HELL'S HALF ACRE a gripping murder mystery full of twists (Coffin Cove Mysteries Book 2), JACKIE ELLIOTT [best ereader for graphic novels .TXT] 📗

Doug nodded. “He used the old mining tunnels. Smugglers used them. He left a boat at the end of one of them — comes out at Sharps Point. I helped him. If he’d left in his car, Dennis and Wayne would have known. But as it happens, Wayne went AWOL a couple of days before.”

Did he? Vega thought. I wonder.

Vega stopped the interview. He turned to Katie. “Katie, I can’t let you or your father leave yet. It’s not safe.” And then to Doug, “I’ll need you for a while longer. The person you know as Art Whilley, and we know as Mr Knight, we believe he’s abducted Jade Thompson.”

Doug’s eyes widened. “The mayor? We hadn’t heard that.”

Vega said, “She disappeared yesterday. We think she went to meet Knight . . . er, Whilley, and he snatched her. We think he’s holding her underground, possibly in the same tunnel he used to escape last time. We also believe he came back to Coffin Cove and murdered Nadine Dagg and the Haverses. We’ve heard the story you told Jim Peters, and the information from Clara Bell. We’re either about to embark on a search and rescue mission, or, if we’re too late, a recovery mission. Either way, we need to act fast. And I need your help.”

Vega left Doug and Terri with Sergeant Fowler.

“Come with me,” he said to Katie, and led her to the interview room where her father was still waiting. Lee was slumped over the desk when Vega opened the door.

“Lee, you’re free to go,” he said as Katie rushed over to her father and flung her arms around his shoulders. “I know this is a terrible time for you. But if you would be willing to stay and answer a few questions, you may help prevent someone else suffering the same pain you’re going through. Would that be OK?”

Lee Dagg looked up.

“Whatever you need, Inspector,” he said in a gruff voice.

Vega nodded.

“Thanks. I’ll be back in a short while.”

Vega went outside. The detachment was buzzing, and he needed some peace to make his next phone call.

“Superintendent? I need more resources.”

Vega tried his best. But Superintendent Sinclair wasn’t convinced.

“You want me to mobilize an Emergency Response Team based on this story?” she asked incredulously. “Andrew, you have no direct evidence for any of this. It hasn’t been forty-eight hours since Jade went missing, and you want armed officers running around looking for a man who two journalists think has risen from the dead?”

Vega was silent. He knew how it sounded.

Sinclair sighed on the other end of the phone.

“Hold off until you have more to go on. Wait for more forensics and see what you can do in the next twenty-four hours. Then we’ll assess.”

Vega ended the call and felt like flinging his phone across the parking lot. He knew Sinclair’s hands were tied. She had limited resources, and Nanaimo was in the middle of a drug war.

But what was he to do?

He couldn’t wait twenty-four hours. He’d have to use what he had, even if it was entirely against protocol. Sinclair had left him no choice. He rubbed his hand over his face, suddenly aware how tired he was. Before he could head back inside, he heard the door open behind him.

* * *

Andi heard the frustration in Vega’s voice as he finished his phone call. The blue glow of his cell phone screen illuminated his face. He looked at the end of his tether, Andi thought. It probably wasn’t the best time for this conversation, but before she could turn and go back inside, Vega turned to face her.

“Andi.”

“Andrew, sorry, I didn’t mean—”

“It’s OK,” he interrupted her. “Are you alright?”

There was genuine concern in his tone.

“I’m fine. Look, Andrew, about that article—”

Vega waved his hand. “I don’t care about that now, Andi.”

“I know. But still, I wanted to . . .”

“Explain? Apologize?”

Andi felt irritation rise, until she saw Vega smiling at her.

“Well, both, I guess.” She tried to smile back, but instead felt like crying.

Vega must have noticed, because he stood close to her and touched her shoulder.

“It’s been a very bad day,” he said so softly that Andi strained to hear him, “and the only thing I care about is that you are safe.”

He pulled her close to him for a moment and hugged her, and Andi found herself hugging him back.

She felt him gently kiss the top of her head before he released her.

“I need to get to work. Will you help me?”

* * *

Vega called his team together. Clara, Harry, Andi and Jim gathered at the back of the conference room.

Andi saw Charlie Rollins and Matt Beaufort standing at the side of the room.

Andrew Vega stood at the front and briefly shared Jim’s information. Andi saw his team nodding. They trust him, she thought.

Sergeant Fowler stepped up to the front.

“We believe Knight is still in Coffin Cove. There have been no sightings, but he hasn’t left town as far as we can tell. We have a roadblock checking all the vehicles leaving town. We believe Jade Thompson is in imminent danger, so we have to act fast with the very limited resources we have. So Inspector Vega and I have put together a plan. It’s . . .” she hesitated. “It’s unorthodox but we didn’t respond to a missing person report before and now that person is dead. So we’re not taking any chances.” She threw a meaningful glance at Andi.

Andrew Vega stood up again.

“I take full responsibility. But we act now. Sergeant, explain the plan and get everyone organized for first light tomorrow. Clara and Harry, I need you to come with me.

Harry and Clara followed Vega to the interview room.

“I need to