Russ shook his head. “Sorry, I don’t know who you’re talking about. And I don’t remember the truck either.”
Landon glanced over at Jake. “You think she has an accomplice?”
“It’s possible. Or it could be Angela, wearing a disguise.” He lifted his chin at Jed. “Could you describe her truck, besides the brake calipers?” Though that detail alone was extremely helpful. “Make? Model? Any chance you saw the license plate?”
“It was an older Toyota Tacoma. Dark blue.”
Jake nodded. “When you say older . . . how old are you talking?”
Jed exhaled. “Oh, I’d probably say an ’03 or ’04.”
“Any chance you saw her license plate?”
“It wasn’t a vanity plate. Just a regular Alaskan plate. Three letters. Three numbers.” He draped his arms along the rails, his fingers tapping the wood as he thought.
“Any guesses?”
“I have no clue about the letters.” Jed rubbed his chin. The faint shadow of blond whiskers dappled his sun-tanned skin.
“Any idea on the numbers?”
“That was 122.”
“You’re sure?” Seemed an odd thing to remember.
“Positive. I do a thing with license plate numbers and football stats. Keeps things interesting. Anyway, 122 . . . Staubach was number twelve and he won two Super Bowls. The man’s a legend—and I’m telling you, that lady looked like she could have been a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader back in her prime.” He blushed a bit. “Well, that’s how I made the connection.”
“Thanks, Jed.” Jake clamped him on the shoulder and then pulled a card from his pocket with his cell number scrolled across the back. “If you think of anything else—anything at all—you give me a call.”
Jed nodded.
Landon ran the partial he supplied through the database while Jake called Ned at the Imnek ferry station to let him know they were looking for a truck that had arrived on the last ferry.
Nobody had noticed Angela’s truck unloading on Imnek, but Ned said they would comb the parking lot for it, just in case Angela was waiting to take another ferry out from there.
“I’ve got two possible truck matches to the partial on Tariuk,” Landon said. “A 2004 Toyota belonging to a Paul Freeman, and a 2003 that last belonged to a Roger Harris.”
“Last belonged?”
“Tags haven’t been renewed in three years.”
“You think he just had it sitting on his property?” He’d seen it before. Unable to afford the vehicle expenses, the owner let it sit, collecting dust.
“That’d be my guess. Somehow Angela connected with him and paid cash to take it off his hands. Smart on her part. It keeps her name off of everything and leaves no paper trail.” She was one shrewd woman.
“I’ll send Thoreau to talk to Mr. Harris, and then I’ll call the Imnek Sheriff’s Department and inform them of what’s going on,” Landon said. “Get an APB out on the plates.”
“All right. I’m heading for Imnek,” Jake said, his first instinct to ask Kayden to fly him there.
“We don’t know that they’re still on Imnek.”
“We know they aren’t here. Imnek is the last point of reference. I need to be there.”
“We’ll come with you,” Gage said behind him.
He wasn’t going to argue. The more people he trusted looking for Kayden, the better. “Okay. Grab anything you need and meet at the airport. We have no idea how long we’ll be gone or where we may end up.” He looked to Piper. “Call Chuck Lassiter to see if he’ll fly us over. He’s got a ten-seat Cessna.”
Piper nodded and stepped from the room.
“I’ll call my volunteers so they can arrange to watch the dogs while I’m away,” Kirra said.
Jake checked his watch. “We need to be airborne in thirty.”
38
Chuck graciously complied with their request, and they landed on Imnek mere minutes past the hour mark. They disembarked into darkness, and Jake headed for the ferry station with Reef, Kirra, and Rex, while Landon and the rest of the crew headed for the sheriff’s station and the local SAR headquarters. Without Cole present—he and Bailey were on a flight back, but weren’t due to arrive until tomorrow evening—Gage ranked highest in Yancey search and rescue and regional command, with Imnek local Rodney Neary second in regional command. The only problem before their search began in earnest was determining if Angela had stayed on Imnek or used it as a launching point. He prayed she was still on the island and that they were closing in.
