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Mina’s phone rang, startling her awake. She glanced at the retro orange clock beside her bed. Four a.m. She grabbed her phone and sat up. She didn’t recognize the number on the screen, but assumed it was related to either Becca’s or the mayor’s investigation.

She accepted the call. “Sheriff Park.”

“Mina, it’s Dylan.”

Dylan? She blinked to clear her head from sleep fog. “I assume since you’re calling at this time of night you have something for me.”

“Man, do I ever. Becca’s phone just pinged from a tower near Lost Lake.”

The excitement in his tone raised Mina’s excitement too. “Does that mean we can find her?”

“I can’t guarantee that, but you should be able to find her phone. I have the exact coordinates of its location.”

She stood and started to pace. “The phone company can be that precise?”

“No. But once it pinged on one of their towers, I opened the image I made of her computer. She had Find My iPhone turned on, and shazam! There it was. The address blinking up at me.”

“Excellent,” Mina said. “Any information on the property?”

“Google didn’t map the location, but I found satellite images.” His serious tone had returned. “They’re grainy, but it looks like a small log cabin. Owner is a Knox Anderson.”

Knox Anderson. Mina searched her sleepy brain to see if his name had appeared in their investigations. She especially thought through the names Hayden had provided tonight, those who turned out to be legit customers of the tuxedo shop. “Not a name I recognize.”

“The mailing address on property records is for Portland. I did a quick search for him, and he’s a big-time property developer. No connections to Becca or the mayor turned up, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any.”

“Property developer, huh? Not the kind of guy you’d expect to kill our mayor and abduct his daughter.”

“No. But if this is a recreational or hunting cabin, the killer could be hiding out there.”

“Do a deep dive on him just to be sure there’s no link to the mayor or Becca.”

“You got it.”

Adrenaline raced through her body. “I need the coordinates. I don’t want to get them wrong, so text them to me.”

“I’ll do it right now.”

“Send me Anderson’s address in Portland as well,” she said. “Not like this isn’t enough, but have you located any other information?”

“Why, yes. IT’s golden boy comes through again.” He laughed. “First is the mayor’s will. He scanned the official one to his computer. Everything goes to Becca except for the boat called Off the Hook. That goes to a Wade Collins. But he also had a draft in his email of one he was working on with his attorney. In that one, everything including the boat goes to Becca.”

“So he was cutting Wade out,” she said. “If he knew about the changes, he’d have a solid motive for murder.”

“Yeah, I mean if this boat is worth something.”

“A couple hundred thousand.”

Dylan let out a low whistle. “Losing that would be significant enough to end someone’s life.”

“And the second thing you found?”

“His insurance policy. He had a two hundred fifty thousand dollar policy. He’s had it for years, but he changed it after his wife died to remove her as primary beneficiary. Becca receives everything.”

“I guess this could be reason for murder, but nothing has changed recently, right? She doesn’t appear to be in need of money, so why would she kill him now? I just don’t see that happening.”

“If she’s with her phone, you can ask her that question.”

“Send those coordinates. Keep me updated on anything else you locate. And, thanks.” She ended the call and instead of waiting for his text, she phoned El.

Her detective answered on the fourth ring, her voice sleepy.

Mina explained the reason for her call. “Activate the SWAT team. We’ll meet in the courthouse parking lot here in Lost Lake.”

“Roger that,” El said without question. “See you soon.”

When Mina had assumed the sheriff’s role, she’d organized a SWAT team, and they’d been training ever since. The team was comprised of five members including herself, El, and Abe, plus Deputies Banfield and Ewing. She hoped they would never need an emergency response team, but wanted to be prepared in the event of a school or mass shooting incident.

She tapped Nolan’s icon on her phone. When he answered, she explained the situation. “We’re meeting in the courthouse parking lot as soon as everyone can get here. You’re welcome to come along, but you’ll have to leave any breach to SWAT.”

“Understood,” he said without argument. “I’m on my way.”

Mina had worked SWAT in Portland and knew what they might be up against when they arrived at the property. She would like to involve Nolan, but he hadn’t trained with the team and could be a liability.

