Lantern Beach Mysteries Box Set

by Christy Barritt

  As soon as the men disappeared, Del turned toward Cassidy. Her eyes looked so serious and intense that Cassidy braced herself.

  “Listen, Cassidy,” Del started. “I know what you’re hiding.”

  The blood left Cassidy’s face. How in the world did Del know her secret? Fear pulsed through her veins. Had Del recognized Cassidy from the pictures circulating online? Or had she missed something?

  “You do?” Cassidy’s lungs froze as she considered how she should react. As she ran through scenarios and protocols and fought panic.

  Deny, deny, deny.

  Then run, run, run.

  It was the only thing that made sense.

  Del nodded, her lips drawn together with concern. “You don’t have to pretend, Cassidy. I know you and Ty aren’t as serious as you let on.”

  Cassidy released a breath of relief. Her and Ty. Of course.

  Her mind had gone to the worst places.

  If it would have been appropriate, Cassidy would have laughed with giddiness. Instead, she remained straight-faced. “Me and Ty? Why would you think that?”

  “I’m a woman. I have intuition. I figured Ty probably wanted me to feel better about him being here alone.”

  Cassidy didn’t say anything for fear of saying the wrong thing. Instead, she waited for Del to continue.

  “It’s okay, Cassidy. I think it’s sweet. And I think the two of you are great together. I haven’t seen him look at someone the way he looks at you in a long time. Maybe not ever.” She patted Cassidy’s cheek. “Just don’t break his heart, okay?”

  That familiar remorse swirled through Cassidy like a whirlpool in the ocean that destroyed everything in its current. “Okay.”

  But her promise caused another round of regret because Cassidy knew she could never be with Ty, not with the secrets—the lies—she was hiding.

  “And let’s stay in touch,” Del said. “I have your number now.”

  Cassidy forced a smile, wishing more than anything she didn’t have a whole other life in Seattle holding her back. “I’d like that. I really admire your strength, Del.”

  “It doesn’t come from myself. I have a joy that I choose. I know that whatever my circumstance, there’s more to this life than what we can see. It really helps to put life in perspective.”

  Cassidy wished she could find that joy despite her circumstances.

  The men lumbered back downstairs with the rest of the bags, and everyone began hugging goodbye. Cassidy’s heart lurched as Ty held his mom close. She couldn’t even fathom what they were going through right now.

  It seemed like a shame that a family who loved each other so much was facing such a crisis while Cassidy’s broken family remained untouched by disease or catastrophe.

  Cassidy gave more hugs before waving to Frank and Del as they pulled away.

  And then she and Ty turned toward each other, the awkwardness between them more uncomfortable than a blistering sunburn.

  “I didn’t think you were going to come,” Ty said, his eyes full of questions.

  “I promised I would.”

  He shifted, and Cassidy knew exactly where this conversation was going—somewhere she didn’t want it to.

  “Look, Cassidy, about last night—” he started.

  “Could we just pretend it didn’t happen?” Cassidy rushed, trying to forget the feel of his lips on hers and the way her heart raced.

  Ty stared at her. “That’s not going to be easy.”

  She stepped closer, then realized what a bad idea that was, and scooted back again, nearly hitting the post behind her. “But it’s possible.”

  Ty lowered his voice to a more intimate level as those intense eyes hooked her and reeled her in. “Are you saying you didn’t feel what I did?”

  Cassidy’s throat ached, and her lips tingled as she remembered their kiss again. Their connection. Her overwhelming—but unwelcomed—feelings. “No, I’m not saying that, but . . . I just can’t go there right now. I have some things I need to work out.”

  Ty’s eyes were swells of emotion and questions, but he finally nodded. “I understand. And I can respect your choice.”

  “Thank you, Ty.”

  Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Her burner phone. She hadn’t wanted to miss any calls, so she’d brought it with her.

  Cassidy swallowed hard, knowing it was either Samuel or Ryan calling. She glanced at the screen. “Look, I’ve got to take this. It’s . . . from someone back home. We’ll talk later?”

