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  On the Lookout

  Lantern Beach P.D., Book 1

  Christy Barritt

  Copyright © 2019 by Christy Barritt

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

  Contents

  Complete Book List

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Coming in February: Attempt to Locate

  Also by Christy Barritt:

  The Lantern Beach Mystery Series

  Lantern Beach Romantic Suspense

  You might also enjoy …

  Holly Anna Paladin Mysteries:

  The Worst Detective Ever:

  About the Author

  Complete Book List

  Squeaky Clean Mysteries:

  #1 Hazardous Duty

  #2 Suspicious Minds

  #2.5 It Came Upon a Midnight Crime (novella)

  #3 Organized Grime

  #4 Dirty Deeds

  #5 The Scum of All Fears

  #6 To Love, Honor and Perish

  #7 Mucky Streak

  #8 Foul Play

  #9 Broom & Gloom

  #10 Dust and Obey

  #11 Thrill Squeaker

  #11.5 Swept Away (novella)

  #12 Cunning Attractions

  #13 Cold Case: Clean Getaway

  #14 Cold Case: Clean Sweep

  While You Were Sweeping, A Riley Thomas Spinoff

  The Sierra Files:

  #1 Pounced

  #2 Hunted

  #3 Pranced

  #4 Rattled

  #5 Caged (coming soon)

  The Gabby St. Claire Diaries (a Tween Mystery series):

  The Curtain Call Caper

  The Disappearing Dog Dilemma

  The Bungled Bike Burglaries

  The Worst Detective Ever

  #1 Ready to Fumble

  #2 Reign of Error

  #3 Safety in Blunders

  #4 Join the Flub

  #5 Blooper Freak

  #6 Flaw Abiding Citizen

  #7 Gaffe Out Loud

  #8 Joke and Dagger (coming soon)

  Raven Remington

  Relentless 1

  Relentless 2 (coming soon)

  Holly Anna Paladin Mysteries:

  #1 Random Acts of Murder

  #2 Random Acts of Deceit

  #2.5 Random Acts of Scrooge

  #3 Random Acts of Malice

  #4 Random Acts of Greed

  #5 Random Acts of Fraud

  #6 Random Acts of Outrage

  #7 Random Acts of Iniquity (coming soon)

  Lantern Beach Mysteries

  #1 Hidden Currents

  #2 Flood Watch

  #3 Storm Surge

  #4 Dangerous Waters

  #5 Perilous Riptide

  #6 Deadly Undertow

  Lantern Beach Romantic Suspense

  Tides of Deception

  Shadow of Intrigue

  Storm of Doubt

  Lantern Beach P.D.

  #1 On the Lookout

  #2 Attempt to Locate (coming in February)

  Carolina Moon Series

  Home Before Dark

  Gone By Dark

  Wait Until Dark

  Light the Dark

  Taken By Dark

  Suburban Sleuth Mysteries:

  Death of the Couch Potato’s Wife

  Fog Lake Suspense:

  Edge of Peril

  Margin of Error (coming soon)

  Cape Thomas Series:

  Dubiosity

  Disillusioned

  Distorted

  Standalone Romantic Mystery:

  The Good Girl

  Suspense:

  Imperfect

  The Wrecking

  Standalone Romantic-Suspense:

  Keeping Guard

  The Last Target

  Race Against Time

  Ricochet

  Key Witness

  Lifeline

  High-Stakes Holiday Reunion

  Desperate Measures

  Hidden Agenda

  Mountain Hideaway

  Dark Harbor

  Shadow of Suspicion

  The Baby Assignment

  The Cradle Conspiracy (coming August)

  Nonfiction:

  Characters in the Kitchen

  Changed: True Stories of Finding God through Christian Music (out of print)

  The Novel in Me: The Beginner’s Guide to Writing and Publishing a Novel (out of print)

  Prologue

  Tears poured down Moriah Roberts’s face as she navigated the island road.

  She didn’t know if they were tears of joy or tears of fear. Probably both.

