Stranded (20 page)

After cleaning up from the meal, Darcy wasted no time in sidling up to Kayden and Jake around the campfire. She'd been trying to talk to them alone ever since their kayaks pulled up to shore, but until then the opportunity hadn't presented itself. Everyone was content on a full stomach and all were preoccupied with their own conversations spread out about the camp.

A full moon hung in the sky, illuminating the treetops. A strong wind rustled through the upper limbs, but they were sheltered by the strategic camp layout, nestled among the backdrop of trees.

Darcy wrapped her hands around the warm cup of cider. Her gloves—washed and rinsed with fresh water and sprayed with sanitizer—lay on a nearby rock. She hoped the fire would dry them before they had to put it out for the night.

Jake relayed what Piper had learned while in Eagle Cove and explained what he was afraid was happening. Fear gripped Darcy as the words flowed from his lips.
Sex trafficking
. She'd never even considered that possibility, though it would explain Abby's fear.

The thought of Abby, of any woman, being subjected to
such horrific slavery twisted her stomach in knots. She was in way over her head. This was something for the police—not a single reporter who had been out of the undercover game for nearly three years.

But Jake had already explained that local cops had no jurisdiction on a cruise ship registered and sailing under a foreign flag. And clearly, the
Bering
's poor excuse for a security force wasn't going to be of any help. Just as Clint had said only a few short hours ago—the cruise ship was its own world and operated under its own set of rules.

You'd think they'd want to get criminals off their ship, but it seemed that protecting their family-friendly image was what mattered most to them—not protecting innocent lives. It prodded Darcy all the more to push forward, to bring whoever was responsible for these women's disappearances to justice.

She shifted, her mind scrambling to wrap around the depth of evil they were facing. “What are we going to do?”

The whir of a plane's engine circled overhead.

“Floatplane,” Kayden said without bothering to look up.

“Who'd be flying into here?” she asked. Maybe it was a drop shipment. She scanned the crowd. All the women were accounted for. Was it drugs? Was it someone completely unrelated to their excursion landing to camp for the night?

“I'll check it out.” Jake stood, and from across the camp Gage followed, the two disappearing into the woods.

Clint walked over from where he'd been checking the kayaks to join Kayden and Darcy at the fire. “Wonder who that is.”

“Does that happen often?” Darcy asked.

“A floatplane landing during one of our excursions?”

She nodded.

“A time or two, but it's rather dangerous to be landing at night without any lights—other than the moon.”

Darcy scanned the campground for Ted but didn't see him. “Have you seen Ted?”

Clint took a bite of an apple. “Can't say that I have.”

“Or George?” she asked, not seeing him either.

“Nope.” He took another bite.

Maybe George and Ted were making a pickup or drop-off of some kind. How would they react if Gage and Jake interrupted them? What were the chances either were armed? “Excuse us a moment.”

“Sure.”

She tugged Kayden off to the side. “Any chance Jake is armed?”

“About one hundred percent. Why?”

“Gage and I were speculating that whoever is smuggling or trafficking is probably using these excursion points for drop-offs and pickups. If that floatplane is a courier and Gage and Jake go barging through the trees . . .”

“I got you. Let's go.” She yanked Darcy into a run.

Without asking what they were going to do, or how on earth they could be of help, she let Kayden lead her through the woods, her heart thumping in her chest.

Twigs crunched beneath her boots, branches pulling at her hair. What were they about to encounter?

They broke through the copse and found the floatplane resting on the water's dark surface, its lights bouncing off the outgoing tide. Darcy's gaze flashed in horror to the men gathered round, and then she frowned. “Landon?” she asked, squinting. “Is that you?”

“Hey, Darcy.” He waved.

“What are you doing here?” Did he have urgent news? Had he found Abby? Hope flared in her chest, quickly followed by dread. Had he found her dead?

“Cole hitched a plane back to Yancey, so I figured I'd hitch one out here.”

