Page 23 of Fire Harbor

It was a peculiar feeling, this sudden revelation. Something within her had shifted. A spark had ignited, pushing her to think outside the box. Maybe, just maybe, she had a chance to embrace the unknown with Linus at her side.

Dreading an encounter that he had initiated, Linus mulled over Lake’s information about the missing women as he stepped into the police station. But he knew something was amiss as soon as he spotted Eastlyn still sitting behind the front desk from last night’s third shift. When he heard loud voices drifting out into the reception area originating from the conference room, he understood something big had happened.

“Shouldn’t you be home by now?” Linus asked Eastlyn in between answering the phone. “Or are you working a double shift?”

“Double shift since seven this morning. You didn’t hear it from me but the Chief thinks we’re dealing with a serial killer. He’s in there butting heads with the sheriff’s department rep right now.”

“Sounds like it. Look, I don’t mean to bother you. By any chance did forensics find any more bones yesterday at the bridge?”

Eastlyn narrowed her eyes. “How does this kind of information get out through the grapevine so fast? The answer is yes. They found the other part of a ribcage and a foot. But you didn’t hear that from me.”

“No problem. But they can’t know these bones belong to Gabby Moreland this quickly, right?”

Eastlyn leaned over the desk and lowered her voice. “Correct, but they found clothing that matched up with what she was wearing the night she went missing. Good thing you found that skull yesterday before the rain hit this morning. Brent’s called in Beckett and Birk Callahan to search the area.”

“But it’s not his jurisdiction,” Linus pointed out. “If it had been I would’ve have called here first.”

“The bridge belongs to the county, but Gabby Moreland’s disappearance is our case.”

“That makes sense. When will Beckett and Birk start their search?”

“They’re on a call up near Scotts Valley, so they won’t be available until afternoon. And with this rain, who knows when they’ll get to the bridge.” When the phone line rang again, Eastlyn rolled her eyes. “I swear you’d think people had never seen rain before. Why does rain make people crazy?” She punched the blinking light on the display and barked, “Pelican Pointe PD, Parker speaking. How can I help you?”

Linus used that as his excuse to retreat. He wasn’t about to confront Brent Cody today with everything going on.

Outside, standing in the rain, he felt a mix of relief and apprehension. On the plus side, he didn’t have to deal with Brent. But the news of a potential serial killer roaming their small town would spread like an out-of-control wildfire.

As he darted back to his truck, he knew he had to gather his thoughts and devise a plan before approaching Brent with any kind of information. And when he did, the data needed to be stellar.

The rain had brought a chill to the air. After climbing inside his pickup, Linus started the engine while Farley snuggled up to his side. He laid a hand on the dog’s back. “As I see it, we have three options. Go get a warm cup of coffee where we can stay nice and dry, or maybe hang out at the library with Lake, also staying nice and dry in the process. Or we could go check out the bridge for ourselves and see what we can find before Beckett and Birk bring in their dogs. How do you feel about becoming a tracker for about fifteen minutes?”

Farley woofed and burrowed further into Linus.

“Yep, I agree. I think we should check underneath that bridge, maybe do our own walk-through before lunch.” He studied the sky and turned on the heater, twisted the windshield wipers to the on position. “But first, we’ll need to stop by the house and get our rain slicker. Those clouds aren’t going away any time soon.”

With the rain pelting down, Linus pulled his truck onto the graveled shoulder of the road just before the bridge. He clipped the leash to Farley’s collar and slid out on the opposite side through the passenger door.

The smell of musty earth clung to him as he walked along the gritty pathway toward the spot where he’d found the skull the day before.

Standing among the wetlands, he could taste the salty air on his tongue, the thick humidity, almost like breathing in a heavy fog. The taste reminded him of the rejuvenating power of Mother Nature, a place where the water and earth merged to give birth to a diverse ecosystem.

His eyes scanned the marshland, laid out like a mosaic of greens and browns, a patchwork of boggy earth and shimmering ocean, teeming with life and, no doubt, a place that held onto its secrets. In this spot, he marveled at all the migratory birds that returned here every spring.

As he took his first step into the water-logged, spongy ground, his feet sunk into the wet, squishy earth, the vegetation yielding with each step. He could feel the cool mist from the nearby water on his face. Thick layers of mud stuck to Farley’s paws. The dog’s tail wagged, slapping against the damp reeds.

“You’ll definitely need a bath after this,” Linus muttered as he noticed the tide coming in fast and hard. “We both will. I can’t have lunch with Lake without a shower.”

Linus trudged further into the wetlands, his boots sinking deeper into the muddy ground. The drizzle turned to a harder, relentless downpour, soaking him to the bone. But Farley bounded ahead, his tail wagging with unbridled enthusiasm. Linus couldn’t help but smile despite the circumstances, watching Farley splash through the shallow pools with each step.

The sound of the rain hitting the water and foliage created a rhythmic melody, drowning out any other noise.

As man and dog ventured deeper into the marshland, the landscape began to transform. The reeds grew taller and denser, blocking out the faint light that managed to pierce through the wall of rain. Here, under the bridge, the air became heavier with a peculiar scent, a combination of decay and life.

Linus’s heart quickened as he stumbled upon a twisted, gnarly willow tree, its knotted branches reaching out like skeletal fingers. The rainwater dripped from its leaves in a haunting cadence. But curiosity pushed him forward, his footsteps becoming more cautious as he approached a dense underbrush.

As he ventured deeper, a peculiar sight caught his attention. Jutting out from the water was a weathered log, its surface covered in moss. With careful steps, he approached the log just as Farley let out a loud bark.

The noise made Linus jump. But there was something about the stump that made him stop and take a second look. Kneeling down on one knee, Linus reached out to touch the rough bark. A faint glimmer caught his eye—a glimpse of something metallic nestled between the moss-covered crevices. With a surge of anticipation, he delicately plucked away the foliage, revealing a woman’s gold chain clinging to the wet bark.

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