Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Gabe’s thoughts whirled as he stared at the computer screen. He was so close to uncovering the truth. The final piece of the puzzle hung just out of reach. He stared at the screen so long the numbers and letters blurred. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to clear his head.

“Gabe? Can you tell me more about this gaming software?” Cassidy asked.

“Not really.” He opened his eyes and focused on her anxious expression. “Let’s take a moment to review the facts. Travis is a gamer and so is this guy, Miles Wayland. Maybe they met on the Dorian site. I can log in and check any communication that’s public. But if they were in touch on the site in private, that will be more difficult to find.”

“Okay, that’s good to know.” She smiled encouragingly. “Do you think Travis sent you this code?”

“I believe so, although I’m not sure why. But if he did, Travis may have done that via the same site.” He turned and quickly brought up the Dorian gaming site. He typed in the password that came to his fingertips, but it didn’t work.

He frowned, sitting back in his chair. He needed to think this through. The last thing he wanted to do was to lock himself out by trying every password under the sun. He could go the password recovery route, but he didn’t have a phone to verify his account.

Then he remembered his phone password, using Cassidy’s name. He leaned forward, took a deep breath, and typed in Cassha$myheart .

It worked! He sent up a silent prayer of thanks as he quickly checked his messages.

“Is that the Dorian site?” Cass leaned over his shoulder to see the screen. “I’ve never heard of a specific site just for gamers.”

“It’s quite the community.” He scrolled through the list to find the most recent messages from Travis. His heart thumped against his chest as he saw there were several messages from his half brother. “This is the message in which Travis sent the code.” He scanned the cryptic message accompanying the document. “Seems he has concerns about the security of the game.”

“Security?” Cass sounded skeptical. “That doesn’t seem like something important enough to kill for.”

“Maybe the computer software company thinks Travis was stealing their technology.” He wished the messages were clearer, but it was obvious that Travis hadn’t wanted to put the details in writing. Which was probably smart, as someone figured out what Travis was up to anyway.

“Okay, check this Miles Wayland guy, see if you can find his posts,” Cass urged. “Maybe that will give us more information to go on.”

He found Miles Wayland, but there were few public posts and nothing specific about gaming security. Although Wayland did mention the game Sorcerer’s Sword. A chill snaked down his spine as he brought up the code he’d stored on the USB drive.

Was this the security system for Sorcerer’s Sword, the hottest computer game to hit the stores in over a year? And if so, why had Travis been concerned? Was there malware embedded in the code?

Yet that didn’t make sense. Gaming software was set up to get gamers hooked on making their way from one level to the next. The goal was to have the consumer invest time and energy playing it. Some companies even sold advertising that provided additional income to the company. If there was a hint of computers going down after playing the game, the entire gaming community would get the word out, and everyone would stop buying the product.

He was missing something, but what? Gabe rubbed his eyes, battling weariness. The sleep he’d gotten didn’t seem nearly enough now that the rest of the day was looming before them.

“I found Miles Wayland’s address,” Cassidy said. “I need to talk to Rhy about getting a search warrant. It’s a long shot. I’m not sure seeing his vehicle last night and having him on the same gaming site as Travis—along with a million other users—will be enough.”

“Try ten million users and more jumping on the site every day,” he said. The way some facts popped into his mind was a little annoying. He needed to know what he and Travis had been concerned about regarding the Sorcerer’s Sword game.

“I wonder if my stepsiblings Ben and Brian Hamilton are on there.” She waved a hand at his computer screen. “I assume so as they are big into computer games.” Was there a hint of derision in her tone?

He told himself not to overact. He performed a quick search and nodded. “Yep, both of them are.”

Her brow furrowed. “Do you think they’re in danger?”

“I doubt it,” he hastened to assure her. “They took Travis and have targeted me for a reason. I don’t think other users are at risk.” Yet as he said the words, he noticed both were discussing the merits of the game and their plans to purchase it. Was he wrong about the danger? He prayed he wasn’t. He noticed another user with the code name Axe had attacked Travis’s post about the security, claiming it was ridiculous.

“You’re probably right.” She shook her head. “Honestly, I’m still trying to understand why any game would cause gunmen to find and try to kill you.”

“I agree, it doesn’t make sense. But I’m sure we’ll know more once we find Travis.” That gave him a thought. He pulled up another program and did a search on Miles Wayland.

“What program are you using? I don’t think I have access to it,” Cassidy said with a frown.

“Yeah, you wouldn’t,” he said absently. He nodded with satisfaction when he found what he was looking for. “Here, these are Miles’s parents, Gordan and Joanna Wayland. Now I’ll run a property search on them.” As he spoke, his fingers played the keyboard. It took a minute for the results to bloom on the page.

