NEARLY LOST by Molly Black

Author:Molly Black [Black, Molly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-12-07T00:00:00+00:00

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Southside Car Repairs was a humble place, Grace saw, as they pulled up outside. Definitely closer to ‘hole in the wall’ than to ‘repair emporium’. It was located across the road from a convenience store, and a short walk away from the mold and castings factory which was much bigger. From inside, hammering and banging resounded as she and Dylan approached the door.

There were two men at work on the chassis of a car, all the way at the back of the shop, which was narrow and long in shape, and fairly dark toward the rear. An overhead bulb had been strung up to provide some light, but even so, on this rainy day with no sun to penetrate through the doorway or the window, Grace noticed the gloominess immediately as she walked in.

One of the men looked up inquiringly as she approached – a tall, lean man holding a wrench. Not the man she wanted. The one fitting Mike Granger’s description, the sturdy bodybuilder with the aggressive jaw, kept his head bowed and kept on hammering away.

“FBI here,” Grace said loudly, when she was within a few yards of the duo. Given her recent experiences in this town, she was keeping a wary eye on both men. She didn’t want a wrench thrown at her, or a heavy steel hammer.

Now, the hammering stopped, and Michael looked up. He didn’t say anything. He was standing right at the back of the workshop, gripping that hammer in a muscular right hand.

“FBI?” the lanky man asked, surprised. “Is something wrong here?”

“We need to speak to your colleague,” Grace said, now looking directly at Michael Granger.

He didn’t step forward or show any signs of wanting to cooperate. He held the hammer in front of him, his posture defensive.

“What’s this about?” he asked. His voice was deep and gravelly.

“I have some questions to ask you regarding your relationships with two people who’ve been victims of crime,” Grace said. She didn’t want to say more with his colleague there. This was a matter for his ears alone.

He didn’t look very ready to cooperate though.

“That doesn’t make any sense to me. I still don’t know why you want to speak to me,” he protested. “We’re on a tight timeline here, we have a repair to finish up. Can’t this wait?”

Grace was sure he knew very well that law enforcement questions of this nature could not wait. Therefore, this protesting could be nothing more than a deliberate delaying tactic.

“Perhaps we can step outside?” Dylan said, moving forward, so that he was even closer to Michael than Grace was. Clearly, her partner also had the recent incident in mind, and was looking to grab hold of that hammer if the need arose. “Why don’t you put that down now and come with us?”

Michael glared from one to the other of them.

Then he turned to his workplace partner.

“I know what this is about. These guys are just bullies. It’s bullying tactics, nothing more. I’ll be back – in a minute.

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