Page 97 of Cougar Point

“Can you describe him?”

Wallis looked over at the unit, calling up the memory, then looked back at Lucas. “Average height, maybe forty, dark hair. I think he had acne on his face.”

Lucas nodded. Wallis wasn’t telling him anything he didn’t already know, but he seemed to be open and honest, which was good. He took his phone out and got Len Thundercloud’s DMV headshot up, then held the screen out for him to have a look at. He tilted his head, thought about it, and said, “Yeah, that’s him.”

“Ever see him before last week?”

“Not that I remember.”

“I don’t suppose you have a key for that unit?”

“Sorry, guess you’d have to see the landlord for that.”

“You know if he’s rented it out yet?”

“Don’t look like it.”

Lucas smiled. Wallis wasn’t falling over himself to be helpful, but he respected his straightforward manner.

“Thanks for your help.” Lucas peered over his sunglasses. “You look a little familiar. You ever…help us out with anything?”

Wallis met his gaze and gave him the answer he was half expecting. “I did some stupid shit in my younger days.”

“But not anymore, huh?” Lucas said, looking beyond him at the garage.

“No, sir.”

“Good man. I’m just going to have a look around, you mind keeping an eye on my car?”

Wallis gave his car another look over and shook his head slowly. “I don’t mind, sir.”

Lucas walked over to the empty unit and examined the fresh padlock on the door. It was new, and it was definitely locked. He would try the landlord later but he didn’t expect to find anything back there.

He walked around the back of the units. There was a partly asphalted road that petered out into a dirt track. He walked fifty yards along the track to see beyond the trees that encroached onto it and saw another structure with wood siding and a corrugated sheet metal roof. A faded sign advertisedJessup & Co Salmon Cannery.

Lucas turned and looked back toward the back of the line of units. He could hear the high whine of some kind of power tool from the tire place. No other signs of life. He took his phone out and googled Jessup & Co. Nothing came up other than a local history website which mentioned the place had closed in 1972.

He walked the rest of the way to the structure. The siding was rotted near the ground and the roof was rusty and holed in places, but it had weathered the last half-century well, considering. The front door was sealed with a sheet of steel that looked as though it had probably been there since ’72. He walked around the back and found another door. This one wasn’t sealed. And it had a padlock on it.

A new padlock, just like the one on the unit.

SIXTY-TWO

Vinnie remains in the kitchen doorway waiting for a response. Jack turns his chair sideways not looking at Vinnie. Rebecca takes Vinnie’s arm and pulls him back into the hallway. I follow as she leads him down the hallway to the front of the house.

Rebecca says, “Uncle, something horrible has happened.”

“To Vic?”

“Let’s go out front and sit on the porch and I’ll tell you. I need to sit down.”

Vinnie stands looking toward the gate, hands in his pockets, jaw clamped shut.

“The kidnappers were here less than an hour ago,” Rebecca says. “Dad said a man in the woods behind the house left a shoebox and told Dad he would kill Mom if he didn’t start obeying.”

“Obeying what?” Vinnie asks. He looks from Rebecca to me. I keep quiet for now.

I see tears appear in the corners of Rebecca’s eyes, and she tells Vinnie everything that’s happened from her and Victoria going to the resort, finding out Victoria was missing, the notes, the severed finger, and finally the video of the kidnapperschopping her mom’s hand off. Vinnie sits and puts an arm around her shoulders.

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