Page 133 of The Archer Brothers

“Now, I’m heading north to cover the New England area. We will check in each night at eight p.m. If I don’t hear from you, I’m going to assume you’ve been compromised. If that’s the case, buy a new phone and call me, so that your call cannot be traced in any way. Memorize my number.”

“And what if I don’t hear from you?”

Cara looks at me for a minute before sighing. “You will, but if you don’t head back to Coronado and wait for Riggs to return to the Clarke’s. He knows what’s going on and will take over for me.”

“Okay.” Suddenly I’m not so sure I like this. I’d like to go back to sitting on Evan’s deck, watching the shipyard across the Sound.

“McCoy, everything is going to be fine. We don’t know what Frannie is capable of so we need to move as if she’s out there. We also don’t know who Lawson has working for him on the outside.”

“Hughes, how is it that you’re able to work on this case?”

“When you were getting reacquainted with your bike, I filed a kidnapping report with the Bureau and asked to be assigned. The message Penny wrote on the picture, and the fact that her credit hasn’t been used since before you died, was enough to get a case open. By next week, all Federal buildings will have Penny’s face hanging in them.”

“What if she runs?” I ask, choking back a sob.

“We’ll be there to catch her.”

I want to pull her into a hug, but it’s not the right thing to do at this moment. So I nod and offer the best smile I can even though I’m falling apart on the inside. She smiles back before exiting the room, leaving me with my thoughts and a map to every Amy Jones in the surrounding area.

Time to find my wife.

HOUSE AFTER HOUSE, I knock and wait. Some answer, some don’t, some slam their door in my face when they see I don’t have a car, likely thinking I’m sort of creep, and some say they’ll keep their eyes out except we both know they won’t. How many people actually look out for a missing person they have no ties to, when the Feds—even the fake Feds—are searching for them? Not many I can imagine.

Before I started out this morning I bought a clipboard to keep my maps and notes straight, making sure to go back after dinner to those houses where there was no answer or people were out at work.

When Penny moved to Coronado, she started working in an office on base as a secretary. Some of our best dates were lunch dates. I used to stop by to see her, bringing her something to eat. We’d take a stroll on the beach before both of us had to go back to work. When Claire arrived, Penny talked about daycare, but I didn’t want them separated like that and suggested she stay at home. The plan was for her to go back to work once Claire started preschool, but they never made it that far.

I walk up the stairs and knock on the next door. It’s a small modest house, something that would’ve driven Penny nuts. She loved having space and walls to decorate.

“Can I help you?” The woman who answers is definitely not Penny. She’s too short and very young.

“Are you Amy Jones?”

“Who’s asking?”

“I’m SA Riggs with the FBI,” I say, showing her my badge. “Do you know this woman or have you seen her?” I hold up the photo of Penny and she takes it. This is the first house I’ve stopped at where the resident has actually taken the photo from my hands. She doesn’t need to know that they’re potentially sharing the same name. I’m here to find an Amy Jones who knows my wife and is paying her storage bill. I’m trying not to get my hopes up at the way she’s studying the photo of Penny. This woman is probably just concerned that a woman is missing and that’s all.

“Does she look familiar?” I hedge.

“Yes she does, but I can’t place her.” She shakes her head, maybe clearing her thoughts. My heart falls when she hands the photo back to me. “I’m sorry.”

“But you’ve seen her?”

She bites her lower lip, seeming unsure of herself. “I don’t know. Maybe it was her, but I’ve met a lot of people recently.”

“Where do you think you’ve seen her?” I’m trying to remain calm when in reality I want to reach out and shake her.

“Like I said, I’m not sure. My fiancé and I have been doing a lot of traveling recently, trying to find a wedding venue. We’ve come across a lot of people. But the woman I’m thinking of isn’t blonde.”

“What color hair did she have?”

“Dark brown I think. Is she in trouble?”

I shake my head. “No, she’s been kidnapped and we’re trying to locate her.”

“Oh, that’s sad.”

“Yes it is. Where have you traveled recently?”

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