“I’m going to check the rest of the house. I’m sure the guy is long gone, but I can’t assume anything. Gabe will be here soon.”

  Michael nodded as he began to work on Cherie.

  Kyra made her way through the other rooms, opening closets, peering behind a couch—inspecting any place that could conceal a person. Nothing, as she expected, but she did find how the assailant got into the house. He’d cut the glass, raised the window and come through that way. Probably when Cherie was home since the alarm didn’t go off. Had the man been there when Michael and she talked with the woman the day before?

  Kyra stood on the porch an hour and a half later with Gabe and Michael. “What did Cherie know that she was tortured for?”

  “Why was she left alive?” Michael stared through the open front door at the officers still processing the scene.

  “A message maybe. If y’all hadn’t found her when you did, would she have made it much longer?” Pushing his ball cap back on his head, Gabe chewed on a toothpick.

  Michael swung his attention to the police chief. “No. Maybe an hour or so longer. I’m not sure she will make it even now. The doctor at the hospital in Clear Springs will call me with any updates on her status.”

  “I’ve asked the sheriff to supply a deputy to keep Cherie under guard.”

  “She’s in a coma. If and when she comes out of it, she may not remember anything that happened. A lot of trauma to the head.” Michael’s clenched jaw attested to his anger.

  Kyra stepped to his side and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, kneading the tautness beneath her fingers. “Did Cherie know where Laurie was? Is Amy with her daughter?”

  “Laurie’s car is gone. We know for a fact she isn’t at her aunt’s in Tampa, and she hasn’t been seen in town in the past day. So where is she?” Gabe broke his toothpick in two and stuffed the pieces in his pocket.

  “With Amy hiding. They do everything together.” Michael propped himself against the porch post, his arms folded over his chest.

  “I’ve put out a BOLO on Laurie’s car. We need to go back to their friends and see if anyone knows where they might go.” Gabe faced Kyra. “Can you and Michael do that while we search the swamps around here?”

  She nodded, glimpsing Michael’s scowl deepening. “Did you find the location of those pictures on Amy’s camera?”

  “No, but I have a few more people to show them to. They will be involved in the search. Right before you called, the sheriff was on his way to meet me at the public pier to help look for Amy and now Laurie. I had Wilson stay and help get everything organized. Wilson called a few minutes ago. They’re set to go. I’ll leave Connors here to finish up.” Gabe started down the steps toward his patrol car. “Call me if you find out anything from their friends.” He stopped at his driver-side door. “Watch your backs. Whoever is behind this is deadly serious. If Cherie doesn’t pull through, that’s a third murder in two days.”

  The grime expression on Gabe’s face hammered home the danger she and Michael were in. This guy, whoever he was, was desperate to find the girls. She prayed he hadn’t yet or there would be two more deaths to add to the total.

  “I should be out there searching for Amy.” The tight thread woven through Michael’s voice conveyed his frustration.

  “I personally think we’ll make more progress talking with the friends. I know you talked with them on the phone yesterday, but I think we should interview them one by one, starting with Brady Lawson. He might be able to tell us where Laurie and Amy would have met up. It sounds like next to Laurie he might know what’s going on with Amy since they recently dated.”

  Michael straightened. “I would have agreed a couple of months ago, but now I don’t know if anyone knows who Amy is. Not even Laurie. After we do that, let’s go to the hospital. If Cherie comes out of her coma, she may know what we need to find this guy. For all intent and purposes, she shouldn’t have been alive. I always felt Cherie had a strong will. Now I know it.”

  “Let’s try Brady’s home first. It’s only ten-thirty so he may still be asleep.”

  “Possibly. He works at the movie theater in Clear Springs—usually nights. In the summer they run a late-night movie.”

  “We need to make her friends see how much danger Amy and Laurie are in.” Kyra strode toward Michael’s Saturn.

  Ten minutes later Michael parked at the curb of a medium-size house painted pink with white shutters. “This is Brady’s place.”

  “Let’s show him copies of the photos on Amy’s camera. Maybe he’ll recognize where they were taken.”

