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she was. Even though
she denied she knew what was going on. DA’s office decided there
wasn’t enough evidence she was involved so they dropped the charges
against her.”
    “ And Paul?”
    “ He got it easier than Ken.
Since the grow operation was on Ken’s property, Paul was only
charged with accessory and money laundering. They both got bail.
Then Ken violated his bail a couple of months later when he left
the county to visit family without permission. Ken said it was a
misunderstanding, but the judge threw him back in jail without any
fanfare. Now Ken’s trial is being postponed due to Samantha’s
disappearance. Paul is being tried separately.”
    “ So, hubby is in jail, the
bad guys are after you, money troubles piling up and no job
prospects. Sounds like someone who would run far, far away,” Rachel
said.
    “ But she has two kids who
she adores, right?”
    “ Yeah, there is that.”
Rachel pulled into the driveway of the beach house and they sat
with the truck idling.
    “ But you could have read it
all in the papers and on the internet,” Stacy said. She had that
trademark look on her face. Like the cat that ate the canary. “Want
to know something that wasn’t in the papers?”
    “ Of course.”
    “ Some people think Mack was
the anonymous tip.”
    “ Really? Why
Mack?”
    “ Because Mack is in love
with Sam. Always has been, according to my source.”
    “ Your source sure has a lot
of inside information. Are you going to tell me who it is?” Rachel
said, half-jokingly knowing Stacy would protect her sources to the
bitter end.
    “ Yes, they do, and no, you
know better than to ask.”
    “ Ken did mention to me, as
we were wrapping up our interview, that Mack and Sam were having an
affair.” Rachel gave Stacy the details about her meeting with Ken
at the jail.
    “ Sometimes the husband is
the last to know. Did he think that had something to do with Sam’s
disappearance?”
    “ If he did, he didn’t say.
We didn’t exactly leave things on a good note.”
    “ Have you given it any
thought Mack may have had a hand in Sam’s
disappearance?”
    “ Yes, but he is not on the
top of my suspect list. I think he is truly stumped about what
happened to her. The drug cartel – or what the locals call the
Mexican mafia – they are at the top of my list.”
    “ I would suppose so.” Stacy
patted her on the leg. “Be careful. These so-called Mexican mafia
are dangerous people.”
    “ I heard about
Pedro.”
    “ Pedro Gonzalez is just a
little fish in a big pond. It’s Richard Flores, the head of the
gang, you need to worry about. He is famous for cutting people’s
appendages off for messing around in his business.”
    “ So you think these guys
have something to do with Sam?”
    “ I don’t know. I’m just
saying to be careful who you talk to and what you do.”
    “ Thanks. When you heading
back?”
    “ I thought I would stick
around here for awhile. I have some vacation time left and besides,
this could be another big story for me.” Stacy smiled.
    “ Then let’s go get you
settled in. Wait till you see this place. The views of the beach
from your room are stunning. Then we can get some lunch and plot
our next move.”
    “ Sounds good to me,” Stacy
said reaching for her bag. “Here is the first article written about
Ken’s arrest. You can read it while I freshen up.”
    They walked inside the beach house and
put their things down. While Stacy went upstairs, Rachel took the
article outside on the deck to read it. The beach was dotted with
brightly colored umbrellas and there were a ton of people taking
advantage of the lovely day. Teenagers playing volleyball and
sunning themselves, kids building sandcastles, and surfers catching
small waves. She started reading the article Stacy handed her. It
was dated several months ago, when Ken was first
arrested.
     
    Police Officer Charged With Running
Marijuana Grow Operation
     
    A captain with the Santa Rosa
Beach police department has