Blind Trust
The walk back to Pete’s place wasn’t very long because Finn had taken a circular route, with the house remaining in the center.
After providing food and water for Abernathy, he and Eva sat at the kitchen table. He noticed her gaze traveling over the kitchen, and he wondered if she was trying to find something they’d missed during the first two searches.
“Since Pete gave us permission to search, I’ll ask Zach Jameson to bring Eddie, his drug-sniffing beagle, to come out.” Scrolling through his contact list, he found Zach’s number. “That way we’ll know for sure the package isn’t here. Getting our hands on that package can only help get Mikey back.”
“Unless the package is money and not drugs,” Eva pointed out wearily. “You’re assuming they’re drugs.”
“One problem at a time,” he said. Zach picked up on the other end of the line. “Hey, do you have time to bring Eddie out here to Forest Hills to sweep the Stallings’ house for drugs? We have reason to believe that Mikey has been kidnapped in an effort to get a package of drugs back.”
“Not a problem, we can be there in thirty,” Zach agreed.
“Thanks.” Finn gave Zach the address, then set his phone down. “Zach and Eddie are on their way.”
Eva nodded, her expression troubled. Whether the package contained drugs or money didn’t matter much. The money could have easily been related to buying or selling drugs. In fact, considering the money troubles he’d found in Pete Stalling’s bank account, he was leaning toward a stash of cash. It made the most sense. Especially since he didn’t believe Malina would have risked her son finding drugs.
Zach and Eddie made good time, arriving twenty minutes later. The K-9 partners started in the kitchen and searched the entire house, room by room. Finn followed from a distance, watching the team work. Eddie, the beagle, alerted in the master bathroom.
“We’ve looked here, but let’s do it again,” Finn said.
There were no packages but, upon further inspection, Zach found a tiny bit of white powder in the corner of the cabinet beneath the sink. “I think this must be what Eddie picked up.” Zack glanced up at Finn. “We can take a sample and have it tested, but I believe it’s cocaine.”
“I agree.” Finn watched as Zack managed to get a tiny bit of the white powder into an evidence bag, and Finn hoped it was enough to run a decent test. That Eddie had picked up on the scent was impressive. “Let’s finish the upper level.”
Zach nodded and instructed Eddie to find. The dog went back to work gamely, but the rest of the house was clean.
No package of drugs—or anything else.
“Thanks,” Finn said. “Sorry to drag you out here for this.”
“Hey, we likely found evidence of cocaine, so it was worth it.” Zach’s expression turned grim. “I thought we’d done a good job busting up the drug ring at the airport last month, but it’s clear we only made a slight dent in the problem. I wonder if the guy who escaped is involved in this, too. We haven’t found the ringleader yet, either. He’s likely involved.”
“We’ll get him.” Finn led the way down to the first floor. Eva was still in the kitchen, lightly petting Abernathy as he lay on the floor near her feet.
“Find anything?” Eva asked.
“Just a trace of white powder that needs to be tested.” Finn glanced at Zach, who remained silent. “Nothing else. I think if the package is drugs, we can safely say it’s not here at the house.”
Eva grimaced. “I should have asked him what was in the package,” she berated herself. “Next time, I’ll push for an answer.”
Though Finn wasn’t sure there would be a next time, he nodded in agreement. “Couldn’t hurt.”
“I’ll let you know what we find,” Zach said. He and Eddie moved toward the door. “If you need anything else, holler.”
“Will do.” Finn walked them to the door, watching as they climbed into the K-9 SUV. It occurred to him that they should search the training center and The Fitness Club gym. He doubted either would be fruitful, but at this point he needed to cover every possibility.