Page 128 of The Deadly Shallows

“Apparently it was a four-person operation—a bunch of kids fresh out of culinary school who decided to start their own business,” she said. “They lived together in a loft above their kitchen and had no family in the area, so there was no one to immediately report them missing. But eventually the aunt of one of the ladies, and the mother of another, called their respective niece and daughter and didn’t hear back. At first, they didn’t think that much of it because the catering business was booming and the kids worked nonstop, but eventually they both contacted the local police.”

“And?” Austin asked, inching forward.

“Police checked out their shop,” Gabby continued. “They found a bunch of notes on the door, complaining that the caterers stopped returning their calls, and they then found the same sort of messages on their answering service. It looks like the caterers missed two of their events—one the day of the graduation, the other the following day, but the police found nothing suggesting foul play in the shop or their loft. And their last job said they finished the event and left without incident.”

“Has their van been found?” Rissi asked.

Gabby shook her head.

“So we probably just found our white van,” Noah said. “What’s the name of their business?”

“Annie’s Edibles.” Gabby wrote it and the missing caterers’ names on the board.

“Any idea of their logo?” Mason, just back from Georgia, asked.

“Green and yellow,” Gabby said, attempting to draw it on the board, but she drew about as well as Noah did—not their gift.

“According to Jim Larson, who we talked to at the supply shop, Dwayne was a master at logos,” Noah said. “He probably replaced the logo as soon as they had the van.”

“Stealing the van was smart,” Logan said. “No eyes to identify them—at least none still alive.”

Noah’s stomach twisted at the senseless tragedy of their “smart” choices.

“And no paper trail,” Rissi added.

Noah nodded.

Emmy slipped her pen over her ear and rested her notepad on her lap. “Why not just use the existing logo?” She shook her head on a sigh. “Never mind, I just got it.” She looked in her empty mug. “Clearly, I need more of this.”

“You’re good,” Noah said. “It’s late, and we’ve been working hard. I think we’re all wiped. Hopefully, we’ll rest well tonight.” A solid night’s rest. They all could use it.

“Any idea what happened to the bodies?” Mason asked.

“Unfortunately, yes,” Gabby said. “This morning, an elderly woman went to visit her husband in the family mausoleum at Fairpark Cemetery and nearly had a heart attack—quite literally—at finding four bodies in the tomb.”

“Is she okay now?” Brooke asked.

“Her daughter said she’s resting but is still in shock,” Gabby said. “The bodies are at the morgue, and relatives have been called in to ID them. None live locally, so it could be another day or so before we know for sure.”

Noah’s muscles constricted. “The body count keeps rising.”

SIXTY-ONE

Noah shifted his weight. His wound itched tonight—no doubt it was starting to heal, but the itching was more irritating than the pain at times. He looked at the clock, wishing he could just call case board for the night, but they had important information still to cover. “After our conversation with Brett Anderson, I’m growing more convinced that the three instructors Scott accused of being his partners in crime were in fact involved. I’m also coming to believe our theory that they were specifically targeted in the shooting is correct.”

“From what you’ve shared, I wholeheartedly agree,” Rissi said. “We also know they used the shooting as a distraction to steal the laser plans.”

“Whoever planned all of this—Dwayne and who knows who else—doesn’t give a second thought to taking innocent lives,” Noah said with an exhale. How could one care so little for human life?

He shook off the thought and moved on. “So far the investigation keeps circling back to Scott Mirch. Was he, in spite of his denial, calling the shots from prison? Or was someone else in the photograph Finn and Logan found in Lieutenant Caldwell’s apartment the ringleader? The questions just keep coming.”

He looked up to find Brooke staring at him, concern marring her brow. She was worried about him but wouldn’t ask in front of everybody.

He was fine. Just worn out a bit, but he’d crash hard tonight and feel ready to go in the morning.

“How about you, Em?” he asked. “Did you learn anything from the guy who works at Custom Ink?”

Logan bristled, and by the curious expression on Emmy’s face, she hadn’t missed his reaction.