Levi pressed his lips together a moment before nodding with resignation. “There’s an old family place seaside near Oyster. He could be there.”
* * *
Madelyn had been shoved into a small fishing cottage, and Tyler tied her to a heavy wooden chair. As he jerked the rope around her wrists tighter, she glanced around, gathering her surroundings.
The cottage was ratty and old. It even smelled old. The wood floor had numerous holes in it, and no doubt all kinds of creatures lurked in the crawlspace beneath. Yellowed wallpaper with orange-and-brown flowers lined up in stripes covered the room. A matching orange couch with several rips rested against the opposite wall.
“Don’t go anywhere.” Tyler smiled.
As he exited to the back of the property, Madelyn jerked against the ropes holding her. It was no use. She wasn’t getting out of her ties. Instead, she focused on the window across the house.
She saw Tyler walking outside. Water stretched in the background. Tyler was talking to someone, but she couldn’t tell who. He was obviously working with someone.
Finally, the back door slammed closed again and footsteps sounded across the rickety floor. Tyler walked back into the room.
“How could you do this?” Madelyn asked.
“When we heard there was a reporter coming to town, we had to try and discourage you.”
“So you followed me here in the white truck?” Why had he suspected her?
Tyler shrugged. “Something like that. Everyone in town knew you were coming. The last thing we wanted was to increase tourism in the town, so I tried to scare you off. You aren’t easily scared.”
“But an influx of visitors would help a lot of people and their businesses. Why wouldn’t you want that?” she asked.
He stared at her a moment before chuckling and shaking her head. “Don’t pretend to be naive.”
“I’m not. I have no idea what you’re talking about. I didn’t come here to investigate you.”
A second of doubt flickered in his gaze. “Sure.”
“But I can reasonably assume that all along you were the one behind the attacks that have happened since I’ve been in Waterman’s Reach. I can’t believe someone who’s supposed to have the public’s trust would betray them like this.”
Tyler continued to pace. He had some kind of stick in his hand, and he continually smacked it against his palm. He reminded Madelyn of an executioner just waiting for a signal to go.
“Everything was supposed to point back to Zach. To cast him in a bad light. It was just a matter of time before everything came crashing down around him. Until he fell in love with you.”
In love? If that had been the case at one time, it wasn’t anymore. Madelyn had seen the look in Zach’s eyes after he read the article. It was pure hatred.
“Everything already crashed down around Zach,” Madelyn said. “He lost his job and his life back in Baltimore, all because of accusations that weren’t true. So why did you target him? Why are you so obsessed with him?”
Tyler shook his head. “You have a lot of questions. I guess that makes you a good reporter.”
“Apparently that made me a threat. Zach Davis, as well.”
He smiled, a cold, heartless grin, and began pacing again. “Exactly. I knew who Zach was when he came into town. He was getting closer to finding answers, and I had to take care of him. Then you showed up, and I had two problems on my hands.”
Madelyn tugged at her bound hands again. “These drugs you’re producing are killing people. You use people. You have no regard for how your actions impact other people’s lives.”
Tyler shrugged, as if Madelyn’s revelation didn’t bother him in the least. “You should have just let it go. After someone tried to shoot you, I was sure you would hit the road. But you didn’t, so we had to keep coming at you. Now we need to get rid of you. Don’t worry. We have some evidence that will make it look like Zach is responsible for this as well. We would have just let you leave peacefully, but having Zach accused of your murder will be the icing on the cake.”
Anger surged in her. Tyler was going to ruin Zach. Madelyn couldn’t let that happen.
He twirled a toothpick between his teeth like he didn’t have a care in the world. Disgust roiled in Madelyn’s stomach. How could people be this twisted? Then again, maybe she had no room to talk. She’d been ready to deceive people to get what she wanted also. Thankfully, she’d realized the error of her ways before it was too late.
“Were you the one who snatched those oysters from me my first night here?” Madelyn asked, still trying to put all the pieces together and buy time in the process.
“That was all a big mistake,” Tyler said. “Eva grabbed the wrong ones from down at Thad’s. She grabbed the ones that had heroin hidden inside.”
Madelyn’s mouth dropped open. “That’s how you’re transporting drugs? Through the seafood that’s funneled through your friend’s seafood market?”
Tyler shrugged. “It’s worked like a charm for the past several years. We can’t let anything ruin it. Soon, I’ll be able to escape to a nice little place in the Caribbean. The drug trade is quite profitable.”
“You’re not going to get away with this.” Madelyn struggled against her binds, her chair rocking back and forth as her actions became more frantic.
Tyler pulled out a Glock. “I stopped by Zach’s place today to grab this. It’s not his police-issued gun, but it’s good enough.”
Her throat went dry. He’d thought all of this out. “How’d you get in?”
“I used to work for Mayor Alan. I helped him mange his real estate. I just happened to make copies of all the keys when I worked for him, so now I can come and go as I want.”
“Zach just changed his locks, though.” Madelyn clearly remembered him saying that.
