Chapter Twenty
By noon, it was obvious to everyone that Abby Anderson had gone missing. Suspicion fell on Derrick Kingsley almost immediately because he had confronted Abby and Greta at the bar the night before. Eastlyn couldn’t locate him. He wasn’t at home or at work. Tradewinds Construction rarely worked on Sundays. When Colt followed up, Zach Dennison confirmed that none of their crews were working that morning. However, it didn’t mean that Derrick hadn’t picked up a side job somewhere.
“Don’t worry. We’re trying to find him now,” Colt assured Lake. “A BOLO is out on both of them and Derrick’s green Dodge pickup.”
“I’m not sitting around waiting,” Lake prompted. “Counting Greta, you have three people standing around right now willing to help. We should be out driving around town, scouring the area for Derrick’s truck. There are only four people on the force, Colt. You guys can’t do everything. We could use our own vehicles to try and spot him. Whether you give us your permission or not, you know we’ll look on our own. Please let us do something to help.”
Colt let out a sigh. “Alright, but if you see him, do not approach him or engage. We don’t know what his mindset is right now.”
“Deal,” Linus said in agreement. “We’ll each take a section of town. And I’ll call Beckett and Birk. They’ll want to help out.” He turned to Lake and Greta. “I’ll head south to the bridge. Derrick might’ve taken her there.”
“But that was last night,” Lake said in a panic, following him to his pickup. “It’s now been over twelve hours. Do you think he’s already done something to her and left town?”
“I’ve thought of that. He’s either gone on the run or hasn’t yet decided what to do with Abby. Let’s hope he still has her. I’ll ask Birk and Beckett to meet me at the bridge.”
“I’ll head north,” Greta offered, “in case Derrick decides to head that way and go somewhere other than the bridge.”
“That leaves me to take east,” Lake murmured. She watched Linus take off down Tidewater and head south, leaving her at Greta’s mercy. “Will you drive me home to get my car?”
“Sure.”
“We should’ve gone with Linus,” Lake decided as she settled into the Fiat. “If Derrick is the killer, he’d return to where he was most comfortable.”
“Want me to turn around? We can always check the bridge before going out on our own,” Greta voiced before adding, “I’m scared, Lake. I know we talked about this at the meeting. But having it happen in real-time is like watching a horror story come to life in slow motion. I never thought I’d be searching for a friend.”
“I know this feels surreal, but we need to focus on what we can do right away and not let fear get in the way.”
When Greta reached Crescent Street, she braked at the stop sign. “So, are we heading to the bridge or not?”
“Yep, let’s follow Linus. Tell me about what happened at the bar last night.”
Greta floored it through the intersection and headed toward Ocean Street, making a left turn past the pier. “There’s not much more to it. Derrick was pissed about you digging up his backyard and he took out his anger on us.”
“But why not me? Why not take me?”
“Because you were probably with Linus last night, right? Abby lives alone. So do I. You could be looking for me instead of Abby. That’s a sobering thought,” Greta growled as her foot pressed on the gas. “Derrick isn’t stupid. He went after the person who lives closest to him and the most vulnerable.”
Lake’s stomach churned at the thought of either woman being a target because of something she did. Chills ran down her spine at the realization of how close they were to danger that morning in Derrick’s backyard.
As they continued heading toward the bridge, Lake couldn’t shake off the nagging fear that time was slipping away, each passing second brought Abby closer to an unknown fate. She glanced out the window at the familiar sights of their small coastal community, the scenic shoreline now taking on a sinister edge in the wake of Abby’s disappearance.
They drove the rest of the way in silence, the weight of the situation pressing down on them like a heavy fog, suffocating their thoughts with fear and uncertainty.
Linus had a head start, weaving through the quiet streets, trying to come up with everything he could remember about Derrick Kingsley. While the two men had never really hung out together, Linus had known Derrick the entire time he’d lived in Pelican Pointe. He tried to remember where Derrick had moved from—somewhere back east, maybe. Always a friendly sort, Linus could recall the times he’d seen him at McCready’s back when it was more of a pool hall with an Irish bent, back before Durke Pedasco bought the place and turned it into a real bar with live music. They had even spent a few Saturday nights playing pool together. Never during those times would he have suspected Derrick was a serial killer.
