Page 73 of Chain Reaction

Jake paced toward them and leaned forward for a better look.

“Thomas Logan isdefinitelyconnected,” Raven murmured as she peered at the items.

“Yes, he is.”

It appeared Thomas had been studying something. He’d printed bomb schematics. There were photos of historical ordnances. A notebook where the word Sigma was scribbled.

Jake pointed at the word and looked at Cassidy. “This mean anything to you?”

She shook her head. “Unfortunately, no. But I plan on looking into it.”

“Smart idea.”

“You should also know we found his phone,” Cassidy said. “We’re trying to unlock it now.”

Raven’s eyes brightened. “That could prove to be a fountain of information.”

“That’s what we’re hoping,” Cassidy said.

Raven pulled out her own phone and began to carefully take photos of the items so they could study them more later.

Jake frowned as he glanced at the man’s things one more time.

Just who was this guy, and what had he been up to?

CHAPTER 35

By the time everything wrapped up at Thomas’s house, it was past lunchtime.

The last thing Raven wanted to do was to take the time to eat. But her stomach was grumbling.

She and Jake stopped by The Crazy Chefette and found a table. The place had a cheerful yellow exterior with pink shutters. The sign above the front featured a cartoonish image of a woman in a lab coat with a beaker in one hand and spatula in the other, and the lettering underneath read “Mad food created by a crazy lady.”

The interior had an old-time diner feel, and sixties music played—“Turn! Turn! Turn!” by The Byrds right now.

But it was the smell that got to her the most. French fries, grilled meats, freshly baked bread.

Her stomach rumbled again.

Raven knew exactly what to order: a grilled cheese with peaches. Jake had been right—she was now addicted. When she eventually left this island, she was going to crave this sandwich.

Once the waitress had taken their orders, Raven turned to Jake, a moment of awkwardness shifting between them.

It wasn’t because they were uncomfortable per se. But tension had been building between them, and they both knew it.

They wouldn’t be able to avoid talking forever.

Jake finally cleared his throat. “Any leads as far as Sigma?”

She shook her head as she swirled her straw in her water. “No, nothing solid. None of my contacts have heard of them.”

“Mine either.”

“So where does this leave us?”

He let out a long breath. “We’ll keep looking. We’ll find some answers. I know we will.”

She appreciated the confidence in his voice. She prayed he was correct—and she prayed those answers came quickly.