Night Watch

by Susan Sleeman

  Erik didn’t want to waste time with crating Pong in the condo. He loaded him into his truck and set off for Kennedy’s place under the star-filled night with dark clouds on the horizon. As the miles flew past, his mind raced with questions. How would this news impact her? Would it change anything for them? He couldn’t see how, but at least she would know her mother hadn’t been murdered.

  Kennedy would still leave him, still follow Finley. But at least he’d get to see her one more time before she was gone forever. It would be painful and joyous at the same time. Hopefully the joy would outweigh the pain.

  He pressed his foot to the gas pedal. Racing down the roads with little traffic, he made the trip in twenty minutes.

  “C’mon, boy,” he said to Pong, and they exited.

  Pong had no idea where they were going, but he must’ve been picking up on Erik’s excitement as he was pulling at the leash, which he rarely did.

  A light was still burning at the marina. Maybe the manager was working late. Erik crossed the bridge and arrived at Kennedy’s place to find the door slightly ajar. His heart rate kicked up. Their suspect was in county lockup, so what was going on? Even if Kennedy had already left with Finley, she wouldn’t leave the door open.

  He tied Pong’s leash to the railing. “Stay.” He drew his gun and pushed on the door. It swung inward with a groan.

  Her purse lay on the floor, her phone on the table. She wouldn’t leave them behind if she’d hadn’t gone into WITSEC. He checked her purse. Her gun was gone.

  Had something bad happened again?

  He had to know. Find her. Now!

  He didn’t call out but moved room to room, up the stairs, each space empty and undisturbed just as it had been the night of the intruder. No sign of an altercation. Other than her purse on the floor and her missing gun.

  A wave of fear washed over him. He rushed to the deck. The boat was gone. Had Kennedy taken it? No, she wouldn’t take a leisure trip in the night, would she? She’d never been into boating other than using it as a way to reach her diving locations. Surely, she wouldn’t go diving on her own. And especially not at night.

  On the other hand, this could be her last chance to dive before going into hiding.

  He raced to the outdoor closet and jimmied the lock open with his pocket knife. Her diving equipment was inside. Okay. She wasn’t diving.

  Where was she?

  “Kennedy. Are you here?” he called out.

  No answer. None.

  “Kennedy.” He cupped his hands around his mouth. “Kennedy!”

  He shone his phone’s flashlight along the edge of the deck, searching the water, the current moving faster than normal. He looked up. The clouds had shifted overhead. A storm was coming, and she could be in even more trouble.

  He tapped the contact list until he found Finley’s name and dialed. The call rang five times and went to voicemail.

  He dialed the Veritas Center.

  “Pete,” Erik said when the guard answered. “It’s Erik. Has Kennedy shown up there tonight?”

  “Sorry. No.”

  Erik hung up and called Finley again. Still no answer. Were they together somewhere? Maybe at Finley’s place? Or had they indeed been relocated already? But why did Kennedy leave her phone? True, she’d get a new one and new ID anyway, so maybe she didn’t care.

  He needed to be sure she was okay.

  Finley’s place. He had the address from their research. He’d go there to check.

  He bolted through the house and grabbed Pong’s leash. They hurried to the lot, but Erik made a detour to the marina door. The same guy Erik had talked to before answered his knock.

  “You again,” he said.

  “My girlfriend is missing. Wanda’s daughter. Kennedy. Do you know her?”

  He nodded.

  “You see her today?” Erik asked.

  “In the morning. She stopped by to tell me she would be leaving and wanted to sell her mom’s place. She said a guy would contact me about it.”

  “And you didn’t see her after that?” Erik had to work hard to keep the panic out of his tone.

  He shook his head.

  “Anyone strange or unusual go through the lot tonight?”

  “Not that I noticed. I don’t know all the cars, but nothing suspicious.”

  “Did you hear a boat take off from the vicinity of her place?”

  “Heard a motor, but it’s hard to tell the location. Sound travels on the water.”

  “When was that?”

