Page 44 of Tide and Seek (Dr. Maxwell Thornton Murder Mysteries #8)

I slammed out my front door, sprinting to my rental car, the gun heavy in my pocket.

My fingers fumbled with the keys as I started the engine and tore out of my driveway.

I pulled out onto PCH, eyes searching the red taillights ahead.

When I spotted Ethan’s van, relief flooded me.

Thank God I hadn’t lost him. I continued on, keeping enough distance that Ethan wouldn’t notice me but close enough not to lose him in traffic.

I wasn’t sure if he was heading to another job, or heading home.

Either way, I was going to make him talk to me.

The light faded to dusk as I followed his van.

The drive felt endless as my heart hammered against my ribs, adrenaline and grief making my hands shake on the steering wheel.

I didn’t feel like myself. I felt in a sort of dream state, tortured by the need to hear Royce’s voice and to hold his living, breathing body against mine.

I couldn’t believe what was happening. I couldn’t accept he might be gone. I refused to accept that.

Ethan eventually pulled into a quiet neighborhood, unpretentious houses with neat lawns and modest cars in driveways.

Normal. Safe. He parked in the driveway of a home that had toys scattered on the front lawn—a tricycle lying on its side, a small basketball hoop, children’s chalk drawings on the driveway.

Signs of a life, a family. Things Royce had wanted but might never have now.

Bile rose in my throat as hatred surged.

I watched from my rental car as Ethan sat in his van for a moment, his head bowed, hands still gripping the steering wheel. He looked exhausted, defeated. Like a man who’d made terrible choices and was only now understanding the consequences.

I didn’t care about his exhaustion. I didn’t care about his regrets.

Moving quickly before I could second-guess myself, I climbed out of my car and crossed to his van. The gun felt awkward in my hand as I opened the passenger door and slid into the cab beside him.

Ethan’s head snapped up, his eyes going wide with shock and fear when he saw me. When he saw the gun pointed at him.

“Dr. Thornton—” His voice came out strangled, barely more than a whisper.

“Where is he?” My hand was astonishingly steady, considering the adrenaline pumping through my veins. My voice flat and cold in a way I’d never heard before. “Where’s Royce?”

“I don’t know what you mean.” Ethan’s hands came up instinctively, palms out in a placating gesture.

“Liar.” I shifted the gun slightly. “I want to know where Royce is. Tell me right now or I’ll pull this trigger.”

“I… I can’t tell you what I don’t know.”

“Don’t play dumb,” I snarled. “I know you and Stiles did something to him. Now, where is he?”

Ethan swallowed loudly, eyes pinned on the gun as he considered my words. “If I help you, he’ll kill me.”

“If you don’t help me, I’ll kill you.” My voice shook with anger. He was my only hope of getting to Royce. If he refused to help me, did I have the guts to actually shoot him? That wouldn’t help me find Royce, but it might feel good simply to hurt someone.

He stared at me as if trying to gauge whether I’d pull the trigger or not. “I don’t think you’re a violent man, Dr. Thornton.”

My face twitched. “I’d have said the same thing about myself an hour ago. But right now, Ethan, I don’t feel like myself. If I’m honest with you, I feel very out of control and desperate. I think I could shoot you and not feel anything at all.”

He shivered. “Please, I have kids.”

“I don’t care,” I said coldly. “I really don’t give a damn about anything but finding Royce. I’m warning you not to underestimate me. Now, where’s Royce?”

He gritted his teeth. “He’s by the ocean.”

“That’s not helpful,” I snapped. “Exactly where is he?”

“Will you let me go if I tell you?”

I narrowed my eyes. “No, but I probably won’t shoot you. Where is he? Give me details.”

He exhaled harshly. “He’s at the rock formations.”

“What rock formations?”

“You know, the ones at the end of Ocean Whisper Estates,” he grated. “He’s in one of the caves in those big rocks.”

My vision blurred for a moment, and it was difficult to breathe. The caves flooded daily at high tide. If Royce was trapped in those rocks…

My throat moved as I attempted to ask the question I most needed to know. It took me a few tries, but at last I whispered, “Is he alive?” It was embarrassing how much hope still lived in those three words.

Ethan’s face contorted with guilt. “I don’t know.” The words were hollow, undermined by the resignation in his voice that said, “It’s too late.”

“Start the van.” My voice cracked, the hope dying as quickly as it had flared.

“What are you going to do to me?”

Clenching my jaw, I said coldly, “Start the van, now, Ethan. I have absolutely nothing to lose, but you do.”

