Me: I really appreciate it.
I forced myself to spend the next few minutes in normality. I rinsed Shay’s cup and put it in the dishwasher, brewed a cup of coffee for myself, and set the eggs in their proper resting spot. But when I finished, I was still waiting for my phone to ding.
I slid onto a stool in front of Shay’s laptop, knowing that what I was about to do was a violation of her privacy. I’d apologize later. I tapped a key, and the screen blinked to life. I breathed a sigh of relief when it didn’t require a password.
A chat window was up. A conversation between her and someone named Evergreenl3, her friend, E. As I read the messages, my gut tightened. Maybe her friend truly was in trouble, but it sounded a hell of a lot like someone was trying to get Shay away from the island and me.
Me: Any sign?
Caelyn: Not yet. Is everything okay?
I was an asshole for worrying Caelyn after all she’d been through, but I couldn’t help the deep and unsettling feeling that something was wrong. Before I could type a response, my phone rang. Seeing Caelyn’s name on the screen, I accepted the call.
“Do you see her?”
“No sign of her, and now you have me totally and completely freaked out.”
I scrubbed a hand over my jaw. “I’m sorry. Something just feels wrong. Like this friend was trying to lure Shay away from the island for some reason.”
I scanned the screen again and froze. In a small column to the left of the messaging app was a history of conversations. At least half a dozen chats visible in the history window. They were all with the same person…until her most recent chat. At first glance, it looked the same, but when all the screen names were lined up, you could see the slight difference. Most of the conversations were with Evergreen13 but the one this morning was with Evergreenl3. Someone had created a new name and replaced the number one with a letter l.
My chest seized. “Caelyn, I have to go. I need to call Parker. Call me if you see the boat or any sign of Shay. If you see her, don’t let her out of your sight. I’ll explain later.”
“Wait, Brody—”
I hung up before she had a chance to continue and dialed Parker immediately. Someone was after Shay.
I paced back and forth in front of the island. “We have to do something.”
Parker’s jaw worked. “We’re doing everything we can. I’ve got every officer on our payroll looking for Shay and the boat. We’ll find her.”
But would it be soon enough? My gut twisted as images of dead bodies filled my mind. The ones that had been carved up and displayed to look just like my paintings. I couldn’t help imagining Shay the same way. Bile crept up the back of my throat, and I forced it down.
A hand came down hard on my shoulder. “You have to hold it together. Losing it won’t help you or Shay.”
I gave a jerky nod in Griffin’s direction. “I’m trying.”
“I know that kind of fear. It eats you up, but you have to keep a clear head.”
I was doing everything I could to hold onto my last strand of sanity. Not to tear this kitchen apart. But it had been two hours. Parker and his deputies had descended on Harbor in a wave, looking for any clue they could find. A tech was combing through Shay’s laptop, trying to trace the new screen name. But so far, no luck.
Parker checked his phone for the hundredth time. “You have your laptop up here?”
I nodded. “It’s in the den.”
“Grab it for me. I want to look through your security footage. See if we can spot anyone lurking.”
I jogged to grab the computer but couldn’t imagine it would be much help. It would be difficult to keep eyes on Shay or me. The forests that surrounded the buildings on Harbor would make it nearly impossible for someone to see through.
I set the computer on the counter and pulled up the camera app. “What views do you want?”
Parker came up next to me. “Let’s start with the dock camera that faces the water.”
There were three views from our dock cameras. One facing the water, one facing the trail that led to and from the dock, and one of the dock itself that was linked to an alert. I pulled up the view of the water.
“Here are rewind, fast forward, and stop,” I said, showing Parker all the buttons he would need.
He slid onto the stool and began a speedy rewind of the recording. I scrubbed a hand back and forth across my jaw where an ache had started to form. After a minute, Parker slammed his finger down on the stop key.
I leaned in closer. “What is it? What did you see?”
“I’m not sure.” He started the recording again, this time at a normal speed. Griffin moved in closer to see what we were looking at. “Holy hell,” Parker muttered.
I watched as a figure poked up out of the water and hauled himself into the boat. The man slipped off a wetsuit and opened a waterproof sack to don clothes. He threw the rest of his gear overboard and then slipped into the large storage bin at the back of the boat.
Vomit crept up the back of my throat. Someone had been in the Whaler, just waiting for Shay. And now, he had her.
“Do you recognize him?” Parker asked.
I shook my head. “It’s dark, and the view is from too far away.” It could’ve been any number of people.
“Sheriff,” a deputy called. “We found the boat. And there’s blood.”
47
Shay
I groaned as I rolled over. My mouth was dry as a desert, my tongue like bitter sandpaper. I blinked a few times, trying to clear the blurriness from my vision. The tiny movement made my head pound. I felt like a scene out of one of those movies when someone has their first hangover, but I didn’t remember drinking. I’d never had one of those nights of overindulgence. I was always too careful and cautious.
I tried blinking again. This time, it wasn’t quite as painful. As things came into focus around me, my heart rate sped up. I wasn’t in Brody’s room or the guest house. My surroundings were completely unfamiliar.
I tried to push up from the bed to get a better view, but zip ties on my wrists and ankles caught me. Plastic cording cut into my wrists and held my jeans-clad legs together. My stomach cramped. With worry or lack of food and water, I wasn’t sure.
I used an elbow to lever myself into a sitting position, but the movement was awkward. My head swam and throbbed, and I feared I might lose what little I had in my belly. I closed my eyes and took several slow deep breaths. In through my nose, and out through my mouth.
When my stomach stilled, I opened my eyes. Rough wood walls that’d seen better days greeted me. Cobwebs filled the corners, and dust covered the surfaces. Curtains hung at a haphazard angle as if someone had tried to pull them down and failed.
I wracked my brain for anything even remotely familiar about the space, but there was nothing. I tested the bindings around my ankles, trying to break them apart, but had no luck. I knew I could get out of the ones around my wrists, but it would hurt like a bitch.
Just as I was about to make an attempt, I froze. I needed to remember first. What was the last thing in my mind? It stung my brain to try and sift through my memories. Gathering the eggs. Going back to the main house. My chat with Evergreen.