“You don’t think it sounds possible? You’re the one who came up with it.”
Yeah,I know.“It sounds ... out there.”
“Cole. Seriously. My life isout thereright now. Nothing makes any sense, except for this.”
Cole couldn’t take that from her. Not now. Not yet. Not when it seemed to energize her and give her hope. But he couldn’t imagine a body being dug up in Michigan orplanted there to begin with. Someone would have to already know where her mother was, if it was a warning. And what a morbid, disgusting warning. He’d find out how and where the body or the skull was discovered. That would tell them something.
But if her theory was anywhere even close to the truth, then they were dealing with a very sick person. And his fear for Jo’s safety just shot through the roof. They needed to know what the incident was that trapped Jo in this dangerous space. The windows rattled with the wind, startling them both. Jo jumped closer to Cole.
“It was just a gust of wind.” He took the opportunity to pull her in even closer. Holding her calmed his nerves, soothed his soul.
“I don’t know, Cole. That sounds like tapping. Creepy tapping.”
“And why would anyone be out in this weather, tapping on the window?” Why not shoot them where they stood in the kitchen?
He pushed her behind him.
31
She was accustomed to the creaks and groans a structure made when it was quiet and during a storm, so she shouldn’t have overreacted.
“I’m just tired. It’s fine. I’m not scared of the wind.”I can’t be.Her nerves were getting the best of her. Her adrenaline was crashing. That was all. She started to move away.
“No, wait.” He ushered her deeper into the kitchen. “Wait right here. Do you have your firearm?”
“No.” She opened the drawer and pulled out a butcher knife. At his frown, she said, “It could work in a knife fight, okay?”
The wind rattled the windows again. Was one of them open? She didn’t remember the wind causing such a chilling noise.
“This is some kind of storm coming in,” Cole said. “I still think it’s the wind, but it can’t hurt to check.”
Cole left her alone in the kitchen for an infuriatingly long time.
Where are you,Cole?
Oh, for crying out loud ... Jo wasn’t going to stand hereand wait for the boogeyman, who might have already gotten Cole. She’d started forward when Cole emerged from outside, bringing wind and rain with him.
“You were outside?” she asked.
“How else was I supposed to check?”
“You left me alone in the kitchen with only a butcher knife?”
“It was just the wind. And I got a text. I need to check it.” He pulled his cell out of his jacket and peered at the screen. “It’s from Allison.”
Putting the knife down, she tried to relax. The morbid talk about the skull had set off all her nerves—the monster-house, scary nerves—making her impatient. “Well, what does it say?”
“I’ve asked Allison to search on a connection between your father and Mason Hyde, since they were both involved in the aerospace industry and your father recently met with someone in that same industry after leaving you the message and just before he disappeared. It’s just one angle to explore, but I think it’s the strongest connection we have. Allison has gone as deep as she can go online. She had hoped to find images of them together that might include the others in the photo and help us identify them. Not all records are available digitally. That means we need to go old school.”
“Old school?”
“Yes. There’s a museum in Seattle at the King County International Airport Boeing Field—the Museum of Flight.” He stared at his smartphone. “It includes everything about the businesses and technology of aircraft and space. The Pacific Northwest has played an important role in the aerospace industry since the beginning. Looks like it has recently been dubbed the ‘Silicon Valley of space.’” He glanced up at her, his eyes bright with anticipation.
Her brows shot up.Really?
He shrugged. “When you consider that more than half the satellites in low orbit were manufactured in Washington, and hundreds of companies are part of the space cluster, many of them supplying NASA, it makes sense. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. We need to go to the archives at the museum to confirm we’re on the right track.”
“Archives? Does that mean card catalogs and microfiche?”Please,no.