Again, Cassidy leaned over his shoulder, so close he could turn his head and kiss her. He forced himself to focus on the screen. “They own a house in Brookland, which is interesting. And they own a small house on Newport Lake. It’s a much smaller lake than Peabody Lake or the other more popular lakes nearby. But it’s also not far, only thirty minutes from their home in Brookland.”

“Good to know,” Cassidy said. “I think we should get out to the lake house to see if Travis is there. First, I need to call Rhy to fill him in.”

He nodded in understanding. The hour was barely six, but with a pregnant wife and small child, their boss would likely be up. And it would be good to know if they were able to get the search warrant. If not, they could still head out to search for Travis, but they’d be trespassing on private property.

Not that he cared about breaking that law. Gaming was a connection between Miles and Travis, and they saw Miles’s SUV near the restaurant where they’d found the phone used to call his desk. In his mind, that was more than enough to take action.

Lawyers could take a long walk off a short pier , he thought darkly. His brother’s life was at stake. He wasn’t going to stand around and wait for the slow wheel of justice to turn in his favor.

“Yeah, sure Rhy. We’ll wait for you to get here.” Cassidy sent him an apologetic look. “Talk soon.” She ended the call.

“We’re wasting time,” he said. “We need to get to that lake house.”

“And we will,” she assured him. “But Rhy wants to see if we can get a judge to approve the search warrant first.”

He shook his head and rose to his feet. “Sorry, Cass, but I’m not waiting. They could be on the move again in the daylight. If the place is empty, then there’s no point in getting a search warrant.”

She held his gaze for a long moment then slowly nodded. “I see your point. But I need a few minutes. I think we need one more cop to ride along in case we’re outnumbered.”

He swallowed his protest and nodded. Finding Travis was important but so was keeping Cassidy safe. “We’ll take our vests too,” he said, reaching for the one he’d worn a few hours ago.

“Hey, Jina, do you have time to run down a lead on Gabe’s missing brother?” Cassidy listened for a moment, then said, “Great. You’re closer to Newport Lake than we are, so meet us there in say thirty minutes. Wear your tactical gear since we don’t know what we’re walking into. Thanks.” She lowered the phone. “Let’s go before Rhy can stop us.”

He hated putting her career in jeopardy, but that didn’t stop him from shrugging into his coat, tugging it over the vest. Then he picked up the laptop, for no other reason than he felt naked without it. “I’m ready.”

She nodded, having already donned her vest and jacket. They quickly headed toward the side exit. He didn’t realize he was holding his breath until they reached the rental vehicle. He sighed and snapped the seat belt into place, relieved they’d gotten away clean.

Cass didn’t say much. The hour was early enough that they weren’t hampered by rush-hour traffic. He wanted to keep looking through the gaming software but decided to rest his eyes and his injured brain.

Please, Lord Jesus, restore my memory! Guide us to Travis and keep him safe in Your care.

A sense of peace washed over him. Praying came more naturally now, either because of Cassidy’s influence or because he’d attended church prior to his concussion. Either way, he needed every ounce of the Lord’s support and comfort now more than ever.

“When we find Travis, I’d like you to give him the benefit of doubt,” he said, breaking the silence. “He may have started off as a willing accomplice, but his phone call indicates he’s in trouble.”

“Of course.” She shot him a sideways glance. “We don’t arrest people willy-nilly. We need probable cause. Besides Travis is underage and has been reported missing by his mother. Unless he pulls a gun and shoots at us, there’s no reason to arrest him.”

“Thanks.” He couldn’t imagine Travis shooting at them, but he also wasn’t sure what this was about. As Cassidy had pointed out several times, it made no sense why anyone kill him over a video game.

Twenty-five minutes later, he saw the sign for Newport Lake. He straightened in his seat and eyed the addresses. “We’re getting close,” he said as they passed mailboxes perched on the end of driveways. “There! That’s the one.”

Cass glanced at the small brown cottage associated with the address he’d provided. She drove past the place, which didn’t surprise him. Three houses down, she pulled over and parked. “I didn’t see a car in the driveway, did you?”

“No. But there is a garage, could be that the blue SUV belonging to Miles is parked inside.” He unlatched his seatbelt. “Your plan is to approach the place on foot?”

“Yes, but you need to stay here.” Cassidy shut off the engine. “Jina and I will go up to the door.”

“Travis is my brother,” he protested, but Cassidy pierced him with a narrow look.

“Nonnegotiable, Gabe. If you don’t stay here, then I’ll drive back to the precinct to wait for a warrant.”

A warrant they may not get. Frustrated, he grudgingly nodded. “Okay, fine. I’ll stay here.” What he didn’t add was that if he heard any sounds of trouble, like gunshots, he’d be out of the car and on scene faster than she could blink.

“I mean it,” she said, sliding out from behind the wheel. “Rhy will kill me if anything happens to you.”