  “Let’s do that. Because Skye is still out there somewhere, and every minute that she’s gone makes the bad feeling in my gut grow.”

  Cassidy’s also.

  Which was why she needed to take this call.

  Cassidy waited until she was sure she was out of earshot of Ty before answering. Her hands trembled as she huddled beneath her own home and accepted the call.

  It was Samuel.

  He was calling at six a.m. Seattle time. What if he had something bad to report? Her life—her future—would look so different if he did.

  But Cassidy had to face the truth.

  “Good morning.” The words sounded dull as they left her lips, but Cassidy couldn’t force any fake cheerfulness. No, not with this conversation.

  “Hey, Cassidy. I haven’t found out anything yet about your second request about the woman in Seattle. I’m working on it, and I have a decent lead.”

  As Cassidy’s stomach sank, her spirits rose. How could her emotions be so conflicting? At least there was hope for some answers . . . eventually.

  “But I was able to trace that cell phone number you gave me.”

  Cassidy gripped the phone tighter, pausing by her stairs. “And?”

  “And I’m going to send you the last known location. The phone is dead now. No signal. But maybe you knew that already.”

  “An address would be great.” More than great. It would be her first decent lead.

  “Do I need to remind you about the importance of not blowing your cover?”

  She stared back at Ty’s house, and regret filled her. She desperately wanted to stop living this life. But she couldn’t. Not yet. “No, I remember.”

  “So when I send you this information, you need to promise to be wise. We need you for the trial, Cassidy. Your testimony is going to send these guys away for life.”

  “I know. Believe me, I know.” The weight of her responsibility pressed on her constantly.

  “Okay, then. I’ll send the address as soon as I hang up.”

  “Thank you, Samuel.”

  As soon as Cassidy hit End, she waited, staring at the screen. A minute later, an address popped up there.

  It was on Ocracoke. The next island over. By ferry.

  She stole one last glance at Ty’s place.

  More than anything, she wanted to tell him what she’d discovered. But how would she explain how she got this address?

  Cassidy couldn’t. At least, she couldn’t without explaining a lot more, and she’d just promised Samuel she wouldn’t do that.

  Besides, she was a seasoned cop. She could handle looking into this. It was what she did—put herself on the line to protect others.

  With that thought, Cassidy hurried inside, grabbed her gun, and took off.

  Chapter 23

  Cassidy had to wait an hour for the ferry to arrive at the docks and then the trip over to Ocracoke took another forty-five minutes.

  All in all, it was taking entirely too long to get to where she needed to be. With every minute that passed, anxiety tried to grip her. Finally, Cassidy arrived at the neighboring island and drove down a long stretch of seashore toward the marina.

  Cassidy’s gun was stashed in her purse, just in case she needed it. Going solo wasn’t her favorite way to approach these things—having a partner to back her up was so much nicer. But that wasn’t an option right now.

  She parked in a public lot near the bustling village, and, after checking Skye’s last known location again, she secured
her purse in the trunk. Should she take her gun?

  Not yet, she decided.

  First, she’d take a lay of the land and decide on a plan of action.

  She stepped from her car and took the sidewalk toward the harbor.

  In a stand at the end of the sidewalk stood Cassidy’s bike. The rusty beach cruiser that Skye had borrowed had been chained there.

  Skye had definitely been here.

  But where was her friend now?

  Cassidy walked over to an old building on the edge of the area, a place with peeling white paint and rusty old boat parts. Using the structure to conceal herself, she peered out.

  Four boats were directly across from the bike. Huge boats that probably cost millions. This must be a deep water dock if it could hold boats that large.

  Where did she even start? She couldn’t charge onboard any of these vessels and demand answers from the owners. But her gut told her that Skye was close.

  Maybe Cassidy would just sit tight and watch. It seemed like the only option right now that wouldn’t get her arrested or killed.

