Lantern Beach Mysteries Box Set

by Christy Barritt

“You can come to my place.” Cassidy questioned her offer as soon as it left her lips. Yet she didn’t take the words back. No, these women needed somewhere safe to hide, and her house was as good as any. She’d have to deal with the repercussions of her offer later.

  “I think we should do it,” Trina said, scarfing down some crackers and a diet soda. “It’s like you said. The car could come back. We can’t risk it.”

  “I still don’t trust her.” Rose didn’t bother to disguise her wariness towards Cassidy. “She’s hiding something. I can see it in her eyes. This could all be a trap.”

  “If this was a trap, you’d already be caught.” Cassidy had to admit that the woman had enough street smarts to unnerve her. Of all the people Cassidy had met, Rose had the most potential to unearth the truth about Cassidy’s past. And she’d just invited the woman into her home. “I don’t know how else to convince you. There’s nothing in this for me.”

  Cassidy stood and waited.

  Rose remained quiet, her narrowed eyes still on Cassidy.

  Cassidy couldn’t stay here all night trying to convince them. She needed to force their decision. “You know what? Forget it. You can all stay here. I’m not going to twist your arms and make you do anything you’re not comfortable with. I just need my gun back, and I’ll be going.”

  Cassidy held out her hand, waiting for Rose to hand it over. Rose continued to stare at her.

  “Rose . . .” Kat’s voice cracked with desperation. “You know we need help. We’re not going to make it much longer here on our own. We have no money, no car, no food. Nothing. Besides, this place is hot and dirty, and we have no running water.”

  Rose slowly shook her head. “If those guys find us . . .”

  “I think we can trust her,” Trina added. “What choice do we have? Besides, Kat needs help. Maybe more help than we can give her. What good does it do to escape from the Cobra but to die while hiding out?”

  Whatever the story was behind these women showing up here, it grew more and more intriguing. Cassidy hoped they’d share it soon. And she hoped they’d accept her help.

  Cassidy nodded. “Your friend needs a safer—cleaner—place to recover.”

  “I say we do it, Rose.” Trina’s gaze implored Rose.

  “Quiet!” Rose began pacing the kitchen, her shoes making a sticking sound each time they touched the floor. “I need to think.”

  Cassidy edged closer to the door. “Well, I’m out of here. I just need my gun.”

  “I don’t want to give you this gun,” Rose snapped. “Might need it.”

  “No, I might need it, and it’s registered to me.” Cassidy had actually scraped off the serial number, but no one else needed to know that.

  Rose paused, her nostrils flaring. With a touch of hesitancy, she stretched out her arm and handed the gun back to Cassidy

  “Fine,” Rose said, her voice low. “We’ll go with you. But don’t make me regret it, Ice Cream Woman.”

  Cassidy hid a smile. Maybe slowly but surely the woman would trust her. Maybe.

  “We should get moving before that car comes back,” Cassidy said. “Let’s go.”

  Back at Cassidy’s house, she put Kat and Trina into the spare bedroom with twin beds. Rose would stay in the third bedroom, the one with the queen-sized bed, but the woman didn’t appear ready to sleep. Cassidy really wanted to talk to her and find out more information, if she would open up.

  And that was a big if.

  It was nearly morning anyway, and sleep wouldn’t be happening for Cassidy. Thankfully, she’d learned to survive on little rest during her beat-cop days.

  Rose hadn’t eaten back at the house—she’d let the other ladies have the snacks. That had to be a sign that she wasn’t all rough edges. So Cassidy fixed her a sandwich and pushed it toward her.

  Rose hadn’t said anything, just eaten it quickly, gulping down two bottles of water as she did.

  “Do you want to fill me in?” Cassidy sat across the dining room table from her, tamping down her need for answers.

  “The less you know, the better.” She took another bite.

  Cassidy noted the vast difference between how Rose looked now and how she’d looked in the pictures online. The woman almost looked emaciated.