Annoyed, he scowled but stayed in his seat. He took note of the time, six-forty-two in the morning. He decided he’d give her a solid fifteen minutes before bailing on his promise and heading out to join her and Jina.

It would be the longest fifteen minutes of his life.

Cass was glad the sky was overcast and that the sun wouldn’t rise for another thirty minutes or so. This close to the winter solstice meant long nights and short days.

A fact that worked in her favor.

As she headed toward the brown cabin, she paused when she saw headlights growing brighter as a vehicle approached. Lifting a hand to ward off the brightness, she relaxed when she recognized Jina’s SUV.

Her teammate pulled off to the side of the road and lowered her window. “See anything yet?”

“No car in the driveway,” Cass confirmed. “It’s that brown house up ahead.”

“I’m ready.” Jina raised the window and shut down the car. She slid out and quickly joined Cass. “You really think Travis is being held here?”

“There’s only one way to find out.” Cass gestured toward the driveway. “Let’s not take the direct approach yet. I’d rather we split up and get close to the house, see if anyone is inside.”

“Works for me.” Jina grinned, never one to be afraid of a confrontation. “I’ll take the east; you take the west.”

Cass nodded, and they quickly broke apart to head off in opposite directions.

There was some foliage along the sides of the driveway, which helped keep her in the shadows. She held her service weapon ready as she covered the distance to the house. There she paused, giving Jina time to get in position.

She didn’t see any lights on inside, but it was also early. Her stepbrothers slept till noon on weekends, and if Miles and Travis had been out at the restaurant last night, they were likely still sound asleep.

The garage was on Jina’s side, so she didn’t have a chance to look inside. She kept her attention focused on the windows lining the side of the house closest to her. Beyond that, she caught a glimpse of the serene lake. The water along the shoreline was iced over, but the weather hadn’t been cold enough to freeze the deeper areas. That would come in January and February, she knew.

The first window she reached was a bedroom. Disappointed to find it was covered with curtains, she moved onto the next. That was also covered, so she crept to the front corner of the house. Surely the windows facing the lake would not be shrouded in drapes.

She peered around the corner to the backyard. On the opposite side of the small home, she saw Jina doing the same.

Her colleague shook her head, indicating she hadn’t seen anyone. Cass shook her head too, then eased around the corner to sidle up to the next window. As she’d anticipated, this one did not have curtains pulled across the opening. She scanned the interior, but unlike the mess at the restaurant, there were no empty wrappers or dirty dishes lying around.

On the other side, Jina was approaching the window closest to her. Then she gestured for Cass to join her.

Bending at the waist to avoid being seen, she moved quickly to Jina’s side.

“Looks like computer gaming devices on the living room table,” Jina whispered in her ear.

Cass nodded, seeing them for herself. The handheld gaming controls weren’t necessarily proof that Travis and Miles were inside. Still, she felt certain they had been there, and recently.

“Did you see an SUV in the garage?” she asked in a low voice

“Negative,” Jina whispered back. “It’s empty.”

She pursed her lips, realizing Miles and Travis must not have come back here for the night, as she’d hoped. “What do you think? Should we go back to the front and announce ourselves? We don’t have probable cause to break in.”

“Can’t hurt,” Jina agreed with a shrug. “Right behind you.”

Cass took the lead, going around the corner to reach the front of the property. As she passed by the windows, she noted that like the others there were curtains covering the opening. The boys could have ditched the SUV somewhere close and walked there, but it didn’t seem likely.

As she approached the front door, twin headlights cut through the darkness. On instinct, she and Jina turned and darted back to the far east side of the property, seeking cover behind the garage.

The lights drove past, likely someone heading to the day job. She felt foolish for overreacting, but Jina patted her shoulder.

“Time for take two,” her friend whispered in a teasing tone.

She offered a rueful smile and waited for the lights to dim in the distance, before heading back out to the front yard. In silent agreement, she stood to one side of the door while Jina took the other. More than once, bad guys had fired through doors to deter cops from coming inside.

At close range, a bullet to the chest even while wearing a vest could be deadly.

She knocked sharply on the door. “Miles Wayland? We’re with the police! I need you to open the door and come out with your hands up over your head!”

There was nothing but silence. She hadn’t heard any movement from inside, but the cottage could be well insulated.

She tried again. “Police! Open the door and come out with your hands up!”

Still nothing. Her shoulders slumped as she glanced at Jina. Her friend shrugged, indicating there wasn’t much more they could do.

Cass was about to try one last time when another pair of headlights pierced the early morning darkness. Newport Lake was far enough from the bigger cities that the ambient light was much less than what she was used to.

She hesitated, unwilling to look foolish, but Jina reached out, grabbed her arm, and tugged. Following the wordless command, she darted across the front yard to once again seek refuge behind the garage.

The lights grew brighter, and she found herself holding her breath as they did not pass by. Instead, she heard the low rumble of the garage door opening.

