Rollover by Susan Slater Read Free Book Online

Howard opened a manila envelope and shook the contents onto his desk. It looked like a bunch of receipts and maybe a bank statement, Dan thought.
    â€œWhen we towed the truck in, one of the guys who works in our impound area recognized it, or I should say parts of it. You’re right, the truck was a composite—built from scratch at a chop shop here in Vegas and not that long ago. I think they started with the chassis and that was about it.”
    Dan let out a low whistle, “Who paid for that?”
    â€œGood question. Chet himself, according to these receipts, but a Social Security check doesn’t cover that kind of work. Finished product came to over ten thousand dollars.”
    â€œWhat about where it was done? What do the shop guys say?”
    â€œThat’s another tough one. Shop’s owned and run by bikers—not your Honda touring class types, if you’re following me, but a few one-percenters.”
    â€œOne-percenters?”
    â€œYeah, the hard core. Ninety-nine percent of all bikers in the U.S. are law-abiding citizens…then there’s the one-percenters.”
    â€œAnd you’re saying the chop shop is operated by…outlaws?”
    The shrug said more than words. “We’ve adopted a ‘live and let live’ attitude. Everybody calls it a chop shop, but that’s just because they ride choppers. I honestly don’t think they’re up to anything illegal. I’m a little understaffed to hassle them—besides, in twenty years we’ve never had a problem.”
    â€œUntil now.”
    â€œIf they’re even involved.”
    â€œHave you talked to them?”
    â€œYeah. According to Jeeter Ferris—he’s the owner—payment was made in advance. He gave some guy an estimate over the phone…just a ballpark…and then the rest of his dealings were with Chet. I understand Jeeter’s boys at the shop did all the work.”
    â€œSo you’re saying they built the truck ground up with Chet giving directions?”
    â€œSomething like that. I guess Chet had some pretty narrow specs he wanted them to follow. But he wasn’t lying—he and that truck had been together since birth.”
    â€œSounds like he’d done it before.”
    â€œNo doubt. I should also mention that Chet had ten thousand dollars in his bank account. Don’t know if it was part of some kind of payoff or unused truck money. But his grandson says he knows his granddad didn’t have anything extra…nothing tucked away…lived from payday to payday like most of the community.”
    â€œWhen was the deposit made?”
    â€œOriginally twenty thousand was put in first week in August. Increments of ten.”
    â€œAugust? More than a month before the heist? Except for the cut hoses, it pretty much rules out having anything to do with me—no way they’d know there’d even be an insurance investigation—no way they knew the heist would be successful.”
    â€œâ€™Course that tunnel coulda been half finished by then…or more. Personally I think that tunnel’d been there for awhile. But it’s a puzzler, for sure.” Sheriff Howard paused. “Two many unanswered questions. I’m not trying to tell you your business, but I’d be careful. I’ll keep you in the loop and would appreciate the same.” Sheriff Howard leaned forward to shake hands.
    Meeting over. Dan had a distinct feeling it wouldn’t be the last with the Mora County sheriff.
    He took the elevator down to ground level and walked out into the sunshine. Elaine was waiting for him about a hundred feet away and he had just that amount of time to decide what he wanted to tell her. Keep the details to himself or run the risk of alarming her?
    â€œHow’d that go?” She closed the novel and put it in the console as he climbed into the passenger’s seat.
    â€œNot sure. I think I left with a lot more