“Lela has a great smile and an adventurous side,” Ms. Walker continued. “But she’s never been very confident in herself, if you know what I mean. I’d hoped she’d grow out of that and come into her own, but . . . I don’t know. I’m just so worried about her. And Kaleb too. I wish they would both come home.”
“I’m doing what I can to locate her, Ms. Walker.”
“If you hear anything, will you let me know?”
“I will. And if any new information comes to light on your end, I’d appreciate the same.” She gave the woman her contact information.
Cassidy ended the call and stared at the phone for a minute. There was definitely a pattern with those who joined Gilead’s Cove. The movement attracted people who had voids in their lives.
Was that why Anthony Gilead had tried to recruit Cassidy a few weeks ago? Did the man have an internal radar for people who were broken and bruised? She supposed everyone fit that description in some way. Some people just covered it up better than others.
Despite the thought, Cassidy felt unsettled. People like Lela should be given help—in a healthy manner. Gilead was not what Cassidy would consider healthy.
Yet more people had been “coming into the fold,” as the saying went. Cassidy and her department were keeping tabs on the place. They’d seen at least ten new vehicles go into the compound and never emerge.
New recruits.
The place was growing, and that thought made Cassidy uncomfortable.
She let out a sigh. There were at least two things she could do. First, she sent Lela’s picture to a detective up in Corolla to see if he recognized her.
The second thing was . . . Cassidy had Lela’s current cell phone number. Kaleb had given it to her. She was going to see if she could find out the last location it had pinged from. Maybe it would give them somewhere to start.
Cassidy got a location for Lela’s phone relatively quickly. She and Ty headed toward one of the rental homes on the island. On the way, Cassidy called the management company to get a code for going inside if no one answered the door.
There were no cars in the driveway when they arrived, and the place appeared empty. It was a small beach box, as they were called around here because of the square shape.
Despite that, Cassidy rang the bell first. As she waited, she pushed a stray hair behind her ear that had fallen out of her bun. Ty and Kujo stood beside her, the ever-faithful companions.
Ty stepped toward her and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. “I love you,” he murmured.
Her shoulders softened at his words. With everything that had been going on lately, she hadn’t taken much time for them. And she desperately needed time for them. She’d seen firsthand how easy it was for relationships to fall apart when couples didn’t make each other a priority.
She reached up and planted a quick kiss on his lips. “I love you too. Thank you for everything.”
“You know I’m always there for you.”
Kujo barked beside them, never one to be left out.
Cassidy laughed and patted his head. “I love you too, Kujo.”
As much as she would love to do this all day, she couldn’t. Instead, she rang the bell again.
No answer.
She punched in the code and opened the door. A cheerful bungalow stared back at her.
“It appears untouched, doesn’t it?” Ty said, stepping in behind her.
He was still worried that Django would find her. And after everything that had happened, Cassidy couldn’t blame him.
“The last ping definitely came from this location,” Cassidy said, glancing around at the neat but outdated cottage.
“What did the management company say?”
“They said it was rented to someone named Rosy Davis.” Cassidy stepped toward the kitchen and began opening drawers. “I looked up the name, and it appears to be an alias, best I can tell.”
“Don’t they have to use a credit card or something in the case of incidentals?” Ty followed behind her and opened the refrigerator. It was empty, not even a box of baking soda.
“They do. And the credit card was issued to a Rosy Davis. However, the real-life Rosy Davis reported her card missing a week ago.”
Ty paused and let that sink in. “Where is the real-life Rosy Davis from?”
Cassidy opened more cabinet doors. “She’s from Fayetteville. She left her purse unattended for a few minutes at a restaurant, and when she came back, her wallet was gone. She thought she’d canceled everything, but apparently, she hadn’t. This was a forgotten card that she hardly ever used.”
“I guess that’s why they say to make a list of all your cards. If you have too many, it’s easy to forget about them.”
“Exactly.” Cassidy stepped into the living room and began moving cushions. “Now, the question is, where did she get this credit card. Did she steal it herself? And how did she do that if she was living up north in Corolla?”
“I suppose she could have moved and not told her mother.” Ty saw a trashcan nestled in the corner and went to check it out also. It was empty.
“Yes, she could have. For sure. But what disturbs me more is if she stole it.”
“Think about it.” Ty paused. “She’s on her own. She’s desperate for money. Who knows what kind of person she is now after being at the hands of Anthony Gilead?”
“And then I have to ask myself again—why did she come back here?”
“The only thing that makes sense to me is that she wanted to rescue her brother from the cult,” Ty said. He’d been thinking it through, trying to make sense of things as well.
“I could see that. But Lela never tried to get back onto the compound—that we know of. All she was doing was texting Kaleb. Lela could have done that from anywhere. Why Lantern Beach?”
Ty’s hand went to his hip, and he shook his head. “It doesn’t make sense, does it?”
Cassidy let out a sigh. “No, it doesn’t. Come on, let’s search the rest of this place and see if she left anything behind. Right now, I’m leaning toward thinking she just skipped town again.”
Cassidy paused in the bedroom. The coverlet atop the bed was wrinkled, like someone had sat on it. And one of the dresser drawers was ajar.
