“Undiagnosed learning disabilities—or even if they’re diagnosed but left untreated—do tend to disrupt kids’ lives,” Rachel observed.
“I suppose. Dad traveled so much that he left all the decisions about Stephanie up to our mom. Anyway, I went away to college and Stephanie stayed home and bounced from job to job. I met John at school and we got married right after graduation. Then Stephanie got pregnant. She wanted to keep the baby, but she couldn’t support herself, let alone a child. John and I wanted kids and we’d started trying right away. But after my second miscarriage, we had some tests and found out that we’d never have children.”
“I’m sorry,” Rachel said.
Sarah’s voice trembled as she told her story. “That news was hard for me to take. So when we found out that Stephanie was pregnant, we offered to help her. At first, she refused, but after the baby was born, reality hit. Stephanie realized she couldn’t raise a baby and still go out and party every night. Our mom had just passed away with cancer, and Stephanie had nobody else to turn to.”
Rachel could tell this was difficult for her to explain. As the governor’s wife, always in the public eye, Sarah put on a good face. She was a very popular public figure, spending her time doing charity work. Not only was Sarah beautiful and married to a handsome, powerful politician, she was very lovable and the public couldn’t get enough of her. But now, Rachel knew she was seeing a rare side of Sarah Knowles.
“When Amber was three months old, Stephanie took us up on our offer. She had no income, no job, and no real desire to get one. So we took Amber. About three months later, Stephanie disappeared. She was gone for a week. I was worried out my mind. We hired a private investigator who eventually found Stephanie.”
“Where was she?” Rachel asked.
“A seedy motel outside of Panama City Beach with some guy she barely knew. When the PI found her, she was drugged out of her mind.” Sarah grabbed a tissue and dabbed at the corner of her eyes. “We put her in rehab and she agreed to let us adopt Amber. She promised to clean herself up and go to a local community college. We offered to support her if she stayed in school.”
“How did that work out?” Rachel asked.
“I wanted so badly for her to straighten up, but deep down, I knew from past experience she wouldn’t do it. I’d seen our mother bribe Stephanie before, and it never worked. She’d try, and then give up. The drugs had a stranglehold on her. Stephanie lasted at community college about one month. One afternoon she never came home after class, and I knew she was gone. That time she stayed away for over a year. The adoption had already gone through, so we just moved on with our lives.”
“Not many people know about the adoption?” Rachel asked.
“Only family members. The general public doesn’t know that Amber is adopted. We’d appreciate if you kept this private.”
Governor Knowles came back in the room. “Stephanie’s resting upstairs. Apparently, she saw the news about Amber and caught a flight down here. She came straight here from the airport.”
“Does Amber know she’s adopted?” asked Drake.
“No, she doesn’t. Stephanie’s kept her word on that. And we’d like to keep it that way,” Sarah answered.
“We all agreed it was best that Amber didn’t know. She thinks Stephanie is her aunt,” Governor Knowles said. “That’s the reason I asked you to come here. I wanted to tell you about the situation with Stephanie. We tried to call her yesterday before the press conference to let her know about Amber before she heard it on the news. We couldn’t reach her.” He scrubbed his face with his hands. “We don’t want this situation with Stephanie to distract attention from Amber’s disappearance.”
“Yes, of course,” Rachel and Drake both agreed.
“Does Stephanie have any relationship with Amber?” Rachel asked. She was confused about why Stephanie would just show up after not showing any interest in her daughter before.
“Not much. Stephanie doesn’t attend family functions. She didn’t even show up at Amber’s high school graduation a few weeks ago,” Sarah said. “She stays pretty much to herself, and we prefer it that way.”
“I guess that sounds harsh to you,” Governor Knowles added.
“We’re not here to judge you. We appreciate your letting us know,” Rachel said. “Besides, it may be a good thing that Stephanie is here. She could be helpful.”
Governor Knowles and Sarah looked at her like she was crazy. “The only thing Stephanie would do is get in the way,” he commented.
CHAPTER 34
The Royal Bahamas Police Force was located near the center of Freeport. The one-level pink stucco building had white columns and was adorned by a red crest that spelled out Courage, Integrity, and Loyalty. Drake and Phipps had set up a meeting with Assistant Commissioner Johnson, who was in charge of the Knowles investigation. They met with him in a small, cramped office filled with file boxes and discarded magazines. Johnson was a large man all the way around. He stood at six and a half feet, and weighed well over two hundred and fifty pounds.
“Welcome, Agents Reynolds and Phipps,” Johnson said as he greeted them.
“Thanks for seeing us on short notice,” Drake said as they sat in tiny, worn chairs in front of Johnson’s desk.
“What can I do for you?”
“We have some information that we believe may led us to Amber Knowles.”
“Okay. Let’s hear it.”
“We interviewed a witness that told us SeaScape Enterprises was involved in illegal activities on their private island, Cabana Cay. We’d like to check it out.”
Johnson leaned back in his chair and contemplated what Drake was telling him.
“Who’s this witness, and what type of illegal activity are we talking about?”
