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“Logan, what do you have?”
“You might want to sit down, sir.”
My brow tightens, and I take the envelope from his hands before he can stop me. Pulling the tabs, I hastily open it and reach inside to remove three large photographs. They’re black and white, and I do sit when I see the subject.
“Zelda…” I whisper.
She’s still in that denim halter dress, but a large bruise covers her face. Dark circles are under her eyes, and her mouth is smeared with dried blood. Her hair is messy like she’s had something over her head, and she seems disoriented. My fists clench at the sight of her this way.
“I’m going to kill Wade Paxton with my bare hands,” I growl.
“That leaves Seth to me,” Logan says with equal intensity.
Sliding the next photograph from the stack, it’s her again, but this time, she’s holding a newspaper. A man’s hand is in the frame, holding the cover page under her chin. I can’t see what it says.
“What is the date?” I ask.
The stocky guard pulls a scope out of his pocket and hands it to me. “The date is what he’s showing us.”
Dropping the print on the table, I place the round piece over the date field and lean forward. June 12. “Yesterday.” I look up at him.
“Where were these taken?” Rowan demands, and Logan is quick to answer.
“We’re not sure yet, your majesty. As you can see the walls are bare beige, and the newspaper could have come from anywhere in the Western Hemisphere.” He flips through the three photos, and pulls out one, pointing to a glass on the floor beside Zee.
“Use the scope again and look at the reflection on that tumbler,” he says.
I do so, and the setting opens before me. They’re in a room with a veranda. From the arrangement of the beds and the shelf, it looks like…
“They’re on a ship? But we checked all the cruise ships…”
“Yes,” Logan says, slowing down as if leading me to the answer. “We checked all the cruise ships.”
In a flash it hits me. “They sneaked her out on a cargo ship!”
“It’s the only option that makes sense,” Logan smiles, and I’m out of my seat. It’s the smallest break, but we need it so much. “We checked all the cruise ships and charters,” he says. “They must have known we would do that. But a cargo ship—”
I’m pacing, thinking. “They could carry her onboard and wouldn’t even have to worry about papers.”
“Especially if they knew the captain,” Logan says in a knowing voice.
My eyes flash to his. “You found a connection?”
He shakes hi
s head, dampening my enthusiasm. “Freddie is searching the list of captains operating cargo ships in and out of the area. He’s looking for any who might have a connection to Totringham. It’s only a matter of time.”
It’s the best news we’ve had so far, and I turn to Rowan. “We need to tell Ava—”
I stop short when I see his face lined with concern. He’s holding a sheet of what looks like printer paper. “How much time will Freddie require?”
Logan’s face drops as if he knows why my brother is asking. “He’s moving as quickly as possible. He knows about the deadline.”
“What deadline?” My tone is sharp, and my brother passes me the sheet.
My throat tightens as I read.
* * *
