Chapter 32
It was a perfect day on San Juan Island. The sun was shining, the wind had died down, and the tourists were starting to arrive, a steady stream of cheerful faces and rolling luggage.
Mike wasn’t as annoyed by them as he used to be. Perhaps it had something to do with his sister’s business depending on visitors. That was a small part.
It was more than that, though. They had something that he lacked. They had a hopefulness that he didn’t share.
They had to have hope, because it took something – imagination, dreaming, planning – to go on a trip. They had to truly believe that their destination was worth the effort and expense of a trip.
Surely, without fail, something would go wrong – bad weather, a fender bender, being bamboozled by a tourist trap. It was a risk, of sorts, that ordinary people took every day, year after year, despite the perpetual mishaps.
Not that Mike ever took those same risks. He’d never had an interest in vacations; he couldn’t remember a single one from the last fifteen years. He took breaks sometimes, sure. Long weekends. Sometimes he’d come home for Christmas, but even then he was more than willing to return at the drop of a hat and resume his role if needed.
He thought it was a good sign, though. He thought it just meant that he loved the job – and he did love the job.
But now he knew that it was more than that, and his reality was sadder than being dedicated to his career. He acted without thinking, overlooked his flaws and overvalued his skills. He thought the job was the most important thing in his life, and that somehow it would last forever.
Now he had nothing. There was no beauty left in his life, no hope, and not even an ounce of the wonder that these tourists had on their faces.
The sun was shining high in the sky, much too harshly for Mike’s tired eyes. He’d had a lot of trouble sleeping in the weeks since Lynn’s abduction.
It wasn’t just because he was worrying about her. It was also the dreams where he crashed in the mountains and didn’t get to her in time. Or the other dreams, where he got to the cabin and she wasn’t there, or it was on fire, or Lenny had already hurt her…
The guilt was eating him alive. When she suggested seeing him that weekend, he almost said no. He was doing his best to stay away from her, and so far he’d done well.
Ultimately, though, he agreed to meet her. It was a good opportunity to say his piece. Though she declined his offer to be picked up in the plane – he couldn’t blame her, nothing good ever came of it – they could still share a meal.
He planned to apologize, then say his final goodbye. He didn’t know where he was going, but it didn’t matter. He needed to be far away from her to resist the temptation of dragging her into danger again.
“Well, well, well,” she said, walking up to him. “If it isn’t Special Agent Gary Bomba.”
He smiled. She looked great. Really great. She was wearing a pink dress, not so different from the one she’d worn at the cabin. Her eyes were bright and the powerful sun made her hair shine. Perhaps she would be okay after all.
“At your service,” he said.
“It’s getting busy around here, isn’t it?”
“It is.”
She frowned. “I was hoping to get a table at The Meridian, but I’m guessing that’ll be impossible.”
Mike shook his head. “I know the owner. It shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Of course you do,” she said with a sigh. “Shall we?”
They slowly walked toward the restaurant. Mike was trying to enjoy the moment. He asked her about her visit with her daughter and how things were going with the gallery in Seattle.
“It’s been a bit crazy,” she said with a sigh. “I’m not complaining. It’s been sort of fun to sit back and watch. I thought the attention that I was getting before was overwhelming, but now that I’m a kidnapping victim, everyone wants a piece of me.”
Poor Lynn didn’t deserve to be subjected to that sort of notoriety. “If anyone’s bothering you, I’d be happy to take care of them.”
“Ha!” She shook her head. “You sound like a mobster.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean it that way.”
“No, everything’s fine – it’s just different. It’s nothing that I can’t handle. But it does make me want to pack up a van and start driving across the country.”
“What’s stopping you?” he asked. He always thought that Lynn would be suited to that sort of a hippie lifestyle.
