“You aren’t really going to leave him on the side of the road, are you?” I asked him.
“No. I saw a sign for Wal-?Mart. I’m making a pit stop.”
He pulled into the lot and parked. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
Carl sat up straight and looked out the window. “Eeee?”
“No,” I said. “We’re not there yet. Pit stop.”
Carl looked confused. He didn’t know pit stop.
“Just go with it,” I told him. “Diesel will be back in a couple minutes.”
“Chirrup.”
Ten minutes later, Diesel jogged back to the SUV. Carl had gone from chirrup, to choo choo choo, to buhbuhbuhbuh, and I was on the verge of gonzo. Diesel angled behind the wheel, handed me a bag, and tossed a bag into the backseat.
“Knock yourself out,” Diesel said to Carl.
“What’s in his bag?”
“Food and an electronic game. I got them to sell me the demo that was already charged.”
“What’s in my bag?”
“Food.”
Carl selected a bag of chips, and I did the same.
“That was pretty smart,” I said to Diesel.
Diesel stuck his hand into the chip bag and took a fistful. “I have a highly developed sense of self-?preservation, and a low tolerance for monkey business.”
“What do you expect to get from Scanlon’s sister?”
“I don’t know. You throw the net out and see what you pull in.”
“I hate intruding at a time like this. She just found out someone killed her brother.”
“She’ll want that person brought to justice. And I’m sure you’re good at talking to a grieving woman.”
“Me? What about you?”
“I suck at it.”
“You’re kidding! You’re going to make me do the interrogation?”
“Yeah. This is one of those girl skills.”
“That’s so sexist.”
“And?”
“What do you want me to ask her?”
“I’m looking for real estate. I’m guessing Wulf and Munch are holed up somewhere in south Jersey within commuting distance to Trenton. I did property searches on Munch and Scanlon and nothing turned up. I looked for Wulf using known aliases and holding companies and got zero. I guess they could be under assumed names in a high-?roller suite at Caesars, but it would be impractical. Especially if they’re working with illegal technology. Munch was a complete loner with no Jersey ties that we know of. That leaves Scanlon. Ask about the missing sister.”
“There could also be a third person involved. Someone we haven’t discovered yet.”