Page 54 of Cassidy

“Good to know,” Cassidy said. “I think we should get out to the lake house to see if Travis is there. First, I need to call Rhy to fill him in.”

He nodded in understanding. The hour was barely six, but with a pregnant wife and small child, their boss would likely be up. And it would be good to know if they were able to get the search warrant. If not, they could still head out to search for Travis, but they’d be trespassing on private property.

Not that he cared about breaking that law. Gaming was a connection between Miles and Travis, and they saw Miles’s SUV near the restaurant where they’d found the phone used to call his desk. In his mind, that was more than enough to take action.

Lawyers could take a long walk off a short pier, he thought darkly. His brother’s life was at stake. He wasn’t going to stand around and wait for the slow wheel of justice to turn in his favor.

“Yeah, sure Rhy. We’ll wait for you to get here.” Cassidy sent him an apologetic look. “Talk soon.” She ended the call.

“We’re wasting time,” he said. “We need to get to that lake house.”

“And we will,” she assured him. “But Rhy wants to see if we can get a judge to approve the search warrant first.”

He shook his head and rose to his feet. “Sorry, Cass, but I’m not waiting. They could be on the move again in the daylight. If the place is empty, then there’s no point in getting a search warrant.”

She held his gaze for a long moment then slowly nodded. “I see your point. But I need a few minutes. I think we need one more cop to ride along in case we’re outnumbered.”

He swallowed his protest and nodded. Finding Travis was important but so was keeping Cassidy safe. “We’ll take our vests too,” he said, reaching for the one he’d worn a few hours ago.

“Hey, Jina, do you have time to run down a lead on Gabe’s missing brother?” Cassidy listened for a moment, then said, “Great. You’re closer to Newport Lake than we are, so meet us there in say thirty minutes. Wear your tactical gear since we don’t know what we’re walking into. Thanks.” She lowered the phone. “Let’s go before Rhy can stop us.”

He hated putting her career in jeopardy, but that didn’t stop him from shrugging into his coat, tugging it over the vest. Then he picked up the laptop, for no other reason than he felt naked without it. “I’m ready.”

She nodded, having already donned her vest and jacket. They quickly headed toward the side exit. He didn’t realize he was holding his breath until they reached the rental vehicle. He sighed and snapped the seat belt into place, relieved they’d gotten away clean.

Cass didn’t say much. The hour was early enough that they weren’t hampered by rush-hour traffic. He wanted to keep looking through the gaming software but decided to rest his eyes and his injured brain.

Please, Lord Jesus, restore my memory! Guide us to Travis and keep him safe in Your care.

A sense of peace washed over him. Praying came more naturally now, either because of Cassidy’s influence or because he’d attended church prior to his concussion. Either way, he needed every ounce of the Lord’s support and comfort now more than ever.

“When we find Travis, I’d like you to give him the benefit of doubt,” he said, breaking the silence. “He may have started off as a willing accomplice, but his phone call indicates he’s in trouble.”

“Of course.” She shot him a sideways glance. “We don’t arrest people willy-nilly. We need probable cause. Besides Travis is underage and has been reported missing by his mother. Unless he pulls a gun and shoots at us, there’s no reason to arrest him.”

“Thanks.” He couldn’t imagine Travis shooting at them, but he also wasn’t sure what this was about. As Cassidy had pointed out several times, it made no sense why anyone kill him over a video game.

Twenty-five minutes later, he saw the sign for Newport Lake. He straightened in his seat and eyed the addresses. “We’re getting close,” he said as they passed mailboxes perched on the end of driveways. “There! That’s the one.”

Cass glanced at the small brown cottage associated with the address he’d provided. She drove past the place, which didn’t surprise him. Three houses down, she pulled over and parked. “I didn’t see a car in the driveway, did you?”

“No. But there is a garage, could be that the blue SUV belonging to Miles is parked inside.” He unlatched his seatbelt. “Your plan is to approach the place on foot?”

“Yes, but you need to stay here.” Cassidy shut off the engine. “Jina and I will go up to the door.”

“Travis is my brother,” he protested, but Cassidy pierced him with a narrow look.

“Nonnegotiable, Gabe. If you don’t stay here, then I’ll drive back to the precinct to wait for a warrant.”

A warrant they may not get. Frustrated, he grudgingly nodded. “Okay, fine. I’ll stay here.” What he didn’t add was that if he heard any sounds of trouble, like gunshots, he’d be out of the car and on scene faster than she could blink.

“I mean it,” she said, sliding out from behind the wheel. “Rhy will kill me if anything happens to you.”

Annoyed, he scowled but stayed in his seat. He took note of the time, six-forty-two in the morning. He decided he’d give her a solid fifteen minutes before bailing on his promise and heading out to join her and Jina.

It would be the longest fifteen minutes of his life.

Cass wasglad the sky was overcast and that the sun wouldn’t rise for another thirty minutes or so. This close to the winter solstice meant long nights and short days.

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