  He tapped his chin. “I’m not sure. An hour ago. Maybe less.”

  “How long are you going to be here?” Erik asked. “In case I need your help.”

  Villanueva glanced at his watch. “I can hang around for another hour or so.”

  “I’m going to run to her sister’s place. Give me your phone number so, if I find her, I can call you.”

  He handed a card to Erik. “And I got your card in case she shows up here.”

  “Thanks, man.” Erik turned to go.

  “Hey, one more thing,” Villanueva called out. “I remembered seeing that guy you told me about another time. And he was with another fella. They were arguing.”

  Erik spun to lock eyes on the manager. “Did you hear the conversation?”

  Villanueva shook his head. “Too far away, but I can tell you what he looked like. He was a big guy. Muscular. Wideset eyes. Black hair in a buzz cut.”

  Erik knew that description. He thumbed through the photos on his phone until he found the former Major Hess’s picture. “This the guy you saw?”

  “Yeah. Yeah. It’s him all right.”

  Erik couldn’t imagine how Miller and Hess were connected, but they were. This could account for them having found the team bracelet at the shooting.

  “Thanks.” Erik ran for the truck and texted Aiden to look into a connection between the two men. Erik darted through traffic as fast as he could to Finley’s apartment and pounded on the door.

  Pong sat and looked up at him, his body trembling. Erik’s distress was causing the dog to worry.

  “It’s okay, boy.” Erik squatted and stroked his head.

  “Who’s there?” Finley’s voice came from the other side of the door.

  “It’s Erik Byrd. Is Kennedy here?”

  Finley opened the door and scratched her head. “No. Why?”

  “She’s not at her place. She left her phone behind. Her gun is gone, and so is the boat. I’m worried someone might’ve forcibly taken her.”

  Finley’s face paled and she stepped back so he could enter. The one-bedroom apartment was neat and tidy and smelled like vanilla. The minute Erik and Pong stepped in, Pong went into search mode. He charged across the room to a black cat with a white nose and paws that sat on the sofa, warily watching him.

  “Sorry,” Erik said. “Pong is socialized, and he gets along great with cats, but he hasn’t seen one in some time.”

  Erik tugged on Pong’s leash, but the dog remained firmly planted and stared up at him. “You don’t have any flash drives or anything like that in the couch do you?”

  “No. Unless a friend dropped one when they visited.”

  “Mind if I look so I can get Pong to stand down?” Erik explained about Pong’s working dog status.

  Finley waved a hand. “Knock yourself out.”

  Erik moved to the couch.

  The cat eyed him and must’ve found him lacking, as it jumped down and strolled toward a scratching post in the corner. Pong followed the cat and sat next to it.

  “That’s weird.” Erik joined Pong and knelt next to him. “What is it, boy?”

  The cat circled around Erik’s back, rubbing softly against him, and Pong made the circle with the cat.

  “What are you doing, Pong?” Erik picked up the cat and something dangled on the collar, catching his attention. He flashed a look at Finley. “It’s a mini flash drive. Someone put it on the cat’s collar.”

  Finley hurried over to them. “Must’ve bee
n my mom.”

  He removed the collar and jumped up. “You have a computer with a USB port I can use?”

  “I’ll get my laptop.” Finley headed down the hallway.

  “Good boy, Pong.” Erik moved to a chair by the small breakfast table, and Pong trotted along. “I wish I had a reward for you, but I didn’t expect to need your services tonight.”

  As Erik waited, he looked around the space. She’d packed two suitcases and a few boxes. His gut tightened. These items served as a reminder that when he found Kennedy—and he would find her—she would be leaving. Leaving him. But at least she would be safe in WITSEC.

  Now? Now he just didn’t know.

  Finley returned and set her laptop on the table. Erik booted it up and plugged in the drive. It opened to reveal a document and a spreadsheet. He clicked on the document.

  “It’s a letter to you and Kennedy from your mom.” He started reading, and she looked over his shoulder.

