Holly lowered her voice a little. “At the farmhouse, we found the entrance to the tunnel in the bedroom closet. They used a piece of plywood covered with dirty clothes to hide it. There was a small chamber with two bunk beds just under the slab. Probably took them weeks to excavate by hand. It looked exactly like the setup at the compound. They used railroad ties for the walls, and water skies with skateboard wheels to travel the tunnel. Like you suspected, the other side came up under the windmill at the property corner. We found marks in the dirt where they crawled across the neighboring property to a canyon that connects to another road.”

“What about Billy and his brother?”

“SWAT found them. They’d been dragged fifty feet into the tunnel. Both had been shot in the back of the head with a twenty-two caliber.”

Nathan pursed his lips and shook his head.

“It isn’t your fault, okay? We can’t even be sure they were there at the same time we were.”

“They were there.”

“You don’t know that for sure. They could’ve shown up anytime yesterday. They could’ve arrived early this morning when Bruce dropped off their cousins. Bruce is lucky to be alive. He could’ve been killed too. In fact, I think it’s fair to assume they weren’t there or he would’ve been killed. We also had the place bugged, we would’ve heard them talking.”

“They probably suspected there were bugs and communicated by written notes. Who knows? I should’ve seen this coming. It was that damned garage. Other things too. Everything was right there and I didn’t see it. I should’ve put it all together.”

“We had no reason to believe Ernie and Leonard would be there. Bruce was right, their cousins were just a couple of hayseeds.”

“Then why were they killed?”

Holly said nothing.

“It’s because they knew something, maybe another safe house or hiding place or a contact. Something important. Was the motorcycle still in the garage?”

“No. We’ve got an APB out on it. City, state, and local law-enforcement cops are stopping anyone seen riding Enduros regardless of color. Maybe we’ll catch a break.”

“Let’s hope so.”

“We’re doing everything possible to find them.”

“I’m pretty sure I know why the Bridgestones went to the farmhouse. I think it’s where they stashed the missing Semtex from the compound. Probably in the tunnel or the underground room. Can your forensic people check for trace evidence of it?”

“Yes, but it’s very difficult to detect. Semtex doesn’t leave—”

The bartender returned with their drinks. Nathan’s O’Doul’s was served with a mug, cloudy from frost. He poured some and offered a silent toast. Under a solo spotlight onstage, the musicians continued their jamming.