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A killer of an evening. Yeah, the invitation had come through as promised. The strain lingered in his teammates’ eyes as they gathered in their conference room late that night. Or should he say early the next morning. Once the inn’s dining area, the oversized space had a huge commercial kitchen with stainless steel everything connected through a set of swinging doors at the end of the room.

After Nolan had gone to the sheriff’s office to get a reasonably good digital sketch made of Smythe, Mina agreed to let his team, with the help of her detective, take on Becca’s disappearance. He didn’t want to wait to gather the team, so he had a patrol deputy drive him to the mansion to pick up his SUV while she’d updated her sergeant and detective.

Nolan had brewed a large urn of coffee and dug a chunk of cake from their grand opening out of the freezer. He sliced the nearly frozen cake and handed the small plates down the table.

Memories of the day came back. Not a big celebration, it was more of an event for the team to mark the day. But the mayor had insisted on providing a cake from Stella’s Bakery downtown, along with a big bowl of punch. He had come to cut the ribbon at their front door. Becca had accompanied him, and that’s where Jude had met her, putting him in his precarious place as a murder suspect.

Grinning, Jude held out his hand. “Give me the biggest piece you’ve got. If I’m a condemned man, I might as well get some cake in before I’m incarcerated.”

Reece swatted at him. “I don’t know how you can laugh at a time like this.”

She might have commented on his misplaced sense of humor when someone had lost their life, but no one else thought anything of it. He simply employed a coping mechanism that law enforcement officers often used to get through difficult situations, and Nolan suspected that she’d used it a time or two in her career as well.

After handing out the last piece, Nolan sat at the small table they’d shoved together with several of the old dining room tables to form one large conference table and shoved a fork into the cake. The utensil came away with a bite of vanilla cake, raspberry filling, and creamy white frosting. He let the sweet goodness melt in his mouth. “I thought this might’ve tasted old by now, but it’s almost as good as the day it was baked.”

“You might be exaggerating just a teeny bit.” Reece laughed.

Nolan laughed with her, but it was short-lived as the point of their meeting wouldn’t let go of his brain. “Before I start, I told Mina I would ask if anyone kept their envelope from the invitation. Anyone have one?”

“Mine should still be in my trash,” Gabe said. “Haven’t emptied the can in my office area for a while.”

Hayden snorted.

“What?” Gabe mocked an innocent pose. “Many more exciting things to do along the coast than waste time with trash.”

He spoke the truth, but if they only did things they liked, they wouldn’t be able to successfully run the business.

But trash wasn’t something Nolan wanted to waste time discussing. “If you can retrieve the envelope when we get done here, that would be great. Keep the fingerprints to a minimum.”

“No problem, but after fishing it out of the trashcan, I don’t know what else might be on it.” He laughed.

Nolan shook his head and looked around the team. “Thanks for dropping everything to meet.”

Abby frowned. “With Becca missing, it’s the least we can do, boss.”

Nolan might’ve founded Lost Lake Locators, and the team had voted for him to be the leader, but he wasn’t the boss, and being called that reminded him of his father, a memory he’d rather not have. Besides, each member of the team had an equal financial partnership and equal say in everything.

He ran his gaze around the table. “What’s it going to take to get you to let go of the boss thing?”

“Well, you are kind of bossy.” Reece laughed.

“That could be said of everyone at this table.” Nolan took another bite of cake.

“Someone’s gotta take charge,” Jude said. “And we tasked you with the job, so that’s how we think of you.”

“Sorry if you don’t like it.” Hayden stabbed up a bite of cake but held the fork midair. “But you also own this property, so it’s only fitting that you’re the boss.”

Nolan ran his gaze over the group again. “But you all have the freedom to remodel and decorate your suites as you see fit. If I was really bossy, I would tell you what to do there too.”

“Nah,” Abby said. “You know better than that. You’d have a mutiny if you did.”

They all joined her in a good-natured laugh, but the subject wasn’t over as far as Nolan was concerned. He didn’t want to tell them about the connection between the word and his dad, but maybe that’s what it would take.

A loud knock sounded on the outside door and rang down the hallway.

“That’ll be Mina and her detective.” Nolan left the room and wound down the long hallway that led to the front door. The old mahogany door had a beautiful finish on the inside, but when he opened it, he saw the work they would have to do to restore the weatherworn exterior—one of a hundred, maybe thousands of tasks to be done to bring this property back to its original glory.

Another topic for another day.

He turned his attention to the detective and gave her a thorough once-over. She stood at five-eight or so but didn’t wear any makeup and had her hair severely pulled back, leaving a few strands dangling on each side. Severe look or not, she was an attractive woman. She wore a nondescript brown suit and collared blouse. It was as if she was trying not to be noticed as a woman. Maybe she needed to be taken seriously in what was still a man’s world in a lot of ways.

“Nolan Orr,” Mina said. “Meet Detective Elaina Lyons.”

She shoved out a hand.

“Detective.” Nolan took her firm grip for a moment, then stepped back. “Follow me to the conference room. The team is waiting.”

