Swept Away

by Christy Barritt

  “Thanks for meeting with us,” I told her. “I know you’re wondering why I asked you to meet with us here.”

  She nervously twisted her fingers together. “To say the least.”

  “I have some experience in solving crimes,” I said. “And I want to help you.”

  “I need all the help I can get.”

  “I wanted to come to you first before the police.”

  Her eyes widened. “The police?”

  I nodded. “Things aren’t adding up, Joey.”

  “Like . . . like what? What do you mean?”

  I leaned toward her, wondering just how professional I looked with a raccoon face. “I need you to be honest with me. I feel like there’s more to your story, that there’s something you’re not telling us. Did you know the men who abducted Vivian?”

  She let out a sob and stared at her hands. “I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe not. I wish I could be sure.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, more curious than ever.

  “Before I came on the show, I was in a relationship with this awful man. His name is Skip. He was a drug dealer and so controlling. He always said if I left him, he’d kill me. I didn’t really think a lot of it—until I met a woman while partying one night. She told me her best friend had once dated Skip and that she’d gone missing a year ago. No one had seen or heard from her since then. It really shook me up. I thought: that could be me. I knew I had to get away or I’d end up dead.”

  “What did you do?” I asked.

  “A friend of mine who’s an actress told me they were looking for some women for this show. I applied and was accepted,” she said. “It seemed like the perfect escape. It just so happened that Skip was out of town when everything was set into motion, so the timing was ideal, to say the least. I packed my things, and I left for the show. I didn’t look back. I knew he’d never be able to find me.”

  She frowned.

  “What?” I questioned.

  She squeezed her lips together. “I got word right before we left for Florida that my friend had died. It was supposedly in a waterskiing accident, but I know her. It was no accident.”

  “You think Skip was behind it?” Riley asked.

  She nodded. “I know he was.”

  “And now you suspect that he’s found you here?” I clarified.

  She sniffled again. “I have no idea. I just know I’ve been in fear for my life. I’ve been afraid from the start that Skip was behind all of this.”

  “Why would he want to kill you?” I asked. I mean, controlling, abusive men didn’t need a reason. But I wanted to hear her thoughts.

  “I know too much.” Her hands trembled now. “Skip . . . he’s not a good guy. He’s into drugs. More than into them. He deals them. I know about his operations, and I could bring him down. He’s not going to let me do that.”

  Someone who was a drug dealer would have the resources to be able to carry out an abduction like the one Vivian had been through.

  Now that we knew the who and why, we had to figure out where Skip and his minions might be now.

  We also needed to find out how he’d discovered where Joey was hiding. He’d grabbed Vivian before the first episode even aired. Of course, he could have gotten information from Joey’s friend—the woman who told Joey they were looking for contestants for the show. She had ended up dead.

  Men with money and resources were looking for Joey and determined to silence her.

  Four men.

  Slick.

  Partiers.

  Could it be Elite? They had rolled into town awfully fast. They’d appeared on the beach that day to question Riley and me, which would have been the perfect guise for finding out how much we knew.

  The question pressed on my mind. I just might be onto something. The theory was worth exploring.

  I stepped from the room and found Alastair in the kitchen talking to Wally. “Could I have a moment?” I asked.

  “Sure thing.” He walked toward the counter to meet me.

  I could tell by the way he studied my face that he thought my sunburn was just as obnoxious as it truly was. I was never going to live this down.

  “What can I do for you?” he asked.

  “I’m curious: How did you hear about Elite Security?”

  He stared at me, his eyes beady-looking and calculating. “Through another producer. Why?”

  I ignored his question. “Where are the men from Elite staying?”

  He offered a quick, jerky shrug. “Why do you want to know that?”

  “I’ll explain in a moment. I can only assume they’re not staying here at the mansion.”

  “Here?” He laughed. “No way. These women would go crazy over them. They’re staying in a house on the other side of the island. Why?”

  I remembered when we’d followed those guys in the boat yesterday. They’d disappeared on the bay side of the island . . . just like where Elite was staying.

  What if the men who were supposed to be the good guys were actually the bad guys? The number of men in the organization matched the number of men behind Vivian’s abduction. They also matched their description. Joey had even said they were “militant,” and I knew Elite hired ex-cops and military.

  “You think Elite are the ones who snatched Vivian?” Wally’s voice was tinged with disbelief.

  I’d been looked at like I was crazy many, many times before. I couldn’t care less what they thought about me. I only wanted to get some answers.

  I shoved my hip against the counter, trying to choose my words carefully. “They fit the description of the men who are involved in this. Plus, they were unaccounted for during the latest abduction attempt. And I think whoever is behind this has an inside connection with the show.”

  “Why would you think that?” Alastair splayed his hands on the marble countertop as he stared at me like a pit bull about to attack.

  If he thought he was going to intimidate me with that stance, he was wrong. I’d faced giants before, and I had no plans of backing down now.

  Copying him, I splayed my hands on the counter and stared back at him. “Because whoever is behind this knows too much about the operations of your show. Because someone was close enough to you to grab your phone and send a text message. Who gave Joey her phone anyway?”

