Chapter Sixteen
“After a succession of explosions, it’s a miracle we didn’t have more casualties,” Brent fumed as he paced the conference room in front of his team. “Because the county fire chief already suspects arson through the use of incendiary devices placed on all four fishing trawlers, I’ve asked for assistance from the ATF and the FBI. They’ll be here in three hours. But they’ve already shared with me that a similar incident like this occurred three months ago at a Lake Havasu marina. In that case, they think a killer was trying to cover his tracks.”
“The only unsolved murder cases we have right now are the ones that occurred near the bridge south of town,” Eastlyn said. “Those cases belong to Santa Cruz County. I don’t see the connection to what happened this morning at Smuggler’s Bay.”
“Don’t you?” Theo prodded. “We surmised there were two killers based on where we found one pair of victims versus the others hidden away. Maybe we’ve got it wrong. The guy who put those eight victims in a sundial pattern could just as easily have started killing again. Recently taking two more lives. One was Gabby Moreland, who was one of our own. That’s what keeps us in this fight—finding her killer.”
Brent nodded. “Okay. You take over Gabby’s case and don’t let the county detectives push you around or try leaving you out of updates. See if you can piece together her last known movements using cell phone data. I’ll try calling in a few favors at the lab to get them to share what they know so far. And see if you can find any information on the other victims, specifically where they were headed the night they went missing. I want a list by this evening.”
He turned to the others. “In the meantime, the rest of us still have a huge question hanging over us—who the hell planted those devices on the boats, and why?”
“As a distraction?” Colt tendered. “But from what?”
It would be hours before anyone figured out the answer to that question.
While law enforcement considered more possibilities, Lake took care of things at the library. She phoned Troy Dayton and explained the door situation. He volunteered to go over, take measurements, install a new one, and have it fixed by that night.
She called Annette Canfield to tell her about the break-in and discovered Annette had a wide-open schedule and could have the mess straightened up by the time Linus finished his shift at the hospital.
Lake and Glynnis worked through lunch, helping to set up a fund for Dave O’Malley and the other fishermen who had lost their livelihoods. After losing his son, Dave especially needed extra financial and emotional support. She called Seth at the church to remind the pastor that Dave would need help arranging Matt’s funeral but talked to Ophelia instead.
“Make sure Seth visits Dave while he’s in the hospital,” Lake suggested.
“I already have a list of the injured,” Ophelia said. “The phone’s been ringing off the hook.”
“Sorry about that. But I made a list of things that needed doing and I’m checking them off as I go,” Lake explained.
“No problem. I’m writing my own to-do list for the congregation, trying to keep a positive attitude. But it’s difficult. We have people who just lost the only way they know to make a living. How we respond in the next twenty-four hours is critical.”
Lake mentioned the fund they’d started. “Linus reminded me that we help each other. Now’s the time to put up or shut up, right?”
“Right. Maybe we can somehow find them a boat to rent or borrow one until their insurance kicks in.”
“If they had insurance. Some don’t. Let’s revisit this in the next twenty-four hours and come up with a plan.”
“Sure thing. Talk to you soon.”
After hanging up on the call, Lake looked up to see Nikki Augustine hurrying to the front desk. “Alice Barrett isn’t in school today.”
“Oh, is she ill?” Lake asked, absently.
“No. I’m pretty sure she isn’t sick. I saw her last night and she was fine. We were supposed to eat lunch together today in the cafeteria, but I just found out from her teacher that she isn’t at school. No one has seen her at all today.”
Lake’s heart sank at Nikki’s words. A rush of concern flooded through her as she considered the implications. But she studied Nikki’s face for any sign of malice or mischief. “This isn’t some prank you two have cooked up, is it? Because if I find out you’re making this up to post on social media, I’ll be very upset at the both of you.”
“No. I’m really worried. I wouldn’t make this up. The two of us just started hanging out again, and now, no one seems to know where she is. If you don’t do something, no one will.”
Lake chewed the inside of her jaw, considering the situation. If Alice Barrett had gone missing, could it be connected to everything else that had been happening that morning? Given the recent dangerous events in town, she wasn’t about to ignore a teen’s sudden disappearance.
Despite the mounting tasks on her plate, Lake felt a surge of responsibility to find the young girl and make sure she was safe. Her mind splintered with options. She grabbed the phone directory she kept under the counter and looked up Julianne Dickinson’s number. “Hi, Julianne. It’s me, Lake. Do you know why Alice Barrett isn’t in school today?”
The voice on the other line sounded perplexed. “What do you mean she isn’t in school? She was here during our evacuation of the building after the explosions occurred at the harbor.”
“Are you sure about that? I have Nikki Augustine here in the library and Nikki says that Alice didn’t show up for her morning classes.”
“The teachers had just started taking roll call when the first explosion went off. That’s when I made the decision to evacuate the children from this building and take them across the street to the elementary school, which is where we stayed until about an hour ago. I brought the kids back for lunch. This is the first I’ve heard that Alice didn’t make it to class. Let me check with Karen Barrett and see if she kept Alice home today. I’ll call you right back.”
