“Stop brooding, Santos. You’ll be home to your lady soon enough.”

  Tito narrowed his eyes toward Nick. Malone was good about being in other people’s business. He wasn’t that sad that he’d hit him.

  “Detective Stone is not my lady. She’s my friend. I wanted to support her at the club.”

  “Someone’s singing at a club?” Regina acted overly interested.

  Blake pointed over his shoulder. “Yeah, apparently, his friend and our co-worker. She fancies herself some kind of real singer.”

  “Is she good?”

  Burle spoke up. “The best! I didn’t get to see her last time; I just saw the video. But she was amazing. I should probably tell my wife to go without me. She was looking forward to tonight.”

  Tito felt his pain.

  “Maybe we could go there before she’s done.” Regina looked hopeful.

  “It’s like two hours away. Besides, our job is to find Maria Petrov and the man she’s running with. Nothing else matters and these yahoos know that.” Blake pointed again at the team.

  Tito knew he was right. They had a job to do. It was about the only thing they ever did. Work. One day he would have a life. By then it would probably be too late.

  Captain Regina Shaw slowed the boat. They pulled into a dock. In the not to far distance he could make out older looking buildings made of brick. The place looked nice.

  “There’s the stolen boat.” Micah pointed toward the bobbing boat in the water.

  “That means they can’t be too far.” Burle sounded excited. Maybe he thought he’d be able to meet up with his wife. It was a nice, although misguided, thought.

  Blake jumped onto the dock and started walking toward an office-type building. Tito and the others followed more slowly behind.

  Once they arrived, they entered. He was waiting in line while a gentleman in front of him was going ballistic.

  “Some guy asked me to trade his boat for my car. He gave me these keys, but he didn’t tell me which boat they go to!”

  “I can’t help you. I don’t police the keys and the boats they go with.”

  “But I gave the guy my car!”

  “Then I guess you made a mistake. Now if you’ll step aside, I have other people who need my help.”

  “B-but—”

  “Step aside.” The man deepened his voice and the gentleman went to step away.

  Blake moved forward to talk to the man behind the desk, but Burle and Tito cornered the man with the keys.

  “Was the man with a woman?”

  “Yeah. She looked a little older than him. And he looked Hispanic or Chinese or something.” He ran his hands through his hair. “My wife is going to kill me. I gave away her 1978 Chevy Camero. Of course, it doesn’t have working lights. But she hates the water.”

  “Do you know where they were headed?”

  “No, man. If I knew that I wouldn’t be in here begging for help. You can help me, right? I saw that dude with you flash a badge. I’ll tell you everything about the car or the people. I don’t care. I just need it back.”

  Tito took down all that the gentleman knew, which wasn’t much. And the fact that the car was older and didn’t have a GPS system they could track wasn’t the best news. Not that he was surprised. Someone who had evaded capture for so long had to be smart.

  “Anything else?”

  “Nah. Just that I need that car.”

  “Did they leave anything behind on the boat?” Regina had entered the conversation. He hadn’t even noticed her standing there.

  “If they did, I can’t see it because I can’t find the boat! I just need—”

  “Your wife’s car.”

  “You got it, dude.”

  “The boat is definitely the one that was stolen.” Micah entered the room with a tablet in front of him.

  “Stolen!” The man put his hand on his forehead. “No, no, no! I took a stolen boat for my wife’s car. I’m dead. I’m so dead.”

  Tito patted him on the shoulder. “Hold tight. We’re going to get it back for you.”

  He hoped.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Tristan was there when Ericka walked into the club. He was already talking to the other band members. He shook hands and seemed to be fitting in rather well. Maggie stood off to the corner. Her mouth was pulled into a wide grin and pride was written all over her face.

  Ericka could understand.

  Maggie deserved to be with someone she loved. They all did. But she was happy for Maggie.

  Ericka moved closer to the stage, and yells and whistles rent the air. Heat flushed her face, and she released her bun and let her hair fall forward to hide her face.

  She’d put it up, taken it down, put it up and taken it down about five times. In the end she let it hang long. The cover made her feel more confident in a time when she didn’t really feel that way.

  Tito hadn’t messaged that he planned to attend and based on the last location she heard, he couldn’t make it even if he wanted to. She wasn’t sure about Greg either. He’d taken his phone call and then they had all left the office. She’d had no idea if he’d left at that time as well or if he’d returned.

  Fanny entered and made a beeline for Quinn. He hugged her to his side, and she tiptoed and planted a kiss on his cheek. The lovefest happening around her was enough to make any single person sick.

  But she was happy for them.

  Happy, yeah, right.

  Ericka climbed to the stage among catcalls. She waved at the crowd. Her halfhearted wave stopped when the door opened, and Greg entered with someone on his arm.

  Heidi.

  It had to be Officer Heidi Goodall. Apparently, the information about their break-up was incorrect.

  The happy couple walked arm and arm to the bar and found the others. Quinn looked at Ericka and shrugged. She nodded her head to one side, like it was no big deal. What did she care if Greg brought a date? She was good.

  Well, maybe.

  One of the musicians tapped her on the shoulder. “You ready?”

  “I think so.”