“A former employee of SeaScape. He mentioned that he saw a woman who looked like she was in distress. A woman who…” Drake paused, not quite sure how to continue. Phipps and Drake had assured Mike that they wouldn’t compromise the DEA’s investigation and bring up the possibilities of drug smuggling. But they needed the cooperation of the Royal Bahamas Police Force if they were to investigate the island.
“Who resembled Melodie Sayers,” Phipps finished for him. “A former passenger on the SeaStar who was believed to have fallen overboard.”
Johnson looked skeptical. “Where did you find this former employee?”
Phipps watched as Drake consulted his notepad, even though he knew it wasn’t needed.
“His name is Matt Danbury,” Drake answered. “Stacy Case, an investigative reporter with the Miami Sun, has been working on a series of stories about cruise ship crimes. She came to us with information from a couple of former employees of the SeaStar. They claimed to have witnessed a girl on Cabana Cay who may have been held on the island against her wishes. She looked like Melodie Sayers.”
“I see,” Johnson said as he shuffled some papers across his desk. “And you think Amber is being held against her will on the island?”
“Exactly.” Drake looked over at Phipps. “We’d like to go to the island and check things out.”
Johnson seemed to think about it. “Be right back.” He abruptly got up and left the room.
“Wonder what that was about,” Phipps asked as soon as Johnson left.
Drake just shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t know.”
Drake took the time to look around the bare-bones office. Besides the beat-up desk, leather chair, and two guest chairs, the decor was nil. File boxes were stacked haphazardly against the walls. There was one picture frame on the desk. Drake leaned over and turned the frame around. Staring back at him was a beautiful woman and little girl beaming at the camera.
“My wife and daughter,” said a voice behind him.
“Oh, sorry. Curiosity always gets the best of me,” Drake said, as he flipped the frame around. “How old is your daughter?”
“She would have been fifteen years old this year.”
Drake was taken aback by his answe
r.
“My wife and daughter died in an accident a few years ago.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“Of course you didn’t.” Johnson waved his hand, brushing away the sympathy. “Thank you. It’s okay.” He settled back in his chair. “Now, about this business of Cabana Cay. I spoke to the lead investigator on the case, and we can arrange to have one of our men go with you to take a look around the island. We’ll set up a time and get back to you later today.”
Phipps looked over at Drake. He looked unhappy, but he didn’t complain. Instead, he slid his business card over to Johnson. “Here’s my number. I look forward to hearing from you.”
They got up and followed Johnson to the front of the building. Officers passed them in the hallway, but the activity seemed almost languid compared to cop shops in the U.S. It’s the heat, Drake thought. Or maybe less crime.
The assistant commissioner held the door open for them, ushering them out. “I’ll be in touch.”
Drake was silent as he pulled the car out of the parking lot. He reached over and cranked up the AC.
“I wonder what that was all about,” Phipps broke the silence.
“I don’t know, but I don’t like it. He should have questioned us more about the disappearance.” Drake jerked his thumb toward the police station.
“I agree,” Phipps nodded.
Drake turned the car toward the hotel. “Let’s hope this is the lead that’ll break the case.”
CHAPTER 35
Amber didn’t know how long she’d been sedated. The window in her room was heavily curtained and she couldn’t tell if it was day or night. The last thing she remembered was the nurse who gave her some water before pumping something into her IV.
It took a minute for her eyes to adjust to the dark. Then she struggled to sit up and get a better look around the room. To her shock, she realized she wasn’t alone. A dark figure sat in the chair across from her bed.
“I see you’re up.” A man’s voice.
Amber was too scared to speak at first.
“Who are you?” she said, finally finding her voice. She was still hoarse.
She heard a click, a soft light came on, and she got her first look at her visitor.
An older gentleman—maybe her dad’s age—dressed in an expensive charcoal-gray suit, his dark hair slicked back, stared at her. At first Amber thought that he was a good-looking man, but his smile, like that of a Cheshire cat, gave her the shivers. He looked familiar somehow.
“Hello, Amber. My name is Enzo Morrotti. I own the SeaStar cruise ship.”
Suddenly, Amber realized where she’d seen him before. His picture was in her cabin. Amber processed this information through her fog-hazed brain. For some reason, the thought of having him in her room should be a comfort to her, but it wasn’t. Instead, a mix of anger and confusion raced through her body. She felt blazingly hot from a mix of the drugs and her emotions. She wanted to kick off the sheets covering her body.
“Why are you here?”
The corners of his mouth upturned and he smiled as though the question amused him.
“I’m checking to see how you’re doing. I heard you had quite an experience on the ship.” Morrotti stood up and walked over to the side of the bed. He was taller than she’d thought—over six feet—and lean with muscle. He reached over and poured her a glass of ice water.
She paused for a few seconds before eagerly taking the cup of water. The ice water tasted delicious and soothed her raw throat.
“Take it easy. You don’t want to get sick. Slow sips,” he said in a fatherly way.
“Why am I here?” she asked again.
“You’re hurt. We brought you to a private clinic to recuperate.”
