Free 10 Tahoe Trap by Todd Borg Page B

shooter’s pickup.”
    “Oh, my God! Where is Cassie?”
    “We don’t know. Paco believes that Cassie was the shooting victim.”
    “Cassie was shot?” she continued. “Oh, my God! The boy must be devastated!”
    “He’s holding up, but it can’t be easy.”
    “You say that Paco believes the victim was Cassie. Haven’t you found her body?”
    “No.” I tried to be brief as I explained what had happened, and how Paco had crawled into the covered bed of the pickup to hide, only to have them drive away. “We’re looking for her van. Until we find it or her body, we won’t know for certain.”
    “Was this some kind of random lunacy?” she asked. “Or do you think someone wanted to shoot Cassie?”
    “I don’t know. From Paco’s description, it sounded like she was meeting someone in the mountains very early in the morning. Not the likeliest time for something random.”
    “But why would anyone shoot Cassie? She can’t possibly have been involved in anything that would lead to violence.”
    “Paco told me that she raised tomatoes and peppers. Maybe she also raised some marijuana in with her regular produce. The money involved is so great that it has enticed many people and gotten them into trouble.”
    Pam Sagan shook her head vigorously. “No. Absolutely not. I don’t know Cassie well, but I’m a good judge of people. Marijuana is not her style. Besides, I’ve been to her farm. I’ve even walked through her hothouse. Her entire focus is tomatoes and peppers. It’s her identity. She’s even named some of them after herself. A little weird, if you ask me, but more evidence that she’s not growing pot.”
    Sagan looked out her window toward the Chevron station across the street. “That poor boy. He must have been scared to death. How did you rescue him?”
    “He had Cassie’s cell phone, found my number in its menu, and called me from the back of the pickup while the men were driving it away from the scene of the shooting.”
    “Paco did that?” She sounded incredulous.
    “Yes. His resourcefulness was impressive. Later, when they stopped, he opened the topper lift gate and ran. He called me again as two men chased after him. I was able to get to his location before the men caught him.”
    “Why were the men chasing Paco if they didn’t know he was hiding in the back of their pickup?”
    “Presumably, they saw him run and realized that he may have witnessed the shooting.”
    “And if they had caught him...?” She raised her hand up to her face, her fingertips pressed against her lips, her nails manicured.
    “They’d probably want to silence any witnesses.”
    “My lord, that’s the most frightening thing for a child!” She looked again toward the door as if she were visualizing Paco in the school entry.
    The woman’s expression gradually shifted. I wasn’t sure what it meant.
    “You don’t believe it,” I said.
    She gestured toward the closed office door. “If I hadn’t seen Paco out there, I’d say you must be mistaken about which boy you saved. Paco has never... well, let’s just say I’m surprised and impressed that he had that much initiative and leave it at that.”
    “Paco told me that Cassie doesn’t have friends,” I said.
    “Well, I don’t know about that. But I can say that Cassie is not real sociable. I’ve only seen her at the occasional meeting and once at her farm. She came to some school functions. She doesn’t engage much with other people, but she’s always tried to do right by Paco. She’s a hard worker. I believe that her work is her first focus.”
    “I understand that she’s an organic gardener,” I said.
    “Yes, although calling her a gardener makes it seem like a hobby. This woman must farm two acres with no big equipment and only the help of a little boy. Lots of varieties of tomatoes and peppers, I gather. She used to sell at farmers’ markets all over. Now, she’s been doing some kind of delivery service. I’ve heard that she’s