Burn Out (7 page)

"So, it is probable someone picked her
up?" Rachel asked.

“
Probable, yes. We don't
know if she had help, someone took her, or she went on her own.
Anything is possible.” Chief Gladstone wiped his forehead with the
sleeve of his shirt. “Let’s head back.” His heavy frame was soaked
with sweat.

Back at the warehouse, Mack Dixon and
Jeff Stanton were waiting for them. The officer handed Mack the
baggie with the knife in it.

Mack took a look at the pocket knife.
He turned it over slowly in his hand. "Sure looks like Sam's knife.
Her kids gave it to her for Mother's day last year."

“
Sentimental value.
Something she always kept on her?” Rachel asked.

“
She never went anywhere
without it.”

"What about the red
fabric?"

"Have no idea. That could be
anything."

"What was she wearing again when you
last saw her?" Rachel asked.

“
When we came on shift, she
had on civilian clothes. I think she was wearing jeans and a dark
t-shirt. We wear our standard firefighter uniform while on duty,
which is dark navy slacks and work shirt with the fire department
logo,” Mack explained. “Her clothes she wore when she came in that
morning are still in her locker.”

"Well, we do know one thing for sure.
Sam didn’t die in the warehouse fire. She made it to the street
down there. Either on her own or someone got her," Chief Gladstone
said, shaking the evidence bag. “The lab will run for
fingerprints."

Rachel thanked all the volunteers and
went to her truck to grab some water and call Nora to give her an
update. After talking with Nora, she would call in reinforcements.
She scrolled through the phone book on her cell phone and hit the
dial button.

Santa Rosa Beach, Wednesday
noon

Stacy Case was a reporter for the
Miami Sun who befriended Rachel on her last case in the Bahamas. It
didn’t take long for the two to form a friendship. Stacy was good
at her job as a reporter and proved to be a great source of
information. Rachel would describe their relationship as a give and
take. Stacy used her investigative skills to help Rachel with her
cases and Rachel returned the favor by giving Stacy exclusive
interviews on juicy stories.

Rachel had planned on leaving a
message, thinking Stacy wouldn’t answer her phone while on
vacation. She was surprised when Stacy picked up on the first
ring.

"Hey girl, how is your vacation
going?" Rachel asked her.

Stacy was in Arizona at the Canyon
Ranch Spa. Probably soaking up the sun, eating fresh, healthy food,
and taking yoga classes, Rachel thought. She wished she were there
too, getting massages and facials. Canyon Ranch was one of her
favorite spots for R & R.

“
Just reading a book and
then later today taking a hike with Guido.”

“
Guido? Are you serious?”
Rachel laughed.

“
Yeah. He is one of the
fitness instructors. Funny name, but he has a nice ass. What's up
with you?"

"I’m working on a new case. Something
big." Rachel switched the phone to her other ear.

"That's nothing new," Stacy said. "Let
me guess. You need some help."

"Yes, I do. And you know I hate to
bother you, especially while you’re away. Going on hikes with Guido
and stuff."

“
You know me better than
that. I’m itching to get back into things. I’ve been here three
days and to be honest with you – I am going stir crazy. Whatcha
got?"

Stacy was just as much as a workaholic
as she was. Rachel was surprised Stacy even took the time to get
away. She assumed her boss at the Miami Sun had something to do
with it. Stacy got a huge story out of the last case they worked on
together. The missing daughter of Governor John Knowles cracked
Stacy’s career wide open.

"I’m in Santa Rosa Beach, which is up
in north Florida. There is a firefighter missing. Her name is
Samantha Collins. It’s been almost a week since she disappeared and
so far we have squat.”

Rachel heard some rustling on the
other end of the line. "Hang on, I’m getting a pen," Stacy paused.
"Ok, go ahead. Give me something to go on."

Rachel gave her all the details she
knew so far. "I’m really looking for some information on her
husband, Ken Collins. He was a former captain of the Santa Rosa
Beach police department. He was busted this past February for
marijuana possession. Actually, there’s more to it. He was growing
and selling pot out of his backyard and apparently without Sam's
knowledge."

"Yeah, I remember hearing something
about it," Stacy said, writing everything down. “He was partner
with another firefighter and they got busted. It was a big story.
Some guy in my office did the feature on it. I’ll look it
up.”

“
He got busted and was
bonded out along with Paul Hart, his partner. But then Ken did
something to violate his bond. Not sure what, but he is back in
jail awaiting trial.”

“
Ok. Got it. What about the
wife?”

"Samantha Collins. She is now
officially missing," Rachel replied. “It was first assumed she
perished in the fire, but they didn’t find a body. Her helmet was
the only thing found when they did a search of the warehouse.
Today, we did a search around the area and found a pocket knife
which belonged to her.”

"That’s strange. Are you thinking her
husband’s grow operation had something to do with it?"

"Could be. It is very suspicious she
disappeared the week before she was supposed to testify at his
trial.”

"Maybe she ran?"

"Not sure. From everything I heard so
far, from Sam's mom and her friends and co-workers, the trial had a
huge impact on her life. Financially and emotionally. But I think
she was on her husbands' side. They have two kids together. I’m
going this afternoon to the jail and talk to Ken to see what he has
to say.”

"Ok. Let me get on the computer and do
some digging around. I can get on the next flight back to
Florida.”

"I know this goes without
saying..."Rachel started to say.

"Yeah, I know. Keep your name out of
it and keep it quiet." Stacy sighed.

"Thanks, Stace. Travel safe. Call me
when you get in."