Nikki waited, drumming her fingers on the counter, all the while staring at Lake for an answer. “I guess you’re wondering why Alice and I always fight.”
“It had crossed my mind,” Lake said.
“We used to be best friends until she started hanging out with the popular crowd. That was in sixth grade. Once those kids dropped her, she had to spend practically the last two years eating alone in the cafeteria.”
“You couldn’t have asked her to sit with you for thirty minutes and eat lunch?”
“I was still angry about her ditching me for the snooty crowd.” Nikki dropped her head and swallowed hard before looking up again. “But about a week ago, we decided to start hanging out again. You told us to set aside our differences. That’s what we did. We had a fun afternoon together gorging on ice cream and Reese’s Pieces. We spent the night together last Saturday night. Our first sleepover in two years. That’s how I know she’s missing. I’ve texted her a dozen times since we moved over to the elementary school for safety reasons. But so far, she hasn’t replied to a single text.”
When the phone rang, Lake saw it was Julianne calling back. “Hello?”
“I’m calling Brent Cody. Karen didn’t keep Alice home today. She left the house at her normal time wearing a pair of faded denim jeans, a white lace top over a brown vest, and a pair of brown boots. Lake, Alice is definitely not at school. She’s gone missing.”
Lake stood at the hallway door to the high school watching Brent and Eastlyn enter the building along with what looked like two FBI agents sporting suits and ties.
“Why are they showing up here at the one place they know Alice isn’t?” Nikki asked Lake.
“Very good question. But they may be looking for security footage that covers the outside of the building.”
“Oh. Like on TV,” Nikki surmised. “Wow. Do you have CCTV in here?”
“Not inside. But we have an outside camera that overlooks the parking lot and street, another angle from the school.”
“So they’ll be looking at that tape, too?”
“It’s all on the same system.” But as she explained it to Nikki, Lake wondered if any footage of last summer still existed. If it did, they might get a glimpse of the person who stole the books about serial killers. That footage might be used to catch a killer.
When Eastlyn approached, Lake asked her about it. “Would that footage still exist?”
Eastlyn shook her head. “Unfortunately, the video is set up to tape over the existing footage every month. Last summer’s video would be long gone by now.”
“That’s a shame. What can the rest of us do to help?”
“Julianne is making up posters to hand out,” Eastlyn remarked before turning to Nikki. “Do you remember Alice mentioning anything last night that might give us a clue as to where she could be?”
Nikki shook her head, worry lines puckering her brow. “She seemed fine, just excited about our plans for lunch today. We were bringing our special sandwiches—pineapple, cream cheese, and mayo—we used to eat it all the time in grade school when we were kids. I can’t imagine where she would go without telling anyone.”
Glynnis cleared her throat and looked at Eastlyn. “I might have some information. Last week, when I was leaving work, Alice was headed out the door, too. I saw a man hanging around the parking lot. He seemed interested in Alice, a little too interested if you know what I mean.”
“What type of vehicle was he driving?”
“It was a black SUV with a big grill. I remember it because it looked like a government-type car, only not new, more like five years old. My husband’s a truck buff,” Glynnis explained.
“That could help a lot,” Eastlyn said as she texted the information to Brent.
“I also overheard Alice talking to the driver,” Glynnis added. “She went over to the car and had a conversation about school. Alice acted as if she knew him.”
“Interesting,” Eastlyn muttered as she keyed that information to send to Brent.
Angling toward Nikki, Lake asked, “Would you have any idea who Alice might’ve been talking to that afternoon? Did she mention an adult who drove an SUV?”
Nikki shrugged. “She has a crush on David Gilkey, but he doesn’t have his driver’s license yet.”
“Does David have an older brother who drives?”
“No. But he has an older cousin who owns his own car. Fergus Gilkey works at the water park in Santa Cruz.”
“Fergus Gilkey has gotta be twenty-two years old,” Lake lamented. “He drives an older model silver BMW. It’s his pride and joy. Fergus is not the guy Alice was talking to.”
“I agree,” Nikki said, sounding older than her fourteen years. “So, how do we track down this guy driving the black SUV?”
“I’ll send out a BOLO first, then canvass door to door,” Eastlyn said.
“Why don’t we send out an email asking if anyone’s seen that kind of car hanging around town?” Lake offered.
“Sure. Locating Alice is our top priority. In situations like this, we utilize the public’s help.”
While Glynnis and Nikki composed an email to library subscribers, Lake contacted Wally at the gas station to see if he recalled seeing a black SUV purchasing gas recently.
“Yeah, I did. He’s been in a couple of times and always uses a credit card. Lilly can track down the name if you need it.”
Lake explained the reason for the call. “Although Alice has only been gone a few hours, we consider her missing until she’s found. Glynnis saw her talking to a stranger sitting in the library parking lot in a big SUV. It’s a long shot, I know, but we’re grasping at straws. Anything you could tell us about a black SUV might be beneficial.”
“Hang on a sec,” Wally replied. “Lilly’s checking now. She says the name on the credit card is Callum Riggs. She’s talked to him a couple of times and says he’s a salesman for a software company in Silicon Valley. He makes regular trips through Pelican Pointe to reach customers in Santa Cruz, sometimes without stopping here for gas. He’s in his early forties, dresses nice, and is always polite.”
