Twilight at Blueberry Barrens (Sunset Cove #3)(70)

He wasn’t too excited about figuring out a way to handle eliminating so many at once. “I never signed on to kill kids. I’ve never done it before, and I don’t want to do it now.”

“Fine. I’ll hire someone else, and you won’t get the rest of your money.”

And he was liable to be the new guy’s next target to wipe up “loose ends.” He pressed his lips together and exhaled. “Fine, I’ll do it. How fast does it need to be done?”

“As soon as you get that package and destroy it. By the end of the week at the latest. I’ll give you a hundred-thousand-dollar bonus for making sure there is no ongoing problem.”

A hundred grand more. That put a different spin on it. He wished he knew more of what was going on, but his job didn’t involve knowing the motive behind the problem that needed fixing. That piece of information was liable to get him killed, too, and he’d miss out on enjoying the money coming his way.

He took another gander at the boat out on the water. “What if he gets more than one package tomorrow? How do I know which one it is?”

“Then destroy anything that comes,” his boss snapped.

He lowered his binoculars again. “Okay, okay. I’ll let you know when it’s over. What about my notebook? I still haven’t found it. It could turn up after they’re all dead. I don’t want the law to come calling a year from now.”

“Once they’re dead, you can go through everything before it’s hauled away.”

“Maybe. I’ll get on it.”

“Fine. I don’t need to know the details.”

Probably because he didn’t have the guts to do anything himself. He ended the call and dropped his phone into his pocket. Acid churned in his stomach, and everything in him recoiled at the thought of killing kids. What would it hurt to let them live? He could take care of the real problems, and maybe the boss would relent when the threats were gone.

He shook his head and picked up his binoculars. It would be nearly impossible to make it look like an accident and allow the kids to live. They were usually all together. While they’d left the kids with the old woman a few times, there was no guarantee that would happen in the next two days.

His gaze swept over the whitecaps, and he spied the boat with his prey aboard. Kate and Newham sat together in the stern with a kid on each side. Claire and her husband occupied the seats at the cockpit. Aboard the boat would be the ideal time to eliminate them, but this was the first time they’d all gone out together. How did he orchestrate it to happen again? He needed to figure out when they might all be together again.

He reached for his phone and called up the local newspaper. There would be a lobster fest this weekend. Most likely they’d all be there, but there wasn’t a good opportunity to eliminate them there without being seen. He put his phone away. Unless an idea came to him, he’d have to arrange for an “accident” at two separate places. Even if the sheriff suspected foul play, he’d make sure he left no clues.

Something rustled down the edge of the cliff, and he grabbed his binoculars and melted back into the brush. Peering through the branches, he saw a man dressed in camo approach with binoculars around his neck. The guy fiddled with something, and a drone rose into the air and hovered over the landscape. From the angle of the drone, he suspected he was watching the Rocco boat too. Frowning, he remembered the other time he’d seen a man watching Kate’s residence. Could it be the same man? What if he could use this guy to cover up Kate’s death?

It would pay to follow this guy and see what he was up to.

*

The tension eased from Drake’s shoulders as he inhaled the calming scent of the salty air. The day couldn’t be more perfect for a cruise on the water. The boat rode the gentle waves with ease, and the gulls swooped low to snatch the bits of bread the girls threw to them. Kate sat close, so close he could feel the warmth emanating from her side. The girls sat on a bench with the dog between them.

He smiled down at her. “Excited?”

Her cheeks were pink from the wind, and she had the hood of her blue sweatshirt up over her blonde hair. “I haven’t been out to the Petit Manan Lighthouse for ages. I used to beg my uncle to take me out on his lobster boat, and he often gave in at the end of the summer just to shut me up.” Her smile faded, and she turned to look out over the sea.

He draped his arm around her shoulders. “Still no sign of your uncle?”

She shook her head and turned back toward him. “I keep waiting for him to show back up. I know Luke won’t relax until he’s back in custody.”

“Does the sheriff think he got out of the country? Maybe he’ll never be recaptured.”

“The sheriff is working with the Canadian authorities, but there’s been no sign of him.” She rose and leaned over the side of the boat. “Look, puffins floating in the waves!”

The girls squealed and went to stand beside her. Drake followed and peered over her shoulder. A puffin, looking very much like a parrot, rode the waves and suddenly disappeared into a curl of water. It emerged a few seconds later with a fish in its beak, which it gobbled down, then began to preen itself.

“Pretty cool little guy.” He shifted so he could watch her. The soft, rapt expression in her blue eyes made him smile.

She glanced up and her cheeks colored. “I’m obsessed, aren’t I? Did you know they are loners at sea, then come home for months and stay with one mate? They’re so hardy too. No matter what man and nature have thrown at them, they’ve managed to survive. They’re a little awkward at takeoff and landing but are so nimble and agile in the water.”