The second most important room in the home is the bathroom. Clear glass doors can make the space seem bigger because you can see all the way through.
—HAMMER GIRL BLOG
Ellie leaned her head back, then stretched her cold feet closer to the heat blasting from under the dash in Gray’s SUV. She was nearly dry after rowing across the bay and getting warm in here, plus the huge sweatshirt Gray had dug out for her helped.
She thrust her hands into the pockets. “I’d hoped the agents would have some idea where to look for Nasser and his men.”
“The man is like a phantom. Every time I get close, he vanishes with no trace. I hope the FBI is finding out more than we are.”
She stared at the passing cars. “Could we go by Mac’s office? I want to look through her desk one more time and maybe talk to some students. I got to thinking that I didn’t check to see if anything was taped to the underside of her desk. It’s probably silly, but I have to feel like I’m doing something.”
“You have a key to get into the university?”
“Yes. I’ll call Penny and let her know too, just in case someone calls to tell her someone is in Mac’s office.”
He slowed as they entered the town limits and shot her a glance. “I’ll do lookout.”
“The university is right in the middle of everything. I think we’re safe. What I’d really like is for you to run and grab us some coffee while I take a quick look in the office. I’m still frozen.” Her phone rang, and she glanced at the screen. One of her employees was calling. She was tempted to just ignore the call since she was in no mood to discuss the house, but it might be important.
“Hey, Clint, what’s up?”
“Sorry to bug you, but I can’t find Jason. He was supposed to help me lift that beam into place in the living room, but he’s not answering his phone.”
“Don’t worry about it. We’ll see what we can do on Monday.”
“It’s going to put us behind schedule.”
“I know, but there’s nothing we can do about it now. I could try to help lift the beam, but I’m not sure I could carry my end. I guess I can give it a try, though. I need to run by anyway and get my computer.”
“I can do it. I’d rather you weren’t anywhere near the house now that the terrorists know you’ve been staying there.” Grayson took the phone from her. “Hey, Clint, if all you need is a strong back for a few minutes, I can help you. How long will it take?” He nodded. “Uh-huh. I’ll be right there.”
He ended the call and handed the phone back to her. “It won’t take long. You head into the office, and I’ll run over to the house, then grab coffee. I’ll be back soon.” He leaned over to brush her lips with his. “Be careful.”
She patted his cheek with her palm. “I’ll be fine. Extra-hot latte.”
“I got this.”
She slid her phone into the pocket of the sweatshirt, then smiled and opened her car door to slide out. “I’m going to lock the door behind me. Text me when you’re here, and I’ll unlock it.”
“Will do.” He let her out in front of the doors, then pulled out of the lot.
On a Saturday afternoon the only students around were ones using the library or heading to the gym. She had to use her key to get into the office building. Her footsteps echoed loudly on the marble floors, and the clatter set her teeth on edge and made shivers run down her back. She hurried to Mac’s office, unlocked it, then stepped in and flipped on the lights. She texted Penny to tell her what she was doing. She slipped off her shoes and padded toward Mac’s desk. Setting her shoes on the floor, she pulled out the chair and crawled under the desk to look around. It was dark under there, so she turned on her phone’s flashlight and shone it around.
Nothing was taped to the metal underside, and she exhaled. “Doggone it. I was sure there’d be something.”
Talking to herself made her feel a little less vulnerable and alone. She crawled out from under the desk and looked around. Mac’s desk was clear and held only a calendar.
She had to be missing something, but what? The sheriff had taken Mac’s computer so she couldn’t even look through files. A long expanse of lateral filing cabinets occupied one wall. Had anyone looked at Mac’s student notes?
She called Penny. “Did anyone take over Mac’s classes? Are her class notes still here?”
“Yes, the classes were reassigned. I think her notes are probably still there. She usually transcribed everything in the computer so there shouldn’t be anything in the physical files that isn’t in the computer.”
“Thanks, Penny.” She ended the call, then glanced at the time on her phone. Where was Gray? She called him but got his voice mail, so she left a message telling him she was ready to be picked up and that she’d just head over to the Brewhouse to wait. But when she didn’t get him after trying again, worry began to gnaw at her. Why wasn’t he answering his phone?
Maybe the sheriff would run her out to the House at Saltwater Point.
Perspiration dripped from Grayson’s forehead and landed on the floor below him. His cell phone rang a few minutes ago, but he hadn’t been able to get to it. It had taken longer than he’d expected to heft this beam up here. He perched on the top of the ladder with the beam on his shoulder and struggled to get it into place. He finally got it positioned, and Clint managed to nail it securely, raining drywall dust onto Grayson’s head in the process.
He coughed at the dry dust in his throat, then retreated down the ladder. “You weren’t kidding—that thing was heavy.”
Clint scampered down his ladder too. He wiped the sweat from his face and left streaks of white along his cheeks. “We usually have more men on it, but at least it’s done. Thanks for your help.”
“Glad to do it. I’d better get out of here and pick up Ellie.”
“I’m sure she’s fine. How about some cold water or a Pepsi for the road? I’ve got a bunch on ice.”
His mouth was as dry as a desert wind, and his tongue felt coated with gunk. “I wouldn’t turn down some water.”
“This way,” Clint said. “It’s in the kitchen.”
Rolls of drywall tape, drywall tools, buckets of mud, and stacks of wallboard covered the floor. Only pipes poking through the floor and the wall identified the room as the kitchen. Clint opened the red metal cooler and pulled out a dripping bottle of water that he tossed at Grayson.