“Thanks, Wally. I’ll pass everything you’ve just told me to Brent Cody. In the meantime, look for Alice or a stranger driving a black SUV.”
“Will do.”
As soon as she ended the call with Wally, Lake contacted Brent, filling him in on the new development and handing off as much information about Callum Riggs as Lilly had provided.
“I’ll send Colt over to Wally’s place to collect the credit card receipts,” Brent promised. “Thanks, Lake. This could be a major break for us. We at least need to locate this Riggs guy and rule him out.”
Having done what she could from behind a desk, Lake decided to get in her car and drive through the neighborhood.
Nikki saw her gathering her bag and keys and said, “I don’t know what your plan is but I’m in.”
“Clear it with Julianne first. If she says no, you’re headed back to class.”
As the afternoon sun began to descend, word continued to spread about Alice, and a sense of urgency gripped the town. A BOLO was sent out for the black SUV and its owner, Callum Riggs.
Linus heard all the buzz on his radio. But additional calls kept coming in—a suspected heart attack and one possible stroke—both likely stress reactions from the fire at the harbor. He had treated the more serious patients and was now headed to a reported car accident south of town with Jimmy Diaz.
“What a hectic day it’s been,” Jimmy moaned. “I’ll be glad when this shift is over.”
“Do you realize the casualties could’ve been in the double digits?” Linus fired back. “Losing Matt O’Malley is a tragedy. But it could’ve been so much worse.”
With their siren blaring and Jimmy behind the wheel, within minutes, they rolled up to the scene only to see a teenage girl standing at the side of the road near the bridge, screaming her head off as she tried to fight off an adult attacker.
“What the hell?” Jimmy remarked as he braked and skidded to a stop on the shoulder.
“That’s Alice Barrett, Call it in as an assault in progress,” Linus yelled as he shot out of the passenger side of the vehicle, running toward the girl. But the adult male spotted him and jumped back into the SUV and took off.
When Linus reached Alice, she was hysterical. “Are you okay? We’re here now. You’re safe. Did he hurt you?”
Alice could only shake her head, trembling. But she was gasping for breath, tears streaming down her face as she tried to speak.
Linus crouched down in front of her, making sure to maintain eye contact. “Take your time. My name’s Linus Canfield. I’m a paramedic. I work out of the hospital.”
“Should I go after that jerk?” Jimmy hollered.
“No. I got his plate number. We need to get Alice seen to first,” Linus said, removing his jacket to wrap it around the teenager’s shoulders as he gently started to guide her along the roadway toward the ambulance.
“You want me to wheel out the stretcher?”
“Just give us a minute, okay?” Linus snapped at Jimmy.
“He… he was trying to take me,” Alice managed to choke out between sobs. “He said he knew I liked David Gilkey. He said David had been hurt by the explosion. He wanted me to come with him. He promised to take me to see David. That’s why I…I got in the car with him.”
Linus’s blood ran cold at the sneaky tactics. For him, the pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together, forming a dangerous picture. The man was likely responsible for the fire.
“Did you recognize him, Alice? Can you tell us anything about him?” Linus asked, trying to sound calm.
“He… he talked to me a couple of times before this morning,” Alice breathed out, her whole body shaking. “I didn’t think he was dangerous. Not until he started driving around and wouldn’t take me to see David.”
Her voice cracked as she recounted the terrifying moment she realized she was in trouble. “That’s when I knew I’d made a horrible mistake. I didn’t see how anyone could save me. I’m so glad you stopped and made him run away. Please, I just want to go home.”
With a steely determination in his eyes, Linus helped Alice reach the rear of the vehicle. With each step, she clung to him, her whole body vibrating with fear and shock.
“Don’t worry. We’ll get you home safe.”
But suddenly, Alice stopped walking. She took a shuddering breath, trying to compose herself, and blurted out, “I…I scratched him. I’m pretty sure I have his DNA under my fingernails. I…I took out my earring, and I…I left it under the front seat of his car so someone would know I’d been in it.”
Linus was impressed with the young girl’s quick thinking. “Wow, I’m not sure I would’ve thought to do that. You reacted like one of those survivors on TV. I want you to have a seat inside, okay? We call it The Box. But it’s really for patient care. See the stretcher. Once you get settled, I’ll bag your hands, so we won’t lose any evidence. Then we’ll get you checked out at the hospital. We’ll notify your parents and let them know you’re okay. How does that sound?”
He waited until Alice nodded before easing her into the back of the vehicle. At about that same time, a police cruiser pulled up behind them, followed by another patrol car. Brent Cody got out of the first vehicle while Colt and Theo joined them at the rear of the ambulance.
“Is she okay?” Brent asked.
“I think she’ll be fine,” Linus said quietly. He repeated what Alice had told him about the man who had abducted her. “She’s a quick-thinking kid, which is why her hands are bagged.”
“Let’s get her checked out and make sure she’s okay before I interview her,” Brent ordered. “We’ll follow you. Sirens on full blast all the way. Let’s move out.”