“Fine. But call in a bomb squad while you look.”
Belclare didn’t have a bomb squad. She couldn’t recall for sure, but one of the firefighters might have had military experience with disarming explosives. The closest fully trained team was in Baltimore. “Is there a timer?”
“I don’t know yet.”
She stepped up next to him, but all she saw was the coarse fabric lining the trunk. “Riley, what am I missing here?”
“Too many wires into the brake lights.” He pointed out the difference between the right and left sides. “Call someone, now.”
“There’s no one local,” she whispered, even as she entered the number for the state police. “If we’re lucky they can have someone here in half an hour.” Lucky being the operative word.
No sooner had she’d ended the call than the sound of heavy engines jerked her attention to the parking lot behind them. She swore when two media vans stopped at the perimeter, as she’d requested. “Great. Now we’ll have an audience.”
“Someone tipped them off.”
“Possibly, but anyone can listen to the police radio,” she replied, equally irritated. “Tell me what to do.”
“Any chance you’ll back off while I take a closer look?”
“No.”
She watched as he looked around the docks.
“You felt the car shift when you hit the button, right?”
“Yes.” She’d definitely felt it.
“I’m going to look for some kind of timer.”
She held her breath when he leaned into the trunk, pulling a knife from his pocket. She appreciated his concern, but if the terrorists wanted her dead, they could detonate the bomb at any time—an assessment that assumed they were watching this play out.
Riley’s back blocked her view, so she used her cell to update the officers behind them. There was no way to be subtle about clearing the area, especially when she didn’t know how big a threat they were dealing with.
Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore. “Riley?”
“It’s counting down, Abby. Please get to safety.”
Fear trickled into her veins. “Only if you’re coming with me.”
“I’ll be right behind you.”
“I don’t believe you.” She actually laughed a little when he swore. “Can you disarm it?”
“Not sure,” he said.
Every second seemed to tick by with individual clarity. “How much time?”
“Enough.”
“Good.”
“No. Weird. Ask yourself who benefits from blowing this up while you stand by helplessly?”
She cast a glance over her shoulder at the media. “I know who it hurts. All of Belclare. Is there anything resembling evidence?”
“Probably, but the explosion will destroy it,” he countered. “Get me the keys.”
“Why?”
“Do it, Chief Jensen. The sooner this is resolved, the sooner we can find Mrs. Wilks.”
She darted back to Calloway. He found the right evidence bag and tossed it to her. But when she turned back, she realized Riley had tricked her into leaving him.
Somehow he’d started the car without the key and was steering Mrs. Wilks sedan toward the water.
Understanding dawned slowly. He intended to put the car in the water to save the surrounding area from the explosion. What had he seen on that bomb and why hadn’t he been honest about it? For that matter, why didn’t the terrorists behind this throw the switch? She didn’t want Riley in any more danger, but the tactics didn’t make sense. None of this made sense.
His words echoed in her mind and she prayed they weren’t the last ones she’d hear him speak. Who gains? The phrase consumed her as she alternately watched the sedan’s progress and the people gathered around watching with her. Any one of them could have a thumb on a detonator ready to make this a spectacular tragedy.
Who gains? She couldn’t come up with an answer, not while she watched a civilian, a stranger who’d so quickly slipped through her defenses, sacrifice himself. If he lived, she might have to beat him senseless for putting her through this.
The sedan’s engine revved suddenly and she waited for the explosion, but Riley jumped out of the driver’s seat and the car rolled off the dock and into the water.
Riley hadn’t even gained his feet when the explosion sent water spouting into the air like a fountain.
Heedless of the media and public opinion, she raced down the dock to check on him. “What the hell were you thinking?” she shouted in his face even as she looked him up and down.
“I’m fine, thanks for asking.”
“That was stupid.”