  Before she could take a step, someone grabbed her arm. She started to turn, but, before she could, something pricked her neck. And everything went black around her.

  Ty pounded on Cassidy’s door again. It was no use. She was gone. He’d known she probably wasn’t home when he saw that her car was missing, but he wanted to confirm.

  He bit back his disappointment—and his worry.

  Cassidy didn’t have to run her schedule past Ty. Not at all. She was her own woman, and that was another thing he liked about her.

  But they’d been unofficial partners this week. And he was concerned. Something dangerous was going on around this island, and he didn’t want to see Cassidy in the middle of it. Elsa was still here, so she wasn’t working.

  He let out a sigh and tried to recalculate his plans for the day. He had to stay busy or he’d think too much about his mom and her upcoming appointment. Worry would creep in. With every minute that passed, his concern for Skye deepened as well.

  He drove past the Crazy Chefette, and Cassidy’s car wasn’t there so he kept going until he reached the old lighthouse. Austin was working on restoring the place, and Ty sometimes helped him. Since they’d run out of options as to where to find Skye, his friend had resumed his work on this project.

  Austin didn’t look happy as he pounded nails into the wall. In fact, each stroke of the hammer was twice as forceful as it needed to be. His usually upbeat music didn’t play in the background, and even his neck muscles looked tight.

  He stopped when Ty walked in.

  “Something happened,” Austin stated, obviously interpreting Ty’s body language.

  Ty shook his head. “No, not really. No updates.”

  Austin let out a sigh and started hammering again, a little harder than necessary. “I couldn’t sleep so I decided to get to work. I was hoping there would be an update on Skye.”

  Ty helped hold up the piece of wood Austin hammered. “I know. Me too.”

  “Skye didn’t hurt that man,” Austin said. “I heard the rumors that are circulating—rumors that Skye has a criminal record.”

  “We both know she does, Austin,” Ty said quietly, as if anyone else was around to listen. “She talked about it at Bible study.”

  “Yeah, but not everyone knows the details. They don’t realize that she’s changed—really changed.”

  “It was breaking and entering,” Ty said.

  If people didn’t know the backstory, they might think Skye had been a troublemaker. In truth, she’d broken into her boyfriend’s house because she thought he was in trouble. He’d been threatening to overdose after Skye gave him an ultimatum: stop doing drugs or she’d walk away.

  Her boyfriend’s parents had caught her. They hadn’t approved of their relationship, so they’d called the police and pressed charges.

  “I was with her before she went to Buddy’s house on Monday, you know,” Austin said.

  Ty’s gaze swung toward him. “You were? She said she had a meeting.”

  “Yeah, she did. With me.”

  Ty shifted and readjusted his hold on the wood. “Do you mind if I ask what it was about?”

  Austin shrugged and swung his hammer again. “No, I already told Bozeman. Skye was thinking about trying to do some updates at the van stand. But, even if I just charged her for the materials, it was still out of her budget.”

  “Did she want that because she was feeling the squeeze from having competition across the street?”

  “I think so. She was having trouble paying her bills and needed to increase her profit—especially before winter came and all the tourists left.”

  Ty frowned, realizing just how desperate Skye must have been feeling. “I didn’t realize things were so tight.”

  “Yeah, that Buddy guy really messed her up.”

  So what did that have to do with his disappearance? Anything?

  That was what Ty had been working so hard to find out.

  When Cassidy came to, she was lying prone on the floor with a splitting headache.

  She pushed herself up on her elbows, something about the setup all too familiar.

  She blinked, trying to let her gaze come back into focus. Where was she?

  Carpet scratched her fingertips, and a swaying motion made nausea roil in her.

  “Cassidy?” someone said.

  She pulled her head up, but the pulsing was worse than ever. She blinked again. Was that . . .

  “Skye?”

  Skye knelt beside Cassidy, her dark hair falling in her face. “I wasn’t sure you were going to ever wake up.”

