Page 93 of Shallow Remains

“Sheriff said there’s been reports that a vehicle exploded in the parking lot. Casualties unknown.”

“Electric battery fire?” Chris asked beside Grey. He volunteered with them when his contracting business slowed down.

Grey texted his brother. Explosion at marina?

“Unknown at this time.”

The rig sped through town and headed down the hill to the marina. A thin column of smoke was visible in the sky coming from the area of the parking lot.

The captain was on the phone with someone. As soon as he finished the call, he turned to them. “Sheriff says there was an explosion.”

None of them said anything. Grey still thought it must be a battery-related issue on an electric vehicle.

Until they turned into the parking lot and he saw the debris surrounding the charred pickup burning in a reserved spot he knew all too well.

His heart lurched. “Shit, that’s Lach’s truck.” Not an electric battery issue. There was debris scattered all over the lot, and other vehicles nearby were damaged from the shrapnel.

Everyone piled out of the rig. Grey yanked on his facemask, raced for the blackened wreckage, Chris right behind him.

He steeled himself, shoving down the fear that his brother had burned alive in there.

The intense heat hit him as he neared the truck. The entire thing was black, the fire still consuming the cab.

He stopped as close as he could get and stared into the driver’s side window, the door frame empty with the window blown out. The fire was so intense he couldn’t see anything inside.

“Grey, get back,” someone shouted. The rig was rolling slowly toward him, dropping hose as it went. Behind it, a firefighter was busy finishing up catching the hydrant.

He jumped into line and grabbed the nozzle of the hose. Chris knelt behind him as backup. They held the hose in position as Grey opened up the nozzle and aimed the flow through the busted-out window into the cab. He flooded it with grim determination, the two of them creeping forward as they doused the flames.

The fire finally started to die down. From his position on the ground, Grey couldn’t see into the tall cab. He had to wait until the flames were doused before he could shut the nozzle and approach the cab.

The front end of the chassis was twisted and blackened. He gripped the edge of the window frame and peered inside, heart thundering against his ribs.

It was empty. No human remains lying incinerated on the seat or floor.

He closed his eyes a moment, took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Jesus Christ.

“All good?” Chris asked, coming up beside him.

“Yeah.” God, his heart was still racing and his knees felt a little weak. He had to get hold of his brother.

“Grey!”

He looked over his shoulder. His captain was standing at the front of the rig with Rafe and another man Grey didn’t recognize.

He hurried over. “It’s empty. Any more info?”

Rafe nodded, expression grave. “I just got a call from Blaine. Someone kidnapped Maddy and is holding her captive somewhere in the area. He’s trying to pinpoint her location now. And apparently she sent the coded message out less than two minutes before Lachlan’s truck blew up, so it’s likely the kidnapper planted this as either a warning—or a distraction.”

Lachlan left his tour group at the winery and headed back through the steady rain down to the water where his boat was moored. He checked his phone as he got underway, heading for Skelly. Maddy hadn’t responded to his message yet.

She was probably working. He had enough time to pop back and surprise her, grab lunch together before he had to return to pick up the tour group at dinner. Maybe she’d want to come along. He loved having her on the boat with him.

The phone rang in his hand. Grey’s number came up on display. He was on shift right now. “Hey, what’s up,” he answered.

“Where are you?”

The urgency in his brother’s tone made him tense. “Up at Cedar Creek Winery, why?”