“Go ahead,” said River.
“I pinpointed the call to where that public land comes up against Gregory Larson’s property.”
“Are you sure? There’s nothing out there. The closest structure is that clubhouse over a couple of hills. There was no indication Elsie had been there.”
“It looks like the call came from between the clubhouse and the property line at the bottom of the hill,” said Eva.
Lydia thought about what River had said about Elsie and her abductor appearing to have been lifted into the air. She touched River’s arm. What if they hadn’t gone up butdown? The realization caused her to remember why she thought she had seen Gregory Larson in a different context other than his real estate ads.
“Eva, I think Gregory Larson might be connected to the kidnapping,” she said. “Years ago, he was involved in a custody suit with his ex-wife. It was on the local news. The wife was alleging that he had extremist views because he was into survivalist thinking, stockpiling guns and stuff. What if there’s a hidden bunker on his property and that’s where Elsie is?”
River jerked in his seat and slowed the car down. “Lydia might be right. If the bunker is deep underground, that would explain why the dogs lost the scent.”
“Give me five minutes,” said Eva.
“Can you find out who on the task force is close? We need to go out and search that place again. I wonder if Gregory owns an older model tan SUV?”
“Because this is urgent, I’ll drop everything and get right on this.”
“Thank you, Eva.” River hung up.
“That has to be it,” said Lydia feeling a rising sense of hope.
“The bunker entrance must be really well concealed.” His words came out in staccato rhythm, as if his thoughts were racing. “I wonder if there’s a second entrance in that clubhouse.”
Lydia’s heart pounded. Was she finally going to hold Elsie again?
“I’ll drop you off at the police station.”
“That will eat up precious minutes. I’m going with you. If Elsie is hidden in those hills, I want my face to be the first one she sees.”
“This could be dangerous.”
“I don’t care. I need to know my daughter’s safe.”
River shook his head. “Somehow, I don’t think arguing with you is worth the energy expenditure. Hopefully, we’ll have two or three more armed officers. If I say you need to hang back or stay in the car, you need to comply.”
“I understand.”
River took the turn that would lead them out of town. The phone rang again. Eva. Lydia pressed the connect button.
“Eli and Maren are close by. They should be able to meet you up there within a few minutes. There’s no tan SUV registered to Gregory, and he’s not answering his phone. I talked to his assistant in his office. She hasn’t seen him in the last day, and he missed a real estate showing. She hinted that his financials are not as good as they used to be. He was heavily leveraged in a real estate venture that went belly up and his divorce cost him big-time.”
“Good work,” said River. “Do you think that is probable cause for us to search his property under suspicion that he’s involved?”
“I’ll talk to Emmett. If you had a clear link between him and either Sheryl or Norm, that might help,” said Eva.
“Okay, thanks.”
Lydia stared down at the phone after ending the call. “I never met Gregory before we saw him at the clubhouse. Sheryl and Norm certainly never mentioned him.”
“I wonder what the connection is. Gregory had a financial need and maybe even some empathy because of his own custody battle. Did Norm like to shoot skeet?”
“I’m not sure he even owns a gun.” Something clicked in her mind. “He is a member of a drone club, though. There was a guy flying a drone that day we were up there. Maybe the club utilizes Gregory’s land.”
“That must be it.” River came to the turnoff that would lead to the dirt road and creek where the two properties connected.
As they rumbled up the dirt road, she took in a breath to try to release the tension that had invaded her muscles.
