Mysteries of Treasure Cove Cozy Mystery Boxed Set

by Meredith Potts

  I became quiet as a wave of emotions washed over me.

  When a few seconds went by without me responding, Gavin spoke up.

  “I mean, Jess disappeared for eleven years. Meanwhile, Angela has only been gone a few days and I’m already a wreck.” Gavin took a deep breath. “I seriously don’t know how you held yourself together. Especially since things didn’t work out.”

  I stared out into the distance. “It wasn’t easy.”

  “It’s so hard even getting out of bed in the morning. And when I finally do, I spend every minute thinking about Angela. Where she is. What happened to her. If she’s ever going to be found,” Gavin said.

  “Just keep praying,” I said.

  “Trust me. I’ve done plenty of that. But none of my prayers have been answered,” Gavin said.

  “Not yet, at least,” I said.

  “I’m starting to wonder if they ever will,” Gavin said.

  “Gavin, I’m begging you. Just hold on a little longer. We’re doing everything we can,” I said.

  “I realize that. But trying and succeeding are two very different things.” He got choked up.

  I reached into my purse. “Do you want a tissue?”

  Gavin shook his head. “No. I want Angela back.”

  “Take a few deep breaths. Just try to calm down,” I said.

  Gavin focused on his breathing and managed to keep tears from streaming down his face. “I miss her so much.”

  “I’m sure you do,” I said.

  “And I feel so guilty,” Gavin said.

  My nose scrunched. “Why?”

  “Actually, is it too late to say yes to that tissue?” Gavin asked.

  “Of course not.” I grabbed a tissue from my purse and handed it to him.

  Gavin wiped his eyes.

  Meanwhile, I got a sinking feeling in my stomach. “I know this is a horrible time, but I need you to explain yourself. Why do you feel guilty?”

  “Because I feel responsible,” Gavin said.

  David squinted. “How come?”

  “Those jogs that Angela took every morning on the beach, she always wanted me to go with her,” Gavin said. “If it were up to her, we would have been both been on that running path the other day.”

  My eyebrows knitted. “I still don’t see why you feel responsible for what happened.”

  “Because I always turned her down,” Gavin said. “I wanted to sleep in.” He took a deep breath. “I should have gone with her. Maybe then this wouldn’t have happened.”

  “Gavin, you can’t blame yourself,” I said.

  “It’s too late for that,” Gavin said.

  “But this isn’t your fault—”

  He cut me off. “If I had known what was going to happen, I could have stopped it—”

  “How could you have known, though?” I asked. “You’re not psychic.”

  “I realize that. But it doesn’t stop me from feeling guilty,” Gavin said.

  “I understand. At the same time, there’s one scenario that you haven’t considered,” I said.

  Gavin shrugged. “What’s that?”

  “If you had been jogging with her that morning, there’s a chance that you could have been abducted too,” I said.

  Gavin’s eyes widened. “I never thought of it that way.”

  “Clearly. Yet it definitely could have happened,” I said.

  Gavin became quiet.

  “Either way, you have to stop beating yourself up,” I said.

  “That’s easier said than done,” Gavin replied.

  “Trust me. That’s something I know from experience,” I said. “Here’s something else I’ve learned over the years. Never lose hope.”

  “Even when things are dire?” Gavin asked.

  I nodded. “Especially when things are dire.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Before long, the three o’clock hour was rapidly approaching. That meant it was time to pick my daughter up from school. So while David walked back to the police station, I drove over to Treasure Cove Elementary School.

  Normally during a case, I had my parents take Jessica to a cabin that David and I owned by Lake Ashford. But my instincts were telling me that my daughter wasn’t in any immediate danger. Whoever was responsible for Angela’s disappearance had gone out of their way to stay under the radar. So unless that changed, David and I were going to let Jessica continue with her life as normal.

  Unfortunately, as I looked at Jessica approaching from the front of the school, it became clear that a sense of normalcy was severely lacking in my daughter’s life. Most days, the conversation between myself and Jessica was rather lively. At least once I was able to pull my daughter’s attention away from her cell phone. That afternoon, things were different. Jessica’s phone was in her pocket as she got into the passenger seat of my car. She immediately looked over at me and lobbed a question my way.

  “Are you and daddy close to finding that missing woman?”

  My nose scrunched. “How did you know that a woman had gone missing?”

  “Everyone is talking about it at school,” Jessica said.

  “Are you serious?”

  She nodded.

  A look of sheer horror came to my face. “Did your teachers bring this up during class?”

  She shook her head.

  “Then where did you hear it?” I asked.

  “At recess. And lunch. And in the halls.”

  “What are your classmates saying?”

  “They are really scared.”

  “How about you?” I asked. “Are you afraid?”

  “Kinda,” Jessica said. “I mean, what if this is just the beginning? What if someone else goes missing?”

  “That’s a big if.”

  “I shouldn’t be worried about that then?” Jessica asked.

  I grimaced. Talk about a tough situation to be put in. I took a moment to think about how I wanted to phrase my answer. My daughter wanted the truth from me, but I couldn’t tell her everything. It would traumatize her.

