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“You’re doing the right thing,” he insisted.
“I know, but I hate putting Helen in this position. She’d my closest friend.” She rested her head against his warm, solid shoulder. “I’m worried about Julia, too. How long can she hold up on her own?” Julia seemed better today than on other days, but it was so much for her to manage. “If for nothing else, I want this over, so Julia isn’t alone anymore. I wish she’d take Ethan up on his offer to find her protection. It would take that worry off her plate, so she could concentrate on the kids.”
“Yeah, Ethan mentioned that she rejected help.” He rubbed her back and was quiet for a moment. “What if we’re going about this the wrong way? I don’t know Julia, but the reason she said no is because she’s worried about having a stranger around, right?”
“Yes, because of the kids, of course.”
“What if we found someone first and then pitched a specific person to Julia?” he suggested. “She might feel better agreeing if she knew more about who she was saying yes to.”
“Do you have anyone in mind?” She tilted her head back to see his face. The idea had merit.
“Ethan might. I’ll reach out to him. I know that he’s been in contact with our old commander, Joe Miller. Joe knows a lot of former SEALs.”
“It would have to be just the right person.” Julia wasn’t shy exactly. She did tend to keep to herself and fly under the radar, though.
“I’ll see what I can do. Do you want me to go to the lodge and grab breakfast for us?”
“That would be great. I’ll email Micky, and then we’ll decide what direction to go next.” This was too much of a waiting game to suit Sophie, but with Micky’s help, progress would be made. She felt sure of that.
“I think we should check on some of the other GPS locations from Mason’s phone,” Owen said. “We ruled some out because they seemed like just normal stops—grocery stores and gas stations—but what if there’s more going on? He might have been doing business in those places. It’s worth a look.”
“Agreed.”
When Owen was gone, Sophie sent Micky an email detailing everything she had, including the draft of the story Jude had rejected. She ended the message by asking for his help to get further information.
Less than five minutes later, she received a reply from Micky that he was all in, excited and eager to help. She knew that would be his response, but it still made her smile.
While she was sending another message to Micky, an email from Julia came in. She clicked it open.
One of the images I took yesterday was good. I snapped it at the beach. In a way, it reminds me of you and your guy. You two are willing to be the sentinels, to put yourselves at risk to shield others. That’s what a Piping Plover does, too.
PS. Thanks for reminding me how to feel like myself again.
She ended the message with a smiley face emoji. Sophie opened the attached image. It showed a small bird with a white underbelly, grayish-brown wings, and a narrow, black beak. It had the longer legs of a seabird and was standing still and proud at the water’s edge as though on guard.
“The Piping Plover. He looks little but mighty,” Sophie said to herself. The picture was stunning in quality with the background slightly blurry and the bird in sharp focus.
Seeing the image made Sophie wonder what else Julia had photographed. Before all of this, they’d only known each other slightly, mostly through Helen. She knew Julia was a photographer, but she had never thought to look up her work. Sophie searched her friend’s name and found an online portfolio. She went to the webpage and found that the images were arranged in categories. She clicked on one labeled nature/landscape and was blown away by what she saw. Many of the images were taken at the seashore. Others were of beautiful mountain vistas.
One was more amazing than the last. By the time Owen returned with coffee and breakfast, she was looking at cityscapes. This file contained everything from small downtowns to major urban centers. Despite the variety of locations, the quality was the same.
“What are those?” Owen looked over her shoulder as he put a coffee and a huge cinnamon roll in front of her.
“Julia’s work. She’s a professional photographer. That’s how she made her living before coming here to take care of the kids for Wilson after her sister died. I had no idea that she was so talented.”
He sat next to her as she continued to flip through the images. “I don’t know much about taking pictures, but I know what I like. Those are it.”
“Because of Wilson, she’d hiding out and unable to do the work she’s clearly fabulous at.” Sophie was pissed about the way that Wilson was cutting into their lives. Seeing Julia’s photographs was just another reminder, but it also inspired Sophie to keep pressing forward with her investigation. This was going to end. And soon.
TWENTY-ONE
“We could skip tonight’s activity.” Owen said when they returned to the retreat that evening. They’d checked on more of Mason’s GPS locations. None of them seemed that promising. One was a bodega. They’d shown Mason’s picture to the teenage clerk, but she’d been more interested in trying to flirt with Owen than being helpful.
They’d gone to a gas station next. There, the clerk recognized Mason and said he bought gas there every Friday. Sophie pressed him trying to find out if it was just gas or if Mason might have been meeting someone there. The clerk had insisted that Mason was in and out in a few minutes like all their customers and never seemed to meet up with anyone. After a few more similar experiences, they headed back to the retreat.
“We’ve been gone all day. Luna will expect us to come to the campfire tonight, and it’s strictly social. Not a session. We’ll stay an hour and roast some marshmallows,” Sophie said as she got out of his truck. “Truth is that I could use a break.”
Micky had communicated with a few questions, letting them know that he was working on the investigation, but that was the only win of the day. Owen couldn’t blame Sophie for being a little down about the unsuccessful afternoon.
