Church turned to Cage. “You said you found something?”
Cage nodded. “Most of the substantial purchases the preppers have made over the past year come from an LLC account managed by a local firm—Renninger Associates.”
“The Renningers have been around a long time,” Church told us. “Emery Renninger was a friend of my father’s. He used to handle the finances for the resort.”
“Emery passed away a few years ago,” Sam said. “His son, Luther, runs the business now.”
“What do you know about Luther?”
It was Sandy who answered, “He’s one of Sumneyville’s golden boys. Young, successful, Hollywood handsome, and very popular with the ladies.”
“There’re so few of us,” Heff quipped.
Sam rolled her eyes. “I thought he and Kate Handelmann were a thing?”
Mad Dog’s ears perked up at the name, the image of the pretty blonde he’d come across earlier moving to the forefront of his thoughts. His chest tightened unexpectedly.
“Ancient history,” Sandy answered, dismissively waving a hand. “But their families are still pretty close.”
“Handelmann’s Hardware?” Mad Dog asked. “On Main Street?”
“Yes,” Sandy confirmed. “You know it?”
“I was there earlier today. Jerry Petraski and his son were there, too, buying a shitload of lumber by the looks of it.”
“For the compound, you think?” asked Smoke.
“That’s my guess, though I don’t know what they could be doing with it this time of year. Do we know if Handelmann is part of Meal Team Six?”
Doc chuckled.
Meal Team Six was what the guys called the untrained weekend warriors who liked to don tactical gear and play army under the guise of “preparing” for a natural disaster, global war, or zombie apocalypse. Some cells were serious and hard core. Others used it as an excuse to get away from their wives, drink beer, and shoot guns. They still weren’t sure which camp Freed and his boys fell into. Probably a little of both.
“His name hasn’t come up as one of the known preppers, but he is a well-established business owner with ties in the local community. I wouldn’t be surprised.” Church turned his gaze to Mad Dog. “How did they react to your presence there?”
He thought of the blonde’s smile and big blue eyes. “No blatant animosity. The woman who rang me up seemed friendly enough.”
“Friendly or friendly?” Heff smirked. “Do we need to remind you of Church’s no fraternization with the local girls rule?”
“That rule was mainly for you,” Doc pointed out before adding, “not that it did any good.”
Heff grinned unrepentantly and pulled Sandy a little closer to him. “Some rules were made to be broken. Right, Smoke?”
Smoke grunted.
“It wasn’t like that,” Mad Dog growled, suddenly feeling defensive.
“Of course not,” Heff said, but his grin grew. “I wasn’t suggesting otherwise. It’s not your fault. Women are just naturally drawn to broody, hulking strangers the size of a tank.”
Mad Dog glared at Heff but withheld his response for the sake of the ladies present.
“The woman you spoke with ... thirtyish, blonde?”
He turned his attention to Sandy and schooled his expression. “Yes.”
“That was probably Kate. She’s nice to everyone. Very active in the community, too.”
“Sounds like Mad Dog has a new directive.” Doc grinned. “He can be our new public relations liaison.”
“Hmm,” Heff said, his eyes glittering mischievously. “Do you think we need to have the talk with him?”
Mad Dog took a deep breath and shook his head, refusing to rise to the bait. Heff was just being Heff, trying to gauge his level of interest based on his reaction. Most people thought he was just a natural smart-ass, but Mad Dog knew better. Heff was a hell of a lot sharper than that.
“Any other updates?” Church asked, receiving a series of head shakes in response. “All right. Let’s meet back here tomorrow for a planning session at nineteen hundred. I want to have clear objectives on where we’ll be focusing our resources when the weather breaks. I’ve asked the new guys to join us and give their input, too.”
“Good idea,” Doc said. “Never hurts to get a fresh perspective.”
They stood up to leave.
Mad Dog was already out the door when Heff called out to him, “Hey, MD, wait up.”
Mad Dog slowed his pace. “What’s up?”
“I was just busting your balls in there, but I know that look.”
“What look?”
“The look a guy has when he meets a woman and gets all tingly in his bits.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Heff chuckled and slapped him on the back before turning to go. “Right. Just watch your six—at least until we know if she falls into the friend or foe category.”
Maybe Heff saw a little too much.
Chapter Four
Kate
After leaving the store in her father’s capable hands, Kate went to the Sumneyville fire hall, which was where most community events and local wedding receptions were held. In addition to having a large, open space and side bar, the fire hall had a huge kitchen capable of producing massive quantities of food. Fire Chief Petraski allowed the Ladies Auxiliary to use the place to prepare meals for the local outreach program. In exchange, they left plenty of meals in the commercial fridge for him and the rest of the volunteer firefighters.
When Kate arrived, a few women were already there, mostly retired moms and grandmas, cooking up a storm. Agnes Miller was rolling dough on the center island table like a boss while the Schaeffer twins, Edith and Lydia, were expertly chopping up potatoes and carrots into bite-sized pieces. Three massive cast-iron Dutch oven pots sat atop the commercial stove, tended by a spoon-wielding Martha McGillicuddy. Mona Delvecchio, the biggest gossip in Sumneyville, sat in the corner, wearing an apron, though she rarely actually did anything besides talk a lot. At least her hair wasn’t purple anymore.
“Mmm, smells awesome,” Kate said in greeting, hanging up her coat by the door and breathing in the heavenly aromas of butter, onions, garlic, and roasted chicken. “What are we making tonight?”
“Pot pie.”
“My favorite.”
Agnes’s eyes twinkled. “We know. Make sure you take some home with you.”
“No doubt of that. What do you need me to do?”
“You can start by kneading the pastry dough under that big bowl. My arthritis is acting up something fierce today. It should be ready.”
“On it.” Kate rolled up her sleeves, gave her hands a thorough wash, and got to work.
The ladies shared stories, giving updates on who had been doing what and to whom. Kate listened but didn’t actively participate. One, because she didn’t put much stock in hearsay, and two, because they knew a lot more about what was going on than she did.
Mona waited until Kate was wrist deep in pie dough before saying, “I heard one of those Sanctuary boys came into Handelmann’s today.”