“So you knew—”

“Bye-bye, Ossifer.” Jerry waved to us, turning for the front door. “Unless you have a warrant, I think we’re done here.”

In the patrol car, Cody let out a growl of pent-up frustration, his hands gripping the wheel tightly. “He’s lying, Daisy. And he’s involved in this somehow. I feel it in my gut. Did you see those bikes?”

“Yeah,” I said. “That red one was beautiful. But I’m not sure where you’re going with this.”

“Unless I’m very much mistaken, that red one is a 1940s-era Indian Chief,” he said grimly. “I went through a bike-worshiping phase when I was in high school. And I don’t know if you caught a glimpse of the black one, but I’m pretty sure it’s a Vincent Black Shadow. No telling what he had under the other two covers.”

“Still not following,” I admitted.

Cody shot me a glance. “Those are some very, very expensive and highly collectible bikes. No way he came by those on a bartender’s or a carny’s wages.”

“You think he stole them?”

“It’s possible.” Cody’s fingers drummed on the steering wheel. “It’s certainly a popular activity among outlaw motorcycle clubs. But the odds of his finding a Vincent Black Shadow out on the street . . .” He shook his head. “There were only seventeen hundred of them made, every one assembled by hand.”

“So he’s a collector,” I said slowly. “That’s his passion. That’s the one thing he cares about.”

“Right.” Cody nodded. “We can check out the registration. Assuming it’s legit, where the hell did he get the money?”

“Which brings us back to drugs,” I said. “Except neither of us thinks it was drugs the boys were after.”

“Lot of coincidences going on here,” Cody said. “Jerry Dunham and Lord Stefan Muckety-Muck turn up in town right around the same time Ray D disappears? I don’t like it. Not a big believer in coincidence.”

“There’s no love lost between those two,” I said. “Did you see Dunham’s face when he talked about Stefan? It’s the only time he showed emotion.” I shuddered. “Except for the part about the headless chicken dying.”

Cody looked skeptical. “He was just trying to get under your skin. You didn’t believe that bit about the chicken, did you?”

“Yeah,” I said. “Actually, I did. Not that it was the star attraction, no. That, I’d like to know.”

“Why?”

I shrugged. “Call it a hunch. I’m interested in knowing what Dr. Midnight’s one true thing was.”