Fifteen minutes later the edge of the sun was visible on the water, and Detective Bianca Fuentes came over to them. “Neighbors say that no one has been here since April. The wife said she saw a woman on the dock last night, and house lights on up until midnight. She wasn’t concerned because there is a security system and the house is used often by friends and family of the owners.”
“There’s one boat visible in the boathouse,” Michael said. “Is that the only one with the property?”
“It is,” Bianca confirmed.
“She could have been checking it out, planning to leave by water,” Kara said. “Maybe we should take her there. Is there a way to get into the boathouse undetected?”
“Only if we can bypass the security system,” Bianca said. “There are cameras on the dock, and sensors on the land. She’s going to be on high alert, so anything that sets it off could put her on the defensive, and we don’t want to risk anyone’s lives.”
“What if,” Catherine said, “she’s planning to meet Garrett out at sea? We have the specs on the boat here, but if he has access to another boat, he could pick her up and they’d disappear. We wouldn’t know what to look for.”
“If he picks her up,” Kara said, “he’ll kill her.”
“You can’t be certain of that.”
“He knows she killed the love of his life. It might have taken a while to sink in, but he didn’t slip the tail because he wants to get away. He slipped it so that he could find Clara and punish her.”
Catherine obviously didn’t agree, but didn’t comment further. That was fine with Kara. They didn’t have to agree all the time, and she appreciated that Catherine no longer rudely shut down her theories.
Kara had sensed a shift in Garrett’s attitude when she talked to him earlier, which was why she shared her phone number. She knew he would call—she had hoped he would give her information about Clara, but she wasn’t surprised that he planned on killing her. Clara had used him, but worse, she had been playing games with him—a game he didn’t even know he was playing.
The sheriff came over. “Good news. We spoke to the trustee who manages the property. They have given us permission to take down their security system, which can be done remotely through their contracted company. We also asked that they not alert the owners in case someone in the family is still on good terms with Dolan. How do you want to do this?”
They discussed the options, and in short order decided to put together three teams of six: team A on the main entrance; team B on the beach; and team C on the water. When everyone was in place, the security company would take down the system and teams A and B would breach the house front and back. Team C would keep line of sight on the dock in case she eluded them and reached the boathouse.
“She is armed and dangerous,” Catherine reminded everyone. “She is wanted for seven murders and four attempted murders, including that of two law enforcement officers. She is known to use any means at her disposal and may have set up deadly traps,so be extremely observant of your surroundings. Look up and down. Be ready for anything.”
Clara only had one night to prepare the house and grounds, unless she’d been there earlier, Kara thought. But she wouldn’t know when her extended family was using the place, or when they would return, so the chances were this was just a waystation for her, and she planned to leave this morning. She thought ahead—she might know that the FBI could find her LLC and properties.
Or, she could be like half the criminals Kara had encountered in her career: she thought she was smarter than everyone, and tripped herself up.
Michael ordered Matt and Kara to remain at the staging area. Catherine was staying as well, helping to coordinate with the Coast Guard and sheriff’s department. Michael and Bianca joined one of the six-man teams.
“He’s really enjoying giving me orders,” Matt said.
“Let him have his moment,” Kara said.
“We were all worried,” Catherine said quietly. “The entire team thought we wouldn’t find you in time.”
“You did,” Matt said.
“You saved yourselves,” Catherine said. “I expected no less,” she added with a slight smile.
“Let’s hope we apprehend Dolan without any casualties,” Matt said.
Kara looked down at her phone when it vibrated in her hand. She read it, then showed the text message to Matt. “This is from Garrett, but not the number I have for him.”
Audrey joined me in Scottsdale two months after Becca disappeared. She said she’d gone camping along Sespe Creek to “find herself” and that’s when she decided to find me.
Catherine said, “I’ll have Ryder work on tracing this other number ASAP, and get the information to law enforcement in California.”
It was dawn when Garrett called Audrey over video chat. He could almost see the island from the wheelhouse of their boat.
Four hours ago, he’d slipped the cops watching him and headed straight to the docks. They’d kept the boat in plain sight at a private pier near the resort. Taking it out at two in the morning wasn’t difficult; by the time anyone figured out that he and Audrey owned it, he’d be long gone.
He believed every word Kara Quinn told him. Audrey wasn’t who he thought she was. He had loved a fantasy, a mirage.
She used him. Manipulated him.
