Author Note: Hello, dear readers! I know it's been so long since I updated, but I promise I've not forgotten y'all! Life has been super crazy! Anyway, here I am with another update to Tangled Trail! I hope everyone enjoys! Don't forget to sit back, relax, and review! (Seriously I love checking emails and seeing the lovely reviews from my amazing readers!)

"You're foolin' with me." Sheriff leaned back and stared at Doc hard. He looked at Doc, then Strip.

"Proof is right here." Doc pushed the documents closer to Sheriff.

Sheriff shook his head and glanced down at the birth certificate glaring up at him. He knew there was something familiar about Mater. A small smile touched his face, the more he recalled Delanie's childhood, the more he could see her in Mater. He picked up the birth certificate with his face set in a grim line.

"I want to know what happened to her."

"We have federal agents coming to town." Doc leaned back in his chair.

"Feds." Sheriff glowered.

"Those men in your jail. They're professionals." Strip finally spoke up. "They shot my nephew."

"Still can't believe y'all are related." Sheriff shook his head. "Small world."

"Your daughter was raising Lightning. I want to know why. There are too many questions."

"This is starting to resemble one of those crummy soap operas." Sheriff ran a hand over his face.

"Ain't that the truth," Strip grumbled. "All we know is that Delanie was an undercover cop."

"She was married to another cop. And Mater came about."

"How do you know that Doc?" Sheriff narrowed his eyes. He hadn't gotten to give Delanie away.

"Tex did some digging." Strip offered.

"Ok, this is just causing more questions to pop up." The newly minted grandfather raised a hand to stop any more information. "Lay out what we know. Do it nice and slow."

"Alright. One, we know that Delanie was an undercover cop. Two, she took Lightning in and later had Mater. Three, she is not Lightnings mother. Which means he's not your grandson, Sheriff." Doc nodded to his friend. "We also know that David Evers was Mater's father."

"Next, we know that whatever your daughter knew…It was important enough that they've sent professionals to stir things up." Strip looked wearily between the others.

"Agreed. We need to figure out why she was passing Lightning off as her son? What happened to his birth mother?"

"Tex is checking that out as we speak." Strip fiddled with a file.

"Who's watching the prisoners?"

"Don't worry. Luigi and Guido are inside and Tex is making his call just outside the jail." Doc grinned.

"I need to go check on them." Sheriff stood and shot his friend a slight glare. "Leaving those two in charge of my jail." He stalked off. His real reason was to get away. He needed to calm his mind, he was overloading from all the new information.

He had a grandson, a grandson that he had been taking care of for two years. It hurt to know that Delanie had married without telling him. She'd gotten in over her head apparently. The still grieving father made his way over to the jail. He was going to get to the bottom of his daughter's disappearance.

"I don't know about this." Cal glanced at his partner in crime.

"Don't be a fraidy cat." Sally shot Cal an annoyed look. "You do want to know what's going on right?"

"I mean…I guess." He looked over his shoulder. The teen was certain that his uncle or aunt was going to jump out and skin him alive.

"Good. The adults aren't telling us anything. So we have to find out on our own." She grabbed a tin and tossed it to Cal. "Cover your face with that. Else they're gonna see that pearly white skin of yours." Her face was already painted black and her clothes were a matching color.

"Fine." Cal obliged and covered his face.

"Better. Now, here's the key. I'll go and unlock it and turn off the alarm. That'll give us the chance to look around without Sheriff coming."

"Isn't this a crime?"

"It's not technically breaking and entering if we have a key." Sally sounded as if she was a lawyer.

"If we get caught, it's all on you." Cal muttered.

"You just keep watch." She scurried forwards and unlocked the door. "Come on."

Cal scrambled after her and tripped on the front steps. He nearly faceplanted but Sally caught him.

"Careful." She sighed. "This way."

They melted inside, she deftly disarmed the alarm and grinned in triumph as she pulled out a flashlight.

"I don't want to know how many times you've done this."

"Chicken." She led him through the building.

It was an old storage building. The outside was maintained, but it looked older than the rest of the town. Cal coughed at the stagnant air in the building. It was a living time capsule. An ancient looking desk was in the main room, dust blanketed it giving off an eerie feel. Sally hid a shiver.

"Should we even be here?"

"Do you want answers?"

"How do you know we'll find answers here?" Cal narrowed his eyes.

"I bugged my Grandpa's office."

"Sally!"

"What? Sometimes they have important information that I want to know!"

The inquisitive teens crept through the building. Sally lead the pair towards the back.

Creakkkkkkkk…

"What was that!?" Cal jumped and grabbed Sally from behind. His heart had leapt into his throat.

"Just. A. Floorboard." She pried him off. "Come on."

"How are we supposed to get answers in an old building?"

"Grandpa mentioned something to your uncle just before we met up for supper. They were in the courthouse practically all day."

"So…What did he mention?"

"He said that Delanie came back to town when Sheriff was out of town."

"And?"

"She dropped some things off in storage."

Silence fell between the pair as they came to the last door on the main floor. Sally swung it open revealing a pair of rickety looking stairs.

"Please tell me that we aren't going down there?" Cal gulped. He didn't like the looks of that.

"Yep." Sally's voice was full of sunshine.

She guided the way with the flashlight cutting through the darkness. The stairs protested the foreign weight as the teens made their way to the basement. It was eerily quiet; footsteps and breathing were the only sounds. They echoed off the walls and the flashlight created specters as it glanced off objects.

"Here."

Cal jumped slightly as his companion's voice cut through the silence. He watched as she shoved away some crates and boxes until she pulled out an old looking suitcase. It looked like it would fall apart.

"How do you know that's what we're looking for?"

"Detective work."

"A lot of snooping you mean." Cal muttered. "How long have you been looking into this?"

"A while. Sheriff mentioned his daughter before. How she was innocent? I wanted to help." She shrugged. "Plus, there isn't a lot to do in Radiator Springs."

"Where do we take this?"

"Cozy Cones. I have a skeleton key. I can get into one of the other cones." She hefted the suitcase up. "Carry this. I'll have the flashlight."

"Alright. Let's just get out of here."

They stood and moved back upstairs. Cal screeched as a cobweb covered his face. He didn't wait for Sally, he darted past her and through the front door.

"Cal! Wait for me!" She locked the door and hurried after him.

Cal didn't look back, he clutched the suitcase to his chest and made record time. He paused outside Cozy Cone number eight to catch his breath. That building had been extremely terrifying for some reason. A hand landed over his mouth and jerked him back. He screamed only to have it muffled.

"Shhh. Come on." It was Sally. She dragged him into the cone and locked the door behind them.

"Don't scare me like that!" Cal glared.

"Let's look at that suitcase!"

"Sure. Don't worry about my health! I could have had a heart attack."

"But you didn't. We're wasting time. We have to get back before someone wakes up."

Cal rolled his eyes and dusted off the top of the suitcase. He fiddled with the locks on it before the top sprung open nearly knocking Sally over. Inside lay three black books and a thick manila envelope.

"Should we read them?"

"…Let's see what else is in here." Sally moved the books and envelope aside. "Oh…I think we better get my Grandpa."

"Why?"

"Because this!" Sally pointed to the bottom of the suitcase.

A gun was in a plastic bag, the handle was stained with what suspiciously looked like blood.

"I knew we shouldn't have went snooping!"