Page 9 of Storm Surge

As the words sank in, Elizabeth shook her head. “That’s not possible. He wouldn’t.”

Will couldn’t imagine the lies Collins had fed his sister through the years. How had he explained coming back from the dead? “I’m afraid it is,” he said quietly. Out of the corner of Will’s eyes, he noticed Garrett approaching the cabin. “Ma’am, I need you to wait for me here. I’ll be right back.” He stepped over to speak with Garrett. “Anything on Collins?”

Garrett shifted on his feet. “Nothing good. The boat ran ashore and broke into pieces. Coast Guard has divers in the water. There’s no sign of a body.”

Will read what Garrett hadn’t said. “He got away.”

“That’s my thinking, although we don’t have the official word yet. Personally, I think Collins had it all planned out. He figured we’d eventually find this place. So, he had the boat waiting. I’m guessing he had a vehicle stashed somewhere along the coastline. He has a head start, and we’re going to have to scramble to catch up.” Garrett shifted his gaze to the woman who watched them talking. “Anything from her yet?”

Will followed his gaze. “No. She doesn’t believe her brother is capable of such things. It’s going to be hard getting her to talk and. . .” He stopped. How could he tell Garrett about what his heart was screaming at him?

What?” Garrett’s gaze narrowed on Will’s face.

Now wasn’t the time. He shook his head. “Nothing. I spoke to Victor. He has a team of federal agents on their way from Olympia. They should be here within the hour. The sheriff and his men have been helpful, but we’ll need more manpower to secure the property boundaries. No one comes in or out without permission. At this point we have no idea if there are other members of Legion hiding out here.”

Garrett nodded. “We can use all the help we can get.”

“That’s an understatement.”

“You want me to interview the second woman? Collins’s daughter?”

Though it would be the wise thing to do, considering Will’s reaction to meeting Jamie Collins for the first time, this was something Will had to do himself. He had to be certain. Collins was a natural liar. Was it possible he’d changed Lizzy’s name? Convinced his sister to go along with the change? Or was he only pretending to be her father to have a hook into Will and Strike Force.

“No, I’ll speak with her. Maybe you can make some headway with Collins’s sister? She’s not cooperating with me.”

“No problem. Why don’t you introduce me and then I’ll take it from there?”

Will nodded and headed back to where Elizabeth Franklin kept a careful eye on them. “Ms. Franklin, this is my colleague, Garrett Craig. He’s going to ask you some more questions. While he’s doing that, I’d like to speak to Jamie.”

“No! You can’t. Not without me. She’s not used to being around strangers.”

Will narrowed his eyes. “Your niece is a grown woman, ma’am. I’m sure she’ll be fine.” She started to protest but stopped. Had she begun to realize things were not as her brother had told her?

He waited a second longer before he stepped up on the porch and knocked on the door. His hands grew sweaty as he waited. Was he ready to face her? Find out the truth once and for all?

The door slowly opened. Jamie’s troubled eyes connected to his and Will’s heart beat a crazy rhythm.

The wary look on her face matched her aunt’s and confirmed she didn’t trust him. His Lizzy had always been so trusting and carefree. She’d never met a stranger. It had probably been easy for the man who took her to gain her trust. That was Lizzy. Jamie was nothing like that.

“I’d like to ask you some questions about your father, if I may?” He waited for her to say something. Those big brown eyes, so much like Lizzy’s, searched his face for the longest time. She slowly nodded and stepped away from the door.

Will came inside and closed it. He glanced around the cabin. It was small, but every inch of space was well used. A crackling fire burned in the fireplace. A couple of chairs were placed in front for maximum warmth. He imagined Jamie and her aunt relaxing by the fire. “I’m sorry to barge in on you and your aunt like this, Jamie.” The name didn’t come off his tongue easy. Every time he looked at her, he wanted to scream, “your name is Lizzy.” But for all the ways she resembled his wife, there were just as many that she didn’t.

“That’s okay,” Jamie said in a ghost of a familiar voice. “Do you want to sit?”

He did. He wanted to spend as much time as he could because after all these years, he couldn’t believe that his wife was related to the enemy. Nothing about that made sense.

While he tried to clear away the shock and pull his thoughts together to question her, she asked one of her own.

“Why did you call me Lizzy?”

She tucked her dark hair behind her ear in a gesture he’d always associate with his wife. Will pulled his attention from her hair and cleared his throat. “You remind me of someone I once knew. Her name was Lizzy. What is your middle name?” he asked and hoped it was some derivative of his wife’s.

Her forehead crinkled as if she had never thought about it before. “I don’t think I have one. Were you in love with this woman, Lizzy? Was she someone important to you?”

His mouth twisted into a bitter smile. He forced words out. “She was. She was my everything.”

Chapter Four

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