Page 74 of Fire Harbor

“Nice job,” Eastlyn commented.

“But we still don’t know where Abby is,” Linus pointed out.

“Brent’s back at the station waiting to ask him that. Wanna bet we’ll know before the end of the day is out?”

“Yeah, but will it be too late?”

A few feet away, Lake stood watching Derrick climb aboard the helicopter, a mix of emotions swirling inside her. She felt relief that the standoff had ended without violence, but the worry for Abby gnawed at her insides. She knew they were running out of time to find her.

As the helicopter lifted off, she turned to Linus. “We need to keep pushing forward. We can’t lose hope now. Can you think of anywhere Derrick might have taken her?”

“You’re asking me?”

“You did hang out with him,” Lake said. “Even if it was years ago, it could be significant. Is there anywhere he talked about in particular, anywhere other than his house, that he could’ve left her?”

Linus set his jaw. He tried to recall his conversations with Derrick, tried to replay anything the guy might’ve mentioned in passing during their time at the bar. Boring nights flashed through his head. A memory started to take shape.

“Oh, my God. I think I might know,” Linus said, a sense of urgency creeping into his voice. “There’s an old cabin in the woods that Derrick used to talk about. It’s way off the beaten path, but it’s special to him from childhood. He used to brag about spending summers there with his dad.”

“Where?” Lake asked.

“It’s a cabin north of Scotts Valley, near the abandoned monastery. It was a place he used to bring up frequently while we were sitting around watching baseball on the big screen or shooting pool. Every time he saw me, he would always ask if I’d like to go up there. Unfortunately, I always turned him down. I have no idea where it’s located.”

“Near a monastery?” Eastlyn asked. “You mean that old rundown former boy’s academy, the one that closed and then reopened when locals tried to use it as a religious retreat. I know that place. If we use that as the epicenter and work our way to the cabins in that proximity, maybe we’ll get lucky.”

“I know that area very well,” Birk stated. “Beckett and I have done searches up there.”

“Locals claim the place is haunted,” Beckett tossed out.

Kelly rolled her eyes. “Aside from nonsense rumors, if we get everyone here on the move, maybe we’ll find her before dark.”

“Guys, there must be four dozen cabins in the woods up there,” Linus returned. “Maybe more.”

“It’s a place to start,” Lake noted, eyeing Eastlyn hopefully. “We’re all willing to do whatever it takes. Utilize our assets.”

Eastlyn nodded, reaching for her radio to mobilize whatever resources she needed. After informing dispatch of her plans, she turned to the other volunteers. “I don’t need to tell you that time is of the essence. We all know what’s at stake. If anyone wants to bail, though, call it a day, I’ll understand.”

No one wanted to leave.

“Why not take the search and rescue chopper?” Birk asked. “It’d be faster.”

“Getting up there, yeah,” Eastlyn said in agreement. “But an aerial view won’t make a difference in locating the cabin because of all the trees and hilly terrain. Let’s get moving. Time’s wasting. Try to keep up.”

Chapter Twenty- One

Linus, Lake, and Greta rode together in his truck, trailing Eastlyn’s caravan of volunteers at breakneck speed along a narrow, windy road. The drive was tense, each passing minute amplifying their worry for Abby’s safety. Not even the beautiful, serene woods could take the edge off. No one wanted to voice what seemed to be a prevailing concern—that she was already dead, and they were too late to save her.

“Did you ever wonder back then why you kept turning down Derrick’s offer to come up here?” Lake wondered.

“I don’t know. Something always felt off.”

“That’s not what you said when Lake told you about him burying something in the backyard,” Greta conveyed from the back seat.

“I know that,” Linus snapped, his fingers going white on the steering wheel. “Don’t you think I haven’t kicked myself over and over because I couldn’t see him as a killer?”

“But there was something…?” Lake insisted. “Think back to that time. What was it that kept Derrick from moving into your inner circle?”

“Well, I’m not sure I had an inner circle at the time. But for one thing, he was too pushy. It seemed to me that he always zeroed in on me at the bar. Why not Brad Radcliff or Paul Bonner or any number of other guys who hung out at McCready’s back then?”

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