Reaching over, Brantley clicked off the lamp on the stand between the two beds. He’d already set his alarm for six since they were still on central time, figuring that would be the perfect time to head out. If all went well—and he prayed like hell it did—they’d have Kate safe and sound by the time the sun went down and Juliet Prince would be behind bars.
Chapter Fifteen
The next day was spent driving, chowing down on fast food, and walking endlessly along the beach while showing pictures of Juliet Prince and Kate to people who all claimed to have not seen either the woman or the child. At least the walking helped to offset their shitty food choices, but other than that, it wasn’t doing a whole lot of good.
While they were hitting one wall after another, Brantley wasn’t giving up hope. He wasn’t allowing himself to be discouraged. Doing so wouldn’t help Kate in the long run and that was his only motivation. Finding the little girl, bringing her safely home to her mother and fathers.
It felt as though they’d been driving for an eternity, when in reality, they’d managed to travel a full twenty miles of coastline, the majority of which was spent walking, then backtracking to the Tahoe only to drive down a ways and do it all again. Thankfully, the weather was nice, not unusually hot for mid-September because it was about ten degrees cooler than back in Coyote Ridge. Of course, the humidity was ridiculous, as were the brief, infrequent rain showers thanks to the moisture pulled in from the gulf.
Back in the Tahoe, they’d just driven the Bay St. Louis Bridge via US 90 heading toward the Hollywood Casino Gulf Coast thanks to a lead passed to them by JJ. According to a tip, someone had spotted a woman and child who resembled Juliet and Kate. While JJ hadn’t divulged how she’d come to learn of this tip, Brantley wasn’t ready to discredit her considering her track record, so they’d packed it up and were on their way.
“It’s like we’re lookin’ for a very specific needle in a stack of needles,” Reese grumbled, speaking up for the first time since they’d gotten in the SUV. “How’re Travis and them?”
“Hangin’ in there,” he said, recalling the conversation he’d had with his cousin a few minutes ago. “They’re alerting the Bay St. Louis Police Department, cluing them into the Amber Alert and the possible sighting.”
“With any luck, they’ll be able to help us,” Reese stated.
Yeah, that was the plan. But unless they were willing to go door to door, Brantley didn’t see this being an easy trek.
“You think she’d bring a kid to a casino?”
“If it means keeping a low profile, maybe,” he mused.
Reese grunted. “I’m not buyin’ it. If I’m this woman and I’ve just abducted the kid of a high-profile resort owner who has friends in high and low places, I’m not venturing out into the open. A few months from now, maybe. Right now, I’m hidin’ out somewhere, ensuring no one finds me or the kid.”
That was a damn good point. “So what’re you thinkin’?”
“My bet’s on her rentin’ a place,” Reese said. “Maybe near the beach if she’s as keen on it as JJ says. A condo or a beach house. She’s got to blend, so it’ll be in a rural area. Not too many neighbors to ask a lot of questions. She won’t want them chattin’ up her kid, findin’ out Kate’s not really hers.”
Brantley pulled off his sunglasses, glanced over at Reese. “Go on.”
“JJ said there were a couple of calls made to Juliet’s parents that pinged off a cell tower near Diamondhead.” Reese had his cell phone in hand, a map pulled up on the screen. “Looks to be a small town. And with its proximity to the Hollywood Casino, it’s possible someone around here did see her.”
“Put in an address,” Brantley instructed, nodding toward the navigation screen.
“Roughly half an hour drive,” Reese said as he keyed in the information.
A hop, skip, and a jump from where they were. But with night falling soon, Brantley doubted they’d cover much ground. However, that didn’t mean they couldn’t scope out the area so they could start their search at first light.
“I say we go in here,” he told Reese, nodding toward the hotel in front of them. “Show the pictures just to tie up loose ends, make sure no one’s seen them. Then we’ll head that way, grab some dinner, drive through the town, see what we can find.”
“Works for me.”
“Why don’t I go in. You call JJ, let her know what the plan is. See if she can do some diggin’ on rentals in the area. Maybe find something that’s been leased recently. She might’ve found a place before she made her move, ensuring she had a safe place to go back to.”