  Michael marched up to the porch like a man on a mission and rang the doorbell. Drumming his fingers against the wood siding, he waited twenty seconds and pushed the bell again.

  The door swung open to reveal a sleepy teenage boy, his hair sticking up. Yawning, he covered his mouth, blinking at the bright light flooding him while behind him his home was dark from heavy curtains drawn. “Dr. Hunt? Have you found Amy?”

  “No, that’s why we’re here.” Michael stepped past the teen into the dim foyer.

  Kyra followed, and Brady closed the door then faced them.

  “I don’t know where she is. We broke up a while back. She’s…” Brady swallowed the rest of his words.

  Michael pinned Brady with an intent look. “She’s what?”

  The boy drew himself up tall, not taking his gaze from Michael’s. “She’s different since she started hangin’ with Preston.”

  “How?”

  “For starters, she used to hate the color black. Now she wears it all the time.”

  “I’d like you to look at these photos and see if you know where they were taken.” Kyra passed the stack to Brady. “These were on Amy’s camera. Some taken a few days ago in the swamp.”

  Brady reached around her and flipped on the overhead light, then studied each photograph. The wrinkles on his forehead sliced deeper. After finishing, he went back to the second one and held it up. “I think that’s Manatee Creek. It gets that way when it rains.”

  Kyra peered at the picture catching the front end of a kayak making its way through low-hanging branches that almost touched the water’s surface. “You can get through there?”

  “Yeah, it’s not easy but you can maneuver under the mangrove limbs.” Brady gave her the photos back. “That’s the only one I recognize. I haven’t spent much time out in the Glades this summer since I got my job in Clear Springs.”

  “When’s the last time you saw Amy?” Michael’s question drew the teen’s attention.

  “About a week ago. I saw her with Laurie.”

  “Do you know where Laurie is?”

  “Nope. Haven’t seen her much, either. Laurie and Amy were doing a lot with Preston and his cousin from Miami. She doesn’t have time for us anymore.”

  Michael tilted his head to the side. “Us?”

  “Her old friends.”

  “Who else should we talk to?”

  Brady shrugged. “I guess Hailey. I’ve seen her with Amy and Laurie lately.”

  Kyra handed the teen her card. “If you think of anything that might help, call the cell number on here. Amy is in danger. A killer is after her.”

  Brady’s eyes widened. “The same one who murdered Preston and his cousin?”

  “Yes.”

  When they left Brady’s place, the drive to Hailey’s took only five minutes. Not a word was said in the car, Michael’s gaze glued to the road ahead. His jaw clamped in a hard profile. He pulled into the driveway of his partner’s house.

  “Hailey is Ken’s daughter?” Kyra asked as they exited the car.

  “Yeah. I’m not sure how much help she’ll be since she was on vacation with her family two days ago when Amy spent all day in the swamp. I didn’t even call her yesterday morning about Amy going missing since they didn’t get back to town until late the night before.”

  “But maybe she heard from Amy yesterday morning when she ran. Maybe she knows where Amy would have met up with Laurie.”

  “Right now we could use a big break.”

  Hailey’s mother answered the door, surprised to see Michael. “Ken and I have been so worried about Amy. We’ve been praying she’s found soon.” She stepped to the side to allow Kyra and Michael into the house.

  “Thanks, Jessica. I’m here to talk to Hailey. Is she home?”

  “Yes.” When the woman didn’t move to go get her, Michael added, “I want to talk to her about where Amy might go if she was in danger.”

  Jessica’s face went white. “I’ll get her.”

  When Hailey came down the stairs with her mother trailing her, the teen was biting her thumbnail. “Mom thinks I know where Amy is. I don’t. I dropped her off at the high-school stadium and that was the last time I saw her.”

  “You dropped her off at the stadium! When?” The force behind his words caused the young girl to step back. “Sorry. I didn’t realize you had, and we’ve been trying to piece together what happened yesterday morning after Amy found Preston.”