“I understand that. But where are my friends?” Amber asked. When he didn’t answer right away, a feeling of dread settled into the pit of her stomach. “I’m sure everyone is worried about me.”
“We’ll talk about that in a minute.” Morrotti hesitated before he spoke again. “I need to discuss something with you first.”
“What?” Amber sat up straighter and tried to relax. She didn’t want him to know that she was scared.
“I want you to tell me what happened while you were aboard the SeaStar.” His crystal-blue eyes locked into hers.
Amber thought about his question for a moment. Of course she remembered most of what happened on the cruise, but some parts were still a little fuzzy. Like how she got here. Her last thought was of her and Josh on the lifeboat.
What she couldn’t figure out is why the owner of the cruise ship was here asking these questions. Why not the police or the FBI? And where the hell were her friends? Her parents?
“I don’t remember that much,” she finally said. She leaned over to take another sip of water and then winced from the pain in her ribs. “Just that I felt sick. One of the crew members walked me back to my cabin. After that is when things start to get a little hazy.”
“Do you remember the name of the crew member that helped you?”
She wasn’t sure how much to tell him. Something didn’t feel right about his questions. He was trying too hard to make her feel comfortable. Her heartbeat kicked into overdrive and she wanted to bolt from the room.
“Josh.” Amber forced herself to meet his gaze. To show him that she wasn’t afraid despite her heart jumping out of her chest. “Josh was his name,” she repeated.
“How much more do you remember?”
“He helped me to the cabin. When I told him that I didn’t feel well, he offered to go to the infirmary to get me some medicine.” She debated about telling him more until she understood what he wanted from her. “The last thing that I remember is waiting for him to come back.”
Morrotti looked at her suspiciously. He cleared his throat. “So you have no idea how you got off the ship?”
“No.” She rubbed her hand along the right side of her head. “I have a bump on my head. I must have fainted or passed out and hit it when I fell. That must be how I hurt my ribs, too.” She looked over at Morrotti to gauge his reaction. He eased away from her bedside and sat in the chair again. He looked at her, stone-faced, with no emotion.
“Yes, you were in bad shape when we found you.”
“You asked me how I got off the ship,” Amber said confused. “I don’t know. Where did you find me?”
“On the Freeport shoreline. My security crew found you.”
She knew he was lying. Why was he here? Why was he so eager to find out what she remembered? Something didn’t add up. She had to get out of this creepy place.
“Where are my parents?” she asked again. “They should be here by now. I want to call them.”
Morrotti settled back and smiled. “I think we both know your parents aren’t coming. Now tell me what you know about Josh McCain.”
CHAPTER 36
Rachel woke up a few minutes before the alarm went off. The time was almost 5:00 a.m., her usual time to get up. A creature of habit whether she was on the road or at home, she always started the morning with a cup of coffee, strong with a splash of cream. Then no matter where she was, if the weather was good and water was available, Rachel took her stand-up paddleboard out for a spin. Her YOLO board was too hard to travel with, but the hotel concierge had hooked her up with a rental place on the island. She had missed the last couple of days due to The Today Show appearance and flying down to the Bahamas, so she was eager to get out on the board today. Paddling always helped to clear her head and reenergize her.
While waiting for her coffee to brew, Rachel put a rash guard over her red bikini and grabbed a towel and sunscreen. Today was going to be a good day. She could just feel it.
She filled her to-go cup with coffee, threw her cell phone and keys into her bag, and left the room. The concierge had arranged for a board to be delivered to the hotel for her, and she picked it up at the desk and headed toward the beach. The paddleboard was a standard twelve-footer, similar to the one she had at ho
me. She’d be comfortable on it.
The sun was just peeking over the horizon, adding an orange hue to the brilliant-purple skies. As soon as Rachel’s feet hit the sand, she felt her tension melt away. Making sure her waterproof backpack was secured, she slung it over her shoulder and then gently pushed the board into the water. With one hand holding a paddle and the other gripping her board, she expertly straddled the board and then stood up. Dipping her paddle into the water, she stroked evenly through the small waves, determined to explore.
Rachel loved having the Caribbean waters all to herself. She glanced down just as a huge stingray swam under her board. Colorful fish darted in and out around the coral reef. She let her mind wander as she paddled.
The thought of visiting Asylum Harbor was exciting. She was anxious to find something that would lead to Amber’s safe return. After studying her maps last night, she realized that they had a large task at hand. The island was huge and there was a lot of ground to cover. Cabana Cay took up only a small southern portion of the island, but Asylum Harbor was vast, with a lot of inhabitable-looking areas. She figured that they’d probably be there all day, and she’d need every available volunteer on hand to accomplish an effective search. By the time they finished, she’d have left nothing unturned. If Amber was there, they’d find her.
She wondered if Mike was planning on attending the search. Drake hadn’t mentioned it the last time they’d talked. She knew Mike was worried about finding Shawn—and salvaging his own investigation as well. From the little time that she’d spent with Mike, she could tell he had the same passion and fire about his job that she did about hers.
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