Attempt to Locate

by Christy Barritt

  Cassidy didn’t trust their leader as far as she could throw him, as the expression went.

  Kaleb’s gaze lingered on Cassidy’s face a little too long. “Are you . . . okay?”

  Cassidy remembered her physical state at the moment and shoved a hair behind her ear. She had to keep her professional demeanor in place, and all the boundaries that went along with that.

  “I’m fine. Thank you.” She closed the folder in front of her, the one containing information about the investigation, just in case Kaleb was hunting for information. “Now, what can I help you with?”

  “Thanks for seeing me.” Kaleb shifted in his seat, his gaze drifting downward as if gathering his thoughts. “I’ll get right to the point. I need your help.”

  “Does Gilead know you’re here?” Cassidy had to ask the question.

  She hardly ever saw anyone from the cult leave the compound grounds. They hadn’t integrated with the community, but instead were a private group who thought themselves to be untouchable. Seeing Kaleb out here . . . it raised warning bells.

  Kaleb’s lips pulled together in a tight frown. “Gilead doesn’t exactly know I’m here. But, contrary to what you think, he’s holding none of us prisoner there at the Cove.”

  Cassidy said nothing, just waited for Kaleb to continue as she silently refuted his statement.

  “My sister has disappeared.” He reached into his wallet, tugged something out, and then shoved a worn picture across the desk. “I’d like to file a report. I need you to find her.”

  Cassidy stared at Kaleb another moment before taking the photo and examining it. The image of a young woman with sleek blonde hair stared back at her. She was probably in her early twenties and pretty. She looked like she didn’t have a care in the world, with her bright smile and wind-blown hair, as she stood with a sweeping mountain landscape behind her.

  “I only have jurisdiction here on Lantern Beach,” Cassidy said. “I’m not sure I can help.”

  Certainly Kaleb knew that. He was a lawyer, so he understood the law more than the average person.

  “Yes, I know.” He shifted, straightening the leg of his pants. “But I believe Lela is somewhere on this island.”

  Cassidy’s head pounded. From lack of sleep? From being slapped with a gun? From the conversation? She didn’t know.

  She took another sip of her coffee and slowly set it back down on her desk. “You’re going to need to start at the beginning, Mr. Walker.”

  He nodded grimly. “Please, call me Kaleb. And I’d be happy to.”

  Cassidy rubbed between her eyes again as she tried to comprehend everything Kaleb had just told her. She was going to need more coffee if she hoped to do that. A whole pot, probably. Or maybe some of those espresso frozen treats that Lisa had developed for the town ice cream lady, Serena.

  “So let me get this straight—your sister was married to Anthony Gilead?” Cassidy repeated, still trying to put the pieces together.

  “That’s correct. They got married last year. Lela was the one who introduced me to this movement and, in effect, changed my life.”

  Pulling a loved one into a circle of deceit and evil? That had to be the family gift that no one wanted—in retrospect, at least.

  “And tell me again, what happened between your sister and Anthony Gilead after they got married.”

  Kaleb sat stiffly in the chair, looking unaffected by Cassidy’s doubt and exhaustion. “After about seven months of marriage, my sister left Gilead, said she didn’t want to be married anymore.”

  “And Gilead let her leave?” That seemed doubtful, based on what Cassidy knew about the man. He was a control freak, and he was calculated. Why else would he keep his followers locked behind a gate and cut off from the rest of the world?

  Irritation clouded Kaleb’s gaze. “Like I said, Anthony Gilead isn’t the monster you make him out to be. None of us are his slaves or his property. We all follow his teaching because we believe in him. Because we want to. Free will is very important when it comes to faith—authentic faith, at least.”

  Cassidy still didn’t buy his summation of Anthony Gilead, but this wasn’t the time or place to argue. They had other fish to fry, so to speak. “Okay, so Lela left Gilead about five months ago. That was about the same time everyone moved here to the island, correct?”

  “That’s correct.”

  “And why do you think she’s on Lantern Beach now? If she left Gilead, why didn’t she go back home to West Virginia?”

  “Because she told me she’s still here.” Kaleb’s expression remained taut and serious with no hints of deceit.

  Cassidy shook her head, resisting the urge to massage her temples. It wouldn’t help. Ninety percent of her face was too battered and bruised right now to touch. This conversation made her head throb more, though.

  “How did she tell you?” Cassidy took another sip of her coffee.

  “I got text messages on my phone.”

  Funny, Cassidy had assumed, based on everything she’d learned, that Gilead didn’t allow his followers to have cell phones, despite their supposed free will. The man was bathed in double standards—even if Kaleb would never admit it.

  “Are you sure the messages are from your sister?” Cassidy asked.

  “I’m sure. Just call it brotherly intuition.”

  “Can I see these messages?”

  “Of course.” Kaleb handed her his phone as he pulled out a paper from his back pocket. “But I printed them also. I figured you might want a copy for your records.”

  “Smart thinking.” She scanned his phone first before glancing at the paper, just to make sure the messages matched up. They did.

  Cassidy gave his phone back and read the paper again.

  Kaleb, I need your help. So much is going wrong.