Dressed in a clean uniform, she brushed her teeth and washed her face, then raced toward the door. She lived only a short distance from the courthouse and was the first to arrive. She opened her trunk, put on her Kevlar vest from her go bag, and retrieved her rifle.

She sat behind the wheel and called dispatch as she waited for others to arrive. “Run warrants and record on Knox Anderson.” She provided his Portland address.

“Roger that,” the dispatcher said, and the radio fell silent.

Mina tapped her thumb against the wheel as she waited. Her adrenaline kept pumping, and she could hardly sit still, but it would be good to know if the property owner had any priors or warrants.

“Nothing outstanding or any priors,” the dispatcher said. “Not even a traffic ticket.”

“Ten-four,” Mina said and stowed her radio.

A pair of headlights swung into the lot, and she got out of the car to wait. Nolan. Good. She was glad he arrived first so she could reemphasize his laid-back role on the op.

His vehicle lurched to a stop next to hers, and he was out of it in a flash. He wore his usual polo shirt and cargo pants, but had also added tactical boots and vest. He looked darkly dangerous as he hustled over to her, and their upcoming mission hit her full force.

A woman might be waiting and depending on Mina for the ultimate rescue. One mistake was all it would take to end her life.

Mina crouched in the woods and surveyed the log cabin with her binoculars. A faint light shone from the back of the house through a big picture window, but she spotted no movement inside. Still, she wouldn’t move ahead. El was at her patrol vehicle, running the plates on a black Jeep Wrangler parked out front of the log structure. They’d had to leave their vehicles a good distance away so the engine noise wouldn’t travel in these woods and alert their suspect.

Nolan, along with the rest of the SWAT team, were hunkered down with Mina waiting for El’s return.

“I really don’t see this Anderson guy being someone who would abduct Becca or kill the mayor,” Nolan said. “Did Dylan find any connection between them?”

“Nothing yet,” Mina said. “But he wasn’t certain there weren’t any.”

“The guy would really have to go off the rails to do something like this,” Abe said.

Mina lowered her binoculars. “Seems unlikely, but then, when I worked in Portland, I interviewed suspects you’d never expect to commit murder doing so.”

A sound came from behind, and they all swiveled to see El slipping between trees. She dropped next to Mina. “Jeep is registered to Knox Anderson.”

“Okay, so that says we have what appears to be an upstanding citizen at his cabin containing Becca’s phone.”

“It seems as if they’re sleeping.” El shifted in the long grass. “I suggest if we can find an unlocked door, we enter silently rather than breaking down the door and forcing a hostage situation.”

“I agree,” Mina said. “One of us should go ahead and look for that open door.”

“I’ll go,” Abe volunteered.

Abe would be Mina’s last choice to send in as a scout. If any of them were trigger-happy, it would be Abe, and she could easily see him breaking protocol and causing the very situation they wanted to avoid.

“As lead on this investigation,” El said. “I’d like to be the one to go.”

“Then move,” Mina said. “Check for the door. Do not enter. Return with a report.”

El started to rise.

“Make sure your radio is off,” Mina said.

“It’s off, but I’ll check it anyway.” El fumbled with her radio and then scooted through the scrub to the clearing.

The detective stealthily advanced toward the cabin, darting behind tall evergreen trees, the pale moonlight highlighting her body just enough for Mina to see movement. She crept up the four steps to the front porch and rose to look into the big window. She edged to the door, checked the knob, then took the same path down to circle behind the building.

As Mina waited for El to reappear, she counted, forcing herself to remember to breathe. She’d reached fifty when El’s body materialized on the side of the cabin.

She traced her steps back to them and settled next to Mina. “Front door is locked. Back door is unlocked. Front area is a kitchen-living room combo. Light is coming from the hallway that leads to the back entrance. Three doors in the hallway. One is closed. Likely bedrooms and bathroom. No sign of a security system or any kind of booby trap.”