Jake followed Kirra and Rex up onto the ferry still docked in port, and the dog traced her scent to the vehicle deck. She’d been on the ferry.
If only he’d been quicker. Jake glanced to his left with a sigh and walked through the boat’s cafeteria. He squinted at a piece of paper wedged in the frame of the window. He knew what it was before he reached it. The woman was taunting him.
Anger flaring, he snatched the note free of the frame and unfolded it.
I see you haven’t lost your touch. That will make this all the more enjoyable. See you when I’m ready.
Jake slammed his fist into his palm, crushing the paper—smashing his fear and frustration into her lethal words.
“See you when I’m ready.”
She was in control of the playing field, and she knew it.
He rushed up to the wheelhouse, where he found the captain ready to off-load for the night. “Are there any cameras on this ship?”
“Only one. In the cafeteria. Sometimes we’re short staffed and kids think it’s a license to steal snacks or to mess with the vending machines, but we catch it all on camera.”
“Can I see the footage from the last run?”
“Sure.”
Landon stood beside Jake as they scrolled through the footage.
“There.” Jake pointed.
The captain hit Pause.
It was Angela sipping her drink, staring straight up at the camera with a smile.
“She’s bold,” Landon said.
“And extremely dangerous.” And she had the woman he loved.
They spread out in search teams from the west end of the parking lot, where Kayden’s scent went cold, trying to cover as much ground as possible. They alerted the airport—though getting a subdued Kayden on a plane without someone noticing and asking questions seemed unlikely—and continued to comb the remaining marinas.
“You holding up okay?” Reef asked Jake.
Jake shook his head. How could he have been so stupid? He should have insisted on walking Kayden back to the ladies’ room despite her protests, but who would have thought Angela would be so bold, kidnapping Kayden from a public place? Wearing a disguise. Assuming a new identity. Dual vehicles. The woman was devious, and she’d done her planning.
Question was, where would she take Kayden? A remote cabin? If so, she’d choose someplace with high ground. A boat, perhaps? It would provide maneuverability. With her disguises, she could try to hide in town, but he doubted it. She’d have a canvas laid out, a playing surface for the dangerous game she’d arranged.
“I’m sorry, Jake,” Sheriff Jacob Marshall said. “So far, there’s been no sign of them.”
Angela was smart. It’d been late when she’d landed in Imnek. Most people would have been at home, not walking around town. She’d slipped right in or through without drawing much attention.
“Why choose a truck for a second vehicle?” he asked.
“It’s what was available?” Kirra suggested.
“No. Everything Angela’s done up to this point has been deliberate. She needed a truck because . . .” Jake posed.
“She needed four-wheel drive,” Gage said.
Jake snapped. “Yes! Which means off road.”
“She could have also needed hauling capabilities,” Reef said as his eyes widened. “I mean for supplies.”
And Kayden. The thought of what she might be going through twisted Jake’s gut. When he found Angela Markum, it was going to t
ake God’s strength to stop him from killing her.
Kayden woke. The vehicle was bouncing over bumpy roads, knocking her about the truck bed with force.
It was dark. No daylight shone through the busted taillight.
The temperature had dropped, and a damp mustiness engulfed her. Where was Angela taking her, and how far behind was Jake?
Sheriff Marshall allowed them to set up a command center within his station. Jake found a rolling whiteboard and was outlining what they knew. He’d brought his working file with him, and soon his case board was in place. But what was he missing? Something was off. Angela wanted to be found. It was part of her twisted game, so what clue was he overlooking?
“Here.” Landon handed him a cup of joe.
“Thanks.” He gulped it down, ignoring the burn, needing the recharge the caffeine would supply.
“We need a topographical map of the island, need to pinpoint abandoned areas Angela may have taken Kayden to.”
