“Get lost, Tammy! This doesn’t concern you.” Greg didn’t even glance behind him.
Cate wanted to punch him.
Tammy vanished.
“Why are you here in person this time?” asked Greg. “Usually I get a phone call.”
Cate smiled sweetly and threw a bomb into the discussion. “We have new evidence indicating that Jade died in Rich’s care.”
Greg didn’t flinch.
He already knew that.
“What evidence?” he blurted out.
“It’s not available to the public,” said Isla. “Rich may be facing murder charges in addition to kidnapping.”
“You can’t kidnap your own kid!” Greg shoved his hands in his pockets and slouched against the doorjamb.
“He withheld medical care that resulted in her death,” added Isla.
Greg moved his glasses to the top of his head and rubbed his chin, his focus beyond the agents.
He’s uncomfortable. Good.
“I haven’t heard from him since he left,” Greg said. “He knows how to live off the land, you know. And he’s as stubborn as all hell. If you haven’t found him in seven years, you might as well give it up.”
“We’re stubborn too,” answered Cate. “Especially when children are involved. We aren’t anywhere near giving up.”
“Well, I said my piece. Now get off my property.” He stepped back and moved to shut the door.
“It’s a rental,” Isla snapped just before the door slammed in their faces.
She and Cate moved down the concrete steps. “Think we poked him enough?” asked Isla.
“I think so. The wireless carrier will let the FBI know if he makes any phone calls in the next hour.”
“He might use the girlfriend’s phone,” said Isla, tapping on her cell phone as they walked. “Tammy, right? I’ll find her last name and get her wireless information.”
Cate stopped to rub the foreheads of two very curious cows who had watched the entire conversation with Greg. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something move. Turning slightly, she saw Tammy watching them from a window.
Hmm.
Cate dug in the inner pocket of her blazer. She’d discovered old business cards when she’d put on the jacket that morning and stared for a long moment at her name in crisp letters under the FBI logo, a mix of emotions flooding her. The agency had been part of her identity for a long time. It’d been hard to cut away that piece of herself.
She still had an empty hole that hadn’t healed over.
But it was much smaller than it had been.
Cate scribbled her cell number on a card and shoved it into a crack in the fence and looked at Tammy again. The woman was still watching.
Isla noticed the woman. “Maybe she’ll call,” Isla said under her breath.
“Worth a shot,” said Cate. “Having a boyfriend who’s a nonstop asshole tends to wear on a person.”
“Agreed.”
“Let’s go,” said Cate. “I want to get back to the island. My stomach feels loopy.”
“Do you need something for it?” asked Isla.
“Nope. I just need to go home.” Cate exhaled, and a small part of her tension started to fade.
Stepping onto the island would take care of the rest.
Cate waited for Tessa outside the Cascade Café and seriously considered getting one of their dutch baby pancakes to go, even though it was almost dinnertime. Or maybe two pancakes. But she knew they wouldn’t taste nearly as good by the time she got them home. They were best fresh out of the café’s ovens, with plenty of butter, powdered sugar, and lemon. The smell of a freshly baked one teased her again, and she moved away a few steps.