“You have to understand, I’m not a bad man. I… I didn’t want to do any of this. My wife, she has cancer and not everything is covered by insurance. I needed money—”

“I don’t care.” And I actually didn’t. I just wanted to see Royce. That was the only thing in this world I wanted. Even if he was gone, I needed to see him.

“Are you going to kill me?” Ethan’s voice broke.

I pointed the gun at his face, feeling something dark and vicious unfurl in my chest. “I don’t know yet,” I admitted.

With a whimper, Ethan’s hands shook as he started the engine, backing out of his driveway with jerky, uncoordinated movements. “None of this was ever supposed to happen—”

“What exactly did you do to subdue Royce?” I interrupted. “There’s no way he went with you willingly.”

Ethan groaned. “It was all Stiles. I was just following orders.”

“What. Did. You. Do. To. Him?” I enunciated each word.

He winced. “Stiles injected him with Fentanyl.”

“Jesus Christ,” I growled, struggling not to pull the trigger.

“It wasn’t my idea—”

“Why were you even in my house today?” I interrupted harshly. “I know you’re involved with drugs, but why were you in my house?”

“There were drugs stored there,” he said in a hushed voice. “In the attic.”

Shock rolled through me. “In my house?”

“Yes.”

“And you walked in on Royce when you went to get them.” It wasn’t a question.

He winced. “Yeah.”

“Why were the drugs in my house?” I growled.

He sighed, turning onto the main road. “Well, because your place was empty and Ocean Whisper Estates is private.”

“My God,” I muttered.

“I never meant—”

“I don’t want to hear it,” I said through gritted teeth.

My finger rested on the trigger, and I was struggling to hold on to my control.

Every time I thought about Royce hurt or dead, some dark part of me wondered how much pressure it would take to pull the trigger.

“The only thing that matters to me is Royce.”

“I… I tried to get him out of the house before my boss saw him. You have to believe me. But he wouldn’t listen. He… he wouldn’t leave.”

“Don’t you dare try and blame Royce for what you did.” My voice broke. “You had a choice and you chose wrong.”

“I’m sorry.” Ethan’s voice was barely audible over the sound of the engine. “I’m so, so sorry. If I could take it back—”

“Yes, but you can’t, can you?” I hissed. “Drive faster.”

We were back on Pacific Coast Highway now, the ocean visible as a dark mass to our left. The sun had set completely, leaving only the faintest purple glow on the horizon. How long had Royce been in those caves? When exactly was high tide? I tugged my phone out and glanced at the time, 6:45 p.m.

“When is high tide right now?” I demanded, glancing over at Ethan.

He swallowed hard. “About 7:00 p.m.”

My heart dropped. “You need to go faster.”

Ethan swore under his breath, pressing the accelerator harder. “What are you going to do when we get there?”

“I’m going to go get Royce out of those rocks, and you’re going to help me.”

He bugged his eyes, the van swerving a little. “There’s no way. The caves are flooded by now.”

“I have to try.” I didn’t really have much hope. The only thing that kept me going was the certainty that if Royce was dead, I’d somehow feel that. And if there was even a one percent chance he was alive, I was willing to risk everything to get him out of that watery grave.

Ethan slowed the van as we neared the colony.

He drove past the usual turnoff into Ocean Whisper Estates to a road a few miles up ahead.

Then he turned onto the access road leading to the rock formations, bouncing over ruts and loose gravel.

Ahead, I could see the dark shapes of the rocks against the slightly lighter sky, and hear the crash of waves much louder now.

“Which cave?” I demanded as Ethan parked.

“Between the two largest boulders, about fifty yards down the beach.”

I stared out at the rock formations, my heart sinking. In the dying light, they all looked massive, dark shapes rising from the sand like sleeping giants. Waves crashed against them with brutal force, sending spray twenty feet into the air, the white foam stark against the black stone.

“They all look like large boulders,” I said, my voice rising with panic. “Which ones exactly? Point them out.”

“I think it’s too late,” Ethan started.

“Show me,” I almost screamed, my control snapping. I shoved the gun against the side of his head hard enough to make him flinch. “Show me which cave you bastards put him in or I’ll shoot you right now. I swear to God, I’ll blow your brains all over this car, Ethan.”

“Okay, okay!” Ethan threw open his door, hands up. “I’ll show you. Just don’t—please don’t shoot me.”

“Hurry up.” I was out of the van in a flash, the gun trained on his back as he stumbled toward the beach. I scrambled for my phone, my hands fumbling with the screen. My fingers shook so badly I could barely hit the right buttons as I dialed 911.

“911, what’s your emergency?”