  Cassidy forced herself upright to a seated position, but the pulsing and nausea only got worse with each movement. She felt like death. Or worse. If that was possible.

  “Where . . . ? What . . . ?” She glanced around, but everything was blurry.

  Skye grasped her arms, worry staining her gaze. “I don’t know. We’re in a boat. A big one. They threw you in here about three hours ago. You’ve been passed out the whole time.”

  Everything started to return to Cassidy. Watching the boat. Waiting. Feeling a prick on her neck.

  She’d been drugged, she realized.

  All the moisture evaporated from her throat.

  Skye thrust a bottle into her hand. “Here’s some water. Maybe you should take a sip. You don’t look good.”

  Cassidy’s hands went to her head as everything spun. Feeling the bottle in her hands, she took a long drink.

  “How did you get here, Skye?” She didn’t have time to wait for the haze to clear. She needed answers.

  Skye frowned and sat across from Cassidy, pulling her knees to her chest. “Someone wanted to meet with me about becoming an investor in my stand.”

  There was so much wrong with that statement, but Cassidy tried to give her friend the benefit of the doubt. “Why did he—or she—want to do that?”

  “He said they wanted to invest in locals. He asked to meet with me, so we could discuss more.”

  “No warning bells went off?” Cassidy took another sip of water, wishing the pounding in her head would stop.

  “No. I mean, maybe.” Skye shrugged, her exotic features marred by red blotches and dull eyes. “Cassidy, I didn’t have money to buy any new produce from my growers. It was already tight, but with the rain this week and the accusations against me . . . I was feeling hopeless.”

  “You should have come to us,” Cassidy said. “We would have helped.”

  “I know. But I know you don’t have that much cash either. I mean, you sell ice cream.”

  Cassidy shrugged, unable to argue. Yet she knew the truth. “We could have figured something out.”

  “Maybe. But the fact was that this guy’s offer sounded like exactly what I was looking for. I left last night so I could meet him.”

  “Without telling anyone?” Wasn’t that the number one rule when meeting with strangers? Always tell someone. I
f it wasn’t a rule, it should be. Cassidy had seen too many people—women, mostly—disappear for good when meeting for an online ad or internet dating match.

  “He asked that the meeting remain quiet. Said he didn’t like to advertise his business deals before the fact. It made sense. I guess.” Skye sucked in a shaky breath and stared off in the distance. “So I borrowed your bike.”

  “Why didn’t you take your car?”

  “I didn’t have any gas. I figured it would be a nice little trip. I biked to the ferry, took it over here to Ocracoke, and then biked to the boat. It wasn’t really that bad—except for the rain.”

  Skye’s logic was the least of her concerns right now. “What happened when you got here, Skye?”

  “I walked on the boat and into the interior, just like the investor instructed.” She swallowed hard, her eyes welling with tears again. “The next thing I knew, a bag was pulled over my head and I felt a pinch at my neck. I woke up down here.”

  A pinch at her neck? That was what Cassidy had felt also. “Who did this to you?”

  Skye’s eyes met hers. “I have no idea, nor do I have any idea how to get out of here. These guys threatened to kill me, Cassidy. And now they’re going to kill you too.”

  Chapter 24

  “You have no idea who’s behind this?” Cassidy asked, her chest deflating. She’d come this far, yet still had no answers. She’d hoped for more. “Do you know anything about who did this?”

  Skye shook her head, her eyes still glassy with moisture. “I wish I did. But, it’s like I said, they put a hood over my head, so I couldn’t see anything. This guy has men to do his bidding. I didn’t recognize his voice.”

  Cassidy shifted her focus to what Skye might actually know. “Did he say why he grabbed you?”

  “He said he wants me to help him with his business.”

  Cassidy nodded, putting at least two pieces of the puzzles together. “He wanted you to sell his drugs—inside your fruit.”

  Skye blinked. “He mentioned something about that. How did you know?”

  “Ty and I have been doing some investigating. A lot has happened since you left.”