“Would you rather the thing blew up the dock? Imagine the fallout. The lost revenue. The cleanup.”
“Stop using logic. You could’ve been killed.”
“I don’t think so.”
“What does that mean?” She wanted to hug him and punch him at the same time. “I should have you arrested.”
“On what grounds?”
“You’re a danger to yourself.”
“But not to others?”
She didn’t have time to dignify that. They’d reached the area where the police had been holding people back and everyone burst into applause and cheers.
“Smile,” she instructed, although she knew he was already doing so. “You’re a hero.”
“An hour ago I was a suspect.”
“Not in my book,” she said.
She answered a few questions posed by the reporters of the local station and let Mayor Scott, who’d caught the scent of a good public relations opportunity, handle the rest. Once she’d given instructions to the officers on the scene, she pulled Riley away from the noise and chaos.
“Even with the bomb neutralized, it will be a wonder if anyone comes out tomorrow,” she grumbled.
“It will probably be the biggest opening day ever.”
“That’s not funny,” she said. “We still have to find Mrs. Wilks.”
“I have an idea, but you’re not going to like it.”
“Try me. She’s my number-one priority.” Once she found her neighbor, then Abby would take the time to ask how Riley had developed such a thorough recognition of bombs. She was sure there was a reasonable explanation, but she wanted to hear it from him.
The Belclare police force wasn’t comprised of idiots, but they hadn’t noticed the threat when they’d searched the trunk. Unless one of them was in on it.
She jerked herself back from that slippery slope. Paranoia would not resolve this any sooner for her lost neighbor.
“Here.” Riley handed her a rolled-up piece of paper.
“What’s this?” She opened it, startled to see a line sketch of the Belclare shore. Three different points were marked with different numbers.
“It was wrapped around the primary wire.”
“Dear Lord,” she whispered. “That’s why they left her car out here. It’s a countdown game.”
He nodded. “One sick scavenger hunt. If it’s counting from the explosion in the car, that only gives us ten more minutes to reach the first point.”
“She won’t be at that one.”
“You can’t be sure,” he said gently. “And someone else might be.”
He was right. Her stomach pitched and rolled. Anger and fear fought for dominance, but neither would help save Mrs. Wilks or anyone else.
“She’s an innocent old lady,” Abby said through clenched teeth. It infuriated her that people she cared about were suffering because she knew how to do her job. Because she’d vowed to keep Belclare crime-free. “She might already be dead of exposure.”
Riley rubbed her arms, chasing away the chill that threatened to drag her under. “You have to stay positive.”
Positive was becoming exhausting. “But be prepared for the worst.”
He acknowledged her comment with a bob of his head. “I can get started while you organize a search party.”
“No. This is personal and I’m done taking risks with the lives of those who trust me.”
“Abby, if you ditch protocol and rules now, every effort you’ve made is for nothing. Stick with your system. It works.”
He was right and Mrs. Wilks needed Abby at the top of her game.
“I’m heading to the first point. Get a team together and do this the right way.”
“Fine. I’ll be right behind you,” she said, echoing his words from earlier.
“I believe you,” he said, smiling.
She longed to give him a kiss, but that would make him more of a target than he already was.
As she shared the map with Calloway and issued orders, pairing off available troops in different directions, her mind mulled over the question of who gains.
Today’s events only confirmed her worst suspicions. This wasn’t simply a matter of random thugs descending on her town to prove a point. No, the problems were being meticulously planned and carried out from right inside Belclare.
The feds had warned her that the drugs might be funding a sleeper cell. But she hadn’t wanted to believe anyone in her town was capable of fooling the entire community that way. She hadn’t wanted to admit she’d been fooled.
By their nature sleeper cells blended in, participated and carried on as valuable members of a community. Until called to action.