Chapter Twelve
Rick knew now why he’d never been able to forget about Shanna. Even as a teenager, he supposed he’d been attracted to her, without really realizing that he was.
Somehow, she’d survived all the terrible things that had probably happened to her since she’d been a child. There appeared to be some sort of trust she’d established with this man, who was more than likely her captor, Wes Montgomery.
It was good to see what he looked like up close. Rick knew that he wasn’t young, and he looked much older than the sixty-two years he was supposed to be. Even though he’d made an eventual success of his business, which appeared to be on the up and up according to Jake, his hard life of drinking had apparently caught up with him.
Jake was trying to discover what was happening with the trafficking money Montgomery was more than likely taking in.
The ad for help at the marina was still in the paper. Jake had wanted Rick to get in better shape before he made Montgomery’s acquaintance. Currently, he was building him an identity that wouldn’t be questioned if he went in to apply for the position. Jake had a feeling that everyone who worked for Montgomery was checked pretty thoroughly.
And he was willing to bet that Montgomery had a silent partner in the trafficking business who remained out of sight—maybe even from Shanna as well. Whatever connection she had to the trafficking besides being a victim was probably done with some form of blackmail, both Jake and Rick figured.
After Rick saw Montgomery drive away with Shanna, he headed back through the woods to the street on the other side of the cemetery where he’d parked his new vehicle, an old beat up pick up.
There was no use following them, even though he’d like to know where Shanna was being held. He’d parked himself at the cemetery this afternoon just on a hunch. After Anya and a few other townspeople had left, he’d sat there eating the lunch he’d bought from the fast-food place, messaging Jake on his phone.
“That reminds me,” he muttered, pulling his phone from his pocket and sending Jake a text.
‘It’s her with Montgomery,’ he wrote. ‘They’re headed south.’
‘I’ll try to get someone on their tail,’ Jake messaged back.
‘I’ll send you the plate number, but it’s probably registered to the marina.’
Rick typed in the number, sending it off, and revving up the engine of his truck, he drove onto the road that would take him home.
About an hour later, Rick got a text from Jake when he was settled in front of the TV, watching football. ‘ He parked at the Crystal Rock Marina and drove off with the girl in one of the cruisers, heading across the lake. My guy couldn’t get the registration, but he’s waiting there for Montgomery to come back.’
Another hour later, Rick was getting tired. He’d skipped his rehab tonight, so he needed to go in early tomorrow. It had been over a month, and his leg was feeling much better, but Steve was afraid that his knee cap might be shot.
He decided to text Jake again to see if anything was up. ‘What’s going on?’
‘Nothing,’ Jake texted. ‘Montgomery never came back to the marina.’
‘I’m turning in,’ Rick replied. ‘Talk tomorrow.’
He hadn’t been able to get Shanna off his mind since he’d seen her. Although she didn’t look scared, she’d definitely appeared defeated. He’d seen that same look of desperation in her eyes ten years ago, when he’d run into her that evening at the Dragonfly Pointe Inn.