Free Washed Up (A Gracie Andersen Mystery Book 4) by Laurinda Wallace Page B

Gracie back into the alcove.
    “I want to know what those two are doing up here,” Amanda whispered.
    Gracie wished she were lounging in the courtyard at the B & B. Her hostess seemed to have a penchant for leading her straight into trouble.
    “We can distribute everything today,” a voice from the darkness echoed. Gracie recognized it as Justin’s.
    “There are too many cops watching us,” Alex complained. “If we’re caught—”
    “It’s now or never. We’ll lose our chance to make some real money, unless we can have everything in place.”
    “It’s not worth going to jail for.”
    “We’re not getting caught, so shut your face and do your job,” Justin ordered, adding additional crude epithets for emphasis.
    The pair passed Gracie and Amanda, who huddled in the darkness. The voices faded, and the women could see the wavering light from a flashlight proceed into the rear of the cave.
    “We need to leave,” Gracie urged, moving from the alcove.
    “No way,” Amanda hissed. “You stay here. There’s a place where I can hide and see what they’ve stashed in here. They’ll never see me.”
    “But, you’ll—”
    Before Gracie could finish her sentence, Amanda had already slipped away. She eased herself back into the safety of the alcove, breathing a prayer that Amanda wouldn’t be caught. More arguing ensued from the treasure hunters, along with a few grunts as though they were lifting something heavy. Sweat freely trickled down Gracie’s back, and her heart felt about to burst from her ribcage. If they made it out of there alive, she could only hope she’d never have to tell Marc about this.
    She pressed her back against the jagged rocks, wishing for the power of invisibility. That was when her nose began to itch. Gracie pinched her nose, stifling the sneeze that threatened, which started a tickle in her throat. She clamped a hand over her mouth, feeling she might explode at any second.
    Alex and Justin moved past her, hurrying back to the entrance. The coughing fit erupted … seconds after the men exited the cave.
    Amanda suddenly appeared at Gracie’s side, eyes wide and a bit breathless.
    “They’ve got drugs and other stuff,” she whispered hoarsely.
    “What? We need to get out of here!”
    “That’s not all. Look what I found in my hiding spot.”
    Amanda opened her hand and shone her small flashlight on a neon green plastic whistle.
    “This is Manny’s.”

CHAPTER 13
     
     
    Marc sat in the unmarked Sierra Vista Police vehicle in the Fry’s parking lot, watching Hank load two bags of groceries into his truck. So far Marc’s hunch hadn’t played out the way he’d hoped. Hank had accomplished the most mundane of tasks: getting cash from an ATM, filling his truck with gas, and now buying groceries.
    Marc’s cell phone rang, breaking the monotony of his surveillance.
    “Hey, Stevens, this is Gunderson. I’ve got that background check on Ramage.”
    “Great. How’d it come back?”
    “He’s not lily-white. Lost a landscaping contract with the Park Service last year because he was selling off old equipment that was going to auction.”
    “What was the disposition?”
    “He’s still making restitution and doing community service on the trail maintenance team to avoid jail time. He lost his contractor’s license too. Plus, our victim is the one who blew him in.”
    “Really? What’s the connection?”
    “He’s … he was the hydrologist for the park. Apparently, Enriquez caught Ramage loading his truck with park maintenance equipment late one night and wasn’t having any of the story Ramage spun for him.”
    “Interesting. So, he’s not chummy with Mr. Enriquez, which is contrary to what he said in his statement. Anything else?”
    “Well, there are a few rumors he might be working with a group to redesign vehicles for trips over the border, which lines up with what we saw yesterday. I’m goin’ over to talk to Ernie again. I might find some interesting extra