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“I know you’re disappointed and feeling down and frustrated, but don’t view this as a setback,” Lucien cautioned. “This was simply one avenue to explore.”
“Yeah, but why was his bike found leaning against that old barn?” Gerald wanted to know. “And how’d it get this far from the house? How did it get out here so that Bryan Sutherland would find it?”
“We’ll follow up on that,” Brogan promised. “Now go home and get something to eat. Let me deal with the reporters. Later tonight, I’ll send you a list of true crime podcasts that are itching to help get the word out, starting with Jade Weingarten. You both can start doing guest appearances on those podcasts. Begin whenever you have the time, whenever your schedule opens up. Take turns if you like.”
“We’ll do them together,” Susan insisted. “You tell Jade we’re ready whenever she is. If you have others, we’re happy to do them as well.”
“I have a list,” Brogan said with a grin. “There are plenty who’d love to feature this case. I’ll get the word out. Jade will help, too.”
Susan let out a shaky breath. “I feel better already.”
“It’s sweet of you to say that,” Brogan murmured. “But I know you’re hurting right now. We’re all right there with you. But we’ll regroup. I promise you that. We’re committed to getting answers.”
After the coupleheaded home, Jade stared at Brogan, then threw her arms out wide. “I know we’re supposed to exude positivity, especially regarding the victims’ families. But this is an extremely complicated case. Susan has a point. Where do we go from here? Because I don’t have any idea.”
“Beckett and I were sure we’d find bodies in this field,” Kelly noted, frustration in her voice. “I’m out of suggestions.”
Birk shifted his feet. “It just goes to show never assume anything. As to where we go from here, I think that’s fairly obvious.”
Brogan arched a brow. “It is?”
“We go back through the police reports,” Lucien offered. “Go over everything again and find something we missed.”
“Ah. And if the killer pursued the kids like we think he did when he caught up with them, he must’ve yanked them out of the area and dealt with the situation somewhere else,” Brogan theorized.
“That only leaves the possibility that he took them out of here in a car,” Kelly added.
Brogan shoved her sunglasses up and stared out on the shimmering sea as a boat motored through the blue water heading south toward downtown Santa Cruz. An idea hit. “Not necessarily. We had a case where a killer used a boat to leave the murder scene. What if the killer arrived that morning the same way and left via the water?”
Lucien looked skeptical. “I don’t know. It’s more likely he grabbed the kids and left by car. Maybe that accounts for where Sutherland found the bike, leaning against the barn. Maybe that’s where the killer caught up with them and marched them back to his vehicle.”
“You’re telling me a toddler wouldn’t have been screaming his little head off?” Kelly noted. “How did all this go down without a single neighbor hearing the kid bawling his eyes out?”
“You’d think someone would’ve heard something,” Brogan said with a slight sigh. “I guess we know how we’re spending the evening. We go back home and go through everything in those boxes. Any takers on helping?”
Jade bent down to hug Mia, her Australian shepherd mix. “I would, but I have a column to write for my blog. And Birk promised to work with this girl training her as a SAR backup.”
Birk scooped up a smaller but friskier puppy with similar markings to Mia and scrubbed him behind the ears. “This is Miles, Mia’s son. Unfortunately, Mom doesn’t like him very much. We’ve been working with her for weeks to accept the little guy. I don’t understand it myself. And Cord Bennett can’t figure Mia’s behavior out, either. Miles was the runt of the litter. But he’s much stronger than he was when Kelly found him. He’s no longer malnourished. His infection cleared up. Cord checked him for signs of a congenital birth defect, thinking that might be why Mia won’t have anything to do with him. Cord even checked for any other disorder that might make her reject her own pup like this. But nothing popped on the radar.”
“So far, it’s a mystery. Mia has definitely resisted,” Beckett added, just as stumped. “She’s generally a well-behaved dog, just not around Miles. She does a lot of growling when Miles is around, bares her teeth. She won’t let him eat next to her, snaps at him when he tries to get closer. She refuses to overlook her first instinct, which was kicking him out of the litter. Kelly found him in the park, miles away from the rest. Hence the name Miles. It’s like Mia remembers that and won’t let go. That’s why Kelly and I agreed to take Miles off their hands for a couple of days, maybe longer, if necessary. We’re hoping absence makes the heart grow fonder, and Mia will start missing the little guy.”
“Our experiment starts after Mia’s training session, though,” Kelly said. “Beckett will put her through the paces. But because of her attitude, Mia might not make it as a rescue dog. How she reacts to Miles might mean she’s not cut out for SAR.”
“We still love her, though,” Jade tossed back. “But we’re obviously disappointed in her lack of mothering skills.”
“It’s okay. You guys have already helped so much,” Brogan assessed. “Go do whatever needs doing at home. We’ll take it from here.”
“We still want to help any way we can,” Birk provided. “We want to know what happened to those kids. And whenever you’re ready, we’ll head up to Coyote Wells to search for the two people who went missing there. Let me clear some things off my schedule first, though. How’s that sound?”
“Like a plan,” Lucien answered, sticking his hand out in gratitude. “We appreciate the help.”
Birk shook his hand before adding, “No thanks needed. That’s what we do.”
Lucien and Brogan watched the Terra Search & Recovery crew drive off. He slung an arm over Brogan’s shoulder. “I’m not sure I’ve been this disappointed since I realized I wasn’t cut out to be a rock star.”
She sputtered with laughter before resting her hand on his chest. “I’d rather be right here with you than up on some stage any time. Besides, touring and traveling leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”
He took her chin. Their lips met, albeit briefly. “That’s why I love you. You always get me. Look, we need to change direction. Go back and start from the beginning.”
