CHAPTER 39
Luke
The next forty-five minutes passed at a snail’s pace. Ozzie sped the entire way, but it felt like the world went by at a crawl. Riggs called back about ten minutes after he hung up to report the house was empty. That brought a modicum of relief, but it left us confused.
Why would Sarah take the two of them if she wanted Ellis dead? Why wouldn’t she just kill him—and Claire, since she was a witness—then leave?
The other option was that Ellis and Claire ran away on foot, but it had been nearly two hours since Ozzie left Parker’s Landing. If they’d escaped, one of them should have called.
We roared into town, making the turn off the highway to go down Main Street to get to Ozzie and Claire’s house.
Passing by the shops, we were at the corner on the far side of Mina’s coffeeshop when my brain registered something was off.
There were lights on in the café.
“Stop!”
Ozzie hit the brakes, locking our seatbelts. “Jesus, what?”
I hit the button to roll down the window and stuck my head out to look back. “The construction lights I set up are on at Mina’s. In the café side. They shouldn’t be.”
Checking his mirrors, Ozzie swung the truck around, killing the siren as he pulled to the curb opposite the building. “Give me my phone.”
I handed it over. Ozzie unlocked it as he got out. When I met him on the sidewalk behind the vehicle, he had it to his ear.
“Come downtown. The Cozy Cup. Something’s up. We drove past, and Luke noticed the lights are on and shouldn’t be.” He listened for a moment, then bobbed his head. “See you in a few.”
Hanging up, he looked at me. “Riggs is on his way.”
“Good. He can help you transport.” I stepped off the curb. Sarah needed to go to jail for all she’d done, and before she could hurt Claire and Ellis.
Two steps into the street, Ozzie’s hand wrapped in my shirt, bringing me to a halt.
“Hold on. We can’t charge in without a plan. If they’re in there, they probably heard the siren.”
Gritting my teeth, I shrugged off his hold. “Fine. What’s the plan? And don’t say to wait for Riggs.”
“We’re not going in without him. Not unless they’re in mortal danger. Rushing in without backup could make Sarah and Miranda do something rash.” Worry etched lines around Ozzie’s dark eyes, but the set to his features told me he’d probably handcuff me to the light post if I tried to go in early.
Inhaling a quick breath through my nose, I forced my rational mind to take over. Letting my emotions control things would get people hurt.
“Let’s go peek in the windows the best we can. Riggs should be here soon.” He let go of my shirt, then backed up a few steps to the truck to reach in and grab a handheld radio.
Closing the door with a soft snick, he tipped his chin toward the café, and we jogged across the street.
Light spilled around the edges of the brown paper we’d tacked to the windows, shining through with a soft glow in places where the paper fibers were thin.
“Are there any tears in this stuff?” Ozzie asked, his voice low.
Mouth flattening into a flat line, I scanned it. We hadn’t been super careful about putting it up, but we hadn’t been reckless, either. It was meant to, one, keep the interior a surprise to Mina’s customers, and two, protect the building from theft. People couldn’t see in to tell what materials and tools were inside.
I pointed to a spot on the far side of the front windows, where more light spilled out than anywhere else. “Over there, maybe?”
On quiet feet, we moved. Ozzie crouched in front of a small gap in the paper and looked in. “The angle is wrong,” he hissed. “All I see is the far wall. Where the stairs are.”
That gave me an idea.
I tapped him on the shoulder. “Let’s go around back.” Turning away, I headed for the corner.
