“There’s no other person,” Tucker said.
“You’ve got to admit it makes no sense. She was seen in every other garage area except ours,” Billy said.
“You asked?”
Billy shrugged. “Yes. Don’t get defensive. That’s odd behavior.”
“Ah, hell. She wasn’t avoiding your garage so that one of Dave’s guys could plant an illegal part in your car.”
“How do you know?” Tucker asked. “Why else would she stay away?”
“Because a few weeks ago she told me something about what Dave’s team was doing to his car. I think she decided to stay out of your garage so she didn’t accidentally pick up some information and give it to Dave.”
Tucker crossed his arms over his chest and leaned forward. “See, this is what I’m talking about. Cheating. The Jenners all feel safe doing whatever they want because they are part of a legacy. Even if I had photos of Dave doing this no one would want to believe it.”
“Annie didn’t cheat. As I just said, she told me something about Dave’s car. And you have your own legacy, Tucker. You are just as much a part of NASCAR as Dave is.”
“Not if Annie and Dave get their way.” Tucker paced around the small room like he was going to explode. Jared had never seen him like this before.
No matter what Tucker believed or what had happened to his car he knew that Annie had nothing to do with it. As much as she loved her family he’d seen the love she had for NASCAR and the family of people who worked here.
“Maybe, Dave, but Annie’s not like that.”
“She is. You’re just too blinded by her to see the truth. She’s not going to accept you into the Jenner fold because they don’t accept outsiders.”
“Brandon Jenner didn’t seem to be treating you like an outsider at the party the other night.”
“That’s just another reason for Dave to do this. He doesn’t like me.”
“You sound paranoid,” Billy stated.
“See?” Jared said.
“Both of you,” Billy said. “We need to stop arguing and figure this out.”
“I have figured it out. Your girlfriend and her family have set me up,” Tucker said, getting up in Jared’s face.
Jared pushed Tucker away from him. “I don’t appreciate your accusations.”
Billy went back to studying the papers in front of him as Tucker continued. “I don’t care what you appreciate. What kind of team owner spends more time with his driver’s number-one rival than his own driver?”
“That’s crap and you know it. I’ve been very careful to make sure that I don’t do too much with Dave or any of the Jenners.”
Tucker shook his head. “Hell, I know you have. I’m just mad and looking for someone to take it out on.”
“I can understand that. If you’re positive that you didn’t put that carburetor in, then how can we find the real culprit?”
“I don’t know. We’d need someone who had access to all the areas and all the teams.”
“Annie does. I’ll ask her if she saw anything,” Jared said.
Tucker shook his head. “Listen, I know you think she’s trustworthy and maybe she is when it comes to your relationship with her. But I don’t think she’s loyal to me. If she did uncover something that pointed to Dave or one of the other drivers who drives for her father, I’m not sure she’d tell us.”
Jared didn’t agree but knew there was no way he was going to change Tucker’s mind. But as he left the hauler he saw Annie in a knot of Dave’s men, chatting and talking. And he wondered if Tucker wasn’t right about loyalty.
JARED didn’t come back to his motor home until close to midnight and Annie wondered if she should go find a hotel room of her own to stay in. She’d heard that Tucker’s team had filed a grievance with the officials stating that they believed that someone outside Tucker’s team had tampered with his car.
“Who do they suspect tampered with the car?” she asked as she mixed Jared a drink.
“Thanks,” he said when she handed him the scotch and soda. “Tucker is looking hard at Dave and his team.”
“I don’t think they’d do anything like that. I’ve known most of them for a good ten years at least. Some of them I’ve known my entire life.”
“It’s hard to believe someone you know is capable of doing something illegal, but it is possible.”
She wasn’t naive. “I understand that. Don’t talk to me like I’m an idiot.”
He held his hand up. “I wasn’t. Honest, it’s just been one hell of a long day.”