Stone Investigations (Stone Series Book 4) by Bob Blanton (open ebook txt) 📗

thesound to the other side, but they would have heard it from both directions,just more from the other way.”

“Okay, so we’re trying to lose them.”

“You’ve got it.  Now turn left.”

“Do you know where we’re going?”

“Yeah, I ride my bike through this neighborhood every day.  . . . Now right.”

“Where are the deputies?”

“One of them is driving this way, the other is going downCamino Bello.  Now left.  Two houses down, turn in, and pull under thecarport.  The Talbots are away and their neighbor is mostly deaf.  We should beokay.  Kill the engine and we’ll wait them out.”

“Great.  How long?”

“An hour.  They’ll either get bored, or we’ll just leave.  Itwon’t be unusual for someone to be driving back to Del Dios at this time ofnight.”

“You know, this was kind of fun.”

“Running from the cops?”

“I guess.  Really, having to change things up on the fly sowe could get away was exhilarating.”

“I think you’re weird.”

“Hey, you get to do all the cool stuff because you have thatportal.  It was fun to be part of the action.”

“Fine.  Can you drop me off at home?”

“Sure.  I figured I had to anyway.  The gardener is going tocome by tomorrow to get his truck.”

“What you think Jerome’s going to do?”

“I’m curious what his dad’s going to do.  He really went offon him when he learned about the heist.”

“You should keep an eye on him tomorrow.”

“Like I don’t have plenty of other things to do.”

“Come onnn.”

“Okay, I’ll keep an eye on him, but there’s not much I cando.”

“Maybe, but I am curious why his dad made such a big deal outof it.”

“It is curious.”

Chapter 10Settling In

On Wednesday, the school was abuzz with questions about thestatue’s return.  Everyone was delighted that it was back, but they all wantedto know how it was recovered and by whom.

The sheriff came around and asked a few questions, but hewasn’t really interested since nobody was hurt and few if any laws had beenbroken.  In his and everyone’s opinion, a wrong had been righted, simple asthat.

“Can you believe we got it back?” Brianna asked as theysettled in for lunch.

“Why not, it’s ours,” Emily replied.

“Yeah, but who?”

“Yes, I wonder who it was.  Em, did you notice anything whenyou were out last night?” Alex asked.

“No, why would I, it wasn’t like I was hanging around theschool looking for someone to bring it back.”  Emily smiled at Alex.  She musthave noticed that Emily had gone off in the gardener’s pickup.  She’d been outwith Jason until late, but she was home when Emily got back and had to explainto her parents that she and her friend, Ashley, had lost track of time afterthey had dinner at the country club.  Emily hoped that Ashley would cover forher if Alex asked any questions; she’d agreed to cover for her with herparents, but Emily hadn’t thought to include Alex.

“Are you two ready for your play?  Don’t you have a dressrehearsal tonight?”  Matthew asked in an attempt to divert Alex from Emily’slate-night sojourn.

“Yes, we’re ready,” Jason answered for the pair.  “Are youcoming tonight?”

“No, I don’t want to take anything away from opening night.”

“Are you going to sit with us?” Brianna asked.

“Sure, if you want me to.”

“Definitely.”

◆ ◆ ◆

That evening Matthew checked in on Jerome.  He was wonderingwhat Mr. Graham’s reaction to the statue being returned would be.  He wasn’tsure what he would do if it turned violent.  It was obvious by the nervousenergy Jerome was giving off, that he was worried about the same thing.

Matthew tried to see if he could zero in on Mr. Graham.  Hehadn’t tried to get a read on him before, but sometimes he got an automaticread on people that evoked a strong emotional response in him.  Sure enough,Mr. Graham was one of them.  Matthew's portal found him just leaving a smallshopping center in Temecula.  It looked like he was pointing his truck home, he’djust turned onto the freeway and was heading south.

Matthew set his watch for twenty minutes, about how long itshould take Mr. Graham to get to Fallbrook, and returned to doing research forhis poli-sci term paper.

When his watch alarm went off, Matthew checked in and sawthat Mr. Graham was just about three minutes from home, so he went downstairsand got a glass of water.  Jessie was watching a Disney movie on the TV beforebedtime and his mother was at the kitchen table grading papers.

“Hi, Mom.”

“Hi, Mattie.  Can you put Jessie to bed?”

“Sure, when’s the movie over?”

“Thirty minutes.”

“Okay, I’ll come back down in twenty-five to get her.” Matthew figured that would be plenty of time to see Mr. Graham’s reaction.  Heheaded back upstairs to his room so he would be able to use his portal undisturbed.

When Matthew checked on Mr. Graham again, he was parking his Expeditionin the garage.  He got out and wrestled a big metal catalog case out of thetruck.  It was like a big briefcase but at least three times thicker.  It musthave been heavy the way a big guy like Mr. Graham struggled to get it out ofthe footwell of the passenger seat.  He lugged it into the house where he setit down so he could roll it.  Matthew guessed it must weigh sixty to seventypounds.

Mr. Graham wheeled the case to the door to his office, then unlockedthe office and wheeled it inside, locking the door behind him.  “Curious,”Matthew thought.

Mr. Graham wheeled the case over to a big gun safe mounted tothe floor in the corner of the office.  He opened the safe and startedunloading the case into it.  The case was full of shipping packages the size ofa big paperback book, or maybe two smaller ones.  He stacked them in the bottomof the safe.  As Matthew looked at what else was in the safe, he saw stacks ofmoney.  There must have been thousands of dollars in it.  Maybe more, dependingon the denomination of the notes.  Matthew also noticed a money counter likethey had at the bank.  It was on a shelf beside a laptop computer.

“Really strange,” He thought.

Mr. Graham locked the safe, then left the office, locking thedoor behind himself.

“Jerome, what did I