Dead and Gone by Jack Patterson (universal ebook reader .TXT) 📕

I can’t talk right now.” He paused and looked down at his feet. “But you’re right—I did see something. I even have proof.”

Cal leaned in close and spoke through his teeth in a hushed voice. “Do you have any idea what you’re suggesting?”

Parker leaned back and nodded. “You obviously do too since you wrote about it.”

“That’s a thread to this story I can’t tug on without more proof. Do you want to let some killer just roam free—if that’s really what happened?”

Parker waived through several journalists. “I’ve got proof and I can get it to you. But not right now. Meet me tonight at my RV and I’ll show it to you.” He proceeded to give Cal directions.

“What time?” Cal asked.

“Late. Let’s say ten o’clock. I’ve got some business I need to take care of first.”

Cal nodded. “Fair enough. And don’t worry, Mr. Parker. I’ll protect you—and I can protect you more so than if you go to the cops.”

Parker scanned the area behind Cal. “The cops are the least of my concern at this point.”

Cal’s eyes narrowed as he tilted his head. “Are you in some kind of danger?”

“Just a little nervous—that’s all.”

CHAPTER 18

JESSICA TANNER STARED at the piece of paper in front of her in disbelief. A couple of tears trickled off her cheeks and splashed onto the document. It was the result she wanted to see—but she didn’t want to see it either.

She looked up from the paper and wiped her eyes. “Artificially stressed? Does that mean what I think it means?”

The investigator nodded. “If you look close enough, you can determine if someone stressed a part or if it was just due to the rigorous wear and tear of a long race. The return spring that’s supposed to make the throttle come back was exposed to far more heat than it should have been.”

She sniffled. “Even after the fire?”

“The fire was out before it got started. And that kind of heat looks different. I think someone stressed this with heat before the race.”

She nodded and started crying again.

“I’m really sorry, m’am.”

Jessica nodded. “Thank you. I think I need to be alone now.”

She ushered the investigator out and locked the door behind him. Then she collapsed onto the floor in a blubbering mess.

After regaining her composure, she picked up her cell phone and called Cal Murphy.

“Hi, Jessica. How are you?” he said as he answered.

“I don’t know,” she said, trying to keep from falling apart again. “I just got the report back from the investigator.”

“And?”

“He found evidence that the return spring was artificially stressed.” She broke down and started bawling.

He waited until she regained her composure. “Can you email me a copy of it so I can look at it and take it to the NASCAR officials here?”

She took a deep breath. “Sure.”

“Thanks. I’ll see what I can do with this information and keep you posted.” He paused. “You’re a brave woman, Jessica. I know this isn’t easy for you, but if this is true, we need to catch this person and stop him from doing it again.”

***

CAL IMMEDIATELY DIALED Folsom’s number to tell him the breaking news.

Folsom picked up and Cal barely waited for him to utter a word.

“Tanner’s widow just called me with the findings of the independent investigator.” He didn’t wait for Folsom to comment. “The return spring was tampered with.”

“I’m assuming you think that’s what caused the wreck then?”

“No doubt about it. We’ve got a murder on our hands.”

“Send me what you’ve got as soon as you can.”

Cal sighed. “As much as I want to, I want to wait.”

“For what?”

“I want to take this to NASCAR and see what they say about it.”

Folsom moaned. “Come on, Cal. Let’s get this out there now. We don’t want to get scooped on this story. You know it’s gonna be a firestorm when it hits.”

“Exactly. So, let’s give NASCAR a chance to respond. Besides, who else is going to find out about this unless you’re the one spreadin’ the news?”

“You trust Jessica Tanner that much? You think you’re the only journalist she’s talking to?”

“I’m not sure, but I wanna get a story, not a headline.”

“Fine, but I’m giving you a deadline of eight o’clock your time to get me something so I can fit it on the front page. Otherwise, I’m running the headline and calling Jessica Tanner myself.”

“You’ll have a story—don’t worry.”

Cal hung up and looked at his phone, which had buzzed during his call with Folsom. A number he didn’t recognize appeared on his caller ID—and there was a message.

“Hi, Mr. Murphy. This is Alexa Jennings, Ned Davis’ girlfriend. I know you’ve spoken with Ned about the possibility that someone tampered with Carson’s car before the race last week. Please don’t tell him I told you this because he’d kill me, but I just can’t stand to see him stick his head in the sand about this. I need you to meet me because I have some information about who might have done this. Call me back.”

Cal scrolled through his phone to find her number and dialed her number.

“Hi, Ms. Jennings, this is Cal Murphy. You left me a message earlier. Is this a good time for you to talk?”

“Hang on a second, let me step outside,” she said.

Cal waited for several moments as he heard the scuffling of feet and then the clink of a hauler door latching shut.

“Okay, now I can talk.”

“So, what’s this all about.”

“It’s about Owen Burns,” she said. “I think he’s the one who did it—and I’ve got proof.”

CHAPTER 19

OWEN BURNS CRACKED OPEN a beer and slumped into his chair inside the Davis Motor Sports hauler. He was ready for the season to be over. With nothing to race for but pride, he wished his boss would’ve just ended the season two weeks early and let everyone grieve and rest.

“We’ve got contracts to fulfill,” Davis had told him a few days earlier.

“It’s always about