Thirty-Three and a Half Shenanigans (23 page)

“Do you think we could look around his trailer with you? We know Mud sent some guys over to Nikko’s place. We’re trying to figure out what he was looking for,” I said. “I know you don’t know us, but maybe there’s something there that will help us find your brother and Dolly Parton.”

She studied us for several seconds. “Yeah. Sure. I’ll take you there after I get done here. It shouldn’t be much longer, should it?” She looked up at the hairdresser.

“Yeah, you’ve got about five minutes left with the foils. Then I’ll wash it and cut it. Say twenty-five minutes?”

“Does he live around here?” Neely Kate asked.

“Yeah, just outside of town.”

“Say, is there any place around here to get donuts?” Neely Kate asked.

Judging from the silence that descended on the room, everyone was confused by her question.

Neely Kate shrugged. “We’ve got twenty-five minutes to kill, and Ronnie Jr. wants donuts.”

Nancy, the hairdresser, came to her senses first. “The closest place to get donuts is the gas station on County Road 22, but I gotta warn you, they’re not very fresh.”

“You probably passed it when you came into town,” said the older woman who was getting her hair fluffed to resemble a lion’s mane.

“Thanks,” Neely Kate said. “We’ll be back.”

I followed Neely Kate out to the truck. “We just ate lunch. Are we really getting donuts?”

“Sure we are. Ronnie Jr. likes the jelly-filled kind. Plus, this’ll give us a chance to go over all the facts we’ve gathered.”

“Well, let’s hope they have what he wants.” I laughed. At least she wasn’t craving spicy Buffalo wings again.

The only donuts the Feed and Fuel had were dried-out glazed donuts and hard long johns. Neely Kate settled on a package of powdered sugar donuts instead, along with a bottle of milk. We sat in the parked truck, looking out the windshield at the cars passing by on the county road.

“So the last people to see Dolly Parton and Nikko were at the club on Friday night—or rather early Saturday morning,” I said. “But neither one has been seen since.”

“That’s nothing new,” Neely Kate groaned. “I feel like we’ve beaten that dead horse to death.”

“But something’s bothering me.”

“What?”

“Billy Jack said that Nikko came and picked Dolly up from his house. Why would Nikko do that? It doesn’t sound like they were friends, and Alaina said her brother was running late. He wouldn’t have had time to run to Pickle Junction to pick her up before heading to Gems.”

“But why would Billy Jack have lied?” Neely Kate asked. “What happened at Gems doesn’t seem to have anything to do with them.”

“I don’t know, but I don’t believe him. It’s really suspicious.”

“Maybe that’s why he wanted to talk to me.” Neely Kate’s words were mumbled around a big bite of one of the donuts. “Maybe he lied and feels guilty.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised. Between the thing with the TV and his claim that he saw Dolly Parton and Nikko after Friday, his story is suspect,” I said.

“Yeah, it’s not adding up. We really do need to track him down and talk to him.”

“Maybe we should tell Joe.”

She snorted. “You remember what he said. He’s not gonna listen to a thing we have to say until tomorrow. And then he’ll
try
to find someone to investigate her disappearance. And it’s not like Billy Jack is gonna volunteer any information to the sheriff’s department. We need to find him ourselves.”

Unfortunately, I suspected she was right.

“I’ve felt uneasy about this whole situation from the start. But I always thought I’d find her shacked up with someone. I haven’t given much thought to findin’ her in . . . in a bad state.”

“I don’t think she’s dead, Neely Kate, if that’s what you’re thinking. I bet she’s hiding with Nikko for some reason. Mud obviously thinks the same thing. Otherwise why would he have sent men to Nikko’s house?”

Tears filled Neely Kate’s eyes. “Maybe they were looking for something they thought Nikko had. He told his sister he was getting out of trouble, but what if he just said that to get her off his back? Maybe he stole something from them.”

I took her hands in mine. “Maybe. We definitely need to check out his trailer.”

“Don’t you think Mud’s guys would have found what they were looking for if it was in there?”

“Maybe not.” I shrugged. “Maybe Nikko hid it good enough that they couldn’t find it.” I gave her a hopeful smile. “His sister might know where it is. Or maybe she can help us figure out where Nikko and Dolly are hiding.”

