Page 69 of Tactical Revival

“You don’t think this one has it?”

“Possibly. But it’s too vague.” I circle the last part. “This is the portion I think is trying to point us somewhere. But there are hundreds of miles of shore and nothing leading us to any particular part.”

“We’ll figure it out. Elijah is running all kinds of programs to try and decipher.”

“We’re running out of time.” I set my untouched coffee aside, then turn and grip the back of my office chair. “She’s going to die, Michael. And for all we know, the stuff with Margot’s B&B is all tied to this, too. What if—” I can’t say it, the possibility far too much to deal with. If anything happens to Lanetti, I’ll be devastated.

But Margot? Matty? It will kill me.

“My sister and Matty are safe,” he reminds me. “My parents aren’t going to let anyone near them. Dad may be in a wheelchair, but he’s a great cop and an incredibly accurate shot.”

“I’m afraid.”

“I know you are. We all are. Have you talked any more to your old partner?”

“Alaric said that he’s digging into old case files to see if there’s a possibility that we missed a familial connection. A lot of times when it’s a copycat, it’s someone who’s close to the killer.”

“You trust him?”

“With my life,” I reply without hesitation. “Alaric is as good as they come.”

“Good.” Michael claps me on the back. “Then let’s take a break and go eat.”

“What? I can’t go eat. I have to figure this out.”

“You won’t be any good to anyone if you starve. My mom invited us over for dinner, so let’s go get something to eat, then we can come back with fresh eyes.”

I swallow hard, staring at the board. It feels like I’m betraying Lanetti if I leave, but I know as well as anyone that sometimes a change of scenery can trigger something that breaks a case. “All right.”

“Great.” He lifts my coffee and hands it back to me. “Drink. You’re going to need all the caffeine you can get.”

“Why?”

“My dad knows you’re into my sister.”

I stop dead in my tracks. “What?”

Michael grins. “I might have told him you were putting the moves on Margot.”

The blood drains from my face. “What? Why? Why would you do that?”

That smile spreads. “So you are putting the moves on my sister?”

I stare at him, unsure how to answer. What’s the procedure for sharing a near-kiss with the sister of one of your best friends?

“Relax, Jax. I know you’re into Margot. I picked up Matty before your date, remember?”

“Date—that was just dinner.”

Michael arches a brow. “Don’t lie to me, dude. We both know it was more. It’s cool. If it’s me you’re worried about, don’t be. I know you’re a good man and you won’t treat her poorly.”

“Never.”

“Then we have nothing to worry about.” He opens the door. “Now, onto dinner and a family grill session we go.”

The drive over is quiet, giving me the chance to continually break down what the riddle could possibly mean. It’s always a location, but Sheriff Vick has had deputies out on the shoreline all day, driving ATVs and using drones to canvas the area, and as of the phone call I had with him a few minutes ago, they’ve found nothing.

Not a single lead to follow.

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