“I’m doing a boot camp and trying to train some kids on the basics of law enforcement while they’re young. I’ve been doing it during the island’s spring break for the past ten years.” His gaze remained on his kids, like an ever-vigilant watchman.
“I’m surprised we don’t have more recruits then,” Cassidy said. “Hardly anyone on the actual island has applied.”
“After everything that’s happened here over the past nine months, they’re too scared.”
“Can’t really blame them for that.” Drug busts, human trafficking, gang members, dead bodies … the place had exploded with crime, it seemed.
Or maybe it was Mac’s boot camp that had scared potential applicants away. If Cassidy had to guess, this spring break training was no joke.
As the kids yelled and laughed in the distance, Mac stole a glance at her. “You found anyone else to hire yet?”
Former police chief Alan Bozeman had left at the end of the summer. Two of his officers had stuck around, but one had taken another job down in South Carolina three months ago, leaving Cassidy with only one other officer.
“As a matter of fact, we have an interview tomorrow with some guy from Ohio,” Cassidy said.
“Did you vet him?”
Cassidy raised her eyebrows. “Did I vet him? Can Mac MacArthur say the alphabet forward, backward, forward and backward while skipping every other letter?”
The man had some unusual talents—that being one of them.
“I knew you would have.” He grinned like a proud papa. “This is one of your first real interviews, isn’t it?”
“It is. No one else really struck me as ready for this job, so why waste people’s time?”
“Agreed.” He narrowed his eyes at the kids in the distance. “Bobby, that water gun is not a flirtation device. Stop shooting Suzy and put it down!”
Cassidy hid a smile.
Mac turned back to her. “Sorry about that. Anyway, what about this summer? Did the mayor agree to let you hire a couple more officers in the summer?”
“He did. I’m hoping Braden will be one of them. His therapy—and Lisa—has been working wonders for him. But I do need his doctor’s approval before that’s definite.”
Braden Dillinger was one of Ty’s old friends. He had PTSD and some brain injuries he was working through. Once he was cleared, he’d make a great cop.
Mac studied her face. “I take it you didn’t come this way to tell me all that.”
The grim reality of today’s events pressed on her chest. “I didn’t. You heard about the body on the beach?”
“You know it. If I didn’t have this boot camp, I would have been there like a thorn in your side.”
“You’re never a thorn in my side. But I would like your advice on something.”
“I’ve got advice like a dog has fleas. Shoot.”
“I’m trying to identify our victim. I believe he was murdered. And I believe he was abused in some way beginning about six months ago. He has scars …”
“Sad yet intriguing. Go on.”
Cassidy chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. “Should I put out a press release to find his identity? It’s going to bring Lantern Beach into the spotlight—and I’m not sure that’s the kind of spotlight we want.”
Mac frowned and squinted. “I see where you’re coming from. You probably don’t want to be the one whose face is on the news doing a press conference of some type.”
“Exactly.” No, the fact that Cassidy was here needed to remain a secret. There were still men out there who would kill her if they realized she was alive.
She’d taken on a new name. Changed her hair. Gotten married. Those were all safeguards, but they weren’t foolproof.
“Run this guy’s details through NamUs. See if there are any matches. If that doesn’t get you anywhere, then you’re going to need to appeal to the media. The last thing you want is for people here to think you’re keeping secrets. It will build distrust, and you don’t want that, especially after that last yahoo we had in your position.”
Chief Alan Bozeman—or Bozoman, as Mac had called him—had been a disgrace to the profession. Thankfully, he was long gone now.
“That’s what I thought. I just needed someone older and wiser to run it past.” Being a detective in Seattle was totally different than being in charge of a small police department. At times, Cassidy missed having superiors who were more experienced to turn to for advice.
It was one more reason she was thankful for Mac.
“Don’t know about the wiser part, but definitely an old geezer.”
Cassidy squeezed his arm affectionally before taking a step back. “You’ll never be a geezer, Mac. But you’ll always be a friend.”
As she turned to head back to her car—amidst Mac blowing his whistle and calling his boot camp recruits back over—she froze.
That feeling washed over her again. That feeling of being watched.
Yet, as Cassidy looked around, she saw no one.
Was she just being paranoid? Or had DH-7 found her again? Even worse, could DH-7 look like someone she knew and trusted?
Back at the station, Cassidy typed all the victim’s information into NamUs but got no matches. NamUs, the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, was a database and resource center for missing people across the United States.
Cassidy leaned back into her office chair and let out a sigh.
So far today, she only had questions and no answers.
She ran a hand over her face. Speaking of today, it had been a long one. Too long—and it was only two in the afternoon.
Cassidy knew when she’d taken over here on Lantern Beach that the island wasn’t all small-town goodness. No, most people came here to get away from something. Sometimes it was a busy work schedule, but other times it was problems, heartaches … sometimes even danger.
Cassidy had been a detective in Seattle until an undercover assignment had forced her into hiding. Cassidy wasn’t even her real name, and only two people on the island knew that—Ty and Mac. They were the only ones who could ever know.