“If she settles somewhere, and if she’s still on Imnek,” Landon said. “I’m not trying to be negative, but we have to consider the possibility that Angela’s moved Kayden off the island.”
Jake looked at Gage, who was co-leading the search-and-rescue teams with Rodney Neary. “Any sign of Angela’s truck?”
“I’m afraid not. We’ve canvassed the airport and all the marina parking lots and surrounding areas.”
“Then she’s still here.”
“How do you figure that?” Landon asked.
“Because she didn’t take a ferry out. She couldn’t haul an unconscious Kayden onto a plane, and there’s no way Kayden would go willingly. If Angela had taken a boat, her truck would be found at a marina or nearby. She’s still on Imnek. I can feel it.”
Landon took a sip of his coffee. “I pray you’re right.”
Jake took a deep breath.
Please, Father, guide me to Kayden before it’s too late.
He couldn’t even think about, couldn’t fathom, not finding her.
Landon clamped a hand on his shoulder. “You okay, man?”
“As okay as I can be.”
“You just got real pale and looked like you were going to hurl.”
“I’ll be fine. I just need to stay focused on the task at hand.” On rescuing Kayden. He couldn’t allow the doubts to creep in or they would paralyze him. He would find her, and she would be okay.
“One of Marshall’s deputies is pulling the topographical map as we speak.”
Jake nodded, thankful Landon had such a good relationship with Jacob Marshall. The sheriff was going above and beyond, and Jake would be forever grateful, but time was slipping away. Every hour, every minute that passed took Kayden one step farther from him.
He studied the board in front of him, wondering what he was missing.
Gage stood beside him. “You’ve been staring at that board for an awful long while,” he said as his team prepared to head back out and widen the search as soon as the first glimmers of dawn appeared.
“I’m just trying to figure out the clue I missed.” Angela’s MO was to leave “clever” messages. Back in Boston it’d been the cypress flowers. In Yancey it’d been the rock, the flowers, the notes. What message was he missing now?
Gage frowned. “Why do you think you missed something?”
“Because Angela’s been leaving me messages. She expected Rex would lead us in the direction of the ferry station and knew I’d search the video. She wants me to find her, so what am I missing?”
“See you when I’m ready.”
Maybe she hadn’t left the next message, the next clue. Did she want time with Kayden to— Jake cut off the thought with a hard swallow. The silence was torture. He needed the next move, and now.
“You think Angela is reeling you in?” Gage asked, concern thick in his tone.
“Absolutely.”
“Doesn’t she realize the rest of us will be coming with you? That she’ll be caught?”
“No. She’s got something planned. Something that’ll separate us, that will draw me in alone.”
“And then?”
Then she’d kill Kayden before his eyes, if she hadn’t already.
Becca’s death flashed through his mind. Joel Markum had mistimed it. Three minutes later and Jake would have witnessed the horrific event. Instead, he’d rounded the corner to find his wife lying dead on the pavement, a handful of cypress flowers bunched on her belly. They’d taken Becca to the ER, tried to save the baby still alive inside her belly, but they were too late. His daughter died too. His little girl, no bigger than the palm of his hand, had died at the hands of Joel Markum. Whether Joel did the actual driving or hired someone to do the heartless deed for him, he was to blame. Now his wife was picking up where he’d left off, ready to rip Kayden from his life.
Please, God, not again. Not Kayden.
39
The truck stopped and Kayden held her breath, bracing for what was coming next. The front door opened and then shut. Footsteps moved toward the rear of the vehicle.
Painfully, she scooted down to the tailgate, ready to kick out as it opened. Instead the bed cover lifted, and Kayden kicked, but Angela wisely stood off center and out of range.
“I can see we’re still going to have to do this the hard way.” She lifted the pole and jammed it at Kayden, once again sending jolts of electricity coursing through her.