Mina quickly made a plan. “El and I’ll go in. Clear the open areas and leave the closed door for last, at which time we’ll announce ourselves and force our way inside it. Abe and Banfield, you have the front door. Ewing the back. Don’t enter unless things go south.”

“And me?” Nolan asked.

“Stay here until I call you.”

His shoulders slumped, but he nodded. “I’ll pray for a safe resolution.”

“That’s always appreciated.” Mina stood, but left her rifle with Nolan. “Let’s move.”

She didn’t bother taking El’s circuitous route, but raised her sidearm and made a straight line toward the building. She paused at the front to let Banfield and Abe climb the steps to the porch. She checked the picture window to make sure there was still zero movement inside. Good. Nothing. She signaled for El and Ewing to follow her around back.

A gravel path led alongside the building that seemed to be in nearly new condition, but she chose the grass for silence. At the back, she climbed the three steps to a small porch to open the door. Thankfully, it didn’t make a sound.

She glanced back at El and then stepped inside to flick on her flashlight and hold it out with her weapon. She tiptoed down the hallway, pausing to search a bedroom and bathroom.

Empty.

She passed the closed door and held her breath lest she make any noise.

In the family room, she swung her gun and light to the left, then the right, running it over the small kitchen and living area with a large stone fireplace, finding no one. She turned to El and shook her head.

“We go in,” Mina whispered.

El spun and took long strides down the hallway. Mina followed and grabbed the doorknob.

“Police!” She pushed inside, and her light landed on a man asleep in the bed. He shot up.

“Police. Show me your hands.”

“Hands!” El shouted. “Hands, now!”

He raised his hands and bent his head against their lights. “What’s this about?”

“Becca,” Mina said. “Where is she?”

“Becca who? I don’t know any Becca.”

“What’s your name?” Mina asked.

“Knox Anderson.”

Mina kept her gaze locked on him. “You own this place?”

“I do. Is that a problem?”

“Cuff him,” Mina said to El.

She shoved her gun into the holster and went to the bed. “On your stomach. Hands behind your back.”

“But I didn’t do anything,” he said.

“Now!” El snapped.

He complied, arguing all the way. Once securely cuffed, El helped the man sit on the edge of the bed.

Mina turned on the overhead light, and let her eyes adjust before checking the closet and under the bed. Nothing.

“Does this place have a basement or a root cellar?” she asked.

“Just a crawl space,” he said.

Mina poked her head into the hallway. “Ewing, get in here.”

He hurried down the hall.

“You and the others check the crawlspace for Becca.”

“Roger that,” Ewing said and strode away.

“I don’t know why you think I have this Becca person,” Anderson said. “But I don’t have her, and I don’t know her.”

Mina locked her focus on him. “Then why do you have her phone?”

“Her phone? I don’t—wait. Oh, man. That’s it, right? I found a phone when I went hiking this afternoon. It was dead so I brought it home. When I went to bed, I plugged it in to charge. Figured if it didn’t have a password, I could look at it in the morning. You know, to see who it belongs to and return it to the owner. Worst case, they would use their app Find My iPhone and come looking for it. I never expected the police to show up and cuff me like some common criminal.”

His story sounded legit, but Mina couldn’t take it at face value. “Please understand our point of view. We have a murdered citizen, his daughter is missing, likely abducted, and you’re in possession of her phone. We have to be very cautious. I think you can understand that.”

“I understand you needing to question me,” he lifted his chin, “but I don’t understand the need to cuff me.”

He had a point, but… “I can see why you think it’s a bit extreme, but I need to protect my deputies.”

“Not hardly.” He puffed out his chest. “If I had abducted this woman as you said, why would I plug her phone in here? Don’t you think I’m smart enough to know it would then be traceable?”

Mina stared at him. “Just the fact that you know anything about a phone leading to your location raises suspicions for me.”

He growled his frustration and glared at her.

Footsteps sounded in the hallway, and she poked her head outside the room.

“All clear in the crawlspace.” Abe pressed his lips tight. He’d been looking for some action, and it hadn’t materialized.