  “I saw her on Bay Shore Drive and picked her up. She was upset and looked scared, but she wouldn’t tell me anything other than that they had seen something they shouldn’t have.”

  “And she didn’t tell you what?” Michael opened and closed his hands at his sides.

  “She clammed up. Refused to say another word. Sometimes Amy can be melodramatic, and I thought that was one of those times.”

  “Why didn’t you call me about this?” Michael kept his voice calm, but there was nothing calm about his demeanor.

  “I didn’t realize someone might be after her. I didn’t want to get her in trouble.”

  Kyra pulled out her card and put it into Hailey’s hand. “Call if you remember anything else, especially a place she might go if she wanted to hide.” She studied the teen’s facial expression to see if she could be keeping anything else a secret. She didn’t think Hailey was.

  Michael passed the photos to Hailey and asked her to check them and tell them if she knew where any of those places were. The girl hardly looked at the pictures before thrusting them back at Michael. A thunderous expression fell over his features.

  “Did you really look?” Kyra asked before Michael said something he would regret. “This is important.”

  “I don’t have to. I stopped doing things with Amy when she started going into the swamp a lot. Not for me.” Hailey shivered.

  “Did she ever mention anyplace she liked to go?” The tension in Michael slowly leaked away.

  “Somewhere beyond Manatee Creek. The only reason I remembered that is I love those animals. But when she started talking about how to get there in detail, my eyes glazed over. She said it was tricky but cool.”

  “If you remember any other landmarks besides the creek, give us a call.” Kyra’s cell rang. She turned toward the door and stepped outside on the porch, noticing it was Gabe phoning. “What’s up?”

  “I just heard Bill Meyers found Laurie’s car on his property in the orchard off Tern Road. He has a big sign saying Meyers Orchard before you turn onto the road that leads to his house. We’re pretty far away on the other side of Flamingo Cay in the Glades. Can you go check it out for me? Connors is still tied up with Laurie’s house. He’ll come out when he gets through. I need to know if there is anything in the car that would point to where the girls went.”

  “I’ll let you know after I see it. We’ll head right now to Meyers Orchard.”

  Michael left Hailey’s as Kyra finished the call with Gabe. “Who was that?”

  “Gabe. Bill Meyers found Laurie’s car on his property. We’re going to check it out. But first I want to stop at the drugstore and get some latex gloves.”

  “Don’t have to. I have some in my bag. Did he say anything about how the search was going?”

  “At the end, he told me they haven’t found anything, and no one recognizes the pictures Amy took.”

  Using a cane, Bill Meyers led Michael and Kyra toward the orchard trees in back near Big Tern Bay. “I was out here doing a walk-through, checking to make sure the trees weren’t infested with bugs, that sort of thing, when I saw the yellow Volkswagen. I called it in, and Gabe told me it was Laurie Carson’s. He told me you’d be by. I haven’t seen you in years, Kyra.”

  “Over twenty years. It’s good to see you again.” She used to come out to his orchard and pick oranges. The fruit tasted so good right off the tree. “You don’t have to walk all the way back out there, especially in this heat. Officer Connors will be along later to process the car.”

  “I’ll point him in the right direction, then. When you’re through, stop by the house for some freshly squeezed orange juice. You’ll probably need it by then.” Bill took out a kerchief and wiped his forehead.

  “Now that’s hard to pass up.” Kyra waved goodbye to the seventy-year-old man, then proceeded down the center of the orchard with Michael, heading toward the bay.

  A couple of terns the bay was named after flew overhead, their screeches piercing in the thick, humid afternoon air. Through the grove of orange trees Kyra spied the round yellow back of the Volkswagen.

  “Why did they come here?” Michael slanted a look at Kyra.

  “There’s a pier in the bay down that incline. Bill used to have a few boats tied up there. Probably not now but maybe. We can ask him later.”

  “So Amy and Laurie could have taken one of his boats.” The incredulous tone in his voice underscored how upset he was. “I can’t believe everything Ginny worked with Amy on has been forgotten so quickly. She used to be naive, think before she did something. Respect authority.”

