I opened my mouth to answer, still not sure what I intended to say, but Marco beat me to it. “She’s helpin’ me. I got to know Greta pretty well at the café. I eat there several times a week when I’m on duty, and since I’m still recoverin’, Carly offered to help.”

I took the photo and tried to give Melody a genuine smile, but I was still struggling to read her. Was she actually worried about her sister’s well-being, or did she feel inconvenienced by the disappearance of her built-in babysitter? I suspected it was the latter.

I backed up several steps, having formed the impression it might not be a good idea to turn my back to the woman in such close physical proximity. When I was several feet away, I turned around to check on Marco. His crutches were sliding, and he was struggling to maintain his balance.

I knew perception was everything on this mountain, and in most instances, I would have left Marco to flounder, simply because it could be seen as a mark on his manhood if he were to accept assistance, but he’d told Melody I was there because of his injuries, and the tension on his face told me he was not only struggling but hurting too.

I moved next to him and took his left crutch, then slung his arm over my shoulder. “I’m gonna drive.”

I half-expected him to protest, but instead he leaned into me and let me lead him to the passenger door. I opened it and helped him maneuver so he could hop up. Since the crutches were a muddy mess, I put them in the cargo area before getting in on the driver’s side.

Melody studied us as though she were watching a carnival sideshow.

“Where do you want to go now?” I asked as I pushed the button to start the SUV. Marco had the key fob in his pocket. “We didn’t get Tim Hines’s address.” I backed out onto the road and headed toward the highway.

Melody stayed on the step, watching us leave.

“We don’t need Tim Hines’s address,” he said, his entire body tense. “I know where he lives.”

I was about to ask him how he knew, but Marco’s obvious pain was my number one priority at the moment. “You’re overdoing it, Marco.” When he didn’t protest, I became even more concerned. “How bad is your pain?”

“I just need to take a couple of pills,” he said. “But they’re at home.”

“Okay,” I said. “We’ll drop by your house so you can take some. We also need to talk to Mr. Watson at some point.”

“If he’s there,” he said, shifting his leg and pushing his seat further back to extend his leg. “He doesn’t stick around a lot on the weekends.”

We’d deal with that later. I was still worried about Marco. “Where are you hurting?”

He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. “Everywhere, but I tweaked my leg while slopping around in that mud. What’s she doin’? Plannin’ on hostin’ a mud-wrestling match?”

I didn’t answer, knowing he just needed to vent.

He took a few breaths, then said, “While Tim Hines is suspicious, I think someone else is involved. You said Greta saw something that scared her in the tavern, but if she saw Tim, I think she’d be more inclined to stick around than to run. Safety in numbers.”

A quick glance showed me he still had his eyes closed. “Yeah. I agree. It was more like she was scared she’d been seen talking to me and wanted to get away as soon as possible.”

“If I got ahold of a photo of Tim Hines, could you tell me if you think he was there last night?”

“Yeah, but we were really busy. Even if he was there, he might not have been in my section. I’m not sure I would have noticed him.”

“Fair enough,” he said. “But it can’t hurt to look. Besides, you probably know most of the regulars by now, right?”

“Yeah.”

We had more to discuss, but I kept silent for a few moments, staring at the road and giving him time to get comfortable. When his breathing became steadier, I said, “I keep thinking about Melody saying Tim stopped coming by. I can’t imagine he would have listened to reason. Do you think Greta got someone to run interference for her? Maybe Mr. Watson since he was looking out for her.”

He made a face, but his eyes remained closed. “Doubtful. Mr. Watson is over seventy years old. While he’s tough on his own turf, I doubt he’d have much influence off his property, but I do know of someone with enough influence to get him to stop.” He shifted to look at me, finally opening his eyes. “Tim Hines is an alleged associate of Todd Bingham.”

I swallowed the lump of dread in my throat.

No matter where we looked, all roads led to Bingham.

Chapter Eighteen

“You think Greta got Bingham to stop Tim from bothering her?” I asked in shock. “Why would he do that?”

“That is the question of the hour. What would Greta have that Todd Bingham wanted?”

I paused. “Information about Lula?”

“Maybe. Or maybe information that would help him in his business ventures. I bet you a hundred bucks Melody won’t call the sheriff about her sister. She can’t afford to have them snoopin’ around. In fact, I suspect she’s scrubbin’ down her trailer as we speak.”

My stomach knotted. “You think Melody hurt her sister?”

“No, not in this instance. I’ve suspected she’s sellin’ drugs for a while now. A few months ago, I found a link connecting her to the operation Carson Purdy was runnin’.”

“But all of those men were killed. Isn’t that operation done for?”

“There’s no tellin’ if that was all of them, but Tim was stalkin’ Greta back in August, when Carson and his people were gearing up their operation. Bingham would have found any information about her sister helpful.”

“So Greta either sold out her sister or her best friend.”

“Or she could have given him information about Hines, but the miserable bastard is still alive and kickin’, so that one’s more doubtful.”

“Bingham would have killed him?”

“Depends on the level of betrayal, but yeah. Bingham’s a stone-cold killer, and you need to bear that in mind.” Something about the way he said it led me to believe he hadn’t yet finished his thought.

I turned slightly to glance at him. “You think I should talk to him again.”

“I don’t know yet. He didn’t threaten you yesterday, and you seemed to get away with mouthin’ off to him at the tavern, but the man has his limits. Ones you might test if you drop by to start askin’ questions about Greta.”

Facing Bingham scared the shit out of me. I had to think this through.

“One possibility is that Tim Hines took Greta,” I said, “but that seems unlikely. I think he would have needed a trigger, but so far we haven’t established one. And if it was Tim, it seems unlikely Greta’s disappearance is related to Lula. I don’t know about you, but I doubt it’s coincidental two best friends went missing in the same forty-eight-hour period.”

“My thoughts too.”

“Let’s say Greta did go to Bingham for help with Tim. What does that have to do with her disappearance now?” I asked.