But this? His intuition wasn’t just whispering to him—it was screaming at the top of its lungs.
He closed his eyes. Ah, God, it was obvious Evie took the girl because she didn’t want to give her to the congressman. And her actions were clearly premeditated. The plate and tags. The zigzag modes of transportation. The haircuts and dye job. The fake ID, the false Internet presence, and the motel switcheroo. He didn’t know how all the strings were tied together but it was certainly a tangled mess. So where did all this leave him?
Only one thing was certain—aiding and abetting a fugitive wouldn’t be a wise career move.
“Chief? Are you sure you’re all right?”
Clancy opened his eyes, looked at his friend, and laughed in a way that sounded a bit unbalanced, even to his own ears. “Our first priority is helping the vendors set up and deal with the weather in whatever way we can. Please remind both soundstages not to plug in while it’s raining.”
“Will do.”
“Latest forecast?”
“Reports say it’s supposed to clear by ten a.m., but you know how that goes.”
“Yep, things don’t go as expected sometimes.” He patted Chip on the shoulder. “All right. I have a few things I need to do before I head down to greet the ferry.” He checked his dogs, both in the corner together, sound asleep.
“We’ll keep an eye on them here, Chief. No problem.”
“Thanks. And as far as this goes”—he held up the FBI alert—“do not make a move unless I am present. If you think you see this woman and little girl, observe only, and notify me immediately of her location. Do not approach the suspect or the child, or take either into custody without my okay. Do not process the suspect. Most importantly, do not contact the FBI until I give you the go-ahead. I am very serious about this. Please tell me you understand.”
Chip frowned with the gravity of his duty. “Of course, Chief. This would be the biggest arrest in Bayberry’s history, and all eyes of the world would be on our little island. This has to be executed with perfection.”
“Yes! That’s right!” God, he loved Chip.
“I’ll give everyone else the same instructions, Chief.”
“Thank you.”
Just then, the old building shook with a deep growl of thunder and the dogs began to howl.
“Well.” Chip shoved his hands in the pockets of his uniform shorts, his voice squeaking with excitement. “This is sure shaping up to be an interesting day!”
Chapter Nine
The sun was trying to show itself through the rain clouds. Clancy took the turn onto Idlewilde Lane so quickly that arcs of mud went shooting out from the Jeep’s back tires. He ran through the rain to the front door and pounded. “Ma! Hello?”
Mona answered her door. Clearly, he’d caught her in the middle of dressing for the festival. Everything from the waist down was Grand Poobah mermaid. Everything from the waist up was early-morning mom—she wore an old T-shirt, her hair was sticking up every which way, and she was still working on her first cup of coffee.
“Well, this is a surprise!” She opened the door while trying to smooth down her hair. Suddenly, she narrowed her eyes. “Is everything all right? Is it Duncan?”
He hugged her. Of course she would think that. The family cookout was four days away and no one had heard a peep from him. “Everything’s fine, Ma. No crisis. I haven’t heard anything from Duncan. I came over because I have a favor to ask. I kind of need your help.”