“Thank you for helping me.”

“Of course.” I gave her a hug. “We’re best friends. If you need my help, I’m there for you. No questions asked.”

We drove back to the salon, where Nancy was finishing up Alaina’s hair.

“You actually came back,” Alaina said, her tone not quite as friendly as before.

“We said we would,” Neely Kate said.

“How do I know you really have a cousin who’s missing? How do I know you’re not working for Mud?”

Neely Kate pointed to me. “Does she look like the kind of girl who’d work at Gems?”

Alaina scrutinized me for several seconds. “No, I guess not.”

Part of me wanted to protest, but then I reminded myself that that was a good thing.

“We’re trying to find my cousin. I swear it. If we can just look at Nikko’s house to look for any clues, it might help. Both of us.”

When Alaina didn’t look entirely convinced, Neely Kate dug out her phone and started scrolling on her screen. “Look.” She moved closer to her and showed her the screen. “This is Dolly Parton. She’s my cousin, and I’m scared to death something awful has happened to her.” Neely Kate’s voice broke. “So I’m beggin’ you,
please
help us.”

Alaina looked up at Neely Kate and nodded. “Okay, but if I find out you’re lyin’, I’m gonna snatch you bald.”

What was it with women wanting to rip out Neely Kate’s hair? But she took it in stride and lifted her chin. “Well, just in case you screw up my intentions, it’s a good thing I have a lot of hair. Now let’s go.”

Nikko owned a tiny mobile home on the side of a county road. There was an astounding assortment of them, spanning from nice trailers with potted plants to absolutely trashy ones.

Alaina pulled off the road in front of a faded white and loam-green trailer, and I pulled in next to her. As she unlocked the front door, Alaina looked over her shoulder at us. “Nikko gave me a key, but I haven’t been in here since last week.”

“Okay,” I said. That meant we had no idea what we’d find.

Alaina pushed the door open, and we followed her into the dark living room. All the curtains were drawn, so it took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust, but the stench of something rotten hit me first.

“Oh, my stars and garters!” Neely Kate gushed, looking at the mess. “They’ve totally ransacked the place!”

There were clothes strewn everywhere—on the floor and covering the sofa and recliner. Along with the laundry were empty beer and pop cans, discarded chip bags and cracker boxes.

“
This?
” Alaina asked in surprise. “This is how Nikko lives. That boy never did learn to pick up after himself.” She leaned over and picked up a T-shirt, took a whiff and cringed, then tossed it in a chair.

Neely Kate put a hand to her chest. “Oh.”

“What exactly are you lookin’ for?” Alaina asked, stepping over a pair of jeans.

Neely Kate glanced over at me, her eyes wide. We had no idea what we were looking for, and the fact that the place was totally trashed didn’t help.

“We were hoping to figure out what Mud’s guys were looking for,” I sighed as I walked past her into the kitchen. The trash was overflowing, and the smell was worse near the container.

“Honestly, we’re grasping at straws,” Neely Kate added. “Can you look around with us and tell us if anything looks out of place?”

“Sure,” Alaina said.

I was curious how she was gonna figure that out, but we followed her as she made her way down the hall, and I noticed the back door was cracked. I pushed it open and saw the doorframe was bent and splintered.

“Has it always looked like this?” I asked. After seeing the state of the living room and kitchen, I wouldn’t put it past Nikko to have broken the back door in if he’d misplaced his key.

“No,” Alaina said, her voice tight.

“Then Mud’s guys must have broken in when they came to look for them,” Neely Kate said.

Alaina continued into the bedroom. The bed was unmade, and the whole room smelled musty. Drawers were partially open, and clothing hung over the sides. A pile of clothes filled the open closet.

“This is Nikko’s room.”

“This is hopeless,” Neely Kate whispered in my ear. “How can we tell if they looked for anything, let alone found it?”

I had to admit she was probably right. “Did Nikko have places where he hid things? Like if he didn’t want anyone to find them?”

“No,” Alaina said. “He didn’t have anything worth hiding.”

“Well, thanks,” Neely Kate said, disappointment heavy in her words. She headed down the hall with Alaina, but I looked around the room, trying to figure out where Nikko might have hidden something.

