Chapter 24

"Why wait until tomorrow?" Carrie asked. "I say we head over there today."

Jo consulted her watch. "We can easily make it there by noon. We need to turn the fitness tracker over to the sheriff."

"We can do it on our way to Central Rail and Trail," Nash said.

"Let me call Delta and give her a heads up we won't be home for lunch." Jo made a quick phone call, briefly telling her they had a solid lead and needed to follow up on it.

"You found a fitness tracker. You think it belongs to the vandal and plan to stake the spot out?"

"In a nutshell. With any luck, this person will show up today. If Carrie recognizes them, there's a good chance we've figured out who has been stalking her and vandalizing her property."

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if the goal is for them to exercise and track it with this high-tech device, they don't have it anymore," Delta said.

"Good point. On the flip side, if they're a dedicated fitness nut, the missing tracker won't stop them," Jo said. "Or they have more than one."

"Is Nash going with you?" Delta asked.

"Nash, Carrie, Raylene and me," Jo said. "From what we're able to figure out, they show up around noon every day, spend just under an hour on the trail, and then leave."

"Good luck."

"Thanks. This seems almost too easy," Jo said.

"I bet Sheriff Franklin would be interested in what you found."

"We're going to drop the fitness device off at the sheriff's station on our way to the trail."

"Something tells me he won't be too keen on you helping with his investigation."

"We can't tell him Raylene accessed the records," Jo said. "She's not supposed to engage in any sort of bounty hunting activities while on probation."

"You won't hear me mention it." Delta told her to be careful before ending the call.

Jo waved the phone in the air. "I say we run by Marlee's restaurant, which is on our way. We can grab a bite to eat and then drive over to the trail."

With a plan in place, the group assembled what they thought they would need for the stakeout—binoculars, bottled water, and headed out.

Jo and Nash climbed in the front seat while Carrie and Raylene got in the back. They made the short drive into town. Although Marlee's restaurant was busy, they'd beat the lunch crowd.

Sherry stood near the servers' prep area in the back. She grabbed some glasses of water and hustled over to their table near the front. "Hey, you guys. This is a surprise. I didn't know you were coming into town."

"Neither did we until about half an hour ago," Jo said. "We have an errand to run and figured we would grab a bite to eat first."

Sherry rattled off the daily special. "We have a lunch portion of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy with a side of steamed broccoli. We also have a healthier dish of fried fish and chips."

"Healthier?" Jo grinned. "As much as both sound tasty, I think I'll have an unhealthy tossed salad with grilled chicken and ranch dressing. Hold the croutons."

"You got it." Sherry motioned to Carrie. "What would you like?"

"A cup of broccoli cheddar soup and a side salad. Vinaigrette and oil for the dressing."

"I'm hungry," Nash said. "Give me the meatloaf special."

"Done. I figured you would order the special. A hearty meal for a hungry man," Sherry teased.

"I might not be a hearty man or a hungry man, but I'll take the meatloaf too," Raylene said. "Stakeouts always give me an appetite."

Sherry perked up. "A stakeout?"

Jo held a finger to her lips. "We think we might be close to figuring out who is targeting Carrie," she whispered.

"Got it." Sherry lowered her voice. "Can I get you anything other than water?"

"No. That'll do unless someone else wants a different drink," Jo said. "Put it on one bill. Lunch is on me."

"Will do."

Their food arrived hot and fresh. While they ate, the group discussed their plan. It was simple. Hang out in the parking lot and see who showed up.

After finishing, Jo settled the bill and stopped by the bathroom on her way out. She caught up with the others who were waiting for her on the sidewalk.

"We have one more stop to make," Nash said.

"The sheriff's department to turn the fitness tracker over to the police," Carrie said.

It didn't take long to reach the sheriff's department. Jo pulled into the parking lot and shifted into park. "We'll wait out here."

"Right." Carrie patted her purse. "Do you think Sheriff Franklin will wonder why we touched it? I mean, what if they could get a print from it?"

"It would only matter if the owner had a criminal record," Nash pointed out.

"Based on my experience, I would say lifting a print would be nearly impossible," Raylene said. "But then, I'm sure technology has advanced since I've been out of the business."

