“I like to think so,” Frank said carefully. “Your mom always said she’d be watching over you, no matter what.”
Tommy nodded, accepting this as he had before. “If they can see us, they know about Isabel, too, right?”
Frank felt a tightening in his chest. “I suppose they would.”
“I think Mom would like her,” Tommy said with the simple certainty of childhood. “Dad too. They’d want you to be happy.”
Frank studied his grandson’s face. “I think you’re right,” he said finally. “They’d want that for both of us.”
Tommy leaned against Frank’s arm, quieter now. “When we go back to Sapphire Bay, will we still live in our house? Or will we live with Isabel?”
The question made Frank almost smile. “That’s getting a little ahead of things. Isabel and I are just getting to know each other.”
“But you like her,” Tommy said matter-of-factly. “I can tell.”
A blush rose to Frank’s cheeks. “I care about her very much,” he told Tommy. “But these things take time. And right now, we need to focus on getting through the trial safely.”
Tommy considered this, then nodded. “After the trial, then.”
“After the trial,” Frank agreed, ruffling Tommy’s hair.
A soft knock at the doorway drew their attention. Agent Ramirez stood there, her expression apologetic.
“Sorry to interrupt,” she said. “William’s on the secure line. He says it’s important.”
Frank’s stomach clenched. Calls in the middle of the night were rarely good news. “I’ll be right there. Tommy, can you go back to bed? I’ll come check on you in a few minutes.”
Tommy looked at Frank and then at Special Agent Ramirez. “Is something wrong?”
“Probably just more paperwork for me to review,” Frank said, keeping his voice light. “Go on now.”
After seeing Tommy safely back to his room, Frank followed Ramirez to the secured communications room. The phone sat on a desk surrounded by monitoring equipment, looking deceptively ordinary.
“William,” Frank said, picking up the receiver. “What’s happening?”
“We’ve got a problem,” William’s voice came through clearly despite the encryption. “Dave Winters dropped off the radar six hours ago. We had surveillance on him at his hotel, but he gave our guys the slip.”
Frank’s blood ran cold. “Any sign of his associates?”
“Also gone. We’re checking traffic cameras, airport manifests, everything we can think of. But Frank…” William hesitated. “We need to consider the possibility that they’re heading back to Sapphire Bay.”
The implication was clear. If Dave couldn’t find Frank, he might try to draw him out through Isabel or, worse, use her as leverage.
“Have you increased security at the bookstore? At Kathleen’s house?” Frank asked, his mind racing.
“Already done. We’ve got people watching both locations, plus the house on Maple Street. The offer was accepted, by the way.”
Under any other circumstances, that news would have made Frank smile. Now it just added another location to worry about.
“I want to call Isabel,” Frank said. “Warn her.”
William was quiet for a moment. “Let’s not panic her unnecessarily. My people are watching her closely. If there’s any sign of Dave or his associates, we’ll immediately move her to a secure location.”
“And if they’re one step ahead of us? Like they were at the dock?” Frank couldn’t keep the edge from his voice. “I’m not risking Isabel’s safety, William.”
“I understand,” William said, his tone softening slightly. “Call her in the morning. By then, we might have located Winters.”
After hanging up, Frank returned to the kitchen, his mind churning with possibilities. The trial was so close now—just twelve days away. Dave was getting desperate, which made him unpredictable and dangerous.
