“But you were there the whole time, right?” Trent pointed out, looking at him with sympathy.

  “Olivia didn’t know that I purposely left then doubled back and was hiding in the room across the hall, watching and waiting for Garcia to show up.”

  “I’m curious.” Trent studied Hank. “Why did you think Garcia was The Cattleman Killer in the first place?”

  “After we made our list, I’ve been tailing all the trios. Keeping out of sight as I logged their comings and goings. I got lucky when I recently spotted Garcia watching Olivia. I started tailing him as he tailed her.” Anger filled Hank all over again. “At first, I wanted to grab him right then and there and wring his fancy neck, but I couldn’t risk the case going cold again.”

  “That’s true.”

  “I knew I needed to catch him in the act, so I made a plan. I was banking on him to continue to hide out and watch her, waiting for the right moment to strike. So, I knew if I set things up very carefully, I could control the situation. He would strike when and where I wanted him to, and I would be ready to make the arrest.”

  “Makes sense.”

  “It might make sense, but it doesn’t lessen the blow for Olivia one bit. I should have told her about my plan, but I didn’t want to worry her. And if I’m being honest, I couldn’t risk her giving my plan away. For five years, I’ve lived and breathed The Cattleman Killer case. What he did to my sister tore my family apart. My brother is a shell of himself, and my parents have never been the same.”

  “Do you love Olivia?”

  “I do. So damn much.” Hank’s heart squeezed with the realization of just how true that really was. “Should I go to her tonight? Try to talk things out?”

  “That’s your call, brother, but I would give her tonight to cool off. Go see her in the morning.”

  “You’re probably right.” Hank let out a breath, feeling defeated. “Thanks, Trent. You’ve become a good friend. I just pray Olivia will forgive me, and it’s not too late for us. I honestly don’t know what I’ll do if I lose her.”

  Olivia set her cell phone on the counter, ignoring yet another text message from Hank. She wasn’t ready to talk to him and wasn’t sure when or if she would ever be. She poured herself a glass of red wine and walked out back to sit on her patio. She hadn’t been back here since the incident with the branded raccoon in her kitchen.

  Now that the killer was caught, she was through living her life in fear.

  Hank had taught her how to love again. She would always be grateful to him for that, but she couldn’t trust him with her heart anymore. He would most likely go back to Boston. As much as she loved Coldwater Cove and would miss her new friends, she was considering moving on to someplace new to truly start over this time, with no more fear hanging over her head, and no more bad memories.

  It was late, but she wasn’t ready to sleep yet. Waves gently rolled into the shoreline, the sound soothing to her frazzled nerves. She looked up at the sky. No clouds, with stars so bright it took her breath away. She was going to be okay. The bad guys were gone. Her stomach turned over into a knot. So, why did one thought keep nagging at her brain?

  David Garcia didn’t smell right.

  She would never forget that unmistakable pungent cologne the real Cattleman Killer had worn for as long as she lived. Maybe he only wore it during a kill, but another thought bothered her. While David’s voice had been menacing, it wasn’t the same sinister sneer that had chilled her to the bone five years ago and in every nightmare since.

  She was probably just being paranoid. After years of paranoia, it was going to take a while before she didn’t second guess everything. She took another sip of her wine, but then the world stopped around her. She dropped her glass and watched it shatter all over the patio, red wine staining the surface like blood all over again.

  The smell was back!

  Her whole body vibrated with terror, and her scream lodged in her throat.

  “Hello, Lilly,” hissed a voice she would never forget.

  Acid hit her throat. It was him. The real Cattleman Killer.

  She surged to her feet, clutched her necklace, and spun around to face him, but he was ready for her. The last thing she saw before he slipped a burlap sack over her head was a man in a dark raincoat wearing a ski mask.

  He quickly tied her hands and dragged her out front of her cottage. She couldn’t see anything as he threw her in the trunk of a vehicle.

  “You’re going to drag us down with you if you go through with this,” said another man’s muffled voice.

  “You promised you would behave. I don’t understand why you have these urges,” a woman said, her voice hard to hear as well through the trunk.

  Olivia didn’t know where they were taking her. All she knew for certain, was that history was about to repeat itself, and this time she wouldn’t make it out alive if she didn’t do something. She clutched her necklace and closed her eyes as she thought of her parents.

  “Don’t you worry, Mom and Dad. This time I’m ready.”

  Stacy went to work bright and early the next morning. The news station was buzzing with energy. With all the arrests, there were a few stories that needed wrapping up. She was just glad none of them were in danger anymore. She placed a hand over her stomach. The stress was getting to her.

  Trent had told her the night before what had happened between Hank and Olivia. Stacy, more than anyone, could understand how Olivia felt. To put your trust in someone fully, only to have them lie to you, was devastating. She’d tried to reach out to her, but Olivia hadn’t answered. Stacy left a message, telling her she was there for her day or night if she needed her, but she understood if she needed some time alone. She only hoped Olivia could look objectively at the facts later and understand why Hank had felt compelled to keep her in the dark.

  “You’re all set, Mrs. West.” Larry slipped a tool back into his toolbox.