  While I continued to wrestle with my thoughts, Jessica grew tired of waiting for me to reply.

  “Mom, is daddy close to finding the woman?”

  I changed the subject. “Sweetie, do you remember what I told you about strangers?”

  Jessica nodded.

  “What did I tell you?” I said.

  “Not to talk to them,” Jessica replied.

  “Exactly,” I said. “And if you do see someone suspicious, run.”

  “Okay.” Jessica then stared deep into my eyes. “Mommy, are you scared?”

  I put on a good face. “No.”

  “Why not?”

  I reached for a button on the dashboard of my car. “How about we put the radio on?”

  Jessica wouldn’t let the topic go. “What do you think happened to this woman?”

  “I don’t know.” I turned on the radio. Thankfully, one of Jessica’s favorite pop songs was playing. “What luck. Why don’t you sing along?”

  Jessica continued to stare at me. “Mommy, why didn’t you answer my question?”

  Normally, the fact that my daughter was an intuitive girl was a smart thing. In this instance, it did me no favors. Neither did her stubbornness. So as much as I wanted to distract her, it didn’t look like that was going to happen. But I still decided to make another attempt.

  I turned the radio off and looked at my daughter. “I want to talk about more pleasant topics.”

  “Does that mean things aren’t going well?” she asked.

  “Jessica, if I don’t want to discuss something with you, there’s a good reason for it. This isn’t like one of the cases in your Daisy Clue young adult books. This is real life.”

  “Isn’t that just more reason for me to know what’s really going on? It’s happening in our town. So whether you tell me or not, it could still affect me.”

  I took a deep breath and then replied, “Look. Your father and I are doing our best to figure out what happened
to the missing woman. But we don’t have answers right now. Hopefully, we’ll be able to make sense of it all pretty soon. Until then, we just have to pray for the best.”

  Jessica became discouraged. “Oh.”

  In an effort to buoy my daughter’s spirit, I turned the radio back on again. “Now what do you say we listen to some music?”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Thankfully, Jessica got caught up listening to the radio and didn’t bring up Angela’s disappearance again. When we arrived at my parents’ house, I dropped Jessica off and told her to get started on her homework. I then thanked my mother for babysitting Jessica. After giving my mom a big hug, I headed back to the police station.

  Unfortunately, David didn’t have any additional news for me regarding the case. We ended up pouring over the case file for a few more hours before finally calling it a night. I then drove back over to my parents’ place and picked up Jessica.

  After having some hamburgers and fries for dinner, we tried our best to relax. But it was difficult to keep frustration from seeping in.

  By ten o’clock, David and I were ready to hit the hay. Before crashing out, I prayed that we would get some answers soon.

  In the morning, the truth remained elusive. At least, initially. But shortly after eight o’clock, David got a call from dispatch. Apparently, the tip line had received a call that pointed the finger of suspicion at Angela’s boss, Gary Thornton.

  Who had placed this call?

  That was where things got interesting. Apparently, the call came from a woman who wished to stay anonymous. As a matter of fact, not only did the caller refuse to identify themselves, but she hung up the phone after saying only two sentences.

  Naturally, David and I wanted to listen to this call with our own ears. We bolted over to the police station. When we arrived, Deputy Rick Peterson played the call for us.

  “You need to keep a close eye on Gary Thornton. He’s up to no good,” the caller said.

  David squinted. “Is that the entire call?”

  Deputy Peterson nodded.

  David grimaced. “Talk about vague.”

  “It’s still better than nothing, though, right?” Peterson asked.

  “That depends. I’d like more information to work with,” David said. “Have you been able to trace the number that the call came from?”

  Peterson nodded. “Yeah. But it’s not going to do you any good.”

  David shrugged. “Why not?”

  “Because the call came from a burner phone. The number isn’t registered to anyone,” Peterson said.

  David winced. “Of course it isn’t.”

  I bit the corner of my lip. “Deputy, can you play the call again?”

  “Sure. But may I ask why?” Peterson said.

  “Because I’m pretty sure I know who the caller is,” I said.

  David’s nose crinkled. “Who?”

  “Listen closely,” I said.

  Deputy Peterson played the call again.

  Once the caller was done speaking, I turned to David. “She did her best to change her voice, but to me, that sure sounds like Lisa McMillan.”

  David scratched his chin. “I think you’re right.”

  ***

  David and I headed over to Woolversmith Ad Agency to follow up on my hunch. When we got there, we approached Lisa McMillan. The receptionist seemed surprised to see us.

  “What are you two doing here?” Lisa asked.

  “We need to have a few words with you,” David said.

  Lisa pointed at herself. “Me?”

  David nodded. “Will you please step outside?”

  “What’s this about?” Lisa asked.

  David folded his arms. “Are you really going to make us spell it out for you?”

  She shrugged. “Spell what out for me? I honestly have no clue what you’re talking about.”

  “Are you sure you want to do this right here? With your coworkers possibly listening in?” David asked.

  Lisa’s eyes widened. She reluctantly got up from her desk and walked out to the parking lot with us.

