are no more ferries until noon tomorrow,” said Henry.
“We can find someone to take us,” said Tessa. “I’ll ask around.” She gave Cate a fierce look. “Are we doing this?”
“Absolutely. I want to see Travis Underwood go down.”
“You’re not the only one,” agreed Tessa. “I’m going to look him in the eye and grill him about Samantha.”
“You’re not leaving me out of this,” Henry said, catching their excitement.
Cate grinned and squeezed his hand.
5
“I didn’t know Adam had a plane,” Cate mumbled to herself for the third time the next morning.
No one could hear her. It was too noisy inside the small floatplane. Henry sat beside Adam Jacobs while she and Tessa took the two seats directly behind them. Adam’s father had operated an unofficial boat taxi on Widow’s for decades, and Adam was in the process of taking over. To Cate’s surprise, Adam had expanded the boat taxi business to include a floatplane.
Cate hadn’t been thrilled when Tessa had told her who would fly them.
She watched the pilot with an eagle eye. Adam had made a poor impression when she first returned to Widow’s, but he had mostly redeemed himself when he’d bailed on an appointed boat fare to transport her to an emergency without asking questions. He might leer at women and occasionally get stoned, but he seemed to aptly handle the plane.
They were currently in the air, having left Harlot Harbor as soon as the sun rose that morning. Adam had told her it would take less than forty-five minutes to get to Blaine Harbor. Cate steadily breathed in and out, not liking how her stomach had complained since the moment they took off and headed north.
The northern boundary of the city of Blaine was the Canadian border. The small city had less than five thousand people, and one was a murderer—that Cate was aware of. She and Tessa had discussed whether Travis had killed Samantha and lied to his mother or if it had truly been an accident as he said. “Either way, he left. He ran and hid like a coward, leaving her family destroyed,” Tessa stated. “Right now, I don’t care which happened.”
Cate hoped Travis was still in the US, because he could have easily slipped to the Canadian side at some point, but his mother had said Travis refused to live in Canada because he believed it was a socialist country. He might like to stay off the grid and avoid taxes in the US, but he was emotionally attached to his idea of a democratic nation.
Cate didn’t try to understand his standards.
She simply wanted him caught. And to pay for the rest of his life for hurting Sam.
Am I obsessed with retribution?
Maybe.
It won’t bring Sam back.
But it would make Cate feel a lot better.
The plane circled Blaine Harbor, and Cate peered out the window. The dark clouds were low, turning the water gray. Boats filled a good-sized marina, and a small grid of streets formed the attached town. It looked peaceful and incapable of hiding the man who’d hurt Samantha.
He’s not in the city.
She looked to the east, wondering exactly where the property was. The county sheriff had told her boss Travis lived less than a half hour outside of town. Tension vibrated inside her bones. She wanted results. Now.
After a surprisingly smooth landing, the plane taxied them to a dock. Henry slapped Adam on the shoulder, delight in his eyes. Cate grimaced. She’d been too tied in knots to enjoy the flight. They climbed out at the dock, each carrying a duffel, where two uniformed Whatcom County officers waited.
“Special Agent Wilde?” one deputy asked, looking at Henry.
Henry grinned and pointed at Cate, clearly enjoying the surprise in the young man’s eyes. Cate tried not to roll hers as she held out her hand. “I’m Wilde.”
The deputy shook it and then everyone else’s. “Sergeant Gunderson and Deputy McClure. We’ll take you out to the Underwood property.” He pointed to a county SUV.
Cate’s stomach did a small spin as the dock swayed, and she turned to Adam, who had just stepped out of his plane. “Thanks, Adam. It was a smooth ride.” Her breath showed in the icy air.
Gratitude lit up his face. “You’re welcome.”
“You’re hanging around, right?”
“Yep. Gonna find a diner or something to chill at for a while. I’ll be here when you’re ready to go back.”
Cate took off after the others and caught up at the SUV, where Henry held her door open. “You okay?” he asked, concern in his eyes.
“I’m