She frowned at Jina, who looked just as surprised as she was by the unexpected arrival of either Miles, Travis and others, or the property owners themselves.

She and Jina waited for long seconds as the car pulled into the garage. Only once the garage door closed did she lean forward to whisper, “I think we should check the windows again. I need to know if Travis is inside.”

Jina nodded and gestured to the side of the house. “You stay here. I’ll go around to the other side.”

She nodded and moved forward along the side of the house. None of the windows were lit up from the inside, but as she reached the corner of the house that overlooked the lake, it was easy to see someone had entered the living room and kitchen areas.

In three steps, she was at the window peering in. She saw a tall skinny guy with dark hair standing with his back to the window. He gestured wildly, as if arguing over something.

Or someone?

She pictured Miles Wayland’s driver’s license photo in her mind. Long, shaggy dark hair, tall and thin. That had to be him, although it was hard to say for sure with his back to her.

Ducking so that she was below the windowsill, she quickly moved to the next window, desperate to see if Travis was there too.

Taking a deep breath, she edged closer and took a quick look. To her disappointment, she saw an older man, not Travis.

Miles’s father? Or someone else?

She glanced at Jina who held her hands palm up as if to say, Your call on our next steps . There was no way to know if Travis was being held at another location or if Miles Wayland wasn’t involved at all.

No, her gut told her they were on the right track. She bent so as not to be seen from those inside and ran toward Jina.

“Let’s go knock again,” she said. “We know for sure they’re home.”

“I’m in,” Jina said with a nod.

Less than a minute later, she was back on the front porch, standing off to the side as Jina did the same. She hadn’t seen a weapon in the occupant’s hands, but that didn’t mean they weren’t armed.

“Police!” Cass shouted as she pounded on the door. “Open up! We’re looking for Miles Wayland!”

From the corner of her eye, she saw Gabe running toward them. She scowled and waved him back as the porch light flicked on, and the front door opened. It was the older man who stood there, his expression pulled into a scowl.

“What do you want?” he demanded, speaking through the screen door. “Let me see your badge!”

Cass pulled hers out and showed it to him. Jina did the same thing. “Are you Gordon Wayland? We need to speak to your son, Miles.” When the older man hesitated, she quickly added, “Don’t lie to us, sir. We know Miles is here because we saw him inside. We’re not leaving until we talk to him.”

The older man scowled, then stepped back. “Miles,” he called in a resigned tone. “You better talk to them.”

Cassidy slipped her badge back into her pocket, readying herself in case the kid decided to run. He wouldn’t get far, but she really hated it when the perps made her chase after them. It was a surefire way for one or both of them to get injured.

“What?” The tall skinny man with dark shaggy hair sidled up to the door, his expression a mixture of anger, anxiety, and fear.

Good , she thought with a surge of satisfaction. He should be wary if he’s involved in this. “Miles Wayland?” she asked. When he reluctantly nodded, she said, “Please step outside. We have a few questions for you.”

“Why? Am I under arrest?” His tone was sulky, as if he was being grounded from playing video games.

She arched a brow. “I don’t know, should you be? We need to know the whereabouts of a missing teenager. And we know you were in communication with him.”

Miles stiffened, then said. “I don’t know anything about Travis. And if I’m not under arrest, I don’t have to talk to you.”

“Wrong answer, Miles,” Jina drawled. “You admitted to knowing Travis, and that gives us probable cause to arrest you.”

Cass pulled open the screen door, and thankfully, Miles wasn’t quick enough to stop her. Elbowing the door aside, she reached out and grabbed his arm. Yanking hard, she pulled him down onto the porch. “Miles Wayland, you’re under arrest for endangering the welfare of a minor. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.” She pushed his lean frame up against the side of the house, waiting for Jina to bring her handcuffs over to secure his wrists. “You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, an attorney will be provided at no cost to you.”

“Hey, wait!” the older man protested. “You can’t do that. I’m his father, you can’t just take him away.”

“Mr. Wayland, Miles is an adult, and therefore, you have no say over the matter.” She eyed him thoughtfully. “Unless you’re involved in Travis’s disappearance too?”

“Of course not,” Gordon denied hotly. “This is ridiculous. Miles, don’t say anything until I can hire a lawyer.”

“Mr. Wayland, we need to make sure Travis isn’t in the house, the garage, or the car.” Cassidy kept her voice firm, not asking for permission so much as telling him what she wanted.

“Go ahead,” Gordon said, throwing his hands out. “He’s not here. We just arrived ourselves.”

The grimace on Miles’s face told her he might know more than he’s letting on. She pushed him toward Jina and then headed inside.

The search didn’t take long. The place was empty. If Travis had been there, he wasn’t any longer.

She caught Gabe’s agonized expression when she returned without his brother. She felt bad for him, knowing that they needed to convince Miles to talk if they had any hope of finding Travis.