  Alastair frowned and backed off, crossing his arms. I’d gotten through to him, I realized. I made him see my perspective. That was half the battle sometimes.

  “I did,” Alastair said. “I gave Joey her phone back, though it’s supposed to be against the rules. I thought it might make her feel safer about her stay here.”

  “Did you send that text message?” I asked.

  He gawked. “No. Of course not. I don’t know why my name popped up on her screen.”

  I stepped back and set my jaw. I knew what I had to do, and I had to do it now before anyone else got hurt.

  “I’ve got to call Chief Yeller and tell him my theory,” I announced. “The bad guys could have been right under your nose this whole time.”

  Word spread quickly around town and around the cast and crew of Looking for Love about what was happening. The police were currently searching the rental home where Elite Security was staying. The guys had willingly let them inside, but each of them sent death looks at Riley and me as we stood on the lawn outside their place.

  We weren’t the only ones there. Alastair had also come, and several locals joined the crowd.

  Could this be where Vivian was being held? Was Elite behind this the whole time? And what did all of this have to do with Joey, if anything? Perhaps Skip had hired Elite to nab Joey after she’d escaped him. Only Elite had grabbed the wrong person.

  The pieces were on the verge of fitting together, but they weren’t quite there yet.

  “What do you think they’ll find?” Riley whispered. He stood beside me with his arms crossed. A brisk wind swept over the landscape, bringing with it tiny pieces of sand that irritated my skin in perfect harmony with my sunburn.
>
  I saw some storm clouds in the distance and realized that rain was on its way. That would be sure to clear out the unwanted gawkers here. Of course, I supposed that included Riley and me.

  “I’m not sure,” I finally told Riley. “I hope it’s Vivian. Although, I keep thinking about that blood that Homer told us he found on the side of the boat. I hope that doesn’t mean she’s hurt . . . or worse.”

  “I agree.”

  I stared at the house again. It was large, white, and covered in shingles. It had the same charm as the rest of the houses in the area, with its massive size yet cozy beach feel. Two Jeeps were parked out front, and I noted some beer cans in the flowerbeds.

  Elite had been partying while they were here. It seemed like a lot of people did that. But a respectable PI firm should stay sober while on the job. In my book they should, at least.

  “When we were out on the boat yesterday with Larry, we followed the men in that other boat, and they disappeared somewhere around this side of the island,” I whispered to Riley. “It could have been here.”

  “I suppose it’s a possibility. There is a boathouse in the back.”

  Chief Yeller exited the house at that moment and motioned to his officers and then to the men from Elite. They immediately pulled out handcuffs and arrested the PIs.

  I sucked in a quick breath. What exactly had they found inside? Obviously, not Vivian because she was nowhere to be seen.

  Oh no—please tell me they didn’t find Vivian’s dead body. Please.

  I kept watching, waiting for a sign of what had happened. I held my breath. Prayed.

  Yeller sauntered up to us a few minutes later, after the Elite guys were placed in the back of two police cruisers. “Good work, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas. We found a ransom video on one of the computers inside. Vivian was on it. We’re taking them in, hoping with the right pressure they’ll tell us where Vivian is.”

  “Really?” I asked.

  I didn’t know why the question slipped out. I guess, in part, that seemed too easy. I’d expected more of a search, of a struggle.

  “Really. My men are going to stay here and look for more evidence. We’ll keep you abreast.”

  Alastair was on the phone in the distance. He paced, looking furious that someone he’d hired was involved. A camera crew in the background filmed it.

  Maybe he wasn’t that furious, after all. Maybe this was all for show. I could never tell around these guys.

  “Your hunch was right,” Riley said. “Maybe we’ll have some answers soon.”

  “We can only hope.” There was still one thing that bothered me. These men weren’t here on the first night when Vivian was abducted. How did they know the ladies were going outside?

  Just then, Wally sidled up beside us. His face looked drawn and tight. Maybe everything was starting to get to him. After all, he was the one who always had to put on a cheery face, not only for the cast in the house but also for the viewers at home.

  He leaned closer. “There’s something I think you need to know,” he whispered. “It’s about Alastair.”

  I glanced at Riley before asking, “What?”

  He scanned the crowds. “I can’t tell you here. Follow me.”

  My blood spiked. Had he found something? Did he know something that we didn’t?

  We followed him across the yard, away from any listening ears. The clouds were over us now, making the atmosphere feel ominous. It was already late—nearly seven. Darkness would be falling soon.

  As we rounded the side of the house, just out of sight, Wally turned. He had a gun in his hand. Pointed at us.

  He was a part of this? He’d been the inside source this whole time, hadn’t he?

  “I’m sorry, guys,” he muttered, sweat scattered across his forehead. “You were never supposed to get involved in this, though.”

  Chapter Ten

  “Wally, you don’t have to do this,” I told him.

  “I wish I didn’t. But I do.” He wiped his forehead and gulped in shallow breaths.

  “We can just walk away right now and pretend none of this happened,” I told him.

  The gun trembled in his hands. “I can’t walk away. Can’t you see?”

