Chapter Seventeen
“The day Brent Cody heaps praise on anyone is a red-letter day,” Lake noted, offering Linus the platter filled with spaghetti she’d cooked as they sat around the table at his house.
“Brent sung both our praises. We helped get Alice back home,” Linus pointed out, passing the plate to his mother, who had joined them for dinner.
While Jack and Scout explored new surroundings, Farley lounged under the table near Linus’s feet. “That’s the important thing,” Linus went on, “You identified the suspect by reaching out to Wally, who owns the only service station in town. Brilliant move. That’s as quick thinking as Alice.”
Annette dished out a serving before handing the platter back to Lake. “Can you believe that young girl was savvy enough to stand up to a grown man the way she did?”
“If you knew Alice the way I do, she’s always shown a spunky side,” Lake commented. “Alice has never had a problem sharing her opinion about anything. She will be all right, won’t she? How long do you think this guy will be on the run?”
“Although she suffered no noticeable injuries, the girl is traumatized by what happened,” Linus said. “Anyone would be. It will help to know that Callum Riggs is in custody, though. The nurses who treated her say she kept asking if they’ve caught him yet.”
“I’d be anxious, too, until the man is in jail,” Annette muttered, looking around the room. “I can’t believe you got Troy over here to fix the back door on such short notice.”
“He did it as a favor to Linus,” Lake replied, twirling spaghetti around her fork. “He mentioned something about Linus almost having to deliver his daughter. Troy wouldn’t let me pay him for his time. Besides, he said he’d rather be doing something useful after what happened this morning. I think everyone in town has been shaken up by the fire, then the abduction.”
Annette nodded in agreement. “We never thought anything like this could happen here, not in our small, quiet town. It just goes to show that evil can lurk anywhere, even in the places we least expect.”
Linus set his fork down, suddenly feeling a weight on his shoulders. “I just want the town to feel safe again. And Alice—I know she’s tough—but no one should have to go through what she did. I thought I’d eat and go back to the pier to help. Everyone is working overtime trying to clean up the mess. I should be there, too.”
“I’m happy to help, any way that I can,” Lake offered.
“Same here,” Annette added. “We’ll pitch in and do whatever needs doing.”
“There’s something that bothers me about what happened to Alice,” Lake began. “We know this Riggs guy is responsible for that. But I have questions that keep running through my head. Is Callum Riggs also responsible for Gabby Moreland’s murder? Is he the serial killer Brent is looking for? Did he kill those others beginning in 2014? Or is Alice’s abduction not related to the serial killings from earlier?”
“I’ve been asking those same questions,” Linus emphasized. “I don’t think anyone has the answers yet. Riggs is definitely in the right age group to have started ten years ago. But Theo mentioned at the hospital that he discovered Riggs isn’t even a software salesman like he told Lilly. He’s a real estate property manager, owns a house in Los Gatos that once belonged to his father, has never been in trouble with the law, and seems to be a respectable, law-abiding citizen until today. Theo also said that Riggs has been divorced since 2014 and has no kids.”
“Why would he lie to Lilly about his work?” Annette asked. “If he isn’t hiding something, why do that?”
“Good point,” Lake murmured. “But there’s another coincidence that seems too weird. Riggs drove Alice to the bridge. He was definitely familiar with that area, where all those bodies had been discovered a week earlier.”
“Yeah. But there’s another caveat to consider. If Riggs is the guy, he broke his pattern with Alice. One, he took Alice in the middle of the day with a made-up story to coax her into his car. That’s different than how Jimmy’s cousin described what happened to her. Then two, he wasn’t hanging out at the bridge waiting for a victim. Instead, he brings Alice there after the abduction. Three, Alice is a lot younger than the other victims.”
Lake shook her head. “I don’t care about any of that. When it comes to predatory killers, statistics show they are opportunistic and unpredictable. They’ll change their habits in a heartbeat if it means grabbing an innocent victim. Everything points to Riggs.”
She twisted in her chair and picked up her tablet with the list of victims. “In my view, there is a pattern if you just take the time to look for it. The killer began with Joanna Hawkins, who was thirty-four at the time of her disappearance in 2014. The year after, Amanda Jenner had just turned thirty-two. In fact, Amanda had been out celebrating in San Sebastian with a bunch of friends from work. Gail Pinter was twenty-nine in 2016. In 2017, Cillia French was twenty-five. In 2018, Maggie Dover was twenty-four. Susan Crawford had just turned twenty-two in 2019. In 2020, Britney Parks was another twenty-two-year-old who had been out at a bar with friends. Keri Davis was nineteen in 2021. And last fall, there’s Gabby, who was only seventeen. If you include Alice in this list, the victims are getting younger in descending order.”
