Page 58 of A Mile of Ocean

“I don’t know, Chief,” Trish countered. “He’s probably been here longer than that. He dropped his notebook with a very detailed layout of the ranch. After going through it with Trent, we found it contained lots of information about everyone on the ranch, especially Mr. and Mrs. Callum.”

“As if he wanted to know as much as he could before that Friday night when he made his move,” Colt prompted.

“Did you get that notebook to forensics?” Brent wanted to know.

“Eastlyn dropped it off fifteen minutes ago and told them to rush the results,” Theo answered. “But we won’t get anything for hours yet.”

The fire captain carefully navigated the debris, bending down to inspect the charred remnants. He motioned for Brent to approach. “There’s no question this is the result of homemade pipe bombs exploding. There are residual traces of gunpowder all over the place. I’d say whoever did this has experience with explosives.”

Trent stood a few feet away, listening to the fire captain’s analysis. Maybe it was someone with military experience. It made sense. Whoever their suspect was, he wasn’t just someamateur playing with explosives. This was a calculated attack, planned meticulously to cause chaos and destruction. But why target the ranch? What vendetta did this man hold against the Callum family?

“What are you thinking?” Brent said, pivoting toward Trent.

“He blew up an old shack on purpose to make us think he’s dead. But he’s not. He’s still out there. You won’t find human remains here.”

“I can see how you’d think that,” Brent stated. “But forensics still has to come in here after the fire department and sift through this mess. It may take days to get an answer. If he wants us to think he’s dead, then he should probably lay low during that time. Maybe we’ll get lucky and ID this guy from the notebook.”

“The problem is, what else is he planning?” Tate interjected, her voice edged with concern. “If he’s gone to this extreme already, who knows what he’s capable of next?”

Trent nodded in agreement. “We can’t afford to underestimate him. We need to stay vigilant and be prepared for whatever comes next. And whatever comes next has to be the grand finale.”

Tate traded looks with her brother. “He didn’t blow up anything important like the main house because whatever he wants is inside.”

“That makes sense,” Savannah said. “If only you could figure out what he wants before the grand finale.”

“We can’t do that standing around here,” Trent noted.

As the team continued to survey the aftermath of the explosion, the realization that their suspect might still be at large loomed over everything.

The first orange hues of dawn appeared over the horizon as Trent and his crew headed back to Base Camp. After a night when he had chosen to keep up the patrols, Beckett met him inthe entryway. “I talked it over with Kelly. Birk and I plan to stay for as long as you need us. I’ve talked to Lucien and Brogan. They want to stay as long as you need them.”

“He isn’t dead,” Birk surmised from the end of the hallway. “It’s a ploy to have us let down our guard.”

“Maybe the next twenty-four hours is the right time to implement the disappearing act where we make it look like everyone leaves,” Trent suggested. “Let’s turn the tables on him. Let’s make him think he’s won. We pick a time of our choosing. After we’ve all gotten some rest, that is.”

“We should work on the details and the timing, making sure it goes off without a hitch,” Birk said. “That could take twenty-four hours.”

“Agreed,” Trent nodded. “We’ll iron out the rough parts. For example, we’ll send Woody instead of sending Toby into town. You’ll all leave the ranch and meet him at a designated place somewhere in town, someplace where no one could see you hide in the truck or trailer and head back.”

“I know the perfect place,” Brogan suggested. “Everyone here has been to Cord Bennett’s animal sanctuary on Tradewinds at one time or another, either dropping off donated food, money, or supplies. It’s behind a walled enclosure with a gate. You pull in and wait until someone opens the gate, and then you go all the way around to the back to where the kennels are located. No one can see us load up there.”

“That’s brilliant,” Lucien said. “She’s right. That part of Tradewinds has very little traffic. The sanctuary takes up an entire half-block area. If anyone follows us, we’ll be able to see him.”

“That works,” Birk stated. “We park on the street. Walk right into the clinic and out the back. For all the killer knows, Woody could be dropping off extra feed, and we’re there to get our dogs checked out after spending a traumatic time at the ranch.”

“He won’t be watching that closely because he won’t leave the ranch,” Savannah offered. “Where’s his transportation into town? Unless he stole another truck, he’s on foot.”

“Then, are we in agreement on the plan for, let’s say, tomorrow night?” Trent asked.

They glanced around at each other before nodding in agreement.

“Good. Everyone take some much-needed downtime. Use today to catch up on your sleep. We need everyone alert and ready to go tomorrow night.”

“So when do we pretend to leave?” Beckett questioned.

“Stay tonight,” Trent began, “Leave tomorrow around noon. Make it a big production, loading up everything you brought with you. Woody will leave first and be at the animal sanctuary waiting for you. He’ll make the return trip back to the ranch by two. You’ll stay hidden in the haybarn until nightfall.”

“What about the night patrols?” Lucien asked.

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