So if she’s so important will we still take the bus?” Burt said.  “I mean if we already got who they want, why bother with the hostage sham?”
    “From what I gathered, taking the girl was to be a bonus.  The plan is still a go.  It has taken ten years but we have people in every level of government and law enforcement in this state.  In one afternoon you put all that at risk.  And Marty, I got to tell you, the boss expected better from you.”
    Uncertainty and fear filled Marty’s voice when he said, “The girl?  I thought she looked familiar.  How the hell did she end up here?”
    Tharon stood frozen in place it was only the grip each of the boys had on her shoulders that kept her from screaming.  Why would anyone want me?  I’m nobody.
    The policeman’s sneering tone cut through her thoughts. “I have to know, how come you didn’t look around to make sure the site was secure?