“Yes.” He never left home without it.
Dylan could see the anxiety on Michael’s face, and said, “She’s going to be all right.”
“Yeah? How do you know that?”
“Do the math,” he said. “Her plane took off at five thirty this morning, and it’s a six-hour flight.
She arrived in Edinburgh at eleven thirty this morning our time. So she’s just getting off the plane. It’s four thirty in the afternoon there. She hasn’t been there long enough for anyone to get to her.”
It was a prayer and a hope, but Michael wanted to believe the men who were after her didn’t know she was in Edinburgh.
Nick held out his hand. “Dylan, give me your phone. I’ll see if I can reach her.”
Everyone in the room watched in silence as Nick held the phone to his ear. After several anxious seconds, he handed the phone back to Dylan. “Her phone isn’t connected.”
Isabel wasn’t making it easy for them to find her. She had probably forgotten to turn on her phone when she got off the plane, and if that was the case, as soon as she did turn it on, Nick could track her.
Everyone believed Isabel wasn’t in immediate danger—everyone but Michael—and each had a theory as to her whereabouts. Noah thought she might have checked into a hotel near the airport and was so exhausted she went to bed. With Everett’s help he gained access to her credit card account but found no charges had been made yet.
Dylan was hopeful. He had given Isabel the name of the company that supplied drivers throughout Scotland and knew they had offices in Edinburgh. If she was being sensible, she had contacted one of them and was now with a responsible driver. Three phone calls later, however, his hopes were dashed when he found out she hadn’t hired a driver. She had rented a car—a car without GPS—and had taken off for parts unknown. At that news, Dylan started praying for the people of Scotland, too.
Michael’s outlook was even more pessimistic. He thought Isabel might have driven into the North Sea. Driving up into the Highlands all alone was just plain crazy. He pictured her trying to navigate those narrow roads in Scotland and shuddered. That wasn’t his only worry. There were also the overzealous fans who all wanted a piece of her. If she was recognized—and there had been so much Internet exposure after her performance with XO, he was sure she would be—she’d be run over.
The Buchanan kitchen quickly turned into an operations room, each of the men making calls to anyone who could help locate Isabel. Nick and Noah even had the FBI’s contacts in Scotland and England searching for her. With all of their resources, they were confident she would be found quickly.
When they had done all they could to reach her, they faced the biggest worry of all. Who was after her? And why? The bloody device was in her pocket, and she obviously hadn’t known it was there.
The only conclusion that made any sense was that Walsh had somehow put it there. A close examination of the video confirmed it. Nick had saved it on his phone and played it for the others.
Rewinding and slowing the action proved their suspicion. Walsh was clearly reaching for her pocket with something in his hand.
So, who was Walsh really? And what did all of this have to do with the man Isabel shot? The detective lying in the hospital had the answers, and the Buchanans were determined to get him to talk.
Michael couldn’t wait around for the answers to any of these questions. Isabel was in danger, and he had to get to her. He gathered his gear and took off for the airport. He didn’t have any doubt at all that Noah would get him a seat on a flight. As he was striding into the airport, he received a text giving him the name of the airline, the flight number, and his seat assignment, 2A. Michael was also certain that by the time he arrived in Edinburgh, Nick and Noah would have found Isabel and gotten protection for her.
In the meantime, Nick had gone to his office and gathered a team of agents to aid in the search. He then called Detective Samuel and read him what was on the flash drive, followed by an emailed copy.
Samuel was outraged on Isabel’s behalf, but he was also furious with Nick because he hadn’t checked the flash drive the minute he saw it. Nick didn’t defend himself. Samuel was right. He should have checked it no matter how bloody it was. Isabel thought the flash drive was filled with songs she had written, so he had assumed the same. Why wouldn’t he believe her? He wasn’t investigating her, for God’s sake. Still, no amount of justification made his guilt lessen.
On Nathan’s Bay the atmosphere was tense as Dylan waited to get word that Isabel was safe. He had stayed on the island so that he could explain it all to Kate and be there when her sister finally decided to call.