  “It’s going to be hard for me to help you if I don’t know details,” Cassidy finally said.

  “You can help us by not telling anyone we’re here.”

  “I already told you I wouldn’t.” Cassidy stared at the woman, who wiped her mouth with the back of her hand then took another long sip of water. “You were on that raft that washed ashore, weren’t you?”

  Rose didn’t say anything, which meant yes.

  Cassidy rubbed the edge of the table where a piece of the vinyl overlay had bubbled. “What kind of circumstance made you go to such desperate lengths?”

  Rose’s gaze fluttered up to hers again before hardening as she turned back to her food. “You wouldn’t understand.”

  Cassidy knew she’d never convince her with lies. Instead, she said, “You don’t have to talk to me, Rose. It’s not a prerequisite for you staying here. But I have no intention of hurting you in any way. I’m just a simple island girl who sells ice cream and happens to carry a gun for my protection. I know a thing or two about how evil mankind can be. I’ve seen it firsthand. I’ve lived it out. So if you want to talk, I’m here, and I’d be more than happy to try and help in any way I can. You seem like you could use all the help you could get right now.”

  Rose only grunted.

  “To be honest, I got involved with some bad people. It’s one of the reasons I came here. I had to get away and turn my life around.”

  Rose stared at the table a minute before looking up, that same defiant look in her eyes. Cassidy was sure she was going to remain silent.

  To her surprise, Rose said, “We were abducted. All three of us.”

  Cassidy’s heart pounded harder. “I’m . . . sorry to hear that.”

  “This man kept us on an island. They called him the Cobra. He was going to sell us to the highest bidder. He made that clear.”

  Cassidy’s stomach churned. “But then . . .”

  “But then we escaped.” Rose’s face tightened. “We washed ashore. Here, of all places.”

  Cassidy tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

  “I heard the Cobra talking about this place. Apparently, he comes here to do business. I don’t know how regularly. I just know this was the last place we wanted to wash up. Virginia Beach . . . we might have had a chance to blend in. But I’m afraid he’ll find us here.”

  “So you actually heard him mention Lantern Beach?” Cassidy clarified.

  “That’s right. He had some business here. He also mentioned stopping in Myrtle Beach.”

  “I guess you found that abandoned house after you washed ashore,” Cassidy said, trying to put together a mental timeline.

  “That’s right. We knew that the Cobra was going to try and track us down. He thinks of us as property. Valuable property. Do you know how much money he can make off one of us? A lot. Unlike drugs, he can keep selling us over and over again.”

  Cassidy wanted to reach across the table and grab her hand. But she couldn’t. The action would only scare Rose.

  “That’s horrible, Rose. But I don’t understand why we can’t go to the police with this. They can help you.”

  She forcefully shook her head, her walls reassembling at record speed. “You don’t know anything.”

  “Then tell me. Help me see.”

  Rose leaned closer. “Cassidy, the police are a part of this whole scheme. They say they’ll help, but they’ll really just sell us right back into the life we escaped.”

  Chapter 12

  14 Weeks Earlier

  Cady couldn’t stop thinking about the sound she’d heard in the building at DH-7’s headquarters.

  If Sloan hadn’t caught her hovering outside the doorway, Cady would have checked it out.

  Since th
en, she’d been waiting for the right time and the right opportunity.

  That chance came the next day when most of the DH-7 members went to confront a rival gang in the deep recess of the night. Cady had a different assignment—she needed to deliver some drugs to a dealer across town. And she would to keep her cover. However, there was something she needed to do first.

  She waited fifteen minutes after they left before she made her move.

  Then Cady went down the hallway and found that same door.

  The same tap sounded, like someone was sending an SOS.

  After looking up and down the hallway for signs of anyone watching, Cady twisted the handle. It was locked. Of course.

  But she’d expected that, and she’d come prepared. From her pocket, she pulled out two metal rods she’d found in an old tool box and began working them within the lock. A moment later, a click sounded.

  She’d done it. The door was unlocked.