As he approached the bridge, Linus felt his heart pounding in his chest. He slowed the truck down and scanned the area, searching for any sign of Derrick’s pickup. Suddenly, a glint of green metal caught his eye near the edge of the water. Linus squinted and saw the familiar shape of Derrick’s truck parked on the dunes. The tires were stuck in the muck and mud. His heart lurched in his chest as he realized what this meant. Without hesitation, he grabbed his phone and dialed Colt.
“It’s Linus. Derrick is at the bridge. You need to get here now and bring backup,” Linus insisted. “He has a gun—looks like a Glock from here—and he’s pacing back and forth, talking to himself.”
“We’re on our way. Is Abby with him?” Colt asked.
“No sign of Abby yet,” Linus replied as his eyes darted around the small harbor. “Nope. I don’t see her anywhere.”
“Keep the line open,” Colt commanded. “We’re five minutes out. Don’t go near him until we get there.”
But Linus couldn’t promise that. Just because he didn’t see Abby, it didn’t mean she wasn’t nearby. He’d been in the middle of enough domestic violence scenes to understand that the situation was too fluid to remain in his vehicle. He shut off the engine and climbed out of his truck.
Overhead, the afternoon sun seared hot, generating a fiery hue over the shimmering water. Linus stared at Derrick and winced, knowing such a serene spot would forever be known as a serial killer’s dump site.
Derrick spotted him out of the corner of his eye. “Don’t come any closer. Stay right where I can see you.”
“No problem. I just want to know where Abby is. ”
When Lake and Greta pulled up at the bridge, Lake saw the GMC Sierra parked haphazardly by the side of the road. They pulled up behind it, scanning the area for any sign of Linus, Derrick or Abby.
Beckett and Kelly pulled up behind Greta’s Fiat. “Any sign of Abby or Derrick?” Kelly shouted.
“Not yet. We just got here,” Lake said, getting out of the car. “I don’t see Linus anywhere.”
“We should split up and search the area,” Beckett suggested his voice tight with tension. “Birk should be here any minute, but there’s no time to wait on anyone. We need to find Abby—like now!”
He opened the rear door of his pickup and let loose his Golden Retriever Brodie. “Go on, boy, find Abby! Go on, Brodie. Find Abby.”
The dog took off in a run, heading underneath the bridge, and everyone followed. Without a word, they fanned out in a semicircle along the dunes. But, after scanning the area, Lake still couldn’t see Linus. She started to worry.
“Linus has to be here somewhere,” Lake whispered to Greta. “His truck’s here.” But she found the answer when she walked toward the dunes and spotted Brodie standing in a field of orange poppies. The canine growled, alerting them to Derrick, who was holding a gun to his head.
Linus stood a few feet away, trying to reason with him. “Don’t do it, Derrick. There’s no need to end things this way. Just tell me where Abby is. That’s all any of us want right now.”
“It’s over,” Derrick muttered.
Beckett called his dog to retreat. “Come here, Brodie.” While the dog trotted over, the sight of Derrick standing so close to Linus with that gun made Lake’s blood boil. She watched as Beckett moved in closer to Derrick from the other side, cutting him off from escape. But with a semi-automatic pistol, Derrick was the man in charge at the moment.
Greta grabbed Lake’s arm. “What do we do?”
“We let Linus see if he can talk Derrick down from doing anything crazy,” Lake said, hoping the man she loved could talk his way out of this situation.
Above them on the bridge, Lake heard Colt, Eastlyn, and Theo arrive in two separate patrol cars. She saw they had pulled their weapons, each taking a stance that allowed them to get a clear shot at Derrick. The reality of the standoff meant that tensions were reaching their peak.
Linus maintained eye contact with Derrick, his voice calm yet firm. “Derrick, listen to me. You don’t have to do this. Abby is out there somewhere, and we need you to tell us where she is. Do that one thing.”
Even though he stood his ground, Linus held out his hands in a placating gesture. But he noticed an opening in Derrick’s resolve and figured he needed to keep talking. “You might as well tell us what happened with Abby. We’re all here and we aren’t going anywhere. You’re practically surrounded. Don’t do anything stupid you’ll regret. We can fix this, Derrick.”
“No, you can’t. That’s just it,” Derrick argued, a bead of sweat trickling down his temple. “I’ve been this way for a long time. If they know what’s good for them, everybody should just stay back.”
Linus heard the sound of a helicopter approaching from the north. Derrick heard it, too. His grip on the gun wavered slightly, a flicker of doubt crossing his face. He glanced at the group surrounding him, his eyes darting between Linus and the encroaching group. He cut his eyes upward, his face filled with indecision. It was at that moment he realized there was nowhere else to go. “I messed up... I didn’t mean for any of this to happen,” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. “But my temper always gets the best of me.”