“Oh.” She tried not to sound too disappointed. She was happy to see Landon, but she'd hoped . . .

“Now, that's commitment,” Kayden said. “Hope when I get engaged my fiancé is half as committed.”

Everyone turned to Kayden, shock evident on their faces.

“What?” She shrugged. “I could get engaged one day.”

Gage held up his hands. “Just never thought I'd hear the words
my fiancé
coming out of
your
mouth.”

“Moving on to the matter at hand . . .” Darcy pointed her flashlight at Landon. “Did you bring any news with you?”

“I'm afraid so.”

“What's going on?”

Darcy startled as Clint broke through the trees, flashlight in hand, followed closely by Piper.

Piper stopped abruptly and smiled. “Landon . . . what are you doing here?”

Landon opened his arms to embrace her. “What can I say? Can't stay away from my girl.”

“You're so sweet.”

Kayden rolled her eyes at Darcy. “Committed, but sickening.”

“I think it's precious.” Darcy smiled. She adored Piper and Landon and prayed she would be invited to join in the celebration of their August wedding.

“You've caused quite a stir in camp,” Clint said.

“Why's that?” Landon asked.

“First a plane lands, and then people go disappearing into the woods.” Clint chucked an apple core into the trees behind them.

“Well, it looks like I'm not the only visitor,” Landon said.

“What?” Darcy asked as Clint quickly echoed the question.

“As we made our approach, I saw a boat on the west side of the island.”

“You mean the east side,” Darcy said. “That's where Ted anchored the supply boat when we arrived.”

“No. It was definitely on the western shore. I had the pilot circle around to be sure. Caught my attention because it had its running lights on.”

Darcy looked at Gage, and without a word, they took off for the western shore.

“Where's everyone going now?” Clint asked, his voice trailing through the trees.

The answer seemed quite obvious. It had to be Ted. She hadn't seen him at the campsite, and now Landon had spotted a boat on the western shore. What were they dropping off or picking up? It had to be drugs. Surely all the women . . .

She stopped short. “Gage.”

He halted, turning to face her in the dim woods. Footsteps were rapidly approaching from the east. “What?”

“The women on our excursion . . . were they all in camp?” She tried to picture everyone who had been sitting around the campsite. “What if . . . ?”

He grabbed her hand. “Hurry.” He ran at a speed she found difficult to keep up with, her legs being so much shorter than his.

They reached the western shore and scanned the beach.
Nothing?

“I don't understand.” She hunched to catch her breath, her hands at her waist.

“Look at the water.” Gage pointed his flashlight to the left, at the ripples evident of a boat's wake.

“Anything?” Landon asked, stepping onto the beach—followed by Clint, Jake, Piper, and Ted.

Ted?
How had he . . . ? “Were you meeting someone, Ted?” she asked.

“What?” Ted frowned. “Why would I be meeting someone out here?”

“Landon said he saw a boat here when he circled overhead.”

“A boat?” Ted looked sincerely confused, which confused Darcy all the more. Did he really have no idea what she was talking about, or was he just that good of an actor? “We anchored on the east side,” Ted said, appearing to question her sanity. “You were there.”

“I know. Landon said it was another boat. Its running lights were on.”

“So?”

“So don't you find that strange?”

“The only thing I find strange is your behavior. What is up with you? Are you one of those conspiracy nuts or something?”

“We were just trying to keep track of the excursion crew,” Gage said.

“You and George weren't around earlier, and . . . ” Darcy began.

“And?” Ted squared his shoulders.

“We were trying to locate you,” Gage said.

“Thanks, but I'm a big boy. I can take care of myself in the woods. Now if you'll both excuse me, I'm going to hit the hay.” He pushed past them into the woods, headed back for camp.

Darcy looked at Gage but refrained from commenting in front of Clint. And they still didn't know where George was.

“We ought to follow Ted's lead and head back to camp,” Jake said. “Nothing to see here.”