“But that would mean he knows a great deal more about his victims, their birthdays, their comings and goings.”
“He either follows them, or he’s in tune with what they post on social media. Or maybe both.”
“This one’s sharp,” Annette said with a wink toward her son, getting to her feet to clear the dishes. When Lake started to rise to help, she waved her off. “You cooked. I’ll clean. Delicious spaghetti sauce, by the way. You’ll need to give me the recipe.”
“Absolutely. Come summer, with a new crop of tomatoes, I’ll show you how I make enough jars to store up for winter. That way, you have a built-in, ready-made meal in minutes without having to wait hours for the sauce to simmer.”
“Listen to this woman,” Annette crowed. “She cans her own sauce.”
“She makes her own everything, including homemade soup,” Linus corrected. “I swear she knows more about gardening than Caleb Jennings, who owns his own nursery.”
“I always wanted to grow a garden, but my husband and I lived in a condo. We had too small a space to grow anything of substance,” Annette explained. “Now, by myself, I’m out of the growing mood.”
“There’s always container gardening,” Lake pointed out. “You could focus on growing herbs or tomatoes. Those two things don’t take up a lot of space. And you always have fresh basil or rosemary handy to spice up a recipe. You should come to dinner this weekend at my house.”
“Will we discuss murder and serial killers?” Annette questioned.
“I’m not sure how to answer that,” Lake mused. “Probably.”
“Good. Then count me in. I want to help catch this guy before he strikes again. That’s two from Pelican Pointe.”
Lake looked slightly befuddled. “Your mom’s right. The last two were from Pelican Pointe. That has to mean something significant. Snatching Alice in broad daylight meant he needed to set off those explosions to distract everyone from his real intent. A man experienced in munitions. Do you think he might have a military background? Was Riggs ever in the military? Do property managers usually possess the skillset to blow up boats in a marina?”
Linus leaned back in his chair. “That’s a key point to bring up to Brent or Theo.”
As they finished clearing the table, a knock sounded at the door. Linus glanced at Lake with a curious look. “Who could that be?”
Alice’s parents, Tom and Karen Barrett, stood on the porch, looking exhausted but relieved to have their daughter back.
“We’re sorry to bother you,” Tom said. “But we couldn’t go to bed tonight without thanking you both for what you did to find Alice. Brent told us what you did.”
“We didn’t do anything special,” Linus pointed out. “I was simply doing my job, responding to a call from a passing motorist who called us about a car accident. I was in the right place at the right time.”
“It was a community-wide effort,” Lake added.
“All I know is you saved my little girl from that man. He’s a monster,” Karen exclaimed, wiping away tears. “When I think what could have happened, I get sick to my stomach.”
“We all do,” Lake returned, stepping up to open the door wider. “Would you like to come in for coffee?”
Tom shifted his feet. “Thanks, but we won’t keep you any longer. We’ve already drank gallons of the stuff, and we could use a good night’s sleep.”
“How’s Alice doing?” Annette asked.
“She’s calmed down some,” Karen provided. “But she still keeps asking if the man’s been caught. Brent promised to keep us in the loop. Since Dr. Blackwood decided to keep her overnight for observation, they stationed a police officer outside her room. Eastlyn volunteered to do it.”
“You let us know if you need anything,” Lake offered. “Anything at all.”
“We just want our girl to be okay after this ordeal. Thanks to you guys, we know where she is tonight.”
The couple left on that high note, leaving Linus and Lake feeling good about their contribution to the day’s events.
“I still think I should go and help with the cleanup at the pier,” Linus said as he rinsed the plates off and loaded the dishwasher.
“I don’t see why we all can’t show up and lend a hand until bedtime,” Lake decided. “Our bellies are full. We have a home to go to. Ossie, Van, and Darren are homeless.”
As it turned out, Nick and Jordan Harris had already offered the three men a place to stay at the BB, with homecooked meals included, until they could find a permanent home.
Inspired by the gesture, Lake decided she might be able to help out all four fishermen, including Dave O’Malley.
“I don’t know what your plan is, but it’s worth a try,” Linus urged, standing on the pier looking out at the charred boats. “Go for it.”