  Just as she was about to push the door open, a footstep echoed in the distance.

  She shoved the tools back into her pocket and slipped inside the doorway across the hall. An old janitor’s closet that smelled like bleach surrounded her. Something scampered across her feet.

  She held back a gasp.

  Through the crack, she watched.

  Sloan paced past.

  Her heart pounded harder. Why had he stayed behind and not gone with everyone else?

  He kept walking, but his gaze indicated he was looking for something. Someone.

  Cady?

  Her heart pounded harder. What if he was onto her? If he’d come to find her, to torture her until the truth bled out along with her life force?

  She’d known when she accepted this assignment that it could turn deadly. But facing death . . . it wasn’t something she was prepared for. She still had too much life left.

  Besides, she hadn’t even found Lucy’s killer, her whole reason for becoming a cop. Her best friend needed justice.

  The footsteps faded. She waited three full minutes, counting out each second, until she finally opened the door and scanned the corridor.

  Sloan was gone.

  She slipped out and hurried across the hall. She didn’t have the luxury of hesitating this time. Her hand went to the knob, and she twisted it. The door opened, and Cady slipped inside the space.

  Her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness.

  But what she saw made her want to lose her lunch.

  It was a roomful of women. Six of them.

  And each were chained like prisoners to a pipe running across the center of the wall.

  Chapter 13

  Today’s Goals: Help these women. Find answers about the Cobra. Buy more ice cream.

  Cassidy hadn’t slept all night. No, she’d stayed on the couch and run everything through her mind repeatedly.

  These poor women. She couldn’t even imagine everything they’d been through. She only knew one thing: she needed to keep them safe and assist them in finding the help they needed.

  All the while maintaining a low profile herself. That was one of the hardest tasks of them all.

  As the sun began to rise, Cassidy stepped onto her deck with a cup of coffee in hand. The day would be another scorcher. In fact, it was already downright hot outside.

  In her fitful, pathetic attempt to rest, all she’d been able to think about were Rose, Trina, and Kat.

  Who could be behind the abduction of these women? Someone with power. Someone who knew this area. Someone who probably wasn’t whom he seemed.

  Her mind raced through the possibilities. Could it be Martin Chaser, the racecar driver? Smith Anderson, the TV personality who just happened to be in town and possibly trying to build a hotel against the wishes of the locals? Or what about the parade coordinator, Niles Something-or-other? According to Serena, he’d shown an unusual interest in the raft.

  Cassidy didn’t know, but all three of those men seemed worth checking out.

  As she leaned against the railing, her phone buzzed. She looked down at the screen and saw that it was Ty. Her heart jumped with excitement, followed quickly by dread.

  Again, the familiar questions haunted her. Had Ty told Renee he loved her, as Renee had claimed? That the two of them deserved to be together? Did Renee have anything to do with Ty’s silence when he’d left for six days without telling Cassidy why?

  Cassidy knew one thing: modern dating was the pits. If she was smart, she would be content to simply remain single the rest of her life.

  And she might have been okay with that.

  Before she met Ty.

  She read his message.

  Ty: Hi

  Cassidy stared at her phone. It seemed so out of character for Ty to text something so . . . casual. Despite that, she typed back: How are you feeling?

  That seemed safe and noncommittal enough.

  Ty: I’ve been better.

  Cassidy: Good thing Renee is there to take care of you.

  Cassidy’s stomach turned as she typed the words. She wasn’t one for relationship drama, but she hadn’t been able to resist the quip.

  Ty: It’s not like you think.

  Maybe that was Cassidy’s problem. She’d thought too much. Assumed too much. Let her heart roam a little too freely.

  Cassidy: It’s none of my business.

  But, oh did she want to know! What was their story? What was going on in Ty’s head?

  Ty: Can we talk sometime?

  Cassidy didn’t want to get into the middle of anything. But Ty was her friend.

  Her emotions churned inside her. Cassidy was just going to have to take the mature route here. Act like the friend she’d agreed to be.