The door rubbed against the frame as it latched, but he didn’t bother to see if the women were following him. In the conference room, he paused at the head of the table.

“This is Detective Elaina Lyons,” Nolan said and stopped there, purposely not sharing the team members’ names to save time.

“Elaina is my great grandmother, so please call me El,” Elaina said as an unpleasant look crossed her face before she gave a tight smile he was sure she offered to suspects before interviewing them.

“Go ahead and have a seat,” Nolan said. “Instead of long intros, everyone can identify themselves when they speak. We’re having coffee with leftover cake from our grand opening. Fair warning before you grab a slice. It’s been in the freezer for over a year.”

“No worries for me.” El reached for a plate with the biggest slice of cake. “Sugar in any form goes well with coffee, and I need something after a long shift that doesn’t look like it’s going to end anytime soon.”

“No sugar for me, but the coffee is much appreciated.” Mina poured a cup.

It steamed from one of the old mugs stamped with a Portside Inn logo Nolan had inherited when he’d bought the place. She sat in a chair near the head of the table. El took a seat between Gabe and Hayden. Gabe cleared his throat and ran his finger around the neckband of his T-shirt. One of his tells for showing his discomfort.

Was there something about El he didn’t like? Or was it just the opposite? He liked what he saw too much to be comfortable sitting so close to her. Only time would tell, but Nolan would keep an eye on it.

He remained standing at the head of the table and grabbed a blue dry-erase marker. “We might all be getting our sugar high, but we have serious business ahead of us. I think we can agree that it’s looking like Becca isn’t simply a woman who doesn’t want to be found, but this is a case of foul play, and we need to locate her ASAP.”

He received nods and murmurs of agreement from the group.

“However,” Mina said. “She could just be away from home, and we have to keep that on the table until we rule it out.”

“Agreed,” Nolan said. “With that in mind, let’s start by listing our tasks on the whiteboard. You can weigh in on your preferred job as we go along or choose one at the end.”

“We start where we always start,” Hayden said. “We do a deep dive on Becca and the mayor too. Like you said, she could just be gone, but it’s more likely the mayor’s murder is linked to her disappearance. We include finances and see if she has used a credit or debit card after the mayor was killed.”

“This would be Hayden Kraus who didn’t identify himself,” Nolan said for El as he jotted the note on the board.

“Oh, right, yeah. Like he said.” Hayden laughed. “Former Customs and Border Protection, and I handle most IT related items for the team. All we’ll need are Becca’s date of birth and social security number, and we’re on our way.”

“I’ll go ahead and put your name down as we all know that’s what you would’ve volunteered for, and in fact, what we want you to volunteer for.” Nolan grinned at his teammate and added his name next to the item. “Since we didn’t locate either Becca’s or the mayor’s phones, we’ll also want cell phone records from the providers.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Hayden said.

“Let’s make this a top priority,” Mina said. “And if you need a warrant for these, I’m sure we have enough probable cause to get one. At least for the mayor. So check in with Detective Lyons for that.”

Hayden nodded.

Gabe shifted away from El. “Gabe Irving. Former state trooper. You got a theory and need a hole shot in it, I’m your guy.”

“I remember that about you,” Mina said.

“We need to contact her employer,” Gabe said. “Her friends, family, and acquaintances too. See if she’s visiting any of them or find out when they saw her last or if they know anything about the murder.”

“Or if they know of a reason why anyone would want to hurt her.” El dropped her fork on the plate. “We should especially be aware that the majority of women who go missing and are found murdered are killed by someone they know or are having a romantic relationship with.”

“If she’s typical of someone her age,” Hayden said. “she’ll have social media accounts. I can review those and make a list of people we should contact.”

“Also,” El said. “If she’s simply out of town and unaware of what’s going on, her socials could give us an instant take on what she’s doing right now.”

“I’ll make the friends list,” Hayden said. “But it would be best if someone else reviewed her posts so I can concentrate on the deep dives.”

“You’re the resident charmer, Jude,” Reece said. “You should follow up on the list in person or on a phone call. You might as well check the posts too.”

“That would be my dear friend Reece Waters calling me out.” Jude laughed. “She was with ATF. I’m Jude French, once an FBI agent. You already heard that I can be charming, but you should know Reece is our go-to weapons expert, so you don’t want to make her mad.”

Reece punched him in the arm. “Trust me. He’s far more dangerous than I am. He’ll charm you into something before you know what hit you or make a joke of it.”

He beamed a smile at Reece. “And yet you love me.”

“I do, but I’m not proud of it and will deny it outside of this room.” She laughed.

Nolan was about to apologize for his team’s banter at such a serious time, but the group, including Mina and El, laughed too.

When the laughter died down, Reece cleared her throat. “Becca could be on a business trip. Who does she work for?”

“The county as a social worker,” Mina said. “So it’s not likely she’s out of town unless it’s for training.”

“I’d be glad to see what her supervisor knows,” Reece offered.

Nolan recorded that on the board.