Yes, she knew all about people coming here to get away from something.
She just never thought she’d end up staying. That she’d end up falling in love with both the island and with Ty. That the community would draw her in like a long-lost family. That the sandy shores would beckon a peace like she’d never known.
Now she couldn’t ever imagine leaving. It didn’t matter that she’d left a life where she’d wanted for nothing. Her dad was a tech mogul who had more money than some small countries. But money didn’t equate with happiness. Cassidy knew that firsthand.
Casting those thoughts aside to focus on the present, Cassidy turned to look at the board she’d created beside her desk. There in the center of the board was a glossy picture of the man who’d washed up on the beach.
“Who are you?” she muttered, staring at the image of his lifeless face.
Though it was hard to imagine while looking at the grotesque photo, he’d once been a living, breathing person. But, in death, his face was swollen. His body had begun to decay. But his eyes—closed in the photo—had once contained life. They’d once been windows to the man’s soul. Those eyes had seen things that had shaped him into the person he’d ended up being before death had claimed him.
What happened to you? How did you get those scars?
Everyone deserved closure. Even people who were nameless. People who hadn’t been reported missing. People who seemed forgotten.
The forgotten deserved justice also.
Which was why Cassidy was going to have to release this information to the media. She hoped she could keep herself out of it. The last thing she needed was her face plastered on TVs, the Internet, or in newspapers across the country.
No, she had to stay low-key. She had no other choice.
She looked through the other photos that had been taken, searching for anything she might have missed earlier. She’d printed
them off in the office so she could add them to the board that contained all the information on the case. Right now, the glossy photos slid across her fingertips.
She paused when she saw the man’s legs. Not his legs specifically. No, his jeans.
There were dirt stains on the knees.
Just like the man Cassidy had seen on the beach earlier. The one who’d been standing off on the sand dune in the distance. The one who’d scurried when she walked his way.
The first spike of satisfaction raced through her.
Maybe this was her first real clue.
It had to be.
But until she could figure out how the men were connected, she would have to do what she could. She began penning her press release.
Unidentified male. Approximately 35 years old. 185 pounds. 5'11".
Chapter Four
Ty waited outside The Crazy Chefette for Cassidy.
The restaurant—an old Coast Guard building—was now painted yellow with cheerful pink shutters. A large sign with the restaurant’s name also featured a cartoonish woman wearing a lab coat and holding a beaker in one hand and a spatula in the other. The words under the name read “mad food created by a crazy woman.”
Lisa Garth wasn’t crazy, but she had been a scientist. In a way, she still was, only her experiments now involved food instead of chemicals. No one ever knew exactly what they were going to get when they saw the menu here.
Lisa had invited the gang over to her restaurant to have dinner together. They tried to meet at least once a week to hang out and have Bible study as well. The routine kept them all connected.
The eatery was closed except for weekends—at least for another month or so. Many businesses in the area shut down in the slow winter season. There weren’t enough customers to justify the expenses of staying open.
Cassidy parked at the side of the building, climbed out, and walked toward Ty, wearing her official police uniform and jacket. Ty had seen her in the outfit hundreds of times already, but he still felt a rush of pride when he realized just how far Cassidy had come in the past several months.
She’d gone from a big-city detective and rich girl with a bounty on her head to a capable law enforcement officer who enjoyed the simple things in life.
And she looked good. Then again, Cassidy could wear sackcloth and look good.
He kissed Cassidy’s cheek as she stopped in front of him. “Hey, gorgeous.”
“Hey, yourself. How’s it going?”
Something about the way she said the words made Ty realize that they had unfinished conversations. He needed to talk to her more about that phone call with her mom this morning. And he needed to mention the man he’d seen watching them.
But this just didn’t seem like the time.
He remembered Cassidy’s question and shrugged, quickly thinking through his day. “I can’t complain too much about my day. But you, on the other hand, look tired.”
There were small circles beneath her eyes, and her gaze wasn’t as bright as usual.
She frowned and raked a hand through her blonde hair—the parts of it that weren’t pulled back into a bun, at least. “Just finished a lot of the nonglamorous side of police work. Paperwork, primarily. I also penned the press release so we can try to identify this guy.”
“No leads, huh?”
She shook her head, but something lingered in the back of her gaze … something that was bothering her, if Ty had to guess.
“No. But he had these scars on his back… Ty, I don’t know what happened to the man, but I think he might have been tortured.” She said the words softly, with obvious respect for both the dead and for those who’d suffered.
Ty sucked in a breath, a million memories pummeling him. Memories of his time in the Middle East. Memories of his comrades in arms and the things they’d gone through at the hands of evil men.
There were some things a man would never forget—and images of finding one of his men after he’d been tortured was one of them.
“That doesn’t sound good.” Ty’s words were an understatement, to say the least. But he didn’t want to overreact.
Though no dead body was run-of-the-mill, he hadn’t expected that news. He didn’t like the bad feeling it left in his gut—especially since Cassidy would be investigating. There were killers who acted in the heat of the moment, and then there were killers who acted after premeditated planning—people who liked to see others suffer.
