Chase zoomed in on the eastern shoreline. “Three storage lockers here.”
He shifted the view. “Western shore has fewer, but they’re close enough to matter.”
“We’ll take the western side.” Chase stood. “Finn, Will, Ford, you’re with me.”
“I’ll take Titus, Nate and Dex and hit the eastern shore,” said Caleb.
They gathered tools and weapons, not sure which they’d need, just knowing time wasn’t on their side.
Caleb’s heart pounded as he pulled out of the lot. He prayed Mia was in one of them. If she wasn’t, he had no idea where else to look.
They bypassed the marina itself and followed the access road instead.
Then sirens cut through the air.
Nate glanced toward the lake. “You hear that?”
Caleb stiffened as the sirens surged past, angling north, away from the shoreline they were heading toward.
Before Caleb could answer, Chase’s voice came over the radio. “Sheriff just called it in. Body recovered at the north inlet.”
Caleb swallowed hard.
Mia? Please, God. No.
“Marine unit confirms adult male,” Chase continued. “Matches Roy’s description.”
Caleb closed his eyes.
That meant Mia was still out there. Alive, he hoped.
Caleb drove a little farther, then stopped near a stand of scrub and pines and killed the engine. Music drifted in the air from the Rusty Anchor, competing with boat engines and bursts of laughter easing in and out of slips. It was prime fishing time.
Too many people. Too much noise.
“This is the first one,” Nate said, checking the map. “Farthest from the docks.”
The men got out of the truck. The air smelled of stagnant water and old fuel.
They moved fast.
The locker’s metal door was streaked with rust, padlocked tight. Nate cut the lock. The sound echoed through the trees.
Caleb shoved the door open.
They swept it in seconds. There was no recent activity, no footprints, nothing but an old coil of rope and several warped planks.
“Clear,” Nate said.
Caleb stared hard, hoping Mia might magically appear. Nothing.
“Let’s check the perimeter.”
They circled the structure. No tire impressions. No drag marks. Nothing to show someone had been there recently.
He exhaled slowly and keyed his radio. “First unit’s a negative.”
Chase’s voice came back. “Copy. Same on our end, so far.”