Darcy hung at Gage's side as they trekked back to camp. Clint remained surprisingly silent on the evening's turn of events. She couldn't figure out if he shared Ted's attitude toward her, or if he was simply going along with the flow.

Their earlier conversation had ended awkwardly without any kind of clear response from Clint on her request. She felt it vital that things remained smooth between them. She needed Clint—needed his insight and knowledge of the crew, of the excursions, and of the members of the rescue crew the night of Abby's disappearance. Surely, Clint had to wonder at Ted's abrasive nature too.

She'd talk to him once back at camp, to make sure they remained on good terms, that the connection she'd been trying to build hadn't been fully severed.

Gage wouldn't like it—wouldn't like her bonding with Clint to gain information, wouldn't like her bonding with Clint
period
—but she had to do it. Clint held knowledge she needed, knowledge pivotal to the case. She just knew it.

Gage watched with irritation as Darcy approached Clint with two cups of cocoa. She smiled as he suggested she take a seat beside him on the log.

The firelight danced off her blond hair, bathing her in a golden glow. She was so beautiful.
And dangerous
. Very dangerous when it came to his heart.

Landon cleared his throat. “We need to talk.”

Gage followed him into Jake's tent, where Jake was waiting. “What's up?”

“While the girls are keeping the rest of the crew and passengers occupied, we thought it would be a good time to talk.”

“Okay.” Gage sat on the open cot with apprehension.

“I relayed my latest findings to Piper and Jake as we made our way back to camp. And Jake shared his insights with me.” Landon sat on the matted ground, his back braced against
his cot. “Piper can fill Darcy in tonight when they bunk up. And Jake”—Landon glanced at him, still standing near the entrance, keeping an eye out to be sure no one approached—“can fill Kayden in during the next transport.”

Gage shifted uncomfortably on the cot. How bad was this about to get?

“First things first. I checked the ferry station for Abby's belongings.”

“And?”

“Nothing was delivered from the
Bering
,” Landon said.

“So either Mullins is lying, or whoever she told to make the delivery decided not to,” he said.

“Probably figured it wasn't worth the trouble,” Jake added.

“Or he decided to sell or give away Abby's things. Darcy found one of the gift-shop workers wearing Abby's necklace,” Gage said.

“Makes sense.” Landon nodded. “Tell Darcy to keep an eye out for anything else that looks like it could have belonged to Abby.”

“Trust me, with her tenacity, I'm sure Darcy's been combing the ship for the slightest glimpse of anything that could be Abby's.”

“She is determined,” Jake said. “I'll give her that.”

Gage couldn't miss the weariness of Jake's brow. What Darcy did—digging into his past, exposing private details of his life—wasn't right. “I'm sorry, man.”

Jake held up a hand. “We've got more important matters on our plate.”

“Which brings me to the body Darcy found,” Landon said.

“What about it?” Gage asked.

“The remains have been positively identified as Drake Bowen's.”

Gage rocked forward. “What?”

“Confirmed dentals today. Everything's done over the computer. Seems Drake's family had insisted on keeping his missing-person file open and up-to-date. They had his dentals ready should a body be found. According to Travis, who spoke routinely with Drake's sister Anna, after Drake went missing on Kesuk, the family—including his wife's parents—never doubted his innocence. They didn't believe he would run. Not like that. They knew foul play had come to him.”

Jake slid his hands in his pockets. “Looks like they were right.”

Landon crossed his arms over his chest. “Cause of death was a gunshot wound to the back of the head—execution style.”

“Not to be grotesque, but how could the M.E. make that determination with the amount of decomp?” Gage asked, having seen firsthand what little remained.

“Bullet hole in the skull. Killer used a .45.”

“So it stands to reason Bowen didn't kill his wife,” Jake said.

Landon nodded. “I agree.”

“There's no way it could have been suicide?” Gage asked, just wanting to be sure they considered every possible angle. “Remorse over killing his bride.”