“Something no one has mentioned,” Gabe said. “What if she saw her father gunned down, and she took off, fearing for her own life? Went into hiding somewhere.”

“Good point,” Nolan said. “Hayden, search for any connected properties where she might’ve gone into hiding.”

“The mayor doesn’t own any other property,” Mina said. “Or if he does, he’s never mentioned it, and I’ve never heard anyone else talk about it.”

“Still, look into it, Hayden,” Nolan said. “And then look for secluded properties belonging to any friends or family that she might’ve gone to in the past or when she was a kid. Somewhere she might feel safe.”

“There’ll be friends, maybe family, who won’t be on social media who might know her whereabouts,” Mina said. “I think the best person to make a list like that would be the mayor’s assistant, Daisy. I’ll ask her to give us the same list for Mayor Sutton.”

“We have, of course, put out an alert for her and her vehicle,” El said. “And I’ve already checked with hospitals. No one fitting her description.”

“How likely do we really think it is that she’s just away?” Hayden asked.

“Her car is gone, but her suitcases are in her closet,” Nolan answered, thinking back to his search of her bedroom. “But she could just be gone for the night and took a tote bag or backpack. And if abducted, her captor could’ve taken her car.”

“So fifty-fifty odds, you think?” Hayden asked.

“I’m more leaning toward abduction,” Mina said and shared the 911 call. “The call came in the window of the mayor’s time of death. The female caller said, ‘He’s gone crazy. Has a gun,’ which could easily apply here.”

Hayden scowled. “If it was from her that does change things.”

“But we can’t prove it, so it’s just speculation again,” Gabe said.

“So back to the hospitals.” Abby leaned forward. “Abby Day, former sheriff. Did your hospital check include the morgue?”

El nodded, but looked a bit put out over the suggestion that she wouldn’t have been thorough.

“We should also canvass the neighborhood,” Mina said. “Not that Becca lives in much of a neighborhood—her property is very secluded—but perhaps someone on the roads nearby caught the killer on their security camera. And we need to do a detailed daylight search of the area too.”

Nolan added that item to the board.

“I can handle that,” Gabe said. “I did my fair share of door-knocking and bush-beating in the past.”

“I was going to volunteer Detective Lyons for that,” Mina said. “She knows the residents and area. Plus, she’s an official member of our team.”

“What if they pair up?” Nolan asked. “We could get a better read on the neighbors’ truthfulness with two people observing their responses.”

Mina nodded and offered a tight smile. “Sounds like a good compromise.”

“I’ll put down both names.” Before recording the action item, Nolan kept his gaze on Gabe. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

El sat straighter. “When it gets light out, I’ll head up a search party. Then we can knock on doors.”

Gabe’s sharp nod and lack of comment was more telling than anything. He rarely held back like this.

“I’m not sure if now is the time to mention this,” El continued, “but I’ll be heading up this investigation. All reports and information will come to me, and I’ll keep Sheriff Park in the loop.”

She looked around the table as if waiting for someone to argue, but no one did. Surprising, as far as Nolan was concerned. His team was rarely silent when someone tried to take control of what they believed to be their investigation. But they’d already been notified that Veritas would be reporting all of their findings to Mina’s office, so it probably came as no surprise that Mina and El would control the rest of the information too.

“Thank you for understanding.” Mina glanced around the table. “Nolan and I’ll be interviewing Daisy later in the morning. We’ll ask her to make that friends list, and we’ll also question her regarding Becca’s disappearance and the mayor’s murder.”

“I’m assuming two investigations will overwhelm your records clerk,” Abby said. “With my background, I know exactly what you need in your files for a successful prosecution. I could handle the recordkeeping for you, if you want.”

Mina nodded. “I’ll be glad of that, but all documents will come through my office first, then we’ll pass them along to you.” She stood and looked around the room, pausing to let her gaze linger on each team member. “I want to be sure that point is understood and complied with. We’re very thankful for your team’s expertise and help, but you’re civilians and this is a law enforcement matter. I hope you’re all on board with working within these parameters.”

Gabe grinned. “Promise me a Frenzy Burger at Submarine Burgers, and I’ll make sure to keep these goofballs in line.”

“I guess it’s true then.” Jude eyed his teammate. “You’ll do anything for a burger.”

“You gotta admit a great burger alone is worth so much.” Gabe’s grin widened. “But eating one in an old submarine? Wouldn’t that be the highlight of everyone’s day?”

“Not that I think your team will need anyone to spy on them,” Mina said. “But El loves burgers, too, and I’m sure she’d be glad to take you there if necessary.”

Normally Gabe would’ve laughed. Maybe even give Mina a high five, but his jaw tightened. Had he finally met the woman who might challenge his single-for-life philosophy? Or was Nolan just reading something into it so he could keep his focus off his own relationship—or lack of one—with Mina?

Problem was, later that morning he would be alone with her, except when interviewing people, and Gabe wouldn’t be around to distract them. Nolan would just have to ensure every moment together was packed with interviews. If not, he might find himself with the same uncomfortable expression plaguing Gabe.