Page 48 of Landon

Two pairs of boxer briefs, socks, khaki pants, and a denim shirt were inside, along with a toiletry kit. Upon examination, he found nothing untoward, even after unscrewing and sniffing the shampoo and toothpaste. It wasn't until he sniffed the small travel bottle of generic aftershave that his eyes widened. He didn’t know how to identify poison by scent, but he’d bet his leftnut that whatever was in the bottle wasn’t aftershave unless a musty odor was what Mike wanted to smell like.

It wouldn't have been hard for Mike to slip something into Pamela's drink after the rest of them had gotten into the vehicle to head to the airport. By the time she drank and then died, the kids would be off the island and on their way to Montana. Once there, the family would have been able to control the narrative of how their mom died.

He returned the bottle to the toiletry kit and settled it into the overnight flight bag. Zipping it, he grabbed the bag and the jacket and carried them out of the bedroom. Instead of returning to the kitchen, he moved through the laundry room and hustled around the house while making a quick call to Frazier. “Meet me at the SUV.”

He stowed the bag and explained what he'd found. “I want the vehicle locked at all times.”

Frazier agreed and checked the doors once the key fob was clicked. “By the way, Todd checked Mike’s phone records. His phone wasn’t used close to the time he had his heart attack.”

Landon let out a muffled curse. “Burner. He must have had a fuckin’ burner.”

“Think it’s in the garden or patio?”

“I’ll check. Has Cole been notified?”

Frazier nodded. “He’s on standby.”

Landon looked around. “Where the fuck is Roger? He wasn’t with us when Mike was taken away.”

“Shit, man, I don’t know,” Frazier groaned.

“Goddammit!” Landon cursed, walking back into the house to look for the burner phone Mike may have been using. Noel and the kids were still upstairs. Pamela stood on the path leading to the beach, chatting with a silver-haired man who appeared enamored with her. Landon slipped to the patio and searched the garden surrounding the area closest to where Mike hadfallen. It wasn’t hard to find a mobile phone lying just under a palm plant. It also wasn’t difficult to determine it was a burner. He pocketed the phone, then walked inside.

Devil walked to Landon. “What’s up?”

“Where is Roger?”

Devil jerked. “I thought he was in his room.”

“He’s not.” Landon grabbed his phone. “Sadie, can you check the cameras now that they are working? Tell me if you see Roger leaving the area.”

“Give me a second.” After a pause, she said, “He left by the back door when the rest of you were on the patio dealing with Mike. He was alone and disappeared into the jungle with a case in his hand.”

Landon scrubbed his hand over his face, wondering if the mission fuckups were ever going to end. “Okay, see if you can discover when and where he was picked up. I’ll contact the police commissioner, and they can search for him. Get Todd to check any correspondence between Roger and Horticia. They’ve been chummy yet noticeably scarce since the kids came back. And I have the burner.”

“Give it to me, and I’ll at least send what information I can to Todd,” Devil said.

“Think they arranged the kidnapping?” Sadie asked.

“The kidnappers asked for half a million, the exact amount that I had for Pamela. It was an inside job. I want to know all about him. We’ve got Horticia here. I’ll have the police lean on her.”

Disconnecting, Landon then called the police commissioner. After giving him the information on Roger and Horticia, the chief agreed that they would search for Roger. Walking back to the kitchen, he watched as Horticia appeared to fade into the background, but the officer who’d been assigned to the house stayed right with her.

Landon’s phone vibrated. When he looked at the caller ID, his brow knit as he answered. “This is Landon Sommers.” He dropped his chin to his chest as he listened to the news. It just kept getting worse and worse. Thanking the caller, he looked up at Frazier, then at Devil, who walked over. “That was the hospital. The police commissioner gave them my number when Mike was taken in as the person to notify. He didn’t make it.”

“Goddamn,” Devil cursed, shaking his head.

For a long moment, the three stood in silence. Finally, Landon said, “I’m going in to talk to the kids and Noel. We may need to stay the night. No way do I want to upset Penny and Tad any more by pulling them away when they’re this upset.”

“Do you want me to call the Fugates?” Frazier asked.

Landon nodded. “Tell them only what happened and who they can contact at the hospital. I had already talked to Stan to let him know that Pamela had changed her decision to sign any new paperwork. I’m now leaving that between them and their attorney. Our assignment is to get the kids home safely. Devil, talk to Logan and let him know what’s happening. Then get ahold of Cole.” He scrubbed his hand over his face. “Jesus, what a mess.”

With Devil and Frazier heading off to take care of calls, Landon walked back into the house. The atmosphere was heavy, charged with unspoken tension. In the family room, Pamela sat rigidly on the sofa, a cup of tea cradled in her hands. Her lips were drawn into a tight line, her eyes narrowing as she met his gaze.

“I suppose you think I should be upset, right?” she bit out, her voice sharp.

Landon’s expression remained unreadable, but his tone was firm. “Pamela, you always seem to believe the world revolves around you. Let me assure you, I don’t care how you feel aboutthis situation. What I do care about is talking to Tad and Penny about a man they’ve trusted their entire lives.”

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