“Right now, you’re a man pushed to the edge, teetering between despair and hope,” Linus cautioned, doing his best to sound sympathetic.
As if sensing the fragile balance, the search dog let out a low whine as Linus took a step closer, his voice steady. “We know you’re scared, Derrick. Who wouldn’t be? But harming yourself or anyone else won’t solve anything at this point. Let us help you. Help us to find Abby. Allow us to get to her so that we can help her, too.”
A single tear rolled down Derrick’s cheek as he lowered the gun, his shoulders slumping in defeat. Linus closed the distance, reaching out a hand to take the Glock from him.
Derrick hesitated for a moment before handing the gun over to Linus, his gaze filled with a mixture of relief and remorse. His eyes flickered between Linus’s outstretched hand and the agitated faces surrounding him.
The helicopter drew closer, its loud whir drowning out the sounds of the waves. As soon as the weapon left his grip, though, Derrick sank to his knees, the weight of his actions finally catching up to him. He buried his face in his hands, shoulders shaking with silent sobs.
As soon as Linus took control of the gun, he removed the magazine and handed it off to Eastlyn, the first cop he saw.
Colt and Theo surrounded Derrick on both sides, lifting him off the ground so that Colt could put him in handcuffs. Derrick’s gaze remained fixed on the ground as he let himself be led away to the helicopter that had landed nearby.
“Nice job,” Eastlyn commented.
“But we still don’t know where Abby is,” Linus pointed out.
“Brent’s back at the station waiting to ask him that. Wanna bet we’ll know before the end of the day is out?”
“Yeah, but will it be too late?”
A few feet away, Lake stood watching Derrick climb aboard the helicopter, a mix of emotions swirling inside her. She felt relief that the standoff had ended without violence, but the worry for Abby gnawed at her insides. She knew they were running out of time to find her.
As the helicopter lifted off, she turned to Linus. “We need to keep pushing forward. We can’t lose hope now. Can you think of anywhere Derrick might have taken her?”
“You’re asking me?”
“You did hang out with him,” Lake said. “Even if it was years ago, it could be significant. Is there anywhere he talked about in particular, anywhere other than his house, that he could’ve left her?”
Linus set his jaw. He tried to recall his conversations with Derrick, tried to replay anything the guy might’ve mentioned in passing during their time at the bar. Boring nights flashed through his head. A memory started to take shape.
“Oh, my God. I think I might know,” Linus said, a sense of urgency creeping into his voice. “There’s an old cabin in the woods that Derrick used to talk about. It’s way off the beaten path, but it’s special to him from childhood. He used to brag about spending summers there with his dad.”
“Where?” Lake asked.
“It’s a cabin north of Scotts Valley, near the abandoned monastery. It was a place he used to bring up frequently while we were sitting around watching baseball on the big screen or shooting pool. Every time he saw me, he would always ask if I’d like to go up there. Unfortunately, I always turned him down. I have no idea where it’s located.”
“Near a monastery?” Eastlyn asked. “You mean that old rundown former boy’s academy, the one that closed and then reopened when locals tried to use it as a religious retreat. I know that place. If we use that as the epicenter and work our way to the cabins in that proximity, maybe we’ll get lucky.”
“I know that area very well,” Birk stated. “Beckett and I have done searches up there.”
“Locals claim the place is haunted,” Beckett tossed out.
Kelly rolled her eyes. “Aside from nonsense rumors, if we get everyone here on the move, maybe we’ll find her before dark.”
“Guys, there must be four dozen cabins in the woods up there,” Linus returned. “Maybe more.”
“It’s a place to start,” Lake noted, eyeing Eastlyn hopefully. “We’re all willing to do whatever it takes. Utilize our assets.”
Eastlyn nodded, reaching for her radio to mobilize whatever resources she needed. After informing dispatch of her plans, she turned to the other volunteers. “I don’t need to tell you that time is of the essence. We all know what’s at stake. If anyone wants to bail, though, call it a day, I’ll understand.”
No one wanted to leave.
“Why not take the search and rescue chopper?” Birk asked. “It’d be faster.”
“Getting up there, yeah,” Eastlyn said in agreement. “But an aerial view won’t make a difference in locating the cabin because of all the trees and hilly terrain. Let’s get moving. Time’s wasting. Try to keep up.”