She called Heath Bingham, the son of a boat dealer she knew from school. After explaining the situation, she asked about the cost of renting four trawlers.
“I saw what happened on the news,” Heath told her. “I don’t have four that I can lend. But I do have one they could use for as long as they need it free of charge. It’s a twenty-five-foot shrimp boat built in 1957 that a family sold last year after the owner died. It’s been Shrimp Ahoy since its inception. It’s in good condition. I wouldn’t say great, but the rigging lines and winches are intact. The outriggers have the ability for deep water trawling. The boat should work as a substitute until they can get their insurance to kick in.”
“I’ll take it,” Lake said quickly. “If they could all agree on a way to split their catch, it might work as a temporary fix. That’s very generous of you, Heath. How can I ever thank you?”
Heath chuckled. “You ask me that after what you did for me our freshman year? I can never repay you for being my friend after my mother died. When things were at their worst, you’ve always been there with your big heart and funny stories, always someone who could laugh and keep my spirits up. I’m glad I can finally do something for you. How soon do they need the boat in Pelican Pointe?”
“As soon as possible. One of them, Mr. O’Malley, lost his son. I’m sure he won’t feel much like doing anything until after the funeral.”
“I can arrange to have it there by tomorrow. Is that soon enough for the others?”
“That’s fine, Heath. I’m blown away by your generosity. Thank you. I can’t wait to tell them they’re back in business, albeit slightly different than before.”
Grateful for Heath’s help, she hung up and went to find Linus to tell him the news.
“How did you manage that?” Linus wanted to know.
“Heath and I go way back.”
“Oh, really, do tell.”
“It’s not like that. Heath is gay. We’ve been friends since our first day at college. His mom had just died. He and his dad weren’t getting along. It was a difficult time for him. We helped each other through those awkward first weeks of school—one nerd to another—when we were trying to find our way around campus and fit in. Satisfied?”
“I guess. When should we tell the guys the good news?”
“Do you suppose it is good news? They’ll need to come together as a group to use one trawler. It’s bound to get dicey at some point.”
“It’s a temporary solution. Let’s go tell Dave first. He’s still at the hospital. Maybe we can run things by him first and get his reaction.”
When they reached Dave’s hospital room, he was sitting up in bed despite burns on his arms. Logan Donnelly and his wife Kinsey were anchored on each side, filling out paperwork.
“They’re helping me with the insurance claim forms,” Dave explained. “Things are a mess right now. I don’t know what to do without Matt.”
“I know it’s a bad time,” Linus said. “But Lake has some news that might put a different perspective on things. We hope it’s a good thing for everyone involved.”
Lake laid out the details, including the fact they’d have to share the workload, agree on a time schedule, and split everything they brought in four ways. “I know you all are used to having your own boat, but at least this way, all of you can still fish. Shrimp Ahoy comes with up-to-date documentation and current registration. All you guys need to do is take her out on the water.”
Dave got teary-eyed. Reaching for the box of tissues on his tray table, he muttered, “It’s the meds. I can’t believe you did that for us. I wasn’t sure what to do without Matt. But I might just give this arrangement a try and see how it works out. I’m not like the other guys. Matt and I had a roof over our heads and still do. We paid off the house last year. We didn’t need to live on our boat because we always had the house to go back to in the afternoon to eat supper, watch a little baseball on TV, check the weather forecast for the next day, and get up and do it all over again. I’ve known Nguyen, Payton, and Jones for twenty years. Never thought we’d be in business together. But I guess that’s how things are. Maybe we can make it work somehow.”
“I think that’s a fine outlook,” Logan said. “Give it a try, at least. Figure out a way to divvy up the catch and get along until your situations smooth out.”
“We can even put an agreement in writing if it makes the four of you feel better,” Kinsey offered. “Friendship aside, it might be a good idea. But then, that’s the lawyer in me talking. I fear the insurance companies involved could drag their feet and take up to four weeks to process all the claims. I’m familiar with these firms. They aren’t known for swift payouts.”
“Murphy called for a state of emergency,” Logan reiterated. “Obviously, Kinsey and I will push for immediate assistance, and Nick will, too. But that also takes time.”
“Since I’ve been here, the town has always been good to each other,” Linus said as a reminder. “Now is no different.”
Lake put a hand on Dave’s. “We’ll get through this. That’s a promise. If it’s okay with you, we’ll let Ossie, Van, and Darren know about the boat.”
“Sure. They’ll probably sleep better tonight knowing the future looks a little better.”