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“Not really. Ruby talked of taking a road trip. She was tired of being responsible all the time.” Dallas dropped his hand. “I think she was inspired by my adventures. I’m a rolling stone. There’s nothing better than having the ability to lift the anchor on my boat and escape for a while. I’m sure her grandmother is worried, but I don’t think she should be. Ruby will pop back up when she’s done exploring.”
“I’m sure.” Eli kept his stance and tone casual. “Do you remember where you were on the night she disappeared?”
“Actually, I do. I had a cold that day, so I stayed in, which was unusual for me. Friday nights are usually date nights.” He flashed a knowing smile. Obviously Dallas wanted to make it clear that he had an exciting dating life. To distance himself from Ruby? Probably.
“Can anyone verify where you were that night? We’re asking everyone about their whereabouts. It helps the investigation.” Eli rocked back on his heels and let his grin widen. “Maybe you had someone to nurse you back to health?”
“’Fraid not. The one time I like to be alone is when I’m sick.”
“Got it. Well, maybe one of your neighbors here in the marina can confirm you were home?”
“I doubt it. There aren’t many people who live on their boats like I do. This place is pretty quiet at night.” His phone beeped with an incoming text, and Dallas glanced at the screen. “Sorry to cut this short, but I gotta go.”
“One more thing,” Sienna jumped back into the conversation. “Did you know Albert Greer?”
Dallas frowned, but a flicker of anger flared in his expression before he could erase it. “That fisherman who was shot the other night? I heard about it, but I didn’t know the guy personally.” He tilted his head. “What does that have to do with Ruby?”
“I can’t say, but Albert blackmailed people. Know anything about that?”
His gaze turned hard. “No.” He tucked his cell phone back in his pocket and strolled onto the walkway, replacing the sign to keep visitors out. “I hope you locate Ruby soon. I’m sure she’ll have lots of adventures to tell when you do.”
He went back inside the cabin. Eli tilted his head to indicate Sienna should follow him. They strolled out of earshot and then she said, “He’s lying. About his relationship with Ruby and about Albert too.”
“Agreed.” Eli continued down the floating dock. His stomach churned as an insidious thought formed in his mind. Was Ruby on Dallas’s boat? Inside the cabin, tied up and helpless? His hands balled into fists. “Did you see any sign of Ruby?”
“No, but all the windows are mirrored. If she’s in there, no one would know unless she came out on deck.”
“Where is Albert’s boat? I’d like to look at it.”
Sienna led him toward the left side of the marina. Albert’s fishing boat had seen better days. Rust gathered on the hull and the deck was littered with gear. Crime scene tape cordoned off the entrance.
Eli moved up and down the dock studying his immediate surroundings. “Albert doesn’t have a clear view of Dallas’s boat from here.”
Sienna shrugged. “He could’ve seen something while walking on the dock. The marina isn’t that big, and he’d have to pass by Dallas’s boat to get here.”
She had a point. Except some of the facts didn’t add up. “If Dallas kidnapped Ruby from the bar parking lot and brought her here, what did he do with her car? And how did he get back to his truck without anyone noticing?” Car riding services didn’t exist in this rural area. Without a vehicle or a friend with a vehicle, a person was stuck. “Last call is at two in the morning, and Dallas’s truck is memorable. Someone—a waitress, a bartender, another patron—would’ve remembered seeing it in the parking lot.”
“I haven’t interviewed everyone who worked at the bar.” Sienna rubbed her forehead. “I’ve only had the case a couple of days, and my investigation is in its early stages. I haven’t even gone to her workplace yet—”
A roar cut off the rest of her sentence. Eli turned in time to see a speedboat racing across the water at breakneck speed. His heart lurched. The bow of the vessel was pointed at the floating dock, right where Eli and Sienna were standing.
It was going to kill them.
NINE
“Run!”
Eli’s order was unnecessary. Sienna had already calculated the trajectory of the speedboat barreling toward them and realized it was on a collision course. She bolted for the safety of the shore, but the driver of the boat deviated to ensure they were in his path.
They couldn’t outrun it.
She grabbed Eli’s hand and pulled him toward the edge of the dock. Immediately understanding her intentions, and without a word, he interlaced their fingers. The solid strength of his touch provided a comfort she registered instinctively. Their footfalls pounded against the wood as the speedboat roared closer. The water would be freezing, but there was no other option. Without slowing down, and with a silent prayer in her heart, Sienna took a giant leap.
Her hand tore free of Eli’s. The cold shocked her lungs. Her boots and jacket dragged her deeper into the murky water. Sienna sank, desperate to put space between her and the oncoming vessel.
Above her head, the water swirled as the speedboat tore through the wood and steel dock, tossing the planks like toothpicks into the water. Vibrations from the collision rippled through her body. Her lungs, damaged from smoke inhalation, burned at the lack of oxygen. She wouldn’t be able to stay down much longer. But the engine of the speedboat churned the water, making it cloudy, and Sienna was disoriented.
Which way was up?
