Chapter 27
Charlie
All I can think about is Jessica and my desperation to find her. I’m trying to remain calm, but it is an effort not to lose it as I listen to Shane explain what he knows about Russ Decker.
Huddled in Sam’s office, Ryder, Sadie, and I are asking him questions about what he knows, while panic at just sitting here eats at me. This isn’t a waste of time. I’m gathering intel to find her in the safest way possible, but the primitive part of my brain doesn’t give a fuck about that.
That part of me wants to wage a war and tear this town apart to find her.
Mitch is sitting in the corner, listening. He already knows she’s missing, and as a state attorney, I figure it doesn’t hurt to have him paying attention.
I also have Sam in the room, hoping his powers will glean something I can use. And crazy as it might be, in the background, he’s helping to keep me calm and focused. I can feel the waves of his energy acting as a buffer, softening the rage eating away inside me so I can think.
Shane’s sitting in one of the chairs, his jaw set in a hard line.
“Crenshaw called me and said he wanted Decker in on the project. As I was looking into Decker, all the scandals broke. Even without that, I didn’t like what I saw.
I told Griffin I was out if the congressman was anywhere near the project.
Evan agreed. Two days later, Crenshaw and Decker were gone. ”
Both Shane and Evan are power players in Chicago with deep pockets and the type of business-savvy Crenshaw and Decker could only dream of. The choice between the Donovan brothers and a scandal-ridden politician and a shoddy construction company would have been a no-brainer.
Ryder’s brows furrow. “I thought Crenshaw was acting as a political sponsor, not involved.”
Shane shrugs one broad shoulder. “Yeah, he was, but he was hinting at some shady shit, like offering to grease the wheels in a way that didn’t sit well with me. As you know, I don’t play that game.”
Finally, we have it. The first connection between the accident and the river project, sitting in Shane’s head, where none of us thought to look.
It doesn’t surprise me. Shane kicked them out before the paperwork and contracts even had their names penciled on them. The guy has a head for business, is well-known for being ruthless, and his reputation is impeccable. He doesn’t take chances.
“Why was Crenshaw pushing Decker?” I can hear the tight, officialness of my tone.
Shane’s brows crease. “He said the guy was a distant relation, and he wanted to throw him some business.”
I look at Sadie. “Did we run a background check on him?”
She shakes her head. “He’s never been interviewed.”
I return my attention to Shane. “How did Jessica and you start talking about him? How did she make the connection?”
Shane rubs the back of his neck and clears his throat.
“She went to get a drink, and he couldn’t take his eyes off her.
When she came back to the table, I teased her and said if she was in the market for a new boyfriend, she could do better than a construction guy with a shady reputation.
Her ears perked up. She asked me a bunch of questions about how I knew him and what I’d heard.
Then she said Interesting and wandered off. ”
Connecting the dots from there is easy.
She determined there might be a connection and figured she could use the guy’s interest against him. So, instead of talking to anyone, she went after him, assuming her charm might reveal information we could use in our investigation.
Now she’s in danger.
“That woman is going to be the death of me,” I grind out through clenched teeth.
Shane grimaces. “If I’d had any idea she planned on questioning a guy she suspected of attempted murder, I’d have intervened.”
“Not your fault.” The words are a growl. Frustrated anger vibrates through me, threatening to spill over. At least my rage is blocking out my desperate panic and ragged fear.
The sensation of lapping waves washes over me again. I take a deep breath. “We can figure out the details later. Right now, let’s focus on finding where he might have taken her.” I shift my attention to Sadie. “Get me every known location we have on the guy.”
She rises from the chair, nodding. “On it.”
As she leaves the room, I look at Ryder. “Is Harold on duty?”
The kid is still green, but he’s perfect for what I have in mind.
I trust him not to be a hothead or do something heroically stupid, and he’s the poster child for wholesome, nonthreatening innocence.
He looks like every bumbling, out-of-his-league cliché of a small-town cop come to life.
Which makes him exactly the kind of person you’d believe would randomly knock on your door.
“Yeah, what are you thinking?” Ryder asks.
“We have to check out Decker’s locations, but if we happen to find him there and we go in guns blazing, he’s going to get reckless.
The last thing we need is a hostage situation.
In a standoff, Jessica would be in too much danger.
Which is where Harold comes in. Send him out with a story about a service outage.
If Decker answers the door, Harold can deliver the same story to houses down the block to make it more believable.
It’s a long shot, but a place to start.”
“Meanwhile, we can focus on looking for her.” Lines bracket Ryder’s mouth. He’s just as worried about his sister as I am.
“She’s not there,” Sam says from the corner.
We all look at him in question.
