Page 62 of Fire Harbor

“I agree,” Nikki said, sounding older than her fourteen years. “So, how do we track down this guy driving the black SUV?”

“I’ll send out a BOLO first, then canvass door to door,” Eastlyn said.

“Why don’t we send out an email asking if anyone’s seen that kind of car hanging around town?” Lake offered.

“Sure. Locating Alice is our top priority. In situations like this, we utilize the public’s help.”

While Glynnis and Nikki composed an email to library subscribers, Lake contacted Wally at the gas station to see if he recalled seeing a black SUV purchasing gas recently.

“Yeah, I did. He’s been in a couple of times and always uses a credit card. Lilly can track down the name if you need it.”

Lake explained the reason for the call. “Although Alice has only been gone a few hours, we consider her missing until she’s found. Glynnis saw her talking to a stranger sitting in the library parking lot in a big SUV. It’s a long shot, I know, but we’re grasping at straws. Anything you could tell us about a black SUV might be beneficial.”

“Hang on a sec,” Wally replied. “Lilly’s checking now. She says the name on the credit card is Callum Riggs. She’s talked to him a couple of times and says he’s a salesman for a software company in Silicon Valley. He makes regular trips through Pelican Pointe to reach customers in Santa Cruz, sometimes without stopping here for gas. He’s in his early forties, dresses nice, and is always polite.”

“Thanks, Wally. I’ll pass everything you’ve just told me to Brent Cody. In the meantime, look for Alice or a stranger driving a black SUV.”

“Will do.”

As soon as she ended the call with Wally, Lake contacted Brent, filling him in on the new development and handing off as much information about Callum Riggs as Lilly had provided.

“I’ll send Colt over to Wally’s place to collect the credit card receipts,” Brent promised. “Thanks, Lake. This could be a major break for us. We at least need to locate this Riggs guy and rule him out.”

Having done what she could from behind a desk, Lake decided to get in her car and drive through the neighborhood.

Nikki saw her gathering her bag and keys and said, “I don’t know what your plan is but I’m in.”

“Clear it with Julianne first. If she says no, you’re headed back to class.”

As the afternoon sun began to descend, word continued to spread about Alice, and a sense of urgency gripped the town. A BOLO was sent out for the black SUV and its owner, Callum Riggs.

Linus heard all the buzz on his radio. But additional calls kept coming in—a suspected heart attack and one possible stroke—both likely stress reactions from the fire at the harbor. He had treated the more serious patients and was now headed to a reported car accident south of town with Jimmy Diaz.

“What a hectic day it’s been,” Jimmy moaned. “I’ll be glad when this shift is over.”

“Do you realize the casualties could’ve been in the double digits?” Linus fired back. “Losing Matt O’Malley is a tragedy. But it could’ve been so much worse.”

With their siren blaring and Jimmy behind the wheel, within minutes, they rolled up to the scene only to see a teenage girl standing at the side of the road near the bridge, screaming her head off as she tried to fight off an adult attacker.

“What the hell?” Jimmy remarked as he braked and skidded to a stop on the shoulder.

“That’s Alice Barrett, Call it in as an assault in progress,” Linus yelled as he shot out of the passenger side of the vehicle, running toward the girl. But the adult male spotted him and jumped back into the SUV and took off.

When Linus reached Alice, she was hysterical. “Are you okay? We’re here now. You’re safe. Did he hurt you?”

Alice could only shake her head, trembling. But she was gasping for breath, tears streaming down her face as she tried to speak.

Linus crouched down in front of her, making sure to maintain eye contact. “Take your time. My name’s Linus Canfield. I’m a paramedic. I work out of the hospital.”

“Should I go after that jerk?” Jimmy hollered.

“No. I got his plate number. We need to get Alice seen to first,” Linus said, removing his jacket to wrap it around the teenager’s shoulders as he gently started to guide her along the roadway toward the ambulance.

“You want me to wheel out the stretcher?”

“Just give us a minute, okay?” Linus snapped at Jimmy.

“He… he was trying to take me,” Alice managed to choke out between sobs. “He said he knew I liked David Gilkey. He said David had been hurt by the explosion. He wanted me to come with him. He promised to take me to see David. That’s why I…I got in the car with him.”

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