  Finally, she typed back: Of course. I just don’t want to make your fiancée uncomfortable.

  Ty: You’re impossible.

  Cassidy: And I’m impressed with your grammatical texting skills. You know the difference between you’re and your. Keep up the good work.

  She couldn’t resist the jab. Besides, jabs helped her to maintain her emotional distance—and she needed that right now.

  Ty: Your so funny.

  Cassidy read his intentional mistake and shook her head. At least he still had his sense of humor.

  Cassidy: Good one. We’ll go over there, they’re, and their later.

  Ty: I’m looking forward to it.

  Cassidy smiled and typed: You convinced me. I’ll stop by later. Do you need anything?

  Ty: My sanity.

  Cassidy: I can’t help you with that.

  Ty: You might be surprised.

  She smiled again and slipped her phone back into her pocket.

  She’d go visit him sometime during her ice cream route this morning. But first she wanted to talk to Rose again.

  Rose wandered from her room an hour later looking a little more rested and not quite as rough around the edges. At least for the moment.

  Cassidy sensed a brokenness about the woman. She recognized it because that same brokenness lingered inside her also. Only Cassidy didn’t display it by getting in trouble or rebelling. No, she’d dealt with it by continually pushing herself to be the best. With sleepless nights where the minutes ticked by and made her wonder how she could have done things better. How she could do life better.

  Casting those thoughts aside, Cassidy stood from the couch where she’d been writing out a grocery list. “Can I make you some breakfast? Bacon and eggs?”

  Rose’s eyes lit as hunger temporarily broke down her walls. “Don’t go out of your way.”

  Cassidy took that as a yes.

  The woman reminded Cassidy of a caged pit bull she’d once rescued from a house. The dog had seemed ferocious at first, but all it took was some food and a little loving before the dog warmed up and lost the wild look in its eyes.

  Despite that thought, Cassidy couldn’t help but notice the knife protruding from the back pocket of the woman’s jeans. She had to remain on guard.

  Rose sat at the breakfast bar as Cassidy
began pulling out some pans.

  “How’d you sleep?” Cassidy asked, trying to make conversation.

  Rose raked a hand through her mop of long, dark hair and scowled. “None of your business.”

  “That’s good to hear.” Cassidy pretended the woman hadn’t made the jab. Instead, she grabbed the butter, eggs, and bacon from the fridge. “Have you checked on Kat? I didn’t want to wake her.”

  She expected her to say “mind your own business” again. Instead, Rose said, “She’s sleeping like a baby.”

  “That’s great news.” Cassidy filled the pan with strips of bacon and listened to them sizzle. As they continued to cook, she poured Rose a cup of coffee. “Cream and sugar?”

  “Just black.”

  Cassidy drew in a deep breath before launching into her next question. The chances of getting an answer were fifty-fifty. “Do you have relatives looking for you, Rose?”

  The lines on her face grew more rigid. “Why do you want to know?”

  “Because I have to ask questions and get some answers to figure out how to best help you.”

  She said nothing for a minute. As she waited, the scent of bacon made Cassidy’s own stomach grumble, even though she’d eaten an hour ago.

  “My family doesn’t really care,” Rose finally said.

  “I can understand that.”

  Rose snorted. “I’m sure you can.”

  “No, I really can. My parents relegated my care to nannies and strangers. If I disappeared . . . they probably wouldn’t notice for a while.” The admission was probably too honest, but Cassidy said it anyway.

  In fact, her parents hadn’t noticed. It had taken more than a month. Then they’d hired her ex-boyfriend to find her.

  Cassidy was still trying to come to terms with all of it.

  Cassidy hadn’t intended on sharing all of that with Rose, but now that she had, she hoped it didn’t come back to bite her later.

  “How about the other ladies?” Cassidy flipped the bacon, trying to sound casual.

  “You’re not a cop, are you?”

  Cassidy’s shoulders tensed. “Why would you ask that?”