It was the first sign that anyone had been staying here.
Slipping on a pair of gloves, Cassidy examined the drawer. Nothing was inside. As she tried to close it, she couldn’t. The drawer was stuck on something.
“That’s strange.” Cassidy pulled the drawer out and leaned over for a better look.
Something was caught at the back. Cassidy reached for the object and pulled out a leather bracelet. A little silver charm hung from it.
Cassidy examined it more closely. Was that a comma on the charm? Or a ghost? There was a little dot on the thick end of the image.
Strange.
Had this belonged to Lela? Did the symbol have any special meaning?
Cassidy didn’t know. But she would find out.
Her cell phone rang, and she saw that it was Abbott. She shoved the cell between her ear and shoulder.
“What’s going on?” Using her free hands, she slipped the bracelet into an evidence bag.
“I thought you’d want to know . . . another picture came through the cell phone belonging to Pork Chop.”
“Okay. What’s this one of?”
“Your house. And there’s a picture of today’s newspaper, with the headline warning residents to be on alert.”
“That guy took the photo today . . .” The breath left her lungs.
“It looks like he did. He knows where you live, Chief.”
“Thanks for letting me know.” She ended the call and looked up at Ty, preparing herself to break the news to him.
Chapter Fourteen
“So this guy is just moving freely about on the island?” Ty muttered as he and Cassidy drove back to the station. “Doing whatever he wants, and no one is the wiser.”
He liked this less and less all the ti
me. He and Cassidy just couldn’t seem to shake the danger around them. Not only that, but the added pressure from the mayor, as well as Cassidy’s struggle to let Abbot take charge, was starting to affect her. Ty could tell it was, even if Cassidy would never admit it.
“That’s what it looks like,” Cassidy said. “In fact, this guy is probably hiding in plain sight. None of us have seen his face, so he’s not living in fear. We know—we’re fairly confident, at least—that he’s not a local. So he’s blending in. Looking like a tourist. And he’s getting away with it.”
Ty saw Cassidy’s jaw tighten with frustration. The woman was a force to be reckoned with, for sure.
“Going to our house was a brazen move.” Ty frowned at the thought of it before looking in the backseat at his dog. “Makes me glad I didn’t leave Kujo there.”
“That’s the truth. But we’re going to have to go back eventually. I know we’ve taken turns napping on the sofa in my office, but that’s not going to last too long.” Cassidy turned in her seat and gave Kujo a pat on the head.
“We can utilize the gang. Austin, Wes, and Braden will help us out keeping guard. This is what I was afraid might happen. That this guy would continue to target you.” Anger burned through Ty’s veins at the thought, as he remembered seeing that photo of his house and the threat that had been clearly expressed.
Cassidy shook her head, and Ty could see her thoughts were spinning as she stared ahead.
“I could sense his rage when I was in the car with him,” she finally said. “He definitely has some anger issues. I only wish I could have seen his face. That I could ID him.”
“Maybe we’ll hear something back about this Pork Chop guy and can make a connection.”
Cassidy glanced at her watch. “Clemson said he was going to call this morning.”
When they got back to the station, just like clockwork, a message was waiting for Cassidy from Clemson.
Ty stood close as she returned the call, trying to get a feel for what he was saying. It was no use.
After Cassidy hung up, she frowned at Ty. “Pork Chop died from a gunshot wound to his chest, but the autopsy didn’t reveal anything else, unfortunately. He’s already talked to Abbott about it.”
Right after the words left her lips, Agent Abbott approached them, walking briskly from around the corner where his temporary office had been set up. “I’ve got good news.”
“I could use some good news,” Cassidy said.
“We got a hit on this man’s picture.” He held up the photo of Pork Chop. “Turns out his name is Clint Freeman. He’s from Winston-Salem. Twenty-four years old.”
“Any criminal record?” Cassidy glanced at the photo in his hands and saw an image of Pork Chop—only in this photo, he was alive and well.
“He has one offense from three years ago,” Abbott said. “He was caught stealing an expensive cell phone from a store. He went to jail for a year before getting released.”
Cassidy leaned against her desk and crossed her arms. “How about a job?”
“He worked for a mechanic up until a year ago. He left his job, moved out of his apartment, and pretty much disappeared off everyone’s radar.”
“Does he have a family? Have they heard from him?”
Abbott closed his folder. “I’m going to make some calls and find out now.”
Good. Maybe they were finally getting somewhere.
Because the strain this case was putting on the island already felt like too much.
As Cassidy waited to hear what Abbott discovered concerning Clint Freeman, a.k.a. Pork Chop, a knock sounded at her door.
Cassidy looked up and saw Skye standing there, wearing a flowy skirt with a black sweater and several oversized necklaces. Classic Skye with her gypsy-like style. Cassidy could never get away with that look.
Ty excused himself and slipped into the lobby to talk to Austin, who stood in the background.
Skye sat across from Cassidy, her lips pulled into a tight line. The events of the past couple days appeared to have materialized in Lisa as anxiety and in Skye as subdued melancholy.
How had it manifested in Cassidy? Through stubborn determination? Cassidy supposed she wouldn’t truly know until she slowed down enough to think about it—and she didn’t plan on doing that
“How are you?” Cassidy asked.
