Was Riley a suspect or a liberated victim of a kidnapping? Maybe she was both. Maybe this was unethical. A conflict of interest. But I already had a lot of that with this case. What's a little more?
We were so compromised on this investigation already that none of it would stick unless the co-conspirators gave a full confession.
After Riley and I had accomplished our mission objectives, we sudsed up and got clean for real. We dried off, and as promised, I found a T-shirt and boxers for her. I got dressed, and we made our way down to the salon to pour those drinks.
"Have a nice time in the shower?" JD asked, still standing, guarding the salon.
I smiled. "It was refreshing."
"Indeed," Riley said.
Jack headed toward his stateroom to get cleaned up.
I slid behind the bar, poured myself a glass of whiskey, and asked Riley, "What’s your poison?"
"Vodka cranberry, if you got it?"
With a smile, I said, "Coming right up!"
We sat at the bar and sipped our beverages. Riley recounted the ordeal. Though I’m sure it was something she was ready to forget.
Jack joined us about 15 minutes later.
Shane took a long time. Too long.
I gave the others a worried look, then went to check on him.
44
Shane was gone.
The stateroom and en suite were empty.
I searched all of the below-deck staterooms, then hustled back up to the main salon and told the others.
"Gone?" JD said with a raised brow.
"I thought you were watching him."
"I was. He didn't get out this way."
There were plenty of ways off the boat.
Shane could have gone out through the engine room, taken another companionway to the main deck, and hopped over the side of the boat. But Jack would have heard a splash. Maybe JD was preoccupied, and Shane snuck past him on a side deck and made it off the boat. The guy was a trained professional. Capable and dangerous, even after all these years.
I glared at Jack.
He raised his hands innocently. "Don't look at me. I did my job."
My accusing eyes found Riley. I wondered if our tryst in the shower was just a diversion.
"Don't blame me. Shane said nothing to me about escaping. I didn't talk to him. We're not on speaking terms at the moment."
I called Shane's burner phone, but he didn't answer.
I sent a text to Isabella and asked her to track Shane's phone. But at this hour, she was probably asleep. That was something I don't think she did much of. Not in her line of work.
"What do you want to do about him?" JD asked.
