“That was quick.”
“Told you it wouldn’t take long.”
“Did you get whatever information you needed from him?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“Ok. Give me a few minutes and we’ll get out of this dump.”
After fifteen minutes, Suzette was done, and they were on their way out.
As Suzette walked her to the car, she said, “Every time I leave here I have to go home and take a shower. The smell of sweat and despair just soaks into your clothes and skin.”
“Job hazard. We all have them.” Rachel shook her hand. “Thanks, Suzette. I’ll be in touch.”
Maybe going back to the hotel and taking a quick shower wouldn’t be such a bad idea, she thought. Then she could gather the troops and head out to Millers Lake. Today was going to be her lucky day. She just knew it.
Chapter Thirty
After a long, hot shower, Rachel took the time to tend to the burn on her hand. She used the ointment the doctor gave her and applied a clean bandage. Her ankle still hurt, but she didn’t want to take any more of the strong painkillers. She needed to think clearly, so she swallowed two ibuprofen with a glass of water, and got to work on finding more information on Millers Lake. If she was going out there to have a look around, she would have to hurry. There was only a few hours of daylight left.
First, she would have to find out where Millers Lake was. She didn’t want to involve Mack or Tammie with this. She still felt unsure about Mack’s motives with Sam and she didn’t want Tammie to get suspicious.
She hooked up her computer and tried Googling it. No such luck. Ken told her it was his dad’s favorite fishing hole, so she decided to call a store that sold bait and fishing supplies. She got the phone directory out of the desk drawer and looked for any store listings under fishing.
She tried to first number. No answer. The second one, someone picked up on the first ring.
“Haverty’s Bait Shack. This is Stan. Can I help ya?”
“Hi, I’m new in town and would like to try out some fishing spots. I was wondering if you knew where Millers Lake was located?”
“Yes, I do,” Stan answered.
“Ok. Well, I need directions. I am staying at the Seaside Inn.”
“Why you want to go over to Millers Lake? There is better fishing over at McCann Park.”
“I want to go to Millers Lake. Can you help me?”
“Ok. If you are sure it’s where you want to go,” Stan said reluctantly. Then he gave her the directions.
She quickly called a couple members of her team and asked them to meet her at the hotel in a half hour.
Rachel knew going to Millers Lake and finding something that would help locate Samantha was a long shot. With nothing else to go on, she had to try. The tricky part was going to be honoring Ken’s promise and keeping the Chief out of it. This in turn meant keeping this from Stacy, again. Not something she wanted to do, but she felt she had no choice. If she told Stacy about the search at Millers Lake, and the search was successful, Stacy had an obligation to report that in her paper. And if she reported the search in the paper then the Chief would catch wind of it and possibly confiscate any money – if there was any money – and Ken would be furious with Rachel. She was lucky Stacy had plans to go to dinner with Mack tonight to wrap up her interview. The important part was to find Samantha – not the money.
Rachel was getting everything ready for the search at Millers Lake when she heard a dog barking in the hallway. Must be Rankin and Max, she thought as she opened the door.
“That was quick…” she was beginning to say when a black lab jumped up and licked her on the face.
“Mags!” Rachel was stunned to see her faithful companion, Maggie, and her top investigator at Florida Omni Search, Red, standing at her doorway. “What are you guys doing here?”
“We thought you might need some help. And besides, Maggie was missing you.” Red walked in her room.
“Last I talked to Janine, she said you were working on a new case.”
“Yep, well the case resolved itself.” Red sat down on one of the dining room chairs and watched Rachel fill up a bowl of water for Maggie.
“Which case was this?” Rachel inquired.
“A young lady reported her husband missing when he didn’t come home after a dinner meeting. The police told her the standard ‘you have to wait 48 hours before we can do anything’ and she freaked out and called us. Long story short. He was discovered the next day by a hotel maid handcuffed to a bed. Apparently he picked up a prostitute after a dinner meeting at the hotel, went to a different hotel, had some disagreement with the prostitute over money, she tied him up and stuffed her bra in his mouth, taped it shut, and left. She told the police she intended to return later that night and let him go – after he learned his lesson – but her son got sick and she had to take him to the ER. She forgot about it until the next morning and then was too scared to go back to the hotel. So she made an anonymous call to the police.”
Rachel started laughing. “Oh my gosh, that’s horrible. Was the guy okay?”
“He was when he left the hotel. I’m sure his wife did more damage when he finally got home.” Red looked around at all the stuff on the dining room table. “So, what’s going on here?”
“Well, you arrived at the perfect time. We are getting ready to go on another search.” Rachel brought him up to speed on the case and what they were planning on doing at the lake.
“If you can give me a few minutes to change, Maggie and I will go with you.”
“Thanks for looking out for me.”
“You okay?” Red nodded to her bandaged hand.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
Red was a man of few words when it came to mushy stuff, but Rachel could always rely on him to have her back. She had a feeling he would probably make his way up here to help her even though she told him not to. He was like a second father to her. While he went to change, she sat down and cuddled with Maggie. “I missed you, girl. This has been so hard. I need to find Sam. Can you help me find Sam?” Maggie answered by licking Rachel’s face. “That’s a good girl.”