Landon shook his head. “Impossible at the angle the bullet hole was found, but it's good to ask those questions.”

“Suicides are almost always to the temple or in the mouth,” Jake said.

Gage processed that for a moment, realizing Jake had an entire history he'd never known about until the last couple days.

“So . . .” Landon said, shifting to sit on the cot, “I think it's fair to assume that whoever killed Bowen's wife killed Drake Bowen too.”

“Maybe Mrs. Bowen wasn't killed,” Jake said.

Landon arched his brows. “What are you thinking?”

“Mrs. Bowen's body was never found. The only clue was a small amount of blood in their tent that could have resulted from a cut finger or a bloody nose—just enough to plant doubt in people's minds about Drake Bowen. Gage, you said you heard they were drinking that night?”

“Yeah, Whitney said one of the men on the excursion told her friend there was a lot of drinking going on.”

“Okay, so whoever is involved in this waits until the Bowens pass out for the night; maybe they even slip a little something extra in the Bowens' drinks to ensure they'll be out. They go in, take Mrs. Bowen. Perhaps she wakens and struggles. She gets knocked out and her nose bleeds, or they slice a finger and allow her blood to drip along her sleeping bag as they carry her out. The husband wakes up, finds his wife missing, and freaks.”

Landon jumped in. “Everyone starts looking for her, and then someone sees the blood in their tent and the suspicion shifts to Drake.”

“The guy insists he's innocent,” Jake said, continuing with their rolling theory. “And he takes off, determined to find her. The men responsible fear he'll make too much noise or come across something. It's too risky to leave him be, so one of them follows Drake, shoots him execution style, and dumps his body in the river.”

“Okay, but what did they do with Mrs. Bowen?” Gage asked.

Jake exhaled. “The same thing I fear they did with Jessica Matthews and Darcy's friend Abby. Sold them into slavery.”

Gage looked at Landon.

Landon shook his head. “I hate to say it, but I think Jake's right.”

“Doesn't that usually work the other way around?” Gage asked. “I mean, you hear about poor women from other countries being trafficked into the U.S., but American women trafficked out . . . ?”

“Can you imagine the price some buyers would pay for an American sex slave?” Landon said to Jake.

Jake nodded. “The question is how. Kayden made an excellent point at breakfast today when I shared my suspicions of human trafficking. . . .”

“Which was?” Landon asked.

“Our investigations have found three women who have disappeared from the
Bering
in the last year. That's horrible, but it doesn't make for a very viable trafficking network.”

“Darcy assumed they were trafficking drugs when Abby called her in,” Gage said. “Maybe that's their prime trafficking focus, but they deliver an occasional sex-slave victim when they receive a request.”

“I'd agree, except for what I found earlier today.” Landon grabbed a file from his bag and spread the paperwork and images on the tent floor.

“When Cole and I finished up with the crime scene, I checked in with Travis at the station, and he shared what Piper had learned about the girl who disappeared from her family's balcony. I started digging and discovered that, in addition to the three missing women off the
Bering,
four other women have gone missing under mysterious circumstances
on Alaskan cruises this past year—and that's just the beginning.”

“What do you mean?”

“I still have Travis, Wyatt, and the boys back in Yancey tracking things down, but it looks like this missing-women pattern has been showing up for nearly five years.”

“Missing-women
pattern
?” Gage's gut clenched at the thought of such depravity and the horrors those poor women suffered. He wanted Darcy away from the
Bering
as soon as possible.

“Young women,” Landon said. “As young as sixteen all the way up to late twenties. Most traveling alone, but clearly not all.”

“That's a lot of women disappearing from Alaskan cruises,” Jake said. “You'd think someone would have put it all together by now.”

“The cruise lines work hard to keep these things quiet. It's only because of the families' persistence—when there is family to persist—and efforts of watchdog agencies like the International Cruise Victims that there's anyone making noise and any sort of record of the disappearances.”