Page 67 of Fire Harbor

“Fifty-footer at least, named Defiant. Viking model from the late ’90s but completely restored, worth two million in today’s market easy.”

“Way to go, Mr. Tanaka, you might’ve just broke this case wide open,” Linus said, reaching in his pocket for his phone.

But Lake had already dug out her cell phone to relay the sighting to Brent. Waiting for him to pick up proved annoying. But when he did, she blurted out, “We have a witness who spotted Callum Riggs on a luxury yacht named Defiant moored off Crab Shack Cove.”

On the other end of the phone, Brent’s heart quickened with an enthusiasm he hadn’t felt with other tips. “I’ll call the Coast Guard and get agents on the water immediately. Are we sure this is legit?”

“Linus and I are with Genzo Tanaka right now. Mr. Tanaka knows his boats and recognized Riggs from your poster. This sighting is as legit as anything we’ve heard in two days.”

“That’s all I needed to hear,” Brent said and hung up on her.

She frowned and turned to Linus. “We give him the best lead he’s had in two days and how does he thank us? He hangs up without a word of goodbye or thanks.” She noticed Linus wasn’t really paying attention. “What’s wrong?”

“Do you suppose that’s how he came and went to reach that stretch of coastline? Riggs wouldn’t even need a car. All he had to do was motor up to that beach in his fancy yacht, use his dinghy or skiff to come ashore, wait under the bridge for an unsuspecting victim to come along, and pretend he needed help of some sort. No one even suspected this guy might have access to a boat.”

Lake stared at him. “But that’s not the scenario Sofia Diaz described. She said the man pretended to be a cop and had flashing lights on the grill of his vehicle.”

“Maybe he switched tactics since then. After all, Sofia’s incident occurred back in 2014, early in his career. That could be why Scott Phillips only managed to save six—different modus operandi that made sure to keep him off-balance. Riggs isn’t stupid. He knew he had to come up with an alternative approach. You said it yourself. Serial killers vary their methods.”

When the first helicopter circled overhead, Mr. Tanaka bobbed his head toward the couple. “I’m gonna go watch, watch them take ’im down. Fun night. Better than TV shows. You should come.”

Lake got to her feet. “Sure. Why not? Let’s go watch them make the arrest.”

“Are you nuts?” Linus muttered. “Brent will have a fit if we go anywhere near Crab Shack Cove tonight.”

Lake started to follow Genzo toward his boat. “We’re not heading there, not exactly. We’re going for a little ride on Mr. Tanaka’s trawler on a Saturday night. That’s all. Where’s the harm in that?”

“Fine,” Linus grumbled. “But when you get a lecture from Brent, I don’t want to be around when he blows his top.”

Nestled along the coast below Half Moon Bay, twenty minutes from Pelican Pointe, was a small cove where Dungeness crabs once thrived in the sandy, muddy bottom, inhabiting the eelgrass and kelp beds and scavenging along the sea floor for food. Over the years, as regulations changed, Crab Shack Cove lost its claim to fame. Now it was simply a picturesque spot with purple-hued sand where you could whale watch or hike up the rugged coastline to the cliffs above the beach.

Captain Tanaka helmed his trawler, Bella Luna, as they made their way through Smuggler’s Bay and around a bend to reach the cove. He knew the perfect angle to set up and wait for the Coast Guard to find the yacht. With the help of air support from the sheriff’s department, it didn’t take long.

Through a pair of binoculars, the scene unfolded seventy feet from their deck. Linus saw the Coast Guard cutter pull up alongside Defiant. The good guys were immediately fired upon. It seemed Callum Riggs didn’t intend to go down without a firefight.

The shootout took on a life of its own as gunfire volleyed back and forth, but it was short in duration. Without warning, in a blinding flash of light, Defiant exploded in a fiery inferno. Engulfed in an orange fireball, the fancy yacht disintegrated as debris shot out like cannon fire.

Even though the billowing flames and black smoke obscured their view, they felt the shockwave hit the Bella Luna, tossing them around on the deck as the boat rocked from the blast.

Feeling the heat from the flames, Mr. Tanaka grabbed the wheel with a tight grip, his knuckles turning white as he tried to steer them away from the chaos unfolding.

The crackling sound of burning wreckage breaking apart permeated the air as the yacht succumbed to the explosion and sank within minutes beneath the churning waves.

Mr. Tanaka shook his head and muttered, “Waste of a good boat.”

As the Coast Guard cutter maneuvered away from the danger zone, Lake spotted a lone figure, his face streaked with soot and determination, bobbing to the surface amidst the wreckage. “Isn’t that Callum Riggs?” she yelled.

With a rebellious stare, the man glared at her before swimming toward the rocky shore. His survival instinct propelled him forward despite the odds stacked against him.

Linus watched in disbelief as Riggs defied the odds, not only escaping the inferno he had ignited but crawling past the rocks onto the sandy beach alive. “He’s there. We should radio the Coast Guard.”

“And the cops,” Mr. Tanaka added, picking up the mic and relaying the information.

“How lucky could this guy get?” Linus complained.

Lake’s heart raced as she watched Callum Riggs make landfall in the middle of Crab Shack Cove. The man was like a ghost, haunting their peaceful corner of the coast with his presence.

Captain Tanaka contacted the authorities, but on Bella Luna’s deck, a tense silence enveloped them. The once serene cove now held secrets darker than its purple sand.

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