A few minutes later, Mike walked in with Rankin Smartz and his dog, Max, and Peter Moore, her forensic specialist.
“Well, who is this?” Mike said as they all walked in.
Mike had never met Maggie. And Maggie never met a human being she didn’t like. Especially if they gave her belly rubs like Mike was doing. Rachel introduced everyone to Red and explained where they were going.
“You think Sam knew where the money was hidden?” Peter asked.
“Ken didn’t say it outright, but I think he must have thought Sam knew where it was. Or had an inkling of an idea.”
“How do we know Sam didn’t take the money before she went missing?”
Rachel thought about it for a minute. “We don’t. But my gut feeling tells me she wouldn’t take the dirty money.”
“Why?”
“Because she was looking for another job. Her mom said she was struggling to make ends meet,” Rachel said.
“It could have been a cover,” Peter said.
“No. I don’t think Samantha would have risked it. Unless someone forced her to find the money,” Mike added.
“You are operating on the assumption she was taken against her will?” Rankin asked.
“Yes,” Rachel replied.
“Let’s take this one step further. Based on your assumption, someone set the fire knowing she would be there and took a big chance of getting caught and grabbed her. She was forced to reveal where the money was. She led them to Millers Lake – if indeed that is where the money is – and she showed them the hiding place.”
“Right,” Rachel said.
“So what next?”
“If she was there, hopefully Max will pick up the scent and lead us to the direction where she was taken. At least we will know she was there at some point.”
“It’s a long shot,” Rankin admitted.<
br />
“Yes, it is, but it’s all we have right now,” Rachel agreed. “And you guys know me by now. I check out every lead and don’t give up.”
They all shook their heads in agreement.
“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s get our asses over to Millers Lake,” Red said.
***
After a thirty minute drive, they finally found Millers Lake. Rachel felt a sense of peace and tranquility when she viewed the surroundings. This was a spring-fed lake which gave the water a pretty cerulean color. The water itself was smooth and clear as glass. Visibility looked to be about six or seven feet. Magnificent tall oaks, birch, and pine trees surrounded the lake. A few picnic tables and BBQ grills were scattered around. Rachel could imagine families coming here for Sunday picnics, spending the day fishing and tossing a Frisbee or football. She then remembered Tammie’s story about Sam’s accident. This is where it happened, Rachel thought. How ironic.
While everyone set up and got ready, she walked over to one of the trees. She looked up and couldn’t see the hole Ken described.
She walked around checking all of them. Her ankle was starting to bother her and she slowed down. In the fall this would be easier, she thought. The trees were thick with leaves. The fourth tree she checked out had possibilities. She could see what looked like a small hole about half way up the tree.
“Hey, I think this is it,” she called out to her team.
“Want me to climb and check it out?” Peter asked.
Rachel looked around. Daylight was fading fast. The sun was starting its slow descent and soon it would be dark.
“Yes, go ahead.”
While he climbed up the tree, she helped get Max ready for the search.
“Here is the shirt we used for the last search.” She pulled it out of the truck. “Let’s see what Max comes up with.”
They all walked over to the tree and waited.
Peter yelled down. “I found something.”
“What is it?” Rachel said.
“You are not going to believe this.”
“Try us.” Rachel answered back.
“Match box cars. And rocks. And….”
Rachel could barely see him up in the tree.
“Star War toys. Old ones.”
“Money?” Red asked, looking up at him.
“If there was any, it’s gone now.” Peter started heading back down the tree.
He dropped to the ground when he was about five feet from it.
“It’s like a dream toy chest for a seven-year-old up there.” He wiped his hands on his jeans. “But no money.”
“Either Ken was telling tall tales or someone got it already,” Mike said.
“I am betting someone else beat us to it,” Rachel said. She walked over and sat on the picnic table to rest her ankle. She watched Rankin and Max walk around the perimeter of the lake. After a few minutes of sniffing around, Max started whining.
“Nothing.” Rankin said walking back to them. “I thought he caught a scent. If Sam was here, she stayed around this immediate area and then was driven away.
The team looked disappointed. “We have a few more minutes of daylight left. Let’s take another good look around and then we’ll head back,” Rachel said.
Mike grabbed a flashlight from the truck. “I want to take a good look inside the tree.”
“Might as well,” Rachel said. “Let’s start packing up.”
After a couple of minutes, he yelled out. “Hey, Rach. Looks like we missed something.”
Rachel looked up and could see Mike’s leg dangling precariously from a branch.
“Looks like someone was here,” he called down.
“Well?” Rachel said.
Mike worked his way back down the tall oak. “I’m not sure what this means, but I think it’s worth taking a look.” He handed Rachel a sterling silver necklace with a broken heart charm.
Peter took a look. “I don’t know how I missed that.”
“It was hung up on a piece of bark inside the hole.” Mike said.