  “Why are you doing this?” Riley nudged me behind him just as a big, fat drop of rain landed on my arm.

  Thunder rumbled overhead as if God himself was warning us of bad things to come.

  “We don’t have time to talk. I need you to get in the boat. It’s in the boathouse. No one will see us. We can finish this there.”

  “But—” I started.

  He raised his gun higher. “No buts. We don’t have time for this. You need to move.”

  “What are you going to do with us?” I asked as we walked toward the bay, our hands raised in the air.

  “That remains to be seen.” He wiped his forehead again. “I’m hoping it looks like you two were swept out to sea.”

  He was nervous. Like, really, really nervous. But why?

  “There’s a storm coming,” Riley said. “You don’t want to be out on the water.”

  “That’s why I’m not going to be. You both will be, though. Now move.” I felt something jam into my back. The gun.

  We had no choice but to continue walking. As we did, I glanced over at the house next door. No one could see us. The house was angled in just the right way to conceal us.

  What were we going to do?

  “Please, Wally. Can’t we just work this through?” I said, afraid if we got in that boat that we’d never be seen again.

  He didn’t say anything for a moment and then shook his head frantically. “It’s too late.”

  “It’s never too late,” Riley said.

  “Look,” he paused, his chest heaving. Not from exertion. We weren’t walking that fast. So why was he so anxious? “I don’t have a choice in this.”

  “What are you talking about?” I asked. His words caused me to pause. What did that mean?

  “You’re what’s called collateral damage. I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t. But I’ve been ordered to get rid of you two. You’re too much of a risk.”

  “Who ordered you to get rid of us?” I asked.

  He glanced around. “It’s a long story. Now into the boathouse. We don’t have any time to waste.”

  As soon as we stepped into the boathouse, I knew I had my chance. I swung my leg, and it connected with Wally’s gun. Wally was many things, but he wasn’t a fighter. At least, that was what I was counting on.

  The gun flew in the air and slid across the pier before finally plopping into the water below. Thank goodness. But this battle wasn’t over yet.

  Riley charged toward Wally, tackling him. They both flew into the wall. The whole building shook with the impact.

  I held my breath as I watched, wanting to step in. But as arms and fists flew, I had no way of inserting myself. Not yet, at least.

  Wally smashed his elbow back, hitting Riley in the stomach. Riley only hunched in pain for a moment before getting a second wind. He grabbed Wally, twisted him around, and put him in a headlock.

  “Please. Stop. Please.” Wally struggled for breath and clawed at Riley’s arms. “They have my wife.”

  Riley’s grip loosened. “What are you talking about? You have five seconds to explain.”

  “Please! Those men grabbed my wife. They said if I told anyone, that she’d die. I had to go along with their plan or they’d kill her. I don’t mean you any harm. I promise I don’t.”

  His words washed over me until my pulse pounded in my ears. “It’s Joey’s ex-boyfriend, isn’t it? He’s behind all of this.”

  Wally’s eyes widened. “How’d you know?”

  “It’s all starting to come together.”

  “Skip cornered me on my front lawn before we left for Florida and told me to hire Elite, probably to throw the authorities off his trail. He came to me last week when he discovered Joey was on the show. I guess as soon as her name popped up on the show’s website, he pani
cked. He had some kind of alert system in place in case her name ever came up online.”

  “You overheard Joey and Vivian were going to meet?” I asked.

  He nodded. “I did.”

  “What about that ransom video?”

  “I planted it on their computer when I knew the guys from Elite were out.”

  “So Elite was a scapegoat this whole time,” I muttered.

  “I told Alastair my friend suggested them. Skip was pulling the strings, though. He knew they’d be perfect for framing.”

  “Where are these guys now, Wally?” Riley asked.

  “I’m not sure. I just know they’re going to grab Joey the first chance they can get. She knows too much, and Skip is afraid she’ll spill the beans on his operation.”

  “We’ve got to find them before they get Joey,” I muttered. “Now.”

  “What about me? My wife? Please. You can’t just let her die.”

  I bit down hard. He was right. There was more than one life on the line here. This situation would have to be handled carefully.

  Thirty minutes later, we had a plan. It may have been a stupid plan, but I hoped it would work because it was all we had.

  As darkness fell and the storm raged around us, Wally had sent a small rowboat out into the bay. The vessel was empty, but the men who had his wife wouldn’t know that. Not yet, at least.

  Wally had taken a picture of Riley and me lying inside the boat, looking dead. He’d send that photo to Skip as proof that he’d finished us off. Skip would hopefully assume that our bodies were swept out to sea in the storm.

  Wally had also promised that he would go back to the house and look after Joey. He assured us he wouldn’t let anything happen to her, which meant she couldn’t be alone and she would never go out on the beach by herself. I hoped he was as good as his word because if Skip found her, I feared she would end up dead.

  Meanwhile, Riley and I had darted through yards and behind trees in an effort to disappear. And by disappear, I mean we’d gone to Larry’s house. He’d told us where he lived while we were on the boat yesterday. It was a condominium near the causeway leading to the island.