“Okay. Good to know, but I’ve got to go—”
“I pulled up all the dates he took out boats. Thought you might be interested to know that the day Jenny Lynch disappeared, he took a boat out that night. Coincidence, sure, but thought that was something to note.”
The detective called Odin’s name. “I have to go,” he told Ali. “Thanks for your help.” He shoved the phone into his pocket.
The detective motioned toward him. “We need you to sign your statement.”
He didn’t move. “You figure out how Steve and Heather got past the security system at War’s place?” Because War had a top-of-the-line system installed both at the bar and at the PI office.
“Heather told us her boyfriend is some kind of tech whiz. He disengaged the setup, the same way he disengaged all the security cameras at the college.”
Odin advanced. Picked up the statement. Scanned it. Then he slashed his name across the paper. A sudden, hard intensity was riding him.
Maisey.
“What about the break-ins at Maisey’s house?” Odin asked, keeping his voice casual. “Did Heather cop to those, too?”
“No, actually.” The detective tilted her head as she considered the matter. Her dark eyes were thoughtful. “She denied that. Weird, because she seemed more than happy to talk about everything else. She’s angling for a deal, but we’re not exactly in the mood to bargain with a murderer.”
Why wouldn’t Heather admit to the break-ins?
The detective took the signed statement. “Thanks. We’ll be in touch if we need more.”
Jinx came up and clapped a hand on Odin’s shoulder. “And that, my friend, is a done deal. Case closed.”
“It doesn’t feel closed.” Something was off.
“Uh, sure it does. The bad guys are in jail. One is confessing to pretty much everything under the sun. That means—done.”
Not to everything. “Heather didn’t confess to the break-ins at Maisey’s place.”
“Well, give her time.” Jinx didn’t seem concerned. “I’m sure she’ll get around to it.”
Odin broke from him and hurried for the door.
Jinx scrambled to follow him. “Where is the fire, O?” Jinx wanted to know as soon as they stepped outside.
Odin yanked out his phone again. Rain pelted down on him. The fact that Clay Prescott had a membership in a boating club didn’t change the situation—Heather and Steve had been the perps who attacked Whitney. And maybe it was just coincidence that Clay had taken a boat out on the same night Jenny Lynch disappeared.
He dialed Maisey. Her phone rang and rang. “She’s not answering.”
“Maisey?” Jinx side-eyed him even as he flipped up his collar. “Uh, probably because she’s asleep. She went home to crash, remember? Dude. You need to take a breath. I get that we had some big drama, but all is well. Your lady is fine, so calm down.”
He didn’t feel calm. Not at all. His instincts were screaming at him. “Clay didn’t call the cops.”
“What are you talking about?”
The rain was coming down harder.
“When we left last night, we told him to call the cops. He didn’t. Somebody reported gunshots. That’s how the cops knew to come to Trouble for Hire.” Maisey wasn’t answering. Fuck it. He made a different call. This time, it was to Ali.
She answered on the second ring. “I think I just stopped talking to you. There is no way you are missing me already.”
“I want to know where the hell Maisey is. Ping her phone or do whatever the hell you need to do.” They were still monitoring her phone. He hadn’t ordered that to halt.
“I can ping it, as long as it’s on. I can hit the different towers and give you a location, but…why?” In the background, he heard the sound of her fingers tapping a keyboard. “I thought you told me that you had the bad guys.”
“I need to know where she is,” he said from between clenched teeth. “She should be at her house, resting. Make sure that’s where she is.”
“Stalker,” Jinx muttered. “Just when I thought you were getting better—”
“Uh, she’s not at home.” A faint note of alarm entered Ali’s voice. “You sure that’s where she’s supposed to be?”
He nearly shattered the phone. “Where is she?”
More tapping on the keyboard. “So, this is gonna sound crazy, but remember when I told you that Clay had membership in the boating club? I just pinged her phone, and it’s coming up about one mile away from that place.”
Odin took off for his Jeep at a run.
“Odin!” Jinx shouted after him.
Chapter Twenty
The car had stopped. Maisey was aware of throbbing pain in her back and shoulders, and she felt sluggish as hell. She’d opened her eyes just moments before. Been aware that she was moving. They were moving. She didn’t know where Clay was taking her, but Maisey knew she was in trouble.
She’d shoved her hand into the big bags around her. Found the laptop. Now she gripped it as tightly as she could. Maisey figured she’d have one good shot at this. One chance to catch him off guard.
She heard the slam of a car door. Footsteps. He was coming around the car. She lowered her head. Closed her eyes. Turned so that she was partially hiding the laptop with her body, but she didn’t let it go.
There was a screech as the trunk popped open. “No one is around,” he told her roughly. “So don’t waste time screaming.”
She didn’t make a sound.
Thunder rumbled.
“Maisey?” His voice was louder. Closer. As if he’d leaned into the trunk. Then she felt his hand curl around her hip as he gave her a hard shake. “Hey, wake up!”
I’m awake, you bastard. Her eyes flew open just as she lunged up with her laptop. She slammed it into his head as hard as she could. He swore and stumbled back. Maisey leapt out of that trunk. Hurtled forward and ran as fast as she could.
It wasn’t fast. She didn’t get far. Her legs seemed to immediately collapse under her. Whatever drug he’d given her was still in Maisey’s system. She shoved upright. Staggered. Rain was pummeling down on her. “Help!” she cried. “Help!”
But he was right. No one was around. They were in an empty parking lot. She could hear the splash of water. She spun, frantic, and realized—
Marina. We’re in a marina’s parking lot.
There had to be someone out there!
Lightning flashed overhead. A huge bolt that lit the scene.
Wait, was that a store up ahead? Some kind of office? Maisey stumbled toward it.
“Maisey, you disappoint me.” Clay lunged into her path. Blocked the office or whatever the hell it had been. Rain pounded against him.
The rain. That was why no one else was out. The weather was too bad. Everyone was inside, and she was alone out there with him. Wind whipped against her.
“I didn’t expect you to attack me. That’s something that jerk boyfriend of yours would do.”
Was he serious? She backed up a step. Almost fell again. Her whole body felt so uncoordinated. The rain wasn’t making that coordination any better. “You kidnapped me!”