The Lost Bones (Widow's Island #8)(17)

Keeping Ashlee out of sight?

She froze as the parallels of Kori’s and Ashlee’s lives slapped her in the face.

The women have similar physical characteristics. Coincidence?

“Cate?” Tessa asked. “You okay?”

“Just a second,” Cate murmured as she tried to put her thoughts in order. “Who else do we know that kept his woman away from everyone? Made her essentially disappear?” she asked Tessa. “Alan just said there are no coincidences . . . is it possible Ashlee’s boyfriend is Rich Causey? Am I grasping at straws here?” She looked at the PI. “Do you have any information about the boyfriend at all? Was he older? Surely Ashlee told her girlfriends something about him.”

Alan looked sharply at Cate. “One said that Ashlee was confident the boyfriend would give her a stable life . . . that he was older . . . but Ashlee wasn’t specific about the age to the friend. When you’re eighteen, even someone who is twenty-one is ‘older.’”

Tessa pushed away her iced tea and leaned toward Cate, her expression intent. “If that message on the newspaper article is current, Ashlee could have written it if she’s with Rich Causey.”

“Rich Causey,” Alan repeated. “That’s the name?” He grabbed his phone and opened a browser.

Cate ignored him, her gaze locked on Tessa. “Rich posing as the artist for Ashlee’s jewelry work? And keeping her hidden somewhere? It fits what we know of him.” She pressed a hand against her forehead. “Is it as simple as that?”

“It’s not simple if we don’t know where he’s keeping her,” said Tessa. “It makes total sense that he’s repeating a pattern, though. Like keeping her from accessing the internet and friends or even showing her face.”

“Where could they be?” Cate murmured, mentally scouring the island, wondering where Rich would keep a woman completely isolated. There were too many places. It was a small island, but it had numerous rural and forested areas.

“Holy shit,” said Alan, focusing on his phone. “You thought I might be this asshole who kidnapped his ill daughter?”

“We have some recent evidence that indicates he might be on the island,” said Cate.

“Aha,” said Alan. “I was right about you being FBI, Special Agent Cate Wilde. You’re mentioned several times in this old article.” He gave Cate a side-eye.

“I’m no longer with the FBI,” Cate told him. “I really do own a bakery and bookstore. I’m a ‘consultant’ at the moment.” She made air quotes with her fingers.

“Whatever you say,” said Alan. “But I suspect if you can locate your missing person, Rich Causey, I’ll locate Ashlee.”

Excitement bubbled up in Cate. After all these years, do we finally have a solid lead on Rich Causey?

Alan leaned forward. “And what’s this about a message on a newspaper article you think Ashlee could have written?”

Cate mulled over how much to tell the PI. “An article about the kidnapping of Jade Causey was left in Shiny Objects. Someone had written on it that Jade had died, and the writer was scared the same thing would happen to her baby.”

Alan’s mouth opened slightly as he stared at the two women. “She’s pregnant? If it’s Ashlee, she hasn’t been gone long enough to have a baby . . . although I guess she could have been a few months along when she left. Maybe she has had a baby.”

“The article was in a box that was addressed to me,” said Cate.

Alan wrinkled up his forehead and blinked several times as he tried to put the pieces together.

“The article mentioned me.”

“And after seven years, you took this note seriously?”

“Yes.” She decided to not mention the mandible.

He gave her a measured look.

He knows I haven’t told him everything.

“Now the hard part is to locate them,” said Tessa. “The possibility that Rich and Ashlee are together is definitely worth pursuing. I’ll talk to Marsha again and ask what she knows about the jewelry.”

“How long since you’ve talked to Rich’s family or known associates?” Alan asked.

“He doesn’t have any family, but his friends are contacted yearly during the reviews of the case,” said Cate.

“So they get a random phone call from a faceless agent where they can easily lie about their buddy.” Alan shook his head. “I prefer to look people in the eye when I talk to them. I learn a lot more.” He gave Cate a knowing look.

“I do too,” she agreed.

“Who was Rich’s closest buddy?” asked Tessa. “Maybe it’s time for an in-person visit.”

“Greg Ledford,” Cate answered promptly.

“I’ll get an address for him.” Tessa slid off her stool and stepped away from the table to speak into the mic at her shoulder.

Alan lifted his beer to Cate. “To killing two birds with one stone.”

Cate clinked his glass with her iced tea, a new hope filling her.

Am I finally getting somewhere with this case?

Fingers crossed.





8


Cate had never met Special Agent Isla Ross. The agent was young and had only two years on the job, but after an hour in the car with her, Cate knew she was sharp and intelligent.