  Wanda explained that she’d participated in a denture trial to raise money for medical bills. She wrote the letter in case anything went wrong so they would know about it and could make sure the company’s owner was held accountable. She said the spreadsheet held daily records she’d made about her blood pressure for inDents.

  And then she mentioned the owner’s name—Professor Oscar Edwards.

  “Edwards,” Erik said. “I should’ve leaned on that guy harder.”

  Finley looked at Erik. “Do you think he has Kennedy?”

  Did he? “I don’t know who else would.”

  “But why?”

  “Yeah, why? We have to figure the guy who was arrested is connected to Edwards, and maybe he doesn’t want her to identify him.”

  “But you saw him too.”

  “Right. I did. So why else would he take her, and more importantly, where would he take her?” He met Finley’s worried gaze. “Keep this flash drive safe. I’m going to call my brothers and one of them will be over to make sure you’re all right. The rest of us will find Kennedy.”

  He looked at the dog. “Come, Pong.”

  Erik’s furry buddy trotted over to him, his leash dangling. Erik picked it up, and they jogged to his truck. Erik dialed his brothers and got on the road as he waited for them all to join the call. He explained the situation. “I need one of you to provide a protection detail for Finley. The others gear up and grab the drone and my red helicopter with controller from my spare bedroom and meet me at the marina.”

  “I’ll handle the detail,” Brendan offered.

  “Thanks.”

  “What do you have planned for Kennedy?” Aiden asked.

  “Her boat is missing, and the manager said there was nothing suspicious in the parking lot. So I figure if someone took her, they went by boat. We don’t know which way they went, and we’ll need to scan both directions of the river. One of you can pilot the drone, and I’ll command the helicopter. I mounted a camera on the base.”

  “That only gives us a limited range,” Aiden said.

  And not a very long range at that. “I’ll see if the marina manager can arrange boats for us to use.”

  “We’ll load up and be there as fast as we can,” Clay said. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

  Erik wanted to snap at his brother, but he was right. If Erik could think of anything to do, he would do it. Stupid or not. “See you there.”

  He dialed the manager.

  “Did you find her?” Villanueva asked.

  “No, and I need your help. Could you get two boats that I can borrow in the next half hour?”

  “Boats? Hmm. Yeah, well. I have one. And I can knock on a few doors. Boat people stick together, so I’m sure someone will lend us another.”

  “Perfect,” Erik said. “I’m on my way.”

  He disconnected and glanced at Pong. “So what do you think, boy? Is she still on the river or did they just take the boat to a boat launch and then travel by car to some destination where he plans to kill her?”

  Pong whimpered.

  “I know. Why do that? If he’s going to kill her, why not just take care of her right there? Maybe he’s trying to avoid being seen at the marina.” Erik tapped his thumb on the wheel as he thought. “If that’s the case there would be a vehicle at the marina. Unless he was dropped off.”

  Pong sat up, his face alert.

  “If Oscar Edwards is involved, I can look up his registration and cruise the lot for his vehicle. Maybe see something inside to tell me what he’s planning to do.”

  Erik arrived at the lot and idled his vehicle near the entrance to look up Edwards’ vehicle registration information. Erik soon had the plate number for the guy’s black Toyota RAV4, and Erik cruised through the lot to search for it. He spotted the SUV in the back, far away from prying eyes.

  “Stay,” he said to Pong and got out to look inside.

  The wind had picked up, and it buffeted his body as he stepped up to the Toyota. The vehicle was empty. No weapons Erik could see. No restraints, tape, or ropes. But then if Edwards had taken Kennedy, he would have all of those items in hand.

  Erik hurried back to his truck to search the internet for any social media information to give Erik a clue where the guy might take her. He’d added a family reunion photo to his page since Erik had last checked the professor out. A banner in the back said the event occurred a month ago, but Edwards must’ve just gotten around to posting the picture. Erik zoomed in on the photo and about dropped his phone. On the far left stood Jeremy Miller.

  “See this, boy,” he said to Pong. “Miller is connected to Edwards somehow.”

