Page 26 of Bone Echo

Cuddahy was on his feet next. “We need to check them all again. Meltzer would have anticipated your movements. If his options were limited he will have played a shell game with your daughter’s location. We need to check everything that is generally unoccupied or unused again. Right now.”

Cuddahy was right.

Dear God, let her still be here.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

10:30 p.m.

Kurt couldn’t move fast enough. He’d called Doreen and Peterson who had worked together to quickly assemble every single officer in the department except three and a dozen deputies and numerous civilians. Every vacant house was being checked again. Every shuttered business. Every abandoned building.

Dawson and two other officers were standing by at the harbor when Kurt, Audra and Cuddahy arrived. Josh Morris, the marina service group owner, had come straight away. He’d done this once already but didn’t blink about doing it again.

Audra waited in the parking area to make any necessary calls for paramedics or additional back up.

Kurt, Cuddahy and Morris moved from vessel to vessel. Each was thoroughly searched.

It wasn’t until they reached the final half dozen slips that a sound pierced the night.

Kurt held up a hand for everyone to be silent.

The sound came again.

A pounding…thudding.

“Find that sound,” he ordered.

The group spread out, moving as silently as possible. The sound came again and this time Kurt couldn’t bear it. “Ella!” he shouted her name.

Then Cuddahy and Morris did the same. Her name echoed over and over in the night. The pounding grew louder, more frantic.

Dear God, it was her. Had to be.

His heart skipping traitorously, Kurt and the rest rushed from slip to slip until he zeroed in on where the sound was coming from. The final slip on the far right side.

The desperate thudding grew louder as they neared the vessel.

Kurt called her name again and this time he heard her voice.

“Daddy!”

Morris led the way onto the vessel. A body lay on the deck.Meltzer. Blood had pooled around his head and shoulders.

Cuddahy knelt next to the man.

Morris hurried below deck with the keys. Kurt was right behind him. Ella continued shouting for her dad.

As soon as the door was unlocked, Ella burst out, jostling Morris aside. Kurt dropped his flashlight to reach for her. The bouncing beam highlighted the blood splatter running the length of her body.

“Are you hurt?” He tried to hold her at arm’s length so he could survey her for injuries.

“I’m fine,” she cried as she launched against him. “It’s Dr. Lawler’s blood.”

He drew her into his arms, tears streaming down his face. She sobbed and trembled in his arms.

“Come on. Let’s get you out of here.” Kurt pulled her against him and led her up to the deck and off the vessel. Audra rushed toward them.

In the distance the siren from an ambulance throbbed in the night.

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