Chapter 1 #2
“I see you were studying Sally,” Marcus observed, leaning over to look at the photographs more closely. “Getting ready for tonight?”
“No,” Ryan shook his head. “Actually, Tessa pointed out something in the crime scene photos that I’d missed.” He raised an eyebrow and glanced at each of them. “That we may all have missed.”
He moved to the desk and found the photo of the cabin interior, the one with the ropes at the foot of the chair. “She noticed these. And then when we looked at the arrest photos more carefully, we saw the marks on Sally’s wrists. Rope burns.”
Marcus straightened, a slight smile crossing his face. “Tessa has a sharp eye. I noticed those details as well. That’s actually why I wanted to meet her myself. There are few things in her file that don’t add up about her.”
Mitch’s head snapped up. “You could have pointed this out to me.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t see it in the photos yourself,” Marcus said mildly. “You’re usually more observant than this.”
“What are you saying?” Mitch’s voice had an edge to it.
“I’m saying you’re distracted,” Marcus replied evenly. “And maybe a little too close to this case.”
“Not to mention the head injury,” Ryan pointed out, standing up for his father. “One that is still very recent.”
“That’s why I’m here,” Marcus said. “That, and because you were injured, Mitch.” He crossed his arms and fixed Mitch with a steady gaze. “How did you, of all people, let someone get the better of you?”
Ryan was shocked by the question. Not because he hadn’t thought the same thing—he had, privately—but because Marcus had dared to say it out loud.
His father was one of the most astute people Ryan had ever known.
The man could hear Ryan snore from two doors down in the bedroom.
Ryan didn’t even need to be snoring; he was sure his father could probably hear him and Piper breathing in their sleep.
Mitch was that attuned to everything around him.
“The sea was incredibly loud that day,” Mitch said, his voice defensive. “And there was someone on the rocks calling for help. I was focused on that. Plus, on sand it’s very easy to sneak up on someone. It doesn’t make noise the way other surfaces do.”
“Not on you, Dad,” Ryan said softly. “Which means that whoever hit you was just as well-trained as you are. And they knew how well trained you were.”
“Windbreaker guy,” Ryan and Marcus said in unison.
“Elias Dane,” Marcus confirmed. “As we now know, he’s ex-special forces. And since he works for Barstow, he could probably have pulled some of your records. Enough to know what he was dealing with.”
“He’s probably pulled all of our records by now,” Mitch said grimly.
“Including yours, Marcus. That brick,” he pointed to where they’d left it on the corner of the desk, still wrapped in Ryan’s hoodie, “didn’t just happen today.
It happened because they’ve now realized we have another covert operator here. ”
“I agree with Dad,” Ryan stated. “We’ve been here for days. Whoever’s watching saw the cameras Dad put up. They know we’ve been conducting our own surveillance. Then you show up, and suddenly they’re threatened enough to escalate to direct violence.”
“Don’t worry,” Marcus said. “My rental car is under a pseudonym. If this is Sally, her spy won’t get much on me. At least not quickly.”
They were all quiet for a moment, processing the implications. Then a scream pierced the air, sharp and terrified.
It was coming from the direction of Seabird Cottage.
All three of them moved at once, without thinking twice. They flew out of the office, through the house, and out the front door at a run.
Tessa and Lori were already outside, bursting through the door of Seabird Cottage. Misty shot past them like a furry missile, barking furiously as she raced around the side of the house.
“Lori! Tessa!” Ryan called out. He was the fastest of the three men and reached them first. “Are you okay?”
“What?” Tessa’s eyes were wide with confusion and alarm. “Yes, of course we’re—”
The scream came again, even more desperate this time.
Without another word, all five of them took off, following the sound of Misty’s frantic barking. They went down the narrow side path that led to the rocky outcrops at the edge of the beach that formed a cove below.
The rocks jutted out into the water here, creating a small peninsula.
The tide was out, leaving tide pools among the black stones.
On the small patch of sand, they found Clara kneeling, bent over a body that lay face down at the base of the rocks.
Blood pooled in the sand around the person’s head, dark and wet.
Ryan rushed forward, his military EMT training taking over. He dropped to his knees beside the body, beside Clara, and reached for the person’s neck to check for a pulse.
He recognized the windbreaker immediately. It was beige and worn. The same one they’d seen in the security footage, the same one Mitch had described from the beach attack.
Ryan’s fingers pressed against the man’s neck, searching for any sign of life.
There was nothing.
No pulse, but the body was still warm. Without hesitation, Ryan called to Tessa for help and started CPR.