Deception Cove

Chapter 32

“TUCKER’S CONNECTION HERE IN TOWN IS EGAN,” DRAKE said. He tossed the notes that he and the others had made down onto Myrna’s desk. “None of the other suspects even come close.”

“Crazy Egan?” Myrna frowned at the handwritten notes in front of her. “But that makes no sense.”

“Not so sure about that,” Kirk said, his expression tightening. “When you think about it, he’s the one person who can move around town at any time, day or night, without drawing more than a passing glance. Hell, none of us even sees him after dark because he sleeps in the warehouse.”

“The kids have seen him at night,” Drake said.

Myrna raised her brows. “What do you mean?”

“They’ve been talking about the ghost in the graveyard,” Drake said. “I saw one the other night, too. Pretty sure now that was Egan.”

“Get real,” Kirk said, looking uneasy. “No such thing as ghosts.”

“No, but there are ghost hunters,” Drake said. “Egan is one. He must be the person I saw prowling around the old cemetery last night. I tried to find him, but by the time I got downstairs to the street he had disappeared.”

“Why would he go to the graveyard?” Myrna asked.

“I don’t know,” Drake said. “What can you tell me about him?”

“Nothing that you don’t already know,” Myrna said. “He arrived on the ferry a few days ago with the rest of the Glorious Dawn crowd. According to you, Zara Tucker has been running her operation inside the Preserve for nearly a year. If Egan is her spy and he’s been in Shadow Bay all this time, where’s he been hiding?”

“I don’t know,” Drake said again. “What I can tell you is that Rachel and Charlotte and Fletch and Jasper have taken a close look at every man in Shadow Bay who fits the profile I drew up. Egan is a perfect match.”

“Except that he just arrived on the island,” Kirk pointed out.

“Look, I admit there are a lot of questions that need answering here, but I’m convinced that Egan has the answers,” Drake said. “Whether he knows it or not.”

Kirk frowned. “You think maybe he doesn’t know what he’s doing? Maybe he’s an innocent victim who Tucker is manipulating?”

“Maybe,” Drake said. “Regardless, I need your help. We’ve got to bring him in.”

Kirk and Myrna exchanged brief glances. Drake could see that the decision had been made.

“You got it,” Myrna said. “Not like we have any better ideas.”

Kirk came away from the desk. “Let’s pick him up.”

“What charges?” Jasper asked dryly.

“Hell, I don’t know,” Kirk said. “We’ll call him a person of interest for now.”

Drake glanced out the window, trying to suppress the rising sense of urgency that was eating at him. A moment ago he’d gotten the gut-wrenching feeling that something had happened to Alice, but there was nothing going on out in the street that indicated trouble. He was on edge like everyone else. He had to control his imagination. Stick to the facts, Sebastian.

The fog was coming in earlier that afternoon and people were reacting accordingly. The amber lanterns in windows and over doorways had been lit even though it was not yet dark. Parents had already hauled kids off the swings in the small park. The softball game had ended. In the town square the door of the library opened. Those who had spent most of the day inside trooped out.

Everyone headed toward the B&Bs or the Marina Inn. By now Alice would be fully occupied with the evening dinner rush. She was safe indoors. So why was his intuition waving red flags of warning?

Because something bad had happened, of course. When you were born with a psychic talent, you learned to pay attention to your intuition. He headed for the door.

“Where are you going?” Rachel asked.

“I need to find Alice,” he said.

“She’ll be at the tavern,” Jasper called after him.

Drake ignored him and went out onto the front porch of the station. He jacked up his senses a little, looking deeper into the gathering shadows. One of the shadows, a small one with four eyes, rushed toward him down the middle of the empty street.

Houdini’s fur was plastered against his small frame. He was running on his four hind legs and clutching a small object in one front paw. Drake’s blood turned to ice.

“Houdini.” Drake went down the steps and crouched on the pavement. “What’s wrong?”

Houdini vaulted up onto his shoulder, yammering madly. He waved the object in his paw. Drake rose and took the object.

The door of the police station slammed open. Jasper and Fletcher emerged and Myrna and Kirk followed.

“What is it?” Fletcher asked.

Charlotte came down the steps, peering through the gloom. “Looks like eye makeup.” She took the flat plastic box and looked at the label. “It’s not a standard cosmetic counter brand. This is stage makeup, the kind actors wear.”

Drake looked at Houdini. “Where did you find this?”

Houdini rumbled in agitation.

“I saw Houdini playing with some kids a short time ago,” Kirk said. “Maybe they can tell us where he found the stage makeup. The families will all be down at the tavern by now.”

TEN MINUTES LATER DRAKE STOOD IN THE GLOOM-filled warehouse, looking at Egan’s ragged bedroll and the “Prepare for the Glorious Dawn” sign. He found the rest of the stage makeup and some fake eyebrows stashed in a nearby crate.

“He’s got her, doesn’t he?” Jasper asked.

Houdini growled.

“We’ll find her,” Drake said.

Fletcher was grim-faced. “How are we going to do that?”

Drake looked at Houdini. “Time to play hide-and-seek for real, pal. Find Alice.”

Houdini needed no second urging. He took off at a run. Drake followed, Jasper and Fletcher on his heels.

“Where’s he going?” Jasper asked. “I can’t see more than ten feet in this fog and the stuff is getting worse.”

“He’s heading for the graveyard,” Drake said.