  “Now do you want to tell me what’s going on?” Lisa asked.

  “You’re the one who placed the anonymous call about Gary Thornton to the tip line, weren’t you?” David asked.

  Lisa was quick with her reply, “No—”

  David stared deep into her eyes. “Lisa. I’m warning you right now. Don’t lie to me.”

  Lisa broke eye contact and stared at the ground.

  David continued. “You tried your best to disguise your voice, but it was you who placed that call.”

  “I really need to get back to work,” Lisa said. “If I’m gone for too long—”

  “Lisa, you aren’t going anywhere. Not until we get some answers,” David said.

  “I really shouldn’t be talking to you right now,” Lisa said.

  “Why? Because you’re worried that Gary will see you talking to us?” David asked.

  “No. Because I have a lot of work to do,” Lisa said.

  David stared at the front door of the ad agency. “Gary is nowhere in sight. You have nothing to worry about.”

  Lisa shook her head. “That’s where you’re wrong. Even though you don’t see Gary, I have plenty to worry about.”

  “Why? Do you think Gary would do something to you if he saw us talking?” David asked.

  Lisa grimaced. “Detective, there’s a reason I went out of my way to keep that call anonymous.”

  “Ms. McMillan, I don’t want to cause any trouble for you. I just need a little more information.”

  “And I need to stay safe. Which might not happen if I keep talking to you,” Lisa said.

  “I give you my assurance that I won’t mention your name when we go speak with Gary. But in order to make headway with your boss, it is important to know all the details. So why are you so convinced that Gary is up to no good?” David asked.

  Lisa looked down at the ground again.

  “Please answer my question,” David said.

  Lisa exhaled and then replied, “Gary has been taking money from the petty cash fund to bet on horse races.”

  David scrunched his nose. “How do you know that?”

  “Angela told me,” Lisa said.

  David’s eyes widened. “When?”

  “The day before she disappeared,” Lisa said. “She was going to confront Gary about it.”

  My eyebrows rose. “Are you serious?”

  Lisa nodded.

  “Why didn’t you tell us this before?” David asked.

  “Because I’m worried about my own safety. I mean, if Gary is responsible for Angela’s disappearance, imagine what he might do to me if he finds out about this conversation,” Lisa said.

  “Look. I understand your concern, but you shouldn’t have kept this information from us for so long,” David said.

  “I’m sorry, but I was afraid,” Lisa said. “As a matter of fact, I still am. Now can I please go before he sees us talking?”

  David held up his pointer finger. “Just one more thing.”

  Lisa winced. “Can you make it quick?”

  “I’ll try,” David said. “The morning Angela disappeared, what time did Gary arrive at work?”

  “Around ten o’clock,” Lisa said.

  David scratched his chin. “Interesting.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  David and I let Lisa go. We then headed over to Gary Thornton’s office, looking for answers.

  The burly sixty-two-year-old was in no mood to speak with us. He threw out his arms in frustration. “What’s the meaning of this?”

  “Some new information has come to light in the Angela Hummel case,” David said.

  Gary squinted. “What sort of information?”

  “The disturbing kind,” David said.

  “Is this about Ryan Knapp?” Gary asked.

  David shook his head. “Actually, it’s about you.”

  Gary scoffed. “I have no idea what you
’re talking about.”

  “Mr. Thornton, I’m going to ask you a question and I expect you to answer honestly,” David said.

  “I don’t like that tone you’re taking with me,” Gary said.

  “Then you’re really going to hate this question. But I’m going to need an answer,” David said. “Where were you the morning that Angela disappeared?”

  Gary’s eyes bulged. “Wait a minute. Am I a suspect all of a sudden?”

  “Mr. Thornton, it was a very simple question—”

  Gary cut David off. “You do suspect me. This is outrageous.”

  “If you don’t want us to suspect you then you answer the question,” David said.

  Gary fell silent.

  “What’s the matter? Are you afraid we’re not going to like your answer?” I asked.

  Gary threw out his arms. “How could you possibly think that I had anything to do with Angela going missing?”

  “We have it on good authority that you’ve been using petty cash money to bet on horse races,” David said.

  “Whose authority is that?” Gary asked.

  “Angela’s,” David said. “She was the one who suspected you. And she was going to confront you about it.”

  “Which might be the reason she has gone missing,” I added.

  Gary shook his head. “No. You have it all wrong.”

  “Which part?” David asked.

  “All of it,” Gary said.

  David stared him down. “You realize it’s a crime to lie to a police detective, don’t you?”

  Gary winced. He then let out a big groan before replying, “I was going to pay the money back.”

  “So you were taking money from the petty cash fund then?”

  “I was just borrowing it. I had a tip on this surefire winner.”

  “Does that mean the petty cash fund is full again?”

  Gary lowered his head. “Not exactly.”

  “What happened to that surefire winner?” David asked.

  Gary groaned again. “That stupid horse cost me so much money.” He straightened his tie. “But that’s okay. I’m still going to pay the petty cash fund back. I just need a little more time.”