Page 102 of Capturing You

He googled it and got nothing helpful. Then he googled the second part. “CAHAL could be a name. It’s a character in some show.” He blew out a breath and addedboatto the search, which sent him to boat sales websites.

Brooklynn was looking over his shoulder. “Maybe shipping or maritime?”

He typed CAHAL SHIPPING.

“Bingo. CAHAL is the maritime code for the port in Halifax, Nova Scotia.”

“That’s gotta be it. And SC is Shadow Cove. So whatever…this referred to was smuggled from Halifax to here.”

Didn’t exactly narrow it down, but it was more than he had known ten minutes before.

He studied the next line. Similar gobbledygook, though it seemed all of the shipments came from Halifax. Maybe G Bazz was the sender? But what kind of name was Bazz?

Frustrated, he pushed the papers away. “Obviously, this made sense to Charles.”

“Maybe…” Brooklynn yawned. “Sorry. Maybe if we put everything together, a pattern will emerge.”

Forbes checked his watch. It was past dinnertime. They’d been holed up in here for hours. “We need to rest.”

She nodded, but the smile he’d expected didn’t come. “There is one more thing.” She tapped one of the doodled seagulls. “I think I recognize it.”

His fatigue vanished as adrenaline flooded his veins. “What do you mean? What are you saying? From where?”

“I don’t know. But I’m sure I’ve seen it before. It’s a logo for something. I just… I’ve been racking my brain, and I can’t remember.”

He typedWhat company uses a seagull logointo his search engine and was rewarded with a clothing company.

He studied the logo. It was a seagull, but it was completely different from the one Dad had doodled.

Could they be smuggling clothes? From Google, he learned that people had been caught smuggling fake designer-brand clothes and purses.

He’d much prefer to think of his father smuggling clothes than drugs, but how could a three-foot cube of dresses and leather goods weigh hundreds of pounds?

Or be worth tens of millions?

Much as he’d like to believe it, he seriously doubted that theory. Besides, the clothing company with the seagull logo didn’t sell designer products.

This was so frustrating.

Couldn’t Dad have just written a note?If I turn up dead, I was killed by these people, and this is why.

Would that have been so hard?

Brooklynn covered a yawn. “I’ll figure it out. I just need to rest and think.”

Answers rarely came during the information-gathering process. Usually, they came later, when he allowed himself to stop asking himself questions and let his brain work things out in the background.

“The information needs to simmer,” he said.

“To slow roast, so to speak. Also, I’m hungry.” She grinned and pushed to her feet. “I’ll go start dinner.”

She’d already done so much for him, he wasn’t about to let her cook. He didn’t know how to thank her. He didn’t know how to express his gratitude. All those words seemed to cling to his tongue, unwilling to be released.

All he managed was, “You like pizza?”

CHAPTERNINETEEN

Brooklynn carried plates, silverware, and napkins to the family room, where Ford was crouched in front of the fireplace, lighting a flame.