Kirra walked beside Reef as they explored the last marina on Imnek. It was on Imnek’s south side—completely across the island from Spruce Harbor—but Jake had decided all marinas and modes of transport to get off the island needed to be checked before they moved on to the hunting and fishing cabins. It was still dark, and a chill hovered in the predawn air.
“Are you cold?” Reef asked.
Yes. “I’m okay.”
“Here.” He slid off his jacket—“Take this”—and draped it across her shoulders.
She wanted to say no. She should say no, but she was freezing. “Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
“You won’t get cold?” she asked.
“I’m a boarder. I’m most at home in the cold.” He smiled.
She slid her arms into the sleeves, grateful for the warmth but careful to keep a fair amount of distance between her and Reef. “When we were growing up, you seemed most at home in the water,” she said, feeling more at ease while the conversation kept going. It was the silence that bothered her.
Reef slid his hands into his cargo-pant pockets. “I love the water,” he said. “I love the mountains. Pretty much as long as I’m outdoors, I’m thrilled.”
She’d always thought he’d follow in his mom’s footsteps and become a professional swimmer, but he’d gone with snowboarding and surfing instead.
Seeing him on the beach growing up, his tanned skin, the sun glistening off his blond curls, his toned body . . .
She shook off the image. This was Reef McKenna. They had nothing in common, he had a girlfriend, and more importantly, she was done with men, so there was no point in thinking about his tanned anything. “Where’s your girlfriend?” Why couldn’t he have been paired with her? “You didn’t want her helping search?” It was her best guess. The lady hardly looked the outdoor type.
Reef’s step faltered, and then he cleared his throat. “Actually, Anna and I are no longer together.”
“Oh. Sorry.”
He glanced at her sideways. “I know what you’re thinking.”
She doubted it. “What’s that?”
“That either Anna came to her senses and realized I wasn’t good enough for her or that I screwed up again.”
“I wasn’t thinking either.” She was thinking how vastly different they had appeared. Kayden had been going on and on about how Reef had changed. Perhaps it was true, as unlikely as it seemed.
“I know what you think of me. Though based on my past behavior, I suppose it’s understandable.”
For once she kept her mouth shut, but her mind still raced
. Had reckless Reef really changed?
Kayden woke, her body in severe pain, her neck stiff. It was dark, except for a small battery-operated lantern set up on a table about fifty feet to her left. She turned, her arms catching with the movement. She yanked, finding herself handcuffed and chained to a wall.
Fear rippled through her.
Where was she? And what did Angela have planned?
“We got it,” Landon said, spreading the topographical map across the table.
“Okay,” Jake said. “We could use Marshall’s help.”
“Right here.”
He turned to find the sheriff already standing behind him. Marshall nodded. “Whatever you need, Jake.”
“What are the likely places Angela might hide out? Hunters’ cabins, ski lodges closed for the summer months, even cave systems—though I doubt that’s Angela’s style. The ferry employee said she’d taken the ferry to Imnek once a week for the past couple months. She could have been searching out a spot and supplying it.”
Marshall set to work circling areas in red. “Can’t say I know every hunting cabin, but most are in these two regions.” He boxed them in red. “We’ve got two ski lodges, but both areas are pretty heavily hiked and mountain biked during the off-season. We’ve got a number of wilderness emergency shelters and ranger stations that can all be empty at any given time. An abandoned mine out on the south face of the Eagle Mountain and, of course, a handful of abandoned military bunkers.”
“Bunkers?” Jake asked.
“Left over from World War II and the Cold War.”
“Like Fort Greely on Kodiak?” Gage asked.
“Yes, but like the majority on Kodiak, they haven’t been designated as historical landmarks. They’re just abandoned facilities. You’ll get groups of teens or vandals partying out there, and the occasional group of eager explorers or history buffs, but for the most part they are just a reminder of Imnek’s pivotal location during World War II and the Cold War.”
Few people realized the role Alaska played in World War II or how close to American soil the threat had come anywhere other than Pearl Harbor.