  “I think your buddy over there wants to play a little Ray Charles first.”

  “Let’s do it.”

  She grabbed the microphone as the instruments began. Tristan’s strong soulful voice filled the room. Ericka followed up doing the part of the Raelettes. Another girl jumped in and sang with her. They blended perfectly and the crowd was on their feet immediately.

  The room was alive with dancing and swaying. Some sang along.

  The song ended and the strands of “At Last” by Etta James filled the room. Tristan played the piano and others filled in on the violins and the cello. Ericka sang. The words wrapped around her in a mesmerizing effect. She could almost imagine that the words were true. She’d thought they might be. That her true love had come along, but it wasn’t meant to be.

  As she hugged the microphone and leaned back and forth in a trance, she noticed Greg and Heidi wrapped in each other’s arms and swaying on the dance floor.

  Her throat threatened to close with emotion, but she held it back. This night wasn’t for her. This night was for Tristan and for her friends.

  She could do this.

  “For you are mine, at last…”

  Greg looked at her over Heidi’s head, but she quickly looked away.

  Several more songs were sung as the night wore on. Her feet hurt in the strappy sandals, and she almost wished that she’d picked something else to swath her feet.

  One thing she found was that the jazz club allowed lots of different songs. “These Boots were Made for Walking” came on and Ericka jumped in and started singing. Her body jerked from side to side. She twisted her shoulders with the music. Her head got into the action.

  After the song, the owner jumped on the stage. “Thank you for coming out to the Backstreet Jazz Club.” The applause felt like it shook the room. The owner lowered his hands over and over until it died down. “Thank you, thank you. Now let’s give it up for our two newcomers. Ericka Stone and Tristan Clark.”

  “Whoo-hoo!” Quinn yelled the loudest of all of them. Really surprising Ericka.

  “Now they have one more song for the night then these two lovely cats are going to join us on the floor while the house band takes to the stage.”

  Tristan had been working at a church. They’d agreed to end the night with “Amazing Grace” while he played the music in a jazzy way on the piano.

  Ericka stepped to the microphone.

  “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.”

  The sounds of the piano wafted over her as she let the words roll from her. She allowed them to fill not only her mouth but her soul.

  Tristan played a solo halfway through. When he finished the crowd erupted in applause and cheers that could be heard in another state. Ericka joined in the applause.

  He stood from his bench and held her hand up in the air for them both to take a bow. When they rose and lowered their hands, Maggie walked up to Tristan and practically pulled him off the stage into a fierce hug.

  “That was amazing.”

  “That’s good, but I can’t breathe.”

  Maggie released him and they laughed together. The two of them walked off into the crowd. Several people were coming up to them and talking to them. If all went well Tristan would receive a ton of offers.

  That was her hope for him.

  No one had congratulated her, but that was all right. She went to a table and had a waitress bring her a cola. She sipped at the straw and watched the crowd on the floor that continued to dance.

  Tonight the owner had his regular band play after them. So, if there was someone there to enjoy herself with then she might have gotten to do so.

  She tapped her foot to the music and swayed her head, but still no one came to talk to her. She put her jacket on as a chill wind blew through the opening door.

  If she had a way home, she would leave. Her watch read nine o’clock, so it wasn’t late. But what was the point of waiting around at a table alone.

  Quinn and Fanny were dancing.

  Tristan smiled and flung Maggie around the floor.

  Greg and Heidi were the same. She didn’t seem to follow Greg well. He grimaced several times when his foot would get stepped on, but other than that one wouldn’t know that he wasn’t completely satisfied.

  Ericka looked down at the glossy table. Scratches covered the surface. She ran her finger along a few of them.

  A cab.

  She would call a cab.

  She lifted her phone from her pocket right as it vibrated in her hands.

  She didn’t recognize the syntax, but she believed she recognized the number.

  Need your help. Where are you?

  Who is this?

  Sasha. Where are you? I’ll come get you.

  Ericka had been afraid of that. She’d not heard one word from the old agent that was friends with her father since she drugged her and pulled her from the sanatorium, now she wanted to take her somewhere again.

  We need help now. Father promises to tell you everything. Just help.

  Ericka rolled her eyes but realized no one even noticed. She looked at her phone and texted her location. Hopefully this wasn’t a mistake. Last time she almost lost her job as well as the jobs of her team. That was something she couldn’t really live with.

  ****

  Robert heard the alarm before he saw the tiny flashlight moving across the ground.

  When he’d lost Morgan and the man with her, he and Sasha returned to their new home base. He still believed someone was coming into there, but they hadn’t seen them, and he couldn’t prove it. For now, it was the best place for them. The agency had contacted him, and he would be relocated for real this time. But he’d explained he wouldn’t leave without Morgan. He would find her. If he couldn’t reconnect her with Ericka then he would help her.

  He owed her that.

  The flashlight continued to point toward the ground and headed toward the sanatorium’s front door. Robert had texted Sasha immediately for assistance. He didn’t know when she would arrive. Until that time, he would find a place and hide where he could still see his intruders.

  He eased the window up, but no voices traveled to his location. He closed the window and went to another spot in the building. He could see the couple closing in. One was holding onto the arm of the other. They stumbled, and the other helped them straighten.

