family’s boatyard? Then there was Bugger Walsh and his long criminal history.
“I think we should turn back,” Karl said.
“Back to where?”
“To Harper’s Point. My gut is trying to tell me something.”
“What is it telling you?”
He tapped his finger on the wheel and stared at the illuminated road ahead.
“Come on, Karl. Spit it out.”
“I don’t know if it means anything, but I dug into the Briggses’ past. Did you know that a boy Willow once dated passed away from a heroin overdose? They moved to Maine soon after he died.”
“Are you saying that Willow had something to do with the boy’s death?”
“I don’t know. It just seems odd that two boys she might have dated ended up dying.”
“You said it was an overdose.”
“That’s what they ruled the boy’s death, but the detective in charge of the case told me there was no indication the boy had ever used heroin before. He didn’t have any track marks on his arm or any history of ever using the drug. But there was no evidence to prove murder, either.”
“Willow is a high-maintenance girl, but do you see her committing murder?”
“I’m so confused right now, I don’t know what to believe. All I know is what my gut is telling me. Whoever did this is somewhere on Harper’s Point.”
“So what are you going to do? Go house to house, searching for that person?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t thought that far ahead.”
“I’ve been considering this crazy theory I have. Probably too crazy to even consider.”
“Nothing’s out of the realm of possibility. Let’s hear what you’ve got.”
“What if Gil set all this up to make his show more dramatic?”
“Okay.” He seemed to think it over. “But kidnapping and murder? Seems a bit over the top.”
“Maybe Dakota James’s death was an accident.”
“An accident?”
“See, I told you the idea was nutty.”
“It’s not nutty at all. Continue.”
“Then he stages Willow’s and Katie’s disappearance, only something goes wrong. Very wrong and Katie gets hurt. But Willow hides out until it all blows over. Then she calls Katie and tells her she needs her help.”
“That’s not a crazy theory at all. If only we could locate Gil and find out the truth for sure.”
“Maybe you should get a search warrant for the Briggses’ home and take a look at his most recent film footage. It’s possible that will lead us in the right direction.”
“That’s actually a great idea. And I didn’t fully check out all the rooms in the Briggses’ basement.” He pulled the police cruiser over and took out his phone, then called the local judge and told him what he needed. He impressed upon the judge the necessity of approving the search warrant as soon as possible, as the lives of three kids were involved.
* * *
Karl came running out of the judge’s home, waving the search warrant in his hand. He jumped in the car, handed Isla the warrant, and sped off toward Harper’s Point, lights flashing and siren blaring.
She prayed to God that her kids were not in harm’s way. She felt horrible for not having fully vetted her daughter’s friendship with Willow.
Karl pulled up to the Briggses’ house and parked in the circular driveway. He jumped out and sprinted over to the front door. Isla struggled to keep pace with him, but he was too fast. He rang the doorbell and waited as she pulled up next to him. She tried to catch her breath, regretting that she had let herself get so out of shape.
“You better wait in the car, Isla.”
“I will most certainly not wait in the car, Karl Bjornson. My kids might be inside, and I’ll be damned if I don’t do everything in my power to save them.”
“Isla, this search warrant is for law enforcement personnel only. You don’t want to jeopardize the prosecutor’s case if we discover something incriminating, do you?”
“The hell with your prosecution. I only want to find my kids, and you can’t stop me.”
He nodded, understanding that he couldn’t prevent her from entering the house. Anxious to get inside, she reached out and rang the doorbell. It seemed that no one was inside. Or maybe Felicia refused to answer the door this late at night. Isla stepped back and surveyed the home. Not a light was on in the house. What would they do next? Karl reached out and turned the handle, and to their surprise, the door opened.
“Let’s go,” Karl said.
She followed him inside, her nerves sizzling. Karl flicked on the lights, and the cavernous interior came into