“Well, I’m sure if you leave a message—”

Sebastian had anticipated this. “The wildfires have knocked down a lot of cell towers, and reception is spotty up that way, I’ve heard. How is the wildfire situation up there—do you know? We talking mandatory evacuation or what?”

“No, not mandatory.”

“Look, I’m not trying to get you into any trouble. Wayne was insistent that I hand deliver this stuff to him, so that he can review the material and then ask me questions. I’ve got to do it now or he won’t have a chance to get in on this property. Just tell me if he’s there or not. I don’t want to take a drive all the way up there for nothing.”

“He’s been there all week,” Little said, “but you didn’t hear that from me.”

Traveling by helicopter would be the quickest way. He called the places Ron had used in the past—even dropped Ron’s name—but all the birds were spoken for. The ones that weren’t already booked for business were up north, the pilots pitching in against the wildfires, which left Sebastian with one option: traveling by car.

He took a Mac with a wireless Internet card from his office. Faye drove him to the car dealer who specialized in turning cars into nearly indestructible tanks. There, he picked up the Range Rover.

In the garage, he transferred the equipment, loaded in duffel bags, from the trunk to a special compartment in the back of the Rover. Faye, seated behind the wheel, watched him in the rearview mirror.

After he was finished, he slid into the passenger seat. “You in the mood to take a drive?”

“Santa Paula, I take it. To see Wayne Dixon.”

“I’m told he’s at home. And like Candice said, the property in Santa Paula is very isolated. It’s the perfect place to keep carriers.”

“Besides Ava’s daughter, how many does Paul have? A dozen? More?”

“I don’t have an exact number. Frank and I . . . we thought it might be at least six.”

“Isn’t a wildfire raging somewhere up there?”

“Not directly in Santa Paula. One you’re thinking about—it’s sixty percent contained. I went online and checked.”

“Why are we going? That seems like a task more suited for someone like Ron Wolff.”

“He’s tied up with some other pressing matters. And we’re closer.”

Faye studied him for a moment. He could see her eyes working behind her sunglasses.

“Paul scared him off, didn’t he?” she said. “That’s why your house was empty this morning.”

“This is the most solid lead I’ve had in a while, and I plan on looking into it. I need to find him.” And Grace, he added privately. He had to be the one to find his daughter, deliver her to Ava.

“Showing up there, just the two of us,” Faye said. “What if he’s got a small army?”

“I’ve got us covered.”

“Bullets don’t work against wildfires.”

“We’re not driving into one. We’re driving around one. Huge difference. We’ll be fine. I checked the roads online, by the way. The ones we need are still open.”