  “You’re a life saver, Larry. We don’t need audio problems when the biggest news stories in years have hit our town.”

  “You shouldn’t have any more problems.” He nodded once. “I’m just glad I can finally take some time off.”

  “Oh yeah? Any fun plans?” She grinned.

  He flushed pink then cleared his throat. “I have a couple friends I’m going to spend a few days with.”

  “That’s great! Where are you going?”

  “A little fishing spot nearby, but don’t worry. I’ll have my phone on if any emergencies happen. You can count on that.”

  “Can I give you a word of advice?”

  “Sure.” He looked at her curiously.

  “Unplug. Enjoy yourself. You work too hard. No one’s as good as you are, but I’m sure we can get by if the need arises. Deal?”

  “Deal.” Larry left, a little lighter in his steps.

  Stacy smiled. He really was such a nice man. She noticed Winston waiting by the door, so she walked over to him. He was saying something out loud, but no one was around. She came to a stop beside him, and he looked up at her startled.

  She smiled. “Talking to yourself?”

  His eyes widened and then he flushed slightly, clearing his voice.

  “Don’t worry, I do it all the time.” She winked. “Which angle to take for a story I’m working on. Debates I’m trying to win against my husband. Solving the world’s problems.” She laughed. “You know, everyday stuff.”

  “Exactly.” He nodded. “Who better to hash things out with than ourselves?”

  “Right?”

  “Hash what out?” Lorelai walked through the door and stood by his side.

  “Whether we should have French or Italian for dinner tonight.” Winston’s smile came slow and sweet as he stared at Lorelai like he’d rather have her for dinner.

  “French, of course, love. With dessert at my place.” Lorelai blew him a kiss.

  “Now there’s a sight I’d never thought I would see.” Stacy raised an eyebrow. “Still sharing notes?”

  “Something like that.” Winston chuckled, undoing the top button of his shirt as if suddenly warm.

  “I’ve been replaced so quickly.” Stacy laughed.

  “We’re having fun, darling, but make no mistake. He’s still very much my competitor.” Lorelai smiled all catlike.

  “I love a challenge.” Winston winked, and then looked at Stacy with sincerity in his eyes and tone. “It’s been a pleasure working with you, Stacy.” He held out his hand and shook hers. “You’re good. Are you sure we can’t steal you for bigger things?”

  “Not a chance. I love Coldwater Cove, but good luck to you both on the anchor positions.”

  They nodded their thanks.

  “Care to share a cab to the airport?” he asked Lorelai.

  “I thought you’d never ask.” She took his arm and the two left.

  Stacy was about to look over her story notes when her cell phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID and smiled tenderly. “Hey, hon. Miss me already?”

  “Always,” Trent said, but the tone of his voice had her smile vanishing.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Hank went to talk to Olivia this morning, but she wasn’t there.”

  “Maybe she left town to clear her head.”

  “That’s what I thought at first, until Hank told me her wine glass was shattered all over the patio… that’s not the worst of it.”

  Stacy swallowed hard, knowing in her gut what he was going to tell her. “What else could possibly be worse?”

  “There was a piece of burlap on the ground.”

  Fear clogged Stacy’s throat and it took her a minute to speak. “Oh, God,” her voice hitched, “he’s got her again, Trent!”

  “I know, hon, but don’t panic. I’m on my way to meet Hank at the community center to organize a search party.”

  “I’ll be there in a minute.”

  “Maybe you shouldn’t—”

  “It’s my job, Trent.”

  “I know, I know. But I don’t have to like it.”

  She was beginning to understand how Laura felt and the struggle she would be faced with once the baby came along, but she couldn’t worry about that now. “There’s one more thing to consider.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Olivia doesn’t drink during the day. He had to have taken her last night. That’s a big head start. What if we’re too late, Trent?”

  “We can’t think like that. Stay positive, but you’re right. We’d better get going. The first forty-eight hours are crucial.”

  Hank stood beside Trent in the community center, still in shock. “I should have listened to my gut and gone to talk to Olivia last night.”

  “If you had gone to see her, the killer wouldn’t have struck,” Trent said. “He would have watched and waited for another moment to make his move.”

  “I shouldn’t have let her leave me.” Hank forced back the emotion threatening to suffocate him.

  “You couldn’t force her to stay. The important thing is, you’re here now. Stay strong. She needs you now more than ever. We’re going to get this guy. He’s arrogant. He’s not going to run. He’s going to choose a place in the woods right here, so he can rub it in our face how good he is. Only a coward runs, and he’s not that.”

  Hank inhaled a deep breath and focused. “You’re right. Let’s think about what we know. He likes to put his victims in an abandoned shack, but he’s smart. He won’t use the same place twice, so the location he killed Ali in is a waste of time to search.”

  “Agreed, but I don’t want to take any chances. I have Larry checking out that location just to be sure.”

  “Larry?” Stacy asked, joining her husband. “I just saw him at the news station. He told me he was going away for a couple of days with friends.”

  “He was, but he heard the news over his police scanner.”

  Hank raised a brow.

  Trent shrugged as he continued. “It’s a hobby of his. Anyway, he came back to help. I had already designated other areas to be searched, so I figured it couldn’t hurt to make sure the killer’s not at that location.”