  Kyra stopped twenty yards away from the car and faced Michael. “She’s scared. She’s doing all she can to stay alive.” But she couldn’t help but wonder what was keeping Amy from seeking help from the police. Was she involved in something with this case?

  “I know.” His shoulders sagged. “I’m just frustrated I can’t help her. That she’s alone in all of this.”

  “She’s not alone.”

  “Yeah. Yeah. The Lord is with her.”

  “Well, yes, but so is Laurie or at least I hope so. Otherwise where is Laurie?”

  “That’s a good question.” Michael skirted Kyra and hurried toward the car.

  Out the corner of her eye, she glimpsed a movement and whirled toward where she saw it. Nothing was there. She started forward. But with each step she took, she couldn’t shake the sensation someone was out there, watching.

  When Michael was a few feet from the car, she called out, “Stop.”

  Instinct compelled her to leap toward Michael and haul him back. An explosion rocked the earth beneath her, sending Michael and her flying through the air. A bone-jarring landing knocked the breath from her lungs as Michael flung himself on top of her while bits of the car rained down on them.

  EIGHT

  For a few seconds the press of Michael’s body into hers further robbed her of a decent breath. The sound of the explosion deafened her ears. The heat from the blast seared her. A column of smoke and fire shot upward toward the sky while some flaming pieces of the car fell back to earth. One landed a foot from her.

  Kyra shoved at Michael. “Someone blew up the VW.”

  He rolled to the side, a dazed look on his face.

  Although the concussion from the explosion muffled her hearing, Kyra scrambled to her feet, drawing her gun. The sudden action made her wobble, but she managed to steady herself before sinking back to the ground. “Let’s get out of here.” Waving him behind her, she faced the area where she thought she’d seen something, determined to keep them safe. Had someone rigged the car to blow up? Had they been waiting for them or was the bomb set on a timer?

  Was he still here? Waiting to pick them off if they survived the blast?

  She glimpsed something green that wasn’t part of a plant. She kept her gun pointed in the general area of the threat. At least she hoped so. Chancing a sweep of the terrain, she discovered a down tree five feet to the left.

  “Over there.” She gestured with her hand that didn’t hold her Glock toward the log and brush that could give them some cover.

  Michael dived for the protection ten seconds before she followed. Half expecting a bullet in the back, Kyra made it safely behind the fallen tree, then pulled out her cell. First she called 911 to get the fire department out to Bill’s. Then she dialed Gabe. As she reported what happened to them, Bill came down the center row toward the car.

  Michael saw him and, stooping low, ran toward the old man. “Get back. Not safe.”

  “Got to go.” Kyra clicked off and kept her attention trained on the foliage around the VW for any sign of an assailant or gun, hoping to cover Michael as much as possible.

  Michael reached Bill, put his arm around him and hurried the older man toward a shelter of trees. Kyra released a long breath when they were hidden from view, down on the ground. Her cell rang, but she didn’t dare take her attention off the area where she suspected someone was hiding. Her heart hammered a fast beat against her rib cage and thundered in her ears, almost drowning out the sound of the sirens in the distance.

  The blaze engulfed the car totally. Two orange trees near by caught fire. Flames licked their way through the branches. Smoke roiled into the sky, fingering outward toward Kyra. The fiery heat scorched the air. And still she didn’t want to stop her vigil. She didn’t think the man would still be around, especially since help was on its way, but she couldn’t take the chance. She was the one with the gun. She had to protect Michael and Bill.

  Her eyes trained on the bushes across from her stung. She coughed, her throat dry, closing up. When flames surrounding the VW began to expand outward, chewing up the grass and foliage, she knew she couldn’t stay put any longer. She had to make a run for it and pray the assailant had done the same thing. It was suicide otherwise.

  Behind her were rows and rows of orange trees. She could escape that way and skirt back around to make sure Michael and Bill got away safely. Hugging the ground as close as she could, she ran deeper into the grove, away from the bay, away from the burning car.