Page 93 of Fire and Rain
It was a text message from Agent Santee.
Get to ops now.
Sean’s stomach knotted. He slipped on some runners, grabbed a clean pair of thermals just in case, and jogged over to the ops center to find Captain Walcott, Agent Santee, and a group of other CGIS agents clustered together.
“A short time ago, we got a signal off an EPIRB in Chiniak Bay. A helo was dispatched a short time ago to check it out. I heard the name of the boat over the radio and realized we have a situation. It’s the Sea Nymph.”
Sean’s pulse picked up. “What?”
“I contacted Eden’s family, and they said she went to the harbor to refuel the boat and planned to be back at her sister’s house within the hour to pick up her son. She never showed. They tried calling and texting but got no response. They were about to report her missing.”
Shit.
“There’s more. The helo just recovered the EPIRB from the bay but saw no sign of any PIW or debris from the boat. It’s a possibility that the boat sank. We’ve got a cutter on scene, and they haven’t found anything either.”
Christ.
Santee’s words hit Sean like a body blow.
No. It couldn’t be. Eden couldn’t be gone.
Sean fought to focus. “You said Maverick was at her sister’s place?”
Santee nodded. “Apparently, she wasn’t sure she could safely pilot and refuel the boat alone with a toddler on board.”
Thank God.
Walcott’s gaze was on the charts. “We all know that Eden is smart and resourceful. There’s a chance she tossed the EPIRB overboard to alert us that something was wrong. Crane told his buddies that he wanted to steal a boat and get to Homer, is that correct?”
Santee nodded. “I’ve since learned that he knows nothing about piloting watercraft. He couldn’t tell the prow of the boat from his asshole. He might have abducted Eden to pilot the boat for him. We’ve alerted the station in Homer. They’re waiting for an FBI team with a hostage negotiator. They’ll deploy if and when we locate the Sea Nymph. We’ve also put out an alert to all boats, asking anyone who sees the Sea Nymph to report its location. There are a lot of people on the water today. Someone is bound to see them.”
Independence Day was the busiest boating day of the year.
Sean wanted to punch something. “So, our plan is for the rescue helo to continue to search the area where the EPIRB was found until they hit critical fuel levels and have to return. Then we’ll wait to see if anyone reports seeing the Sea Nymph. Failing that, we’ll have a welcoming committee waiting for him near Homer. Is that right?”
“If you’ve got any other ideas, right now is the time to share them.” Santee waited while Sean ran options through his mind.
“We could calculate where the boat might be now by using the time of the EPIRB signal and the craft’s average miles per hour. Then we could send out another helo.”
Captain Walcott shook his head. “With this storm heading our way, we can’t afford to exhaust our SAR resources without knowing where she is. If she’s still on the boat, this is a hostage situation, and that’s not part of our mission at Air Station Kodiak. Until or unless we hear that the boat has been spotted and is in trouble, there’s nothing else we can do.”
Sean had to clench his teeth to keep himself from saying something he’d regret. But he’d never felt more helpless in his life.
* * *
Eden watchedthe charts on her screen and went as slowly as she could, trying to keep her speed under thirty miles per hour and fighting not to give in to despair. Had her sisters reported her missing? Had the EPIRB sent its signal? Did Sean know she’d been abducted?
At least Maverick was safe.
She’d gotten over her fear of Charlie—for now. He needed her to pilot the boat. It was the storm that scared her. She’d never piloted a boat through open ocean in seventy-knot winds. And if they made it to Homer, what would happen then? What was to stop Charlie from killing her when he no longer needed her?
There was a small Coast Guard station in Homer. Did Charlie know that?
The thought gave Eden hope. But she needed to find a way to signal the station. If only Charlie would go back inside the cabin, she could call over the radio, give them her location. But he sat on the seat to her left, keeping an eye on her and periodically checking the screen to make sure she was headed in the right direction.
She kept up the conversation, focusing on their family ties. “You should have seen Auntie Evelyn when she heard what you’d done. She couldn’t stop crying.”
“She cries over everything.”