When he doesn’t elaborate, I say, “Probably not, but we have to check.”
Sam zones out, looking past us to whatever it is he taps into before saying, “She’s somewhere quiet. She’s like a disturbance in the stillness.”
Isn’t she always?
This isn’t narrowing it down; it’s only making things fucking muddier. I remind myself to be patient. Information from Sam comes in its own time. “Anything else?”
He tilts back in his chair, raising the front legs and rocking a bit before saying, “Seems like there’s a trail to find.”
That’s…frustrating as shit. “Like a money trail? Something else?”
He shrugs again. “Hard to say.”
“What other kinds of trails are there? Money trails. Hiking trails. River trails. Hunting trails. Anything?” The desire to start breaking shit storms over me, and I push it all aside. I’ve compartmentalized my emotions my entire life. I can’t fail when I most need the skill.
Across from me, Sam’s expression is strained. “Maybe. It’s hard to explain… I see her at the end of a trail.”
I can feel my frustrated impotence beating away at me.
Another wave laps over me.
My agitation calms. I look at Ryder and address the real worry sitting in the corner of my mind. “To find out what we need to know about this guy, we’re talking hours through official channels.”
“Yeah.” Ryder’s voice is hard.
“We can’t wait hours.” The words sound flat, in direct contrast to the riot of fear and desperation roiling inside me.
“Want me to call Buchanan?” Shane picks up his phone. “I’ll take care of the tab.”
Logan Buchanan is a friend of Shane’s who owns a successful and very expensive private security firm. Shane uses him for background checks and company business, but he comes in handy for special projects.
It’s not even a question. I will take any measure necessary to find her. “Make the call.”
Shane presses a number, putting the ringing cell on speaker.
Thirty seconds later, Logan answers with a deep, gruff, “Hey.”
“We’ve got a situation and need information ASAP,” Shane says, not exchanging any pleasantries. “Cost is not a factor.”
“Got it.” Logan’s tone is clipped and all business.
“I’m going to turn it over to Charlie,” Shane says.
I spend the next fifteen minutes filling him in, and twenty minutes later, Logan is back on the phone, telling us he got a line on a hunting cabin Decker rented a couple months ago deep in the woods on the outskirts of the county.
The intel sends my instincts flaring to life.
I lock eyes with Ryder. “This has to be it.”
Ryder’s brows furrow. “It’s a lead, but for all we know, the guy could be across state lines already.”
“True, but it’s a trail.” I point at Sam to emphasize my point.
Ryder’s expression is still skeptical.
I’m already itching to get in my car and drive like the devil is chasing me to find her, but I must not let my fear take over.
That won’t help Jessica. “Would he risk driving aimlessly with a woman in his vehicle? Where would he be driving to? He hasn’t used his cards anywhere, nor has he taken cash out of an ATM.
He’s a resident of Revival. Between the gossip mill and Jessica, I assume he knows I’m the sheriff.
Wouldn’t he be paranoid about the BOLO we put out on him? ”
“It’s a lot of fucking assumptions,” Ryder says, his mouth bracketed by harsh lines.
“This is the place,” I say, then look at Sam for confirmation.
His gaze gets that unfocused look again, then he nods. “Feels right.”
A wild, untamed hope rushes through my blood. “She has to be there.”
Ryder scrubs a hand over her jaw. “I hope so.”
For the first time since this nightmare began, I feel steady. Certain in the way that has kept me alive my entire life. She’s there.
I return to the phone call. “Who owns the cabin?”
There’s a pause before Logan’s no-nonsense voice says, “A guy named Ford Shaw. Lives in Revival. I’ll text you his primary.”
“Thanks.” The name isn’t someone I’m familiar with. To the rest of the room, I ask, “Anyone know anything about Ford Shaw?”
Ryder shakes his head.
“Never heard of him,” Mitch says.
Sam’s forehead creases. “Guy doesn’t like people.”
I shift my attention to him. “Do you know this because you know him? Or from the cosmos?”
Sam crosses his arms over his chest. “He comes in occasionally, always on odd nights. Moved here a couple years ago. He’s reclusive, lives on the outskirts of town, and isn’t talkative. You’ve probably seen him around. He’s about our age, tall, dark hair, rugged, has a beard.”
My mind’s too scattered to comb through my memory of Revival citizens, and it doesn’t matter right now. All that matters is that he’s the key to finding Jessica.
I straighten. “All right. Let’s pay Ford Shaw a visit.”
I don’t care what I need to do. I will find Jessica. I will burn this place to the ground and leave no stone unturned until she’s back in my arms where she belongs.
And when she’s there, I’m never going to let her go.