“The minute we get back to the office,” she said. “I need you to request a warrant to search his Portland home and any businesses he might own.”

“Now wait a minute.” Anderson started to rise.

El pushed him down. “You could be holding Becca or have held her in these locations. Or even left the gun that killed the mayor.”

Anderson snarled. “I am seriously going to sue your joke of a small-town department when we get done here. You’ll be sorry you treated me this way.”

His offensive comment didn’t bother Mina in the least. She knew she was doing the right thing. “We’re not doing anything any other law enforcement agency wouldn’t do in this situation. You can help yourself out if you remember where you found the phone and can show us.”

He took several deep breaths. “I do and I can.”

“Is it within walking distance?” she asked.

He nodded.

“Then take us there now.” She eyed him. “Don’t try anything or it won’t go well for you.”

He shook his head. “Why would I try anything? I’m not the criminal you seem to think I am.”

“You can get some pants and shoes on before we go,” Mina said.

“Thanks for the privacy.” He glared at her, but after she freed his hands, grabbed his jeans from a nearby chair and slipped into them and a pair of athletic shoes.

Mina gestured at the doorway. “Detective Lyons, lead the way. Mr. Anderson, you’ll follow her.”

El cuffed Anderson again, and stepped off, Anderson falling into place behind her. Mina trailed, her hand on her sidearm.

El opened the door and stepped out, then took Anderson by the arm. She strode down the steps and into the cool night at a solid pace. Thankfully, Anderson didn’t drag his feet.

They moved down the gravel driveway and passed close to Nolan’s position. Mina signaled for him to join them and told him what had transpired in the cabin.

“It’ll be interesting to see where he found the phone,” Nolan said.

“Indeed,” was all Mina said as she wanted to concentrate on Anderson’s behavior.

He walked with his shoulders back and didn’t seem to hesitate. He didn’t make any furtive moves or act as if he was going to try to take off. She really was believing his story, but there was no way she could let him go until they searched his properties or located Becca.

He took them to the road and turned right, traveling about a mile past their parked vehicles. He stopped near an odd-shaped tree.

“I found it here,” he said.

“You’re sure?” El asked.

He nodded. “The monkey puzzle tree is a dead giveaway. I hike a lot, and you don’t see one of these often in the wilds of Oregon.”

Mina had never seen a tree like it before. The branches were narrow, somewhat contorted, and covered with thick, dark-green triangular leaves.

Anderson jerked his head toward the side of the road. “The phone was in the ditch down there.”

“Why were you in the ditch?” she asked.

“A car was coming down the road at a fast clip, so I was forced to step off for safety.”

“Did you get a good look at the car?” Nolan asked.

“It was a newer model Ford Explorer. White.”

“You didn’t happen to catch the plates did you?” Mina asked.

He shook his head. “They were Oregon, but splattered with mud and not clear.”

“So you picked up the phone and returned to your cabin?” El asked.

He shook his head. “I finished my walk. About two more miles down the road and back.”

“Did you happen to see that vehicle again and where it went?” Mina asked.

“No. Was just me out here.”

“Do you know if the houses around you are occupied, or are they recreational cabins like yours?” El asked.

He shrugged. “I’ve only owned this place for less than a year and stayed here maybe a half dozen times. I come here to unplug and get away from people, so I’m not about to go out looking for them.”

Mina understood that. “So you didn’t see anyone in the area? Like someone who might’ve been looking for this phone?”

“No one.”

Mina turned to El. “When we get back to the cabin, we’ll send Abe for the vehicle and you two can escort Mr. Anderson to lock up.”

Anderson spun and fired an angry stare at her. “Wait a minute. You’re saying you’re going to arrest me? Lock me up?”

Mina kept her tone level to keep from making him madder. “We’re going to detain you for now while we search your other properties.”

“And then what?” His eyes narrowed even more.

“That will all depend on what we find in our search.”

He growled at her again. This man could be bad news for her career. Seriously bad, like get-her-fired bad. But no matter the consequences to herself and the job she loved, she had to do what was right for Becca.