On closer inspection, I realized the top mattress had been shifted. Nikko might be a slob, but I couldn’t imagine anyone willingly sleeping on a crooked mattress.

I took two steps and stopped.

Mud’s men had been searching this space for something other than Nikko.

I wasn’t sure how skinny he was, but there was no way he could hide under the mattress or even under the bed for that matter. The box springs were on a frame that was barely six inches off the floor.

“Neely Kate!”

She was back in the doorway in seconds. “Did you find something?”

“I don’t know.” I showed her the mattress and told her my theory. “This confirms they were looking for something.”

“I think you’re right,” she said. “But what on earth were they looking for?”

Alaina had followed Neely Kate and stood behind her.

“Alaina,” I said. “What did Nikko do for Crocker?”

She shook her head, her eyes getting hard. “He never worked for that looney tune. My brother’s smarter than that.”

“Okay,” I drawled. “What did he do for Crocker’s
men?
I know his car parts ring was pretty well done by the summer.” Which meant all that was left were some drugs and fencing stolen goods.

She grimaced, and I could tell she didn’t want to tell me.

“I’m not gonna judge him,” I said in a soft voice. “I know two people who worked for Crocker—a guy I work with and my ex-boyfriend. And I don’t hold it against them. They both got out. Just like Nikko.”

Neely Kate shot me a look of surprise, but didn’t correct me. Technically Bruce Wayne and I did work together. And Joe
had
worked for Crocker. He just happened to be undercover for the state police at the time.

“Nikko told me they had expanded their drug business into meth. Nikko helped deliver it.” An angry look filled her eyes. “But he wasn’t a dealer, so don’t you be thinking that.”

I held up my hands. “I don’t doubt you.”

Tears filled her eyes. “He’s really done it this time, hasn’t he?”

I gave her a sympathetic look. “I don’t know.” I paused. “You said Nikko and the sheriff’s department didn’t get along. Did they know about his association with Crocker? Or was it something else?”

She started to cringe, then stopped herself. “Nikko’s always liked to stir up a little trouble. But nothing really bad,” she insisted. “Just some cow-tipping and TPing the high school principal’s front yard. Mischief.”

Neely Kate shifted her weight. “What about Mud?” she said. “I mean maybe Nikko really did try to go the straight and narrow and thought his job at Gems was really a bartending job. But what if Mud found out he worked for Crocker’s guys? Maybe he wanted information on how the whole racket was run.”

Alaina shook her head. “That’s crazy.”

I wasn’t so sure Neely Kate was far off from the truth. “Alaina, you said someone besides Mud runs Gems, right?”

“Yes, but I don’t know who.”

According to Skeeter, the person who’d opened the place did it to try and put him out of business. “There’s not enough clientele to support two strip clubs. So why would the owner of Gems open it? Why go to all the trouble?” I asked.

Both women looked at me with blank expressions.

“They came here looking for something. I bet they think Nikko had something from his time with Crocker’s guys, something that might help them take down Skeeter Malcolm. He’s the new king of Fenton County, and he got there by acquiring Crocker’s business. There’s a bunch of people who are unhappy about that, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them were trying to take him down.”

Neely Kate’s eyes pinned me with a steely gaze. I was gonna catch hell when we left.

Alaina shook her head in confusion. “I don’t know how that helps us.”

“I don’t know yet either, but can you think of any hiding places Nikko might have?”

“No.” She sounded disappointed.

“Well, if you think of something, will you let us know?” Neely Kate asked.

“Sure.”

We looked around for another ten minutes, turning up nothing. Digging through Nikko’s filth made me feel guilty for bothering Mason about leaving his dirty socks on the side of the bed. After the break-in last night, I had the sudden urge to talk to him.

We went outside, and Neely Kate and I walked around, looking for anything that seemed out of the ordinary. Not that either one of us had a clue of what to look for. We were woefully out of our league.

When we reached the front of the trailer, Neely Kate talked to Alaina, who’d trailed silently after us, while I climbed in the truck and sent Skeeter a text.

I need to talk to you. Text me.

Neely Kate got back into the truck and shot me a glare. “You have some explaining to do.”

I tried to look innocent as I started the truck and pulled onto the county road. “What are you talking about?”

“All that Skeeter nonsense. How do you know about that?”

I tried to look irritated. “You know I was at the auction.”