Stacy was a hound dog when it came to
tracking down information on someone. If anyone could help her
figure out what happened to Sam, it was Stacy.

Santa Rosa Beach, Wednesday
3:35 PM

This is just like déjà vu, Ken thought
as he made his way back to the visitor’s room. He was anxious of
any news – good or bad – that involved Sam. As he walked into the
room, he saw a pretty redheaded woman sitting next to his lawyer.
He guessed this was who Chief Gladstone was talking about. The
woman who ran the search and rescue company. Now he took a good
look at her, he recognized her from several cable network shows
like Nancy Grace and America’s Most Wanted. She wore a white skirt
and turquoise top which showed off her tanned figure. Ken thought
she resembled the girl from the movie Pretty Woman.

His attorney, Suzette, stood up from
the table and made the introductions. Ken was shocked to see his
attorney was dressed a little more appropriately today in black
pantsuit. She still wore her blonde hair with the trademark hot
pink streak in it, though. “Rachel works with Florida Omni Search.
Nora called her and asked if she come down here and help us found
out what happened to Samantha.”

“
I have seen you on TV
before. You worked on the Amber Knowles case,” Ken said, looking at
his lawyer. “She was the governor’s daughter who went missing a few
months ago.”

“
Yes, the governor
requested my help in finding his daughter after she disappeared
from a cruise ship,” Rachel confirmed. “I’m sorry we have to meet
under these circumstances. I would like to help in any way I can.
Can you tell me why you think Sam would have
disappeared?”

Ken ran his hand through his hair. “I
just can’t believe this. Sam wouldn’t leave our kids, with
everything that’s going on.”

“
Your mother-in-law said
the same thing to me when I asked if Sam would have left on her
own.”

“
I heard you guys were
going to do another search today. I thought the police already did
this once. Did you find anything different?”

“
I know they conducted a
search around the warehouse the day after she disappeared, but we
have special equipment most law enforcement companies don’t,”
Rachel explained. “During our search, we did find a couple of items
of interest. The police department is processing them for prints
and such, so I only have these.” She put a couple photos on the
desk in front of him.

Ken stared at the pictures. “What is
this?”

“
It is a piece of red
fabric, probably from an article of clothing.”

“
This is Sam’s knife.” He
pointed to the other picture. “Where did you find it?”

“
Our searchers spotted the
red cloth first. Then the knife was found under a bush near the
cloth. It was located about a half mile from the farmer’s market,”
Rachel said. “Are you sure the knife is Sam’s?”

“
Yes, I’m sure. I picked it
out with the kids for her Mother’s day gift last year. She had lost
her other one during a fishing trip. I was going to get it engraved
for her, but never got the chance.” Ken scrubbed his face with his
hands.

“
Did she always carry the
knife with her?”

“
She never went anywhere
without it.”

Click. It was like a light bulb went
off in her head. That was the same thing Mack had told her. She
didn’t say that to Ken though. She was starting to get an inkling
something between Mack and Sam was going on.

“
Where did she keep
it?”

“
She always kept it on her
while she was on duty. She put it in the front pocket of her
pants.”

“
When was the last time you
spoke to Sam?”

“
Last Tuesday, a couple of
days before she disappeared, she came with my lawyer to talk about
the case.”

Rachel looked at Suzette for
confirmation. She nodded her head in agreement.

“
Did you notice anything
unusual about her demeanor?”

“
No. The Chief asked me the
same questions. If there was something bothering Sam, then she hid
it well. She is a rock.”

“
Did you know she was
putting the house up for sale?” Rachel asked.

“
What?” Ken exclaimed. The
question stunned him. “No, I didn’t. I mean, we talked about it,
but I didn’t think she would do it.”

“
The house is in her name
only?” Rachel asked, already knowing the answer.

“
Yes, it’s part of her
family’s land. Her father deeded it to her right before we were
married. We have fourteen acres with a main house and then the
guest house and barn. I told her not to sell it.”

“
Nora said she was talking
to some real estate agents last week. She was trying to get a value
on the place.”

“
Money is tight. I know.
But I told her not to do anything drastic without talking to me
first.”

“
Nora said she was also
looking for another job. She was watching the kids while Sam went
on interviews. Said it was almost impossible for her to find
anything. No one wanted to hire her, it seems.”

“
It’s because of what I
did. It is all because of me she wants to sell the house. Because
of me, she can’t get a job. And because of me, she is missing.” Ken
pounded his fist so hard on the table, Rachel jumped in her
seat.

“
Calm down, Ken. We are
just trying to find out what happened.” Suzette said.

“
Someone who is putting
their house up for sale, looking for a job and has two beautiful
children to look after…doesn’t sound like someone who would just up
and disappear,” Rachel said.

“
I don’t think so, either.
Something bad happened,” Ken agreed.

“
Suzette said you were
getting death threats?”

“
That’s is typical. I am an
ex-cop who helped put away most of these bastards in here.” He
waved his hand around the room. “They keep me in a separate cell
away from the others. I eat, exercise and shower by
myself.”

“
Would any of these people
want to hurt Sam?” Rachel asked.

“
To get back at me, I’m
sure. I told her to be careful and not go anywhere
alone.”

“
Did anyone know her
routine? Work schedule. Where you live?”

“
Sure, lots of people. It’s
a small resort town. Everybody knows everyone. It wouldn’t be hard
to find out when Sam worked.”

“
Are Mack and Sam
close?”

Ken looked at her for an uncomfortable
moment before answering. Rachel could see the tension in his face.
“Yes, they have been friends for a long time."