  Erik tapped on the photo that Edwards had tagged of Miller, which took him to Miller’s Facebook page. Erik had looked at the page after Miller’s arrest, but hadn’t been searching for a connection to the professor. He scrolled down to a photo of a little cabin in the boonies on a property with a river flowing through it. Miller’s house?

  Could he live on the Columbia River? Could Edwards be taking Kennedy to Miller’s place? Erik opened another database to locate Miller’s address then mapped it. The property was located in a small county with very few marine patrol resources.

  Erik could call the sheriff, but he wasn’t confident in the smaller agency’s response. Besides, Erik had no proof someone abducted Kennedy, and it would waste valuable time trying to convince a deputy to begin an all-out search. Erik could use that valuable time to look for her.

  He drove straight to the marina office and got out with Pong. Erik and his brothers would still travel in both directions on the river, but after seeing Miller’s connection to Edwards, you better believe Erik was heading toward Miller’s place.

  Kennedy searched her brain for an idea of how to escape, but she could hardly leave a distress signal or clue for anyone when she was piloting a boat with a lunatic professor holding her own gun on her. She had no idea where they were going, but they were heading east and upriver to a less populous area.

  The wind bit into her face as her mind raced for thoughts of how to get away before he tortured or killed her. She could bail overboard, but she knew from the other night that the water was cold enough to become a problem in a very short time.

  Could she swim to the shore before her body shut down? Especially with an injured hand? That would hinder her progress. Or could she do it before the professor shot her? The distance wasn’t likely an issue, but the cold and a stronger than normal current were.

  Plus, Edwards would just rev up the motor and come after her.

  Unless she stopped him. But how?

  She slowed to get a better look around and listened.

  “Why’re you slowing down?” he shouted.

  “Watching for the sandbars,” she lied.

  She peered overboard and saw nothing but a few branches floating in the rapidly flowing water. Could she grab one and somehow jam the propeller so the boat would be rendered useless?

  She’d have to get to the back of the boat somehow, but jamming the propeller was
worth a try. After all, she was going to lose her life one way or another. Might as well be the way she chose.

  26

  While Drake piloted the borrowed ski boat with powerful motor, Erik ran the helicopter up the river. He’d outfitted most of his RC choppers with night vision cameras, so he had a good view of the water and river banks. They’d traveled ten miles, and he hadn’t seen a sign of Kennedy and her abductor.

  The skies suddenly opened up with a drenching rain, and he hunkered over the controller with his raincoat to keep it dry. On the screen, he watched the water flow under the helicopter, but his mind was elsewhere.

  Oscar Edwards. A name Erik would never forget, no matter how this turned out. No! Stop thinking that way. It would turn out fine. He couldn’t allow himself to contemplate anything else. He and Drake would reach the boat before Edwards hurt Kennedy, and they would rescue her.

  “Can’t you make this thing go any faster?” Erik shouted without taking his eye off his screen.

  “Doing the best I can, bro.” Drake sounded way too calm for Erik’s liking, but Erik knew his brother’s guts were tied up too.

  Erik had to let God point him and his brothers in the right direction. He’d leave it all up to God and let Him take control.

  Right. That was all. No big deal.

  Kennedy had decided she would jump, but she had to find the perfect spot, and now with the pouring rain beating down on her, she had an even more difficult time seeing. River width varied significantly, and a narrower location could ensure that she made it to shore. And she needed a clear place on the bank where she could climb out.

  “Stop!” Edwards shouted above the roar of the motor.

  She lowered the throttle, and the motor’s growl turned to a low-pitched rumble as the boat settled down into the current. She turned a bit, looking for anything to grab and knock him overboard before she had to enact her plan of jumping into the water. Other than the tote bag he’d brought aboard, all she saw were cushions and life jackets. And he’d asked her to stop in one of the widest parts of the river, she thought was nearly four miles wide. It would take her at least two hours to swim the distance, and no way she’d make it to shore before succumbing to the cold.