Jo reached into her center console, pulled out a pack of travel wipes, and handed one to Carrie. "If they do dust for prints, there's a good chance Raylene's will be on it."

"Which may or may not be a problem," Raylene said.

"Let's not find out." Carrie ran the disinfectant wipe over the top and bottom of the tracker. "I'll put a few of my prints on here. If they don't find any prints, they'll think it's suspicious."

"Good point," Jo said. "You would make a good amateur sleuth, Carrie."

"Thanks. Although I can think of a million other things I would rather do besides track down someone who is vandalizing my stuff, blowing my barn doors off and stalking me." Carrie sucked in a breath and reached for the door handle. "I shouldn't be long."

She disappeared inside the police station and returned a short time later.

"That was fast," Jo said after she climbed back in.

"Sheriff Franklin wasn't around. I left it at the front desk with a note telling him what it was."

"He'll probably want more information," Jo said. "Expect a call."

"Yep. Hopefully, he won't call while we're doing you-know-what," Carrie said. "Because I'm not very good at keeping secrets."

With Nash navigating, they left the station and headed north to a more isolated area. There was nothing but farm fields for as far as the eye could see.

Jo tightened her grip on the steering wheel. "Where is this place?"

"In the middle of nowhere," Nash said.

They drove another couple of miles, turned north and then east. They passed a sign, "Central Rail Trail. ⒈／⒋ mile."

"We're close." Jo slowed, noticing another sign with an arrow. "This is it."

She made another right turn and almost immediately reached a gravel parking lot. "We're right on time. It's eleven forty-five."

Jo circled around and backed into a parking spot so they faced out.

A couple emerged, led by two rambunctious border collies. They climbed into their compact car and drove off, passing by a four-door sedan.

They grew quiet, watching as the sedan pulled in across from them. The lone occupant, a tall thin man, exited. He glanced around and casually strolled toward the entrance to the trail.

"Well?" Jo asked. "Does this guy look like the one you chased last night, Nash?"

"Nope. Not even close."

The minutes dragged by. A woman, heavyset and sweating profusely, appeared. She limped over to an SUV and climbed in.

"That can't be the person."

"Unless she hurt herself last night running away," Carrie said.

"The body shape doesn't match," Nash said. "The person was very fit, on the petite side and still running fast the last time I saw them."

The minutes dragged by. Five. Ten. Twenty minutes.

"What's the timeframe again?" Jo finally asked.

"From almost exactly noon until twelve forty-five to twelve fifty," Carrie said.

"Every day for a week?" Raylene asked.

"Every day for a week," Carrie confirmed. "Like clockwork."

Jo glanced at her watch. "It's almost one. I don't think they're going to show."

"It appears we've hit a dead end," Nash said. "I say we give it until one and call it quits."

Tap. Tap. Tap. Jo jerked back, clutching her chest. She turned, realizing someone was tapping on her driver's side window.

She rolled the window down. "Hello."

"Hello." A man wearing a ball cap, gray t-shirt and jogging shorts placed his hands on his knees, curiously eyeing the vehicle's occupants. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. We're fine," Jo said. "Why do you ask?"

"Because you've been sitting in your vehicle for almost an hour now. You were here when I hit the trail and I figured you might need help."

Jo forced a smile. "I appreciate your concern. We're fine."

"Okay." His eyes slid to the back seat.

Carrie gave him a small wave. "We'll be leaving shortly. Thank you for being an alert citizen."

"You're welcome." He cast them a puzzled glance, shrugged his shoulders, and sauntered off.

The man climbed into his vehicle and slowly drove away, staring intently in their direction on his way out.

"Ten bucks says he calls the cops and reports suspicious activity," Nash said.

"Let's give it a few more minutes."

"Might as well. We're already here."

They continued to wait. A man and teenager with a dog arrived. They headed down the trail and out of sight.

Jo lifted both hands over her head. "I'm guessing the cops will do a drive through shortly."

"It's past one," Carrie said. "I hate to say it, but this was a bust. Now what?"

"We can't give up," Jo said. "We have to move on to Plan B."

"Which is?"

"I don't know. I'll have to figure it out."