She turned the charm over and saw the initials engraved on the back. A feeling of elation came over her slowly. Then the feeling of dread when she realized what this meant.
“I think I know where Sam is.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Lake Juniper, Tuesday evening
Sam was lying on the dirty cot in the cellar trying to think of reasons why Paul would want to kidnap her and hold her in this hell hole. He was not like the Paul she first met back in high school. The Paul she dated for several years. Or was he?
When they first met, she was smitten by all the attention he gave her. She was still self-conscious about the scars she had gotten from the boating accident. Everyone, including Paul, told her she was still beautiful, but she didn’t buy it. All she saw when she looked in the mirror were the angry, pink zigzag streaks down her face. She wore makeup to cover them up, but you could still faintly see them.
Paul would meet her every day after football practice and they would do their homework together. Most of the time he stayed over for dinner. In the morning, he would pick her up in his Camaro and take her to school. They would take off the t-tops and turn up the radio, singing Sweet Child O’ Mine at the top of their lungs, the salty air blowing through their hair.
She only saw Paul lose his cool twice. The first time was during their senior trip to Disney World. The park opened its gates at midnight every year for graduation night. All Florida seniors were invited to play at the parks from midnight to six the next morning. She couldn’t ride some of the roller coasters because of the head injury she got during the accident. She was susceptible to headaches. So, while Paul and his friends rode Space Mountain, she sat down at a table and waited. Another guy from a rival high school she knew, Kenny, offered to buy her a Coke and wait with her. Kenny was also a football player and she thought he was kinda cute. They talked about school, football, and college plans while she waited for Paul. When Paul and his buddies got off the ride and he saw her talking to Kenny, Paul lost it. She had never seen him jealous before. He started shoving Kenny around. If his buddies hadn’t pulled him off, there would have been a fistfight.
She was cool to him for the rest of trip. He apologized over and over, but she didn’t give in. He gave her a sterling silver necklace with a broken heart charm to make it up to her. It had their initials, P + S on the backside of the charm. “You wear this half of the heart,” Paul told her. “And I have the other half of your heart.” He put the second broken heart charm on a key ring he always carried around. The thought of Paul carrying around a silver heart charm made her giggle. Paul took it to mean she forgave him. But the fiasco at Disney World was when it all started going downhill, she thought. She saw a side of him that was a little scary and possessive. What she first thought was cute, Paul always insisting on taking her places and never letting her go anywhere alone, was now feeling claustrophobic to her.
She was glad when graduation and summer were over. They started school together at the Fire College and while she excelled in all of her classes, Paul struggled. She wanted to break up with him then, but she felt bad he was having such a hard time with school. So she stuck it out for two years until graduation. Paul was also pushing her to marry him. She kept holding back, saying they needed to finish school and get jobs first.
The night after graduation, she saw the angry side of Paul again. For what she thought was the last time. He wanted to take her to dinner to celebrate, but her family had already made plans. She promised him she would meet him afterwards and they would celebrate. She figured it was time to break it off with him. What she didn’t know was he had other plans.
After dinner, Paul took her to Millers Lake where they frequently went to hang out. She willed herself to be strong and tell him how she felt. She rehearsed the words in her head all night. She would tell him they needed a break, she wanted to remain friends, and they would still see each other. Paul parked the truck and they walked o
ver to the picnic area. He pulled out a bottle of champagne and glasses out of a bag. She thought he was celebrating their graduation. She took a deep breath and started to say the words that had been in her head all night. “Paul, I just want you to know I have really enjoyed our time together…”
He reached over and put a finger on her mouth. “Shhh..I have something to ask you.” Paul got down on one knee at took her hands in his.
Oh shit, she thought. Not this. Not now. She should have seen this coming. The champagne, the flowers, his nervousness.
“Paul, I don’t think…”
“Please, Sam, let me finish before I lose my nerve,” Paul pleaded. “I have loved you all my life. I want us to be together forever. We have the same dreams, the same goals, and we are perfect for each other. Will you give me the honor of being my wife?”
She was stuck. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but at the same time, if she didn’t say something now, it would just be harder later on.
She took a deep breath. Now or never. “Paul, I can’t do this. I was going to tell you tonight. I think we need to take a break. This is just too fast for me. I want to get a job and get settled. I’m not ready to get married.”
Paul was crushed. She would never forget the look on his face.
“What? You want to break up with me?”
She nodded her head yes.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” His face got red and flushed. “Who is it?”
“What do you mean?”
“Who are you seeing?”
“There isn’t anybody. I just want to take a breather. That’s all.”
He sat there for a minute, trying to calm down. He took the ring and twirled it around his hand. The tiny diamond glittered in the moonlight.
“You can still wear this. We can call it a promise ring. We can wait to marry after we get jobs,” Paul pleaded with her.
“No, Paul. I can’t accept it. It’s time for us to move on.” She forced herself to look directly at him. He was crushed. “We can still hang out as friends.” She regretted saying it as soon as the words came out of her mouth.
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