Skye shrugged. “As well as can be expected. Every time I close my eyes, I relive what happened.”
“I know. Me too.” Cassidy could still feel the gun in her side. Feel the ache in her face, shoulder, and ribs. Feel the fear of not knowing what would happen next.
Skye tilted her head, seeming to study Cassidy. “Yet you seem okay.”
As much as Cassidy wanted to be Super Woman here, there was no need to act like she had it all together when she didn’t. “I’m determined to keep moving forward. I can’t afford to stop and not be okay. The town is depending on me to find these guys before they hurt anyone else. But the pressure has been giving me nonstop headaches.”
“I’m sorry, Cassidy. How’s the search going?”
Cassidy shrugged, remembering all that had happened—yet how little they still knew. “One step forward, two steps back. You know how it usually goes.”
“Yeah, I get that.” Skye shifted and straightened her skirt. “I know this is a bad time to bring this up, but I’m going to anyway. Lisa and Braden are supposed to get married in two weeks.”
“I know.” With everything going on, the event hadn’t been at the forefront of Cassidy’s mind. A moment of guilt hit her at the realization. It was her friend’s big day, and nothing should ruin that.
“What about that bachelorette party we’re supposed to be planning? It’s supposed to be this Saturday. Are you still going to be able to make it?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t miss it for anything.” Even as she said the words, Cassidy thought about the case. What if these guys weren’t caught by then? The party was only three days away. Would that change anything?
“The timing is awful.” Skye frowned.
“But we can still have a good time.” They’d rented a huge house on the ocean beach—one with a heated pool and a hot tub. Skye had ordered special shirts for each person attending, and Cassidy had arranged to have food catered from Lisa’s favorite restaurant up in Hatteras. They would top the day off by having a massage therapist and manicurist come in to treat them to a relaxing evening.
They wouldn’t do anything wild—Lisa wasn’t the type. But it should be a fun getaway, one that Lisa deserved.
“And we’ll be safe, right? Because I’m sure the guys would be more than happy to camp outside to make sure of it.” Fear laced Skye’s gaze.
Cassidy smiled. “I’m sure you’re correct. But, hopefully, that won’t be necessary. We’ll catch those bad guys before then.”
“And if we don’t?”
The question hung in the air. Cassidy wanted to deny that was a possibility. But she couldn’t do it. “I don’t know, to be honest. We’re just taking this one step at a time.”
From outside, Cassidy heard the digitized sound of . . . an ice cream truck.
That had to be Serena. What was she doing here?
Skye and Cassidy glanced at each other. Skye knew Serena better than anyone. The college-aged girl was her niece.
They both stood and walked out into the lobby, just as Serena stepped inside. She wore some kind of military bugle girl outfit today. The woman was constantly changing her look and personality, which at times was amusing and at other times disturbing.
Serena took off her hat and threw her arms in the air. “Guess what? In an effort to thank all of you for your hard work, there’s free ice cream for everyone!”
Several people mumbled thanks and stepped outside to get their free treat.
Cassidy waited until the line went down before approaching Serena. “Serena, you don’t have to do this. It will cost you an arm and a leg, and I know funds are tight right now—”
“
Oh, I’m not paying for it. Someone else is.” She nodded and smiled.
Cassidy paused. “Who would that be?”
Before she answered, her eyes widened and she grabbed Cassidy’s arm. “Oh. My. Sweet. Goodness. Is that Jackson Sullivan?”
Cassidy followed her gaze and saw a Nags Head detective talking to Melva. “Yes, it is.”
“Jackson Sullivan is here?” she squealed. “I can’t believe it.”
“I’m sorry, is there something I’m missing here? He came down from Nags Head to help us . . .”
“He’s dating Joey Darling, the actress,” Skye explained with a roll of her eyes. “Serena is a little obsessed with Joey’s show, Relentless.”
“I have heard of that series,” Cassidy muttered. She may have even watched a few episodes in syndication.
“Isn’t it great? Do you think I could go meet him?” Serena rushed. “Have you seen Joey? Did she come with him?”
Cassidy raised a hand to halt Serena’s thoughts. “It’s probably not a good idea to interrupt Detective Sullivan now. He’s working with Agent Abbott to solve this case. But maybe before he leaves, I’ll try to find out some information for you.”
Serena quickly bobbed her head, going all fan girl over the man. “That would be so awesome! He’s just as cute as the tabloids make him look.”
Serena was slightly guy crazy at times.
But Cassidy really needed to get her focused. “About this ice cream. Who paid for it?”
Serena shrugged. “I didn’t get his name. He just gave me two one hundred-dollar bills and told me it was on him. He said to tell everyone here at the station they were doing a great job.”
Cassidy’s stomach clenched as the truth hit her. “Serena, what did this man look like? Where did you see him?”
“Chill. He was just trying to help. Not everything requires a police investigation.” She laughed at her own joke. “Speaking of which, I’m trying to get back on at the newspaper after my last snafu. Any information you can share with me?”
Cassidy ignored her. “Serena, I think you may have been talking to our suspect.”
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