Page 45 of Mystery at Rescue Ridge

“I will,” she promised.At least one promise might not be broken today.

Travis was already in the farmhouse.The door was unlocked, so Owen opened it and walked inside.Travis glanced up at Owen the second he walked in the door.

“I’ve blasted a Missing Persons Report on Evie.”He put a hand up.“Before you say anything, I was clear about the person she was with being considered armed and dangerous with aDo Not Approachcaution.I also issued a BOLO (Be On the Look Out) for Lawrence Diebold.Based on the images in his bedroom and the information found on his computer, he has created a fantasy he fully intends to live out.”

“Is he aware that he has the wrong person?”

Travis shook his head.“I doubt it would matter to him at this point.He has built this up in his mind so much that he isn’t going to let a detail like that get in the way.He’s likely to refuse to believe Evie isn’t actually Simone.If she insists she’s not, he might become agitated and…” Travis glanced down at the table where he’d been scribbling notes on a yellow legal pad.“You get the drift.”

Owen joined Travis at the table.

Travis lifted his gaze.“Your sister texted to see if someone could check on you at the lake.Said you’re on a solo fishing trip.”

“I was supposed to be.”

“As soon as she heard about the BOLO, she texted.Said she tried to text you with no response.”

“That reminds me.”Owen fished out his cell and then walked over to the bar-height counter to plug it in.“Evie gave me her phone.”Meaning she was stuck out in the woods somewhere or in a vehicle with no way to reach out or be tracked via her phone’s GPS.

“I realize that, but he would have taken it away from her anyway and most likely sent us on a wild goose chase in the process.It doesn’t make a difference in finding her.”

Owen should be relieved, but this wasn’t exactly good news.It fell into the category ofnot exactly bad news.Either way, Evie was still in the clutches of a deranged asshole.

Taking a deep breath, he checked his phone’s screen as it lit up with message notices.Ping.Ping.Ping.Ping.

The family group chat was lighting up with messages checking in on Owen.He couldn’t ask Travis to lie for him, so he made a decision.“I’ll give them a quick update and let them know that I’m fine.I’ll text my sister first.”

“She would appreciate hearing from you,” Travis said.

It still shocked Owen that his baby sister was all grown up now with a child of her own.She’d been a kid when he’d taken off, and weirdly, he was still getting used to the fact she wasn’t still a child like when he’d left.

The idea of her worrying about him instead of the other way around struck him, too.

The text was short.It basically said he was fine and helping Travis in the search for Evie.The dots, the telltale sign of a response, appeared and then disappeared.Chloe had started typing, then stopped.

Her response came back:Just be careful.Please.

He responded with:You know I will.

Travis gave an approving nod when Owen returned to the table.

“This guy is obsessed.”

Travis nodded.“Does he have a criminal record?”

“No,” Travis said.“He’s twenty-six years old and has spent much of his young life in his room playing video games.He listens to hate-rap and seems to have been spinning out in recent months based on long rants on his social media, where he posts under the name,hotgamerman.He has increasingly become disrespectful and belligerent with his posts about how women should learn their place.”

“Why aren’t people’s posts tracked to head something like this off?”

“We don’t have the kind of resources in law enforcement to keep track of every social media account.Unless someone comes up as part of a bigger investigation, we have no reason to monitor their account, let alone know it exists.”

“Understood.”Law enforcement resources were stretched thin.He got it.They couldn’t be everywhere.

With so little to go on, how in the hell were they ever going to find Evie?

If Evie was destinedto die by the hands of this asshole, she had no plans to go down without a fight.She’d failed to escape Lawrence’s clutches.She’d had to do everything he’d said or risk him tapping the screen that would blow Joann to bits.He’d ensured she would be complicit with the threat of killing the game warden.Evie had failed to figure out how to get away without risking Joann.

Now, she was living an abductee’s nightmare.She’d been taken to a secondary location that was even more secure.Lawrence had had time to convert this barn into a torture chamber where he seemed intent on playing out his degraded sexual fantasies.

---