Tyler frowned. “I always have a backup plan. My cousin just happens to work at the hardware store where Zach bought his lock. When Zach had an extra key made for the mayor, my friend made one more, just in case. The things people do for money...”
“Some people will even trade their self-worth.”
“Now, enough talking.” Tyler aimed his gun right at Madelyn’s chest.
She braced herself for the inevitable pain that would follow and quickly began lifting up prayers.
TWENTY-THREE
Zach stopped well before Tyler’s fishing cottage and continued the rest of the way on foot. He’d called the Coast Guard and state police for backup, but they were at least twenty minutes out thanks to two hikers who’d gotten lost in a nearby state park located on the water. He couldn’t wait for them—there was no time to waste. He felt certain that Madelyn’s life was in danger.
At the thought of something happening to Madelyn, his chest tightened. Despite their rocky relationship and everything that had transpired between them, he knew he cared about her. He was convinced that article that had been published about him was somehow a setup and that the same person who was framing Zach was also framing Madelyn. Madelyn may have been involved, but Zach couldn’t help but think it wasn’t willingly—at least not in the end.
He drew his gun and slowly approached the ramshackle building. Beyond the edge, he saw Tyler’s police cruiser.
He was here.
Tyler must have taken that missing bullet from the scene, as well as planted someone on the docks who looked like Zach. He wanted to make him look guilty. Zach wouldn’t have a chance to discover the heroin operation if he was in jail.
He pressed himself against the building and listened as voices drifted outside from the window. He strained to make out what they were saying. It was no use. They were too far away.
The sound of Madelyn screaming cut through the air. Zach knew he had to take action. Now.
He kicked the front door open and burs
t inside. Tyler stood with his gun drawn toward Madelyn. Blood drizzled from her lip and her head hung low, like she was on the verge of losing consciousness. Reacting on instinct, Zach fired.
The bullet hit Tyler’s arm near his shoulder, and the gun flew from his hand. Tyler fell to the ground, gasping in pain.
“Zach, watch out!” Madelyn yelled from the chair where she was tied up. Her words sounded weak, strained, and her eyes looked glazed.
He looked down and saw Tyler reach for the gun. Zach fired a shot at the floor, purposefully missing, and Tyler instantly withdrew. Reaching down, Zach grabbed the gun.
Tyler looked up at Zach, his eyes dark and his expression seething.
Zach raised his gun. “Don’t make me use this.”
Tyler paused and sneered. “Because we both know you will.” He nodded. “That’s right. I know what happened in Baltimore.”
“It’s not easy making these decisions, Tyler. Not something I take lightly.” He meant the words. Those choices were burdens, not something he’d wish on other people. Those choices caused him to lose sleep at night, to question himself, to question his career. But he knew that came with the territory of justice. He’d been entrusted to protect people. That required lethal action at times.
“Why are you targeting me and Madelyn?”
“I heard she was coming to town, and I couldn’t risk her ruining the good thing we had going here. Plus, everyone was hoping her article would bring more tourism to the area. More tourism meant more people, which meant our setup would be ruined. I couldn’t let that happen. As soon as we heard she was coming, we tried to run her off, but it didn’t work. Then you got involved.”
“You escalated,” Zach said.
“When we broke into her place, we saw the research on her computer. We realized your connection with the heroin we’re delivering up to Baltimore. We figured we’d kill two birds with one stone.” He grasped his shoulder, blood oozing out around his fingers.
“I thought you were better than this, Tyler.”
Tyler’s eyes lit with fire as he glared at Zach from the floor. “You don’t know anything about me. I don’t want to be stuck in go-nowhere town for the rest of my life.”
“The blood of all of the people who’ve died under the influence of that heroin is on your hands. I’ve been trying to stop it from being distributed. I don’t want to see any more innocent people die.”
“It’s not my responsibility how people use the drug!”
“What about Bobby Wilson?” Madelyn asked. “How did he tie in to all of this?”
“He was helping us distribute. But we found out he was stealing from us. He threatened to tell law enforcement what we were doing if we didn’t give him more. Like we weren’t paying him enough. We had no choice but to kill him.”
Tyler moaned again, grasping his arm where the bullet had grazed him. He might have to go to the hospital, but he would be okay. Zach could have easily done more damage.
“Zach, watch out—” Madelyn started.
Just then, something slammed into Zach’s head. Before he could right himself, a fist connected with his jaw. Then everything went black.
* * *
Madelyn pulled against her binds, desperately wanting to get away. Beside her, Zach was tied to another chair. His head drooped down to his chin. He hadn’t regained consciousness yet.
“We’ve got to get out of here,” Tyler said, suddenly looking antsy. “Knowing Zach, he has backup coming. I called in a false report about some lost hikers, but that will only keep everyone occupied for so long.”
“We should just leave,” Thad said. “Get out of the country before they can stop us.”
“But what about our plans to make it look like he was the one behind this?”
“We don’t have any time for that right now,” Thad insisted. “We’ve gotta go.”
Apparently, Thad was Tyler’s best friend. He must have been the one who’d helped Tyler with some of the crimes. He was big and burly and didn’t look like the type of person Madelyn would want to run into in a dark alley.