  “Is everyone else set on where they’re going?” Hank hovered over a map spread out on a table in the middle of the community center.

  Most of the town was there, which showed just how much everyone loved Olivia. If… no, when… they got out of this, he was going to lay it all on the line and tell her how much he loved her and that he would spend the rest of his life making things up to her. He planned to cherish her forever, if only she would give him the chance.

  “Remy, Jack, and Zoe head up the coast and enter the woods where you found the art,” Trent said, looking at the three of them for clarification.

  They all nodded.

  “Tia, Calvin, and Dijon, you can check out all the cabins you have on your books that are located in the woods.”

  They all nodded.

  “The rest of you divide up into groups between the town council members, sugar shack farmers, and hunters. They know where all the shacks and cabins that aren’t listed on the books are located.”

  Everyone started pairing off into groups with people they knew.

  “What about me?” Nolan asked.

  “Larry hasn’t left yet. Why don’t you partner up with him in case he needs backup,” Trent said.

  “I don’t know much about backing anyone up, but I’m happy to help in any way.” Nolan headed off to find Larry.

  “Winston, what on earth are you doing?” Stacy said, as he and Lorelai came to a stop beside her.

  “We couldn’t let you have all the fun, now, could we?” Winston said.

  “We got wind of what was going on from one of my sources before we even reached the airport,” Lorelai added. “How can we help?”

  “You can tag along with Trent, Hank, and me.”

  “I appreciate that, Stacy,” Winston said. “If you ever need a recommendation for anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

  She nodded. “Thanks.”

  “Okay, everyone, daylight is wasting.” Hank picked up his supplies. “If you see or hear anything, shoot off your flare. Stay alert and be ready, people. This is no amateur we’re dealing with.”

  19

  Olivia sat in the corner of an abandoned shack, cold and alone. Her leggings and t-shirt were ripped but still very much on, thank God. The Cattleman Killer seemed different this time. More frazzled. Rusty. Or maybe it was because she was older and wiser this time around. More relaxed from the wine. More determined from her frustration with Hank. Whatever the reason, she felt bold and unafraid.

  The killer didn’t like that she wasn’t falling to pieces like before.

  As soon as he’d thrown her into the cabin, he’d tied her hands to a hook on the wall and yanked the burlap sack off her head. He still wore his ski mask as he reached for her shirt, but then his phone rang. He cursed and seemed agitated as he stepped outside. He still refused to let her see his accomplices. She heard the three of them argue through the cabin wall, saying something about laying a few traps, and then there was silence for the rest of the night.

  That had given Olivia time to form a plan.

  Coldwater Cove was smaller than Miami, and she had more people in her corner here, making her odds of survival better. She had to trust her gut that Hank would keep trying to call her. At the latest, he would wait until morning to go see her. When he saw her phone and the broken glass, he would know someone had taken her.

  She just had to stay alive until then and come up with a trap of her own.

  Hank studied the map he’d brought with him, marking off each spot that had been cleared. They’d been searching all morning, and he was trying not to get discouraged with each passing hour of dead ends. Each group kept radioing in with locations to be marked off. They’d started wide and were narrowing their search inland.

  “Sheriff West here,” Trent answered his cell phone.

  They all stopped walking and looked at him, waiting for more news.

  “Roger that.” Trent hung up. “That makes three people injured in boobytraps so far. None of them life threatening.”

  “Thank goodness for that,” Stacy said.

  “Whoever this is obviously has knowledge of the woods and survival skills,” Winston said.

  “That could be just about anyone around these parts,” Lorelai added, lifting her hand to shield her eyes and search the area.

  “That’s true,” Hank said. “I’ve looked into all of the residents of The Cove and many of the visiting tourists over the course of the investigation. So many of them are hunters, former Eagle Scouts, ex-military.”

  “Which makes our job that much harder,” Trent said, when his cell phone rang again. “West here.” Trent listened, his face frowning. “Copy that. I’ll let the groups know to be on the lookout.” Trent hung up and sent several group messages before speaking.

  “What happened now?” Stacy asked.

  “Nolan got separated from Larry.” Trent looked at Hank. “A bear surprised them, and Larry said Nolan whipped out a gun and took him down with a single shot.”

  “I didn’t know Nolan owned a gun,” Stacy said.

  Hank narrowed his eyes. “So much for not liking guns and not being very good at backing anyone up?”

  “Exactly.” Trent nodded. “Something tells me he’s not lost. The question is, where’s he headed?”

  “Only one way to find out,” Winston said. “We keep moving.”

  “Winston, look out!” Lorelai yelled.

  Too late.

  Winston’s eyes sprang wide in shock, and he yelped in pain as the net he’d stepped into snagged around his ankle and yanked him upside down. He cursed as he swung back and forth, looking embarrassed in front of Lorelai.

  “Hang in there, Winston,” Stacy said. “Trent and Hank are working on cutting you down.”

  “I’ve got you.” Trent steadied Winston.

  Hank used a knife to cut the rope that would release him. “Are you hurt?” he asked the reporter as he tumbled to the ground with Trent helping to break his fall.

 

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