  Kaleb, I don’t know what to do. I’m desperate, and I need you.

  I’m here. On the island. But I don’t want anyone but you to know. I don’t want him to find me.

  Things certainly didn’t sound rosy for his sister.

  “I agree that it sounds like Lela’s in trouble, but I’m not sure what these texts prove.” Her messages were vague with only one mention of a “him.” Cassidy could assume that “him” to be Anthony Gilead. But, if that was the case, she still didn’t understand why the woman had come back here.

  “Lela just stopped replying after that last message,” Kaleb said. “As you can see on the paper, I asked her to tell me where she was staying so I could help her. I never heard from her again. I’ve texted her several times since then and even tried calling her, but I’ve gotten no response.”

  “So you think something happened to her?” Cassidy studied Kaleb, looking for any sign that he wasn’t telling the truth. But the man was clean-cut, well-spoken, and his gaze was unwavering. He seemed sincere . . . yet she just didn’t trust the man.

  A grim frown pulled at his lips. “I do. I don’t know if she was in a bad mental state or if she feared for herself physically. But so much doesn’t add up here.”

  Cassidy looked at the paper printout again, scanning the dates there. “Her first text came two days ago, and her last one was . . . yesterday.”

  “That’s correct. I realize it doesn’t seem like a long time. But I know my sister. She’s always glued to her phone. Except when she was with Gilead . . . but that’s a different story and not important right now.”

  Cassidy nodded.

  “So will you help me?” Kaleb asked, his voice echoing with sincerity. “Please?”

  “I’ll see what I can do.”

  He stood and offered a tight, grateful smile. “Thank you. I’ll check back in a few days.”

  “What about your number, in case I need to be in touch?”

  He stiffened. “No one gets my number.”

  No one gets his number? To Cassidy, that meant because Gilead might find out. Kaleb wasn’t supposed to have that cell phone at all, was he? That was her guess.

  Before she could ask, Melva knocke
d at her door, that same worried expression on her face. “Chief, the mayor is here. He demands that he speak with you. Now.”

  And the fun just kept on coming today.

  Chapter Eight

  “What can I do for you, Mayor Tomlinson?” Cassidy sat up straight, trying to put on her best diplomatic face as the mayor stepped into her office and shut the door behind him after Kaleb scurried out.

  If there was one thing Cassidy hadn’t anticipated about being police chief, it was the politics behind it all. The behind-the-scenes leading, coaching, and organizing instead of being on the streets. There was more to the job than mere police work.

  While she tried to lead with dignity and respect, she’d never been one to conform to expectations. Her tenure here would prove whether that was a good or bad thing.

  She glanced at the mayor as he stood across from her. The man was known for being a bit temperamental. He was a long-time local, who sometimes acted as if he owned the island. He had a robust belly, salt-and-pepper hair, and bright blue eyes that could sparkle and turn on the charm when necessary.

  He definitely had his followers here on the island. Still, a good number of people didn’t like him either—mostly those who weren’t graced to be in his inner circle. Despite that, he’d been mayor here for a decade, according to Mac. Before that, his father had been mayor.

  It was a cycle that no one saw changing anytime soon. In fact, elections were coming up in a few weeks. Tomlinson was running—unopposed again.

  Cassidy had vowed to remain on his good side. She knew the man could be difficult, so she’d stayed low on his radar. Until now.

  “This is horrible, Cassidy.” Tomlinson pressed his fists on her desk and leaned toward her, his eyes and nostrils dramatically wide.

  She and the mayor weren’t really on a first-name basis, but who was she to argue with the man in charge. Whether she liked him or not, he was her boss.

  “I assure you that we’re working as hard as we can to find these guys,” she told him.

  His face reddened as he leaned even closer, his eyes orbs of perfectly scaled emotion. “You know that word of these crimes has leaked? The facts are not contained here on the island anymore, but newspapers up in Norfolk and Raleigh have picked up the story.”

  “Okay . . .” She waited to hear where he was going with this.

  “It’s because of that bulletin you put out to locals here on the island.” Irritation lined his voice.

  “I had to warn island residents, sir.” Cassidy stood behind her decision. Safety first. Politics later. No one would ever convince her otherwise—even if her job depended on it.

  “You should have run it past me first.” Tomlinson’s nostrils flared as he stepped back and began pacing.

  “I would have, but I knew that the safety of island residents would be your first priority as well.” She let the statement hang there until Tomlinson absorbed it. How would he argue with that?

  He paused long enough to narrow his eyes at her. “This, along with the other crimes here on the island over the past several months, could seriously affect tourism, Cassidy.”

  “By the time it’s tourist season, news of this incident will have passed.” They were almost two months out from Memorial Day weekend, when everything kicked off. He was reading too much into the long-term effects of this situation.

  Tomlinson began to pace again. “I mean, first we have this cult who’s moved onto the island. If word of that gets out on top of these killers we currently have roaming our streets, we’re doomed. Simply doomed. Businesses will have to shut down. Homeowners are going to sell. Everything will move up north, and we’ll become a fishing village again. People won’t be able to support themselves, and this slice of paradise will be lost. Gone. For good.”