Dear Lord, please be with Zach. Help him to be okay. Help us to get out of this...somehow.
The possibilities seemed slim. Tyler and Thad had guns, while Zach and Madelyn were tied up and had no weapons.
She hoped Zach had backup on the way. They desperately needed help.
Thad and Tyler paced outside. Madelyn was aware of every moment that ticked by. It seemed to inch her closer to her death. Anxiety knotted in her back, her shoulders, her neck.
Madelyn had to think.
She tugged at the rope around her wrists again. Finally, it started to give a little. But what would she do even if she broke free from her binds? She couldn’t carry Zach to safety.
Just then, Zach moaned beside her. Madelyn jerked her head toward him and saw his eyes starting to open. His face scrunched in pain as consciousness reminded him of his injuries. He was going to have a whopper of a headache.
“Are you okay?” she asked, wishing she could reach out to him.
He winced again when he saw her. “I’ve been better.”
“We have to get out of here somehow, Zach.” He probably hated her, but they had to work together. Besides, he had come to help her. Even if Zach had just been doing his job. Did that mean there was any hope for forgiveness? She had to believe there was.
He glanced around the room, his eyes still narrowed with pain. “Any ideas how?”
“I wish. We’re out-weaponed.”
“And maybe out of time.” He cringed again.
At that moment, Tyler and Thad stomped back inside. Thad jerked Zach to his feet, and Tyler grabbed Madelyn. His wound had been covered up, but a red splotch in the center of the white makeshift bandage made it clear he still needed help.
The men took them outside to where the bay raged. Whitecaps surfaced every several feet, and the water looked tumultuous.
Tied onto a dock among the marsh grass was a small rowboat.
“Don’t do it, Tyler,” Zach warned.
“Do what?” Madelyn hardly wanted to ask the question. She knew the answer would only frighten her.
“A couple was found adrift in a rowboat a few months ago,” Zach said through clenched teeth. His gaze sent daggers through Tyler and Thad. “They’d gotten caught out in a storm. They didn’t make it. If you don’t know these waters, it can be dangerous.”
Tyler smirked. “I thought it sounded like a great idea. We’ve already moved your car. We’ve planted some drugs in the trunk. When they find your dead bodies in the boat adrift at sea, all the pieces will fit together, and you’ll look as guilty as sin.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” Zach muttered.
“Don’t worry. We’ll be long gone before anyone figures out what really happened.”
Before they could struggle, Tyler pulled out two rags and splashed something on them. In the next instant, the cloth went over Madelyn’s mouth. Her head swirled. Then she lost consciousness.
* * *
When Zach regained consciousness, he and Madelyn were sitting in a boat set adrift in the...ocean, Zach realized. This wasn’t one of the bays or rivers that surrounded the area. The water was too deep, land was nowhere to be seen, and the waves were too large.
These waters could be treacherous, and this boat wouldn’t make it for long.
He glanced over at Madelyn. She lay lifelessly in the bow of the tiny, rickety rowboat. Otherwise she appeared unharmed—thank God. There was only a small cut on her forehead, and her lip was swollen.
Things could have been much worse. They could have ended with a bullet wound.
He leaned toward her and squeezed her arm, shaking her. “Madelyn, can you hear me?”
She opened her eyes, blinked seve
ral times and finally sat up straight. When she saw the water all around them, she gasped. Her fingers dug into the wooden slats of the boat as her face went pale.
Her shaking ceased for a moment when her gaze fell on him. “Zach, you’re okay?”
He nodded. “I am.”
“I was afraid we were going to...going to die.” She shook her head as if trying to drive away all her fearful thoughts. Then her eyes widened again and she looked around.
Zach followed her gaze. Water was all that was visible as far as the eye could see. It was enough to frighten the calmest of personalities.
“Where...?” Madelyn closed her eyes as reality washed over her. “What are we going to do?”
He reached across the boat and squeezed her hand, trying to ground her. The last thing they needed was to lose their cool. “We just have to hold out hope. Maybe another boat will see us.”
The temperature had probably dropped ten degrees since earlier. A cold front was on the way. With cold fronts sometimes came storms. Madelyn already looked pale. How much could she handle?
“I’m sorry, Zach.” Her gaze suddenly looked both intense and apologetic.
“It’s okay.”
“I didn’t know things would turn out like this.” Her voice sounded raw and honest.
“I know.” And in his gut, Zach did know.
Madelyn blinked as if she hadn’t heard correctly. “You do?”
“I should have known better, Madelyn. But I’ve been betrayed before. I thought the worst, and I’m sorry.”
“You have no reason to be sorry. I was the one who came here under false pretenses. I had no idea. My editor painted you as such a monster. I don’t know how I could have been so stupid.”
“We all make mistakes.”
Madelyn shook her head, disbelief in her gaze. “How could you be so forgiving?”
Zach had an easy answer to that. “I’ve known the need for forgiveness in my own life. I had a hard time forgiving myself after those two officers died. I questioned every decision I’d made up until that point. I know how important mercy is.”
Dark Harbor Page 18