  Robert squinted against the dark. The moon wasn’t offering much help tonight. The thick summertime foliage hid it too well.

  “Are you sure?”

  He heard a male voice.

  “Yes. This is where the manifest is hidden.”

  Robert sucked in a swift breath. He couldn’t believe it. They’d come to him. Now he just needed to get her away from the strange man and then maybe he could help her.

  The doorknob turned.

  He was too close to the door. If he had a plan, it would be different, but he didn’t have any idea what to do now that he knew who the intruder was. Instead of doing anything he squeezed into a corner of the room and waited.

  The couple entered.

  “Where do we go? This place is huge.”

  Morgan stood in the foyer bathed in moonlight. It reminded him of the times they’d spent undercover together. Their clandestine meetings had always been outside under the cover of darkness. She’d always looked the most beautiful in the moonlight.

  “Don’t worry. I know where to go. Follow me. And use that little pen light of yours to light the way, please.”

  Robert would have followed behind them, but he needed them to move away so he could message Sasha. If she came in with guns blazing so to speak then they would lose Morgan for good.

  He let them disappear before he pulled out his phone. He texted Sasha a code that she would understand telling where he would be then replaced his phone. Now he needed to follow them and find them in the huge place before they vanished from under his nose.

  ****

  Ericka had vanished right from under their noses. One minute she was sitting at the table and Greg was glancing at her every time he turned around, then she was just gone. He had no idea where she’d gone, but she was gone.

  He stopped dancing. “I think I need something to drink.”

  “Oh, yeah, me too. Can you get me a club soda?”

  “Sure.” He left and went to the bar. The owner was there. He made his order then leaned in closer. “Do you know where Ericka Stone went?”

  “Nope. She didn’t say anything to me. She was sitting there alone and then she got up and walked off.”

  “Do you have security cameras?”

  The guy paused in his action. “Yeah.”

  “Can I see them?”

  He crossed his arms over her barrel shaped chest. “Exactly why would I do that for you? I let that little lady sing her again because she drew in the crowd last time. And look at tonight, she’s a hit. But as far as I can tell she didn’t come in with you, so I won’t be sharing where she took off to with you.”

  Greg felt himself bristle at the comment, but he took his two drinks and went back to the table. He put Heidi’s glass on the table so hard that some of the contents spilt on the shiny top. She grabbed a napkin and wiped it up.

  “You all right?’

  “Yup, never better.”

  He drank his cola in one gulp. He slammed the glass on the table and went to find Quinn. Quinn was on the floor with Fanny. Greg pulled them apart. “Excuse me, I need Quinn a moment.”

  “Sure. I’ll just, I guess I’ll just go over there.”

  Quinn looked at Fanny longingly. Greg didn’t care. They had a bigger problem. If Ericka ran off again on their own, they could lose their jobs. Didn’t she get that? What was wrong with her?

  What was wrong with him?

  “Greg, this is my time off. I was enjoying myself.”

  Greg ran his hands through his hair. “Yeah, I know, and I’m sorry. But I can’t find Ericka.”

  “Maybe she went to the restroom.”

  “I don’t think so. I think she left.”

  “How? She doesn’t have a car.”

  Quinn still swayed to the music that played. Greg found it quite annoying. Why wasn’t he listening to him?

  Since Greg had been demoted to team leader and placed on the same playing field, the respect had decreased. Or maybe not. He didn’t know anymore.

  He massaged the spot beside his eyes.

  Quinn finally stopped moving and leaned in. “Look, how could you bring her here?”

  “Who?”

  Quinn nudged his head over to the side toward Heidi. Heidi was talking to Maggie. Her head went back as she laughed about something. Maggie frowned. Either Heidi overreacted to the comment, or they just didn’t like his date.

  “Why can’t I bring her?”

  “She was breaking up with you!” The whispered exclamation seemed to move Quinn’s entire body.

  Greg shrugged. “We worked it out.”

  “And you brought her to Ericka’s event?”

  “Look,” Greg ran his hand through his hair, “Ericka and I, well, we aren’t a thing. We’ve never really been a thing. And I-I need to find someone to share my life with. I want to give Heidi a chance.”

  “By blowing any other chance.” Quinn muttered under his breath and walked off.

  Greg reached out, but he’d already gone too far. Heidi was still busy doing whatever it was she was doing wrong. Ericka was still gone. Now he’d alienated Quinn as well.

  He found an empty seat in the club and drummed his fingers on the tabletop. He’d seen Ericka sitting all alone. He’d seen her face. He knew she was hurting. He ignored her because of his own pain. She’d left them to almost get fired. They’d run all over the place doing their job and hers and she hadn’t seemed to care. It was as if something else drew her attention away from them…

  Oh no.

  Her family.

  But her father had vanished.

  All leads to her mother led back to nothing.

  But something was definitely there. The only time she’d ever acted like this was when her family was involved.

  They had to find her quickly. She could be in real trouble. He’d found out some things on an earlier call that he hadn’t shared. In fact, he wasn’t permitted to share. Now that might come back to bite them all in the butt.