Those people were the ones who scared him the most.
And the thought of Cassidy investigating someone like that … it caused his heart to twist with protectiveness.
Cassidy slipped into his shadow, squinting against the setting sun behind him. “There’s a chance he could have washed up from somewhere other than Lantern Beach. Maybe up north from the Outer Banks? Maybe even down south from Myrtle Beach. We’re checking with the Coast Guard to find out the pattern of the ocean current recently.”
“You’re just starting with this investigation,” Ty told her. “I’m sure things will begin coming together.”
“I wish I felt that certain. I know we’ll eventually find some answers. I just don’t know that I’m going to like any of them.”
“If this guy was tortured …” Ty started. He couldn’t stop thinking about what Cassidy had told him.
“What?” Cassidy stepped closer and studied his expression.
He swung his head back and forth as images pounded his thoughts. “I don’t know. That makes this case even more high stakes. I don’t want …”
Cassidy squeezed his arm reassuringly. “I’ll be careful, Ty. I promise.”
After a moment of hesitation, he nodded. “I know.”
Just then, Lisa stuck her head out the front door. Her blonde hair swished across her shoulders, and her expressive eyes were wide and clearly trying to communicate … something.
“Ty. Cassidy. Thank goodness you’re here.”
Cassidy narrowed her eyes and stepped back, their conversation obviously done for now. “What’s going on, Lisa?”
Lisa’s normally cheerful face looked pale and stiff. “You didn’t hear?”
“Hear what?” Ty glanced at Cassidy and saw that her face reflected his own confusion.
Lisa glanced around like someone might be watching before motioning for them to come inside. “Follow me.”
They trailed her into the restaurant. The scent of savory meat and onions filled the air, but Ty had no time to appreciate it. Lisa hurried through the kitchen and to the back where the walk-in freezer was.
Lisa threw them one more look before opening the door and pointing inside.
Ty squinted as he peered into the space. Was that …
“It’s not what you think.” Lisa’s words shot out rapidly and sounded laced with anxiety.
Ty twisted his head, trying to think of what else it might be besides … “It looks like a dead body on a stretcher.”
Lisa frowned. “Okay, it is what it looks like. But not the way you think.”
Ty glanced around, only half joking as he asked, “Is Braden okay?”
“That’s not Braden!” Lisa’s eyes were as wide as her sausage balls. “Braden had to run to the grocery store for me real fast. Who do you think I am?”
“I was just kidding.”
Cassidy took a step closer to the figure, her voice professional and reasoned. “Who’s in the body bag?”
“Doc Clemson didn’t tell you?” Lisa’s eyes remained wide and slightly frantic.
“Tell me what?”
“The freezer at the morgue died,” Lisa said. “Doc Clemson asked me if he could keep this … this … dead person here! In my freezer!”
Ty sucked in a quick breath, halfway horrified and halfway amused. “Wow.”
“He didn’t tell me.” Cassidy frowned at the stretcher.
That was definitely a body bag, right in the middle of her shelves full of frozen produce and meat.
“What if my customers hear about this?�
� Lisa threw her hands in the air, her eyes almost comically wide as she began to pace. “They’ll never want to eat here again.”
“I’m sure that’s not true,” Cassidy said. “Besides, we won’t tell anyone.”
“What about Leggott? Or Doc Clemson? They delivered this body bag. Anyone could have driven past and seen it.”
“You could have said no, right?” Ty asked.
“This is Doc Clemson. I have to keep him on my good side. I never know when I might need him, and he’s the only doctor here on the island.”
“Good point.” Ty glanced at Cassidy. “You didn’t know about this?”
“No, the body is in Doc’s custody. He didn’t have to run it by me. He must have seen Leggott and asked him to help.”
“It sounded like it was rather sudden,” Lisa added before her lips pulled downward in an all-encompassing frown. “What am I going to do?”
“Nothing,” Cassidy said. “We’ll just pretend like this never happened.”
An hour later, Cassidy and her group of island friends were all seated at some tables that had been pushed together in the center of the restaurant. They chatted as they ate the food Lisa had prepared—hot beef sundaes. The recipe was surprisingly good with roast beef on the bottom, a scoop of mashed potatoes in the middle, gravy drizzled across everything, and a cherry tomato on top.
Cassidy and Ty sat beside each other. Lisa and her fiancé, Braden, sat across from them. Rounding out their group of friends were Austin Brooks and Skye Lavinia, who were also dating; Wes—Mr. Single Forever and Proud of It; and Pastor Jack Wilson and his new bride, Juliette.
Cassidy glanced down the table at all her friends and smiled. No one here was perfect, but they’d also made a pact that no one stood alone. Knowing she had a support system girding her meant the world to Cassidy.
“Jack and Juliette look happy, don’t they?” Ty whispered, his breath tickling her ear.
She glanced at them as they giggled together at some kind of inside joke. “Yeah, they really do. They just fit. I was skeptical about their quick marriage, but they look like they were made for each other, just like the ocean and the sand.”
On the Lookout Page 3