Grayson uncapped the water and drank half of it. The delicious wetness was heaven.
Clint popped the top on a Pepsi and chugged it too, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “So you have something going on with Ellie?”
His tone was casual, but Grayson checked his expression anyway. Was the guy interested in her too? “I like her a lot.”
“She’s a nice person. When I came to town two years ago looking for a job, I didn’t really have any skills. I’d taken care of my sick mom for some years, and when she died, I didn’t know what I could be good at. I’d done some work around the house since we couldn’t afford to hire it out. I ran into Ellie at the coffee shop and didn’t even have money for anything bigger than a small drink. She bought my coffee and breakfast, then listened to my tale of woe. An hour later I had a job working on her houses.”
While it didn’t surprise Grayson to hear Ellie’s kindness detailed, it still warmed him. “That’s a pretty cool story.”
“It is. And I have to say it causes me grief to have to hurt her.”
Before the words could register, he had grabbed a heavy pipe wrench and brought it crashing down on Grayson’s head. He went down hard and the lights went out.
“I’m probably being silly,” Ellie told the sheriff as he parked his vehicle behind Gray’s SUV in the drive at the Saltwater Point house. “I’m sure they’re probably still up on the ladder.”
“No lights on,” the sheriff observed.
She stared at the house as she unfastened her seat belt. “Clint’s truck isn’t here.”
The unease she’d worked hard to push aside came rushing back as she glanced inside Grayson’s SUV to see the keys dangling from the ignition. She went up the porch to the entry and tried the door. The knob turned under her fingers, and she pushed open the unlocked door and flipped on the light. “Gray?”
Her voice echoed in the empty room. The heavy wooden beam overhead proved Clint’s request had been valid, which should have reassured her. Where was Gray? He wouldn’t have left his SUV behind when he knew she was waiting for him to pick her up. And he wasn’t answering his phone.
Her footsteps echoed as she walked toward the kitchen where she found more confirmation that something was wrong. A bloodstain spread out on the dusty plywood, and Gray’s phone, screen shattered, was in the corner. Water had spilled from an uncapped bottle.
Horror kept her rooted in place, and she licked dry lips. “They’re both missing.”
The sheriff was looking more and more troubled. “I’m going to call for help from the state and FBI.” Everett took out his phone and moved to the door.
While he stepped outside to make the calls, Ellie wandered through the house and tried to think of anything Clint might have said that would indicate where he’d taken Gray. Nothing came to mind. Clint was always on time, a hard worker, and well liked by her and Jason as well as the other employees. Had someone harmed both of them, then stolen Clint’s truck?
Everett ducked back inside. “I have to go. Terrance and Candace Robb just died in a fire at her father’s estate. Come on and I’ll drop you at home.”
She backed away and shook her head. “That can’t be an accident. You go on ahead. I’ll take Gray’s SUV.”
Distracted, he nodded and rushed for the door. A sense of hopelessness made her want to sink to the floor and bury her face in her hands. If the Robbs hadn’t been able to escape whatever web was closing in on them, what hope did she have? She couldn’t give in to weakness, though. There had to be some clue to find Gray.
A light tap came at the front door, and she looked up to see Isaac smiling through the glass. Maybe he could get her aboard that ship. It was the only place she knew to look for Gray.
She unlocked the door and opened it. “What are you doing out here?”
He lifted a brow. “I saw the sheriff’s car pull out with its lights flashing and wondered if you needed help. Everything okay?”
“Gray is missing.” She pointed out the bloodstains. “I think he might be on board one of the tall ships, the Elyssa Marie. Do you think you could get me aboard? We saw the tall ships today.”
His smile vanished. “This looks serious, Ellie. What’s the sheriff say?”
“The Robbs died in a house fire so he was on his way there. The FBI should be here soon, but I can’t stand around waiting. I have to find Gray. Can you get me aboard that ship now?”
A frown crouched between his eyes. “Maybe. Let me see what I can do.”
He pulled out his phone and placed a call, then turned his back to her and walked a few feet away while he spoke with someone. His smile came easy as he ended the call and turned around to face her. “Success! Let’s get going. You have a weapon?”
She shook her head. “No weapon.” Her bear spray was her only defense.
“Let’s go.” He took her arm and hurried her out the door to the drive. “We need to hurry.”
She wanted to ask him why the huge rush, but if she showed any reluctance he might call it off, so she just nodded and kept up with his rapid steps. Once she got to the car, she’d text the sheriff and let him know where she was.
Isaac’s car beeped when he unlocked it, and he slid behind the wheel while she went around to the passenger side. She buckled up, then pulled her phone out of her pocket.
She’d barely started to type the message to Everett when Isaac grabbed the phone out of her hand. Before she could respond, he lowered his window and tossed it out onto the road.
He pulled a revolver from his pocket and laid it on his left thigh. “I don’t think you’ll need that any longer.”
The look in his dark eyes quelled the argument building on her lips. “Isaac?”
Could he have something to do with this? He’d told her that he’d insisted Mac go through with bringing the tall ships here, but he didn’t seem a likely person to be behind a terrorist attack. She thought he was Jewish, so surely he wouldn’t have teamed up with ISIS. What could possibly be his motive?
He smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ve made arrangements for lover boy to join you too. He’s way too tenacious to leave wandering around looking for you. You wanted to know what was coming down, and you’ll both get a front-row seat.”