  “I think doomed is a strong word.” Cassidy tried to keep any amusement out of her voice. This man was more dramatic than she’d thought.

  He continued to pace, his arms flying in the air with every new thought. “And now we have criminals on the loose terrorizing residents. Things like this aren’t supposed to happen here on Lantern Beach. This is a safe place. We’ve passed the time of piracy and danger that this island was first known for.”

  “Unfortunately, crime knows no boundaries.”

  Tomlinson’s red, glaring eyes went to hers. “It wasn’t like this before you came here.”

  Cassidy drew back at his statement. Certainly he wasn’t implying . . . “You think I brought trouble with me, Mayor?”

  “Did you?” His gaze locked with hers.

  Cassidy bit her tongue, and she had to draw on every ounce of her self-control to give a reasoned response instead of telling the man he was an idiot. “Mayor, are you implying that I personally invited a cult to come here? That I told these dangerous criminals that they should rob a store while I was inside and then take me hostage?”

  He scoffed and stepped back, giving a shoulder shrug that indicated Cassidy was the one making assumptions here. “No, of course not. I’m just saying that Bozeman—”

  Cassidy tensed and lifted her chin. “That Bozeman what?”

  Bozeman was the last police chief, and the man had been utterly incompetent, not to mention corrupt.

  “I’m just saying that things were peaceful when Bozeman was police chief.”

  Cassidy bit her tongue again, subduing her desire to give a sharp retort. “What would you like for me to do, Mayor?”

  “Find these guys.”

  “We’re doing our best.”

  Tomlinson leaned toward her, his blues eyes devoid of warmth or sparkle. No, they held challenge and disapproval. “Prove to me then that your best is good enough, Cassidy. Otherwise, we may be looking for a new police chief.”

  Thirty minutes later, members of the state police, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, two officers from the Nags Head Police Department, in addition to everyone in Cassidy’s crew had gathered in the lobby of the police station.

  Cassidy cast aside her conversation with the mayor. She couldn’t let Tomlinson get in her head. She knew she was doing her best to manage this situation here on the island. She also decided to focus on her conversation with Kaleb later. Right now, finding these men was her first priority. She couldn’t afford to take her focus off them right now.

  She’d printed a map of the island and had scaled their search to resume at the locations closest to where the suspects’ car had been abandoned. Though several officers had searched that area last night, it was worth it to look again today. These men couldn’t have gone very far on foot. They’d start there at Ground Zero, so to speak, and move outward from the nucleus in their search for these men.

  Cassidy glanced at her notes, about to head out of her office to address her team. Before she could take a step through the doorway, Ty touched her hand, sending a volt of electricity through her. The feeling grounded her—at least for a second.

  She gazed up at Ty, waiting to hear what he had to say. Cherishing the look in his eyes. Thankful that he was in her life, yet sorry that he had to go through this.

  “You sure you don’t want to let someone else do this?” His voice sounded wispy with emotion, and his eyes held a spellbinding worry. “Your body needs to rest in order to heal. I’m worried you’re putting too much pressure on yourself. I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but . . .”

  Cassidy shook her head. She couldn’t allow her thoughts to go there. No, the minute she gave herself permission to stop, she knew she was going to crash.

  “I have to do this,” she told him, keeping her voice low so that none of the nearby officers would hear. “I know you understand. When you did missions as a SEAL, you wouldn’t let anything stop you, especially if your men were in danger, right?”

  He nodded.

  “My people are the ones who live here on this island,” Cassidy continued. “I’ve got to do everything I can.”

  Ty squeezed her hand before saying quietly, “I know you do. Lantern B
each is lucky to have you, Cassidy.”

  Cassidy reached up and quickly kissed him. “Behind every great lady is a great man. And, in my case, I get to be married to him. I appreciate you being there for me, Ty.”

  “Always.”

  Ty’s words warmed her heart because Cassidy knew he meant them.

  Gathering in a deep breath, Cassidy turned away from her husband and stepped into the crowd of people waiting for her address. She didn’t bother to smile. There was nothing to smile about in this situation. No, her steady gaze scanned everyone around her as she tried to drive home the seriousness of this situation.

  “Again, I want to thank everyone for being here,” she started. “As you all know, apprehending these suspects is our top priority since we believe they’re a menace to society and that having them at large puts our community in danger.”

  She glanced at Ty, who stood at the back of the room. He gave her an approving nod.

  “A manhunt has been initiated in order to find these suspects,” Cassidy continued. “Simply put, we need to go door to door. I’m working with several of the management companies here on the island, because many of these homes are unoccupied right now. We’ll need the help of the property managers in order to get into these houses. It’s going to be a long, arduous process, and I’m grateful that you’re all here to help.”

  She stared at her notes before glancing back up at the group gathered around her. “No one is to go into any of these locations alone. These men are armed and dangerous. I can’t stress that enough. I know each of you are capable, but we all need to be careful. Understand?”

  Everyone murmured agreement before getting paired up and receiving exact orders on where to search. As much as Cassidy wanted to be out there herself, she would act as command here at the station.