  This was her chance to start over. For the first time in forever, hope sprang inside her. But she knew that hope came at a cost. She’d given up everything for a chance at a new life.

  Not just a new life.

  A new purpose.

  A grin stretched across her face amidst the tears.

  Purpose.

  Seeing the reason for your existence on the distant horizon wasn’t overrated. In fact, purpose could be everything. In recent months, Moriah had been reminded that she was placed here on this earth for a reason.

  Not simply to exist. Not to get in the way. Not to be mocked.

  She used her sweater to wipe the moisture from beneath her eyes.

  Just ahead, she saw her destination.

  Her breath hitched with excitement.

  The sign was simple—just words carved neatly into wood that read “Gilead’s Cove, a Private Community.” An iron fence surrounded the whole place, complete with a guard station at the entrance. RVs were laid out neatly in the distance. Beyond the RVs were peaceful water and a few sparse trees. In the center of it all was one permanent structure—a wooden building with some type of tower in the center.

  Moriah paused for a moment. The place looked more rundown than she’d imagined. But that was okay. If the Cove were too fancy, it would go against the group’s mantra of giving up everything for the cause. These surroundings were humble and the RVs were equalizers, allowing everyone to be on the same level.

  She pulled up to an iron gate and pressed a button at the brick guard station that had been built into the fence. A moment later, a man ambled down the path toward the entrance.

  He was probably in his fifties and short, with a paunch and saggy jowls. He had only a hint of red hair around the edges of
his crown, and he wore khaki pants with a tunic-like beige shirt and sandals.

  He climbed into the guard station and opened a small window there to speak with her.

  “I’m Barnabas, and welcome to Gilead’s Cove. Your name?” His voice had a slight lisp to it.

  “Moriah Roberts. You … you should be expecting me.” Her voice quivered as she said the words. She knew the people here didn’t care about her ratty, twenty-year-old car. They didn’t care that she wore an old gray sweatshirt she’d had since she was seventeen. But she still felt self-conscious. The whole world had judged her as trailer-park trash ever since she could remember. Those verbal barbs she’d received weren’t easy to shake.

  Barnabas checked a list on a clipboard he held in his hands. “As a matter of fact, we are expecting you. Anthony will be anxious to meet you.”

  Anthony Gilead. The Anthony Gilead.

  The man … he was anointed. Chosen. Someone who could see into Moriah’s soul and knew how to fix all the cracks and breaks. She’d never, ever met anyone like him—someone who filled her with so much confidence that change was possible.

  She’d only met him briefly—after she’d heard him speak. He’d prayed over her and then introduced her to some of his leaders, who had nurtured her until she was ready to come here.

  “We’ll need your phone.” Barnabas reached out his hand.

  Moriah gave it to him.

  “Did you bring anything else?” He glanced into her back seat.

  “Just my suitcase. It has clothes and toiletries.”

  “We’re going to need that also. We believe in getting rid of anything that signifies individuality in favor of conformity. It shows we’re all equal. We want everyone to understand that no one is more or less important than anyone else.”

  Equality sounded amazing—especially since Moriah had always been the one who ended up at the low end of the social totem pole. Besides, all her clothes were old and stained. She was ready for a completely fresh start.

  Her heart skipped a beat. She couldn’t believe she was actually here. From the moment she’d met Gilead, she’d dreamed about this. She’d heard this new community he’d started here was a place of healing, somewhere she could find herself.

  She was ready for her life to be simpler. To be filled with the labor of her hands. She looked forward to getting rid of all technology and embracing the life God had designed for her.

  As Barnabas opened the gate, Moriah swallowed hard.

  And she also hoped that Vince didn’t find her here.

  No, he wouldn’t. She’d be safe here—safely away from Vince and the control he wanted over her.

  Chapter One

  Cassidy Chambers’s lungs burned, but she couldn’t slow down. No, she had to run faster.

  Her legs were nearly on fire as her feet dug into the sand.

  But no way would she let Ty win this race—not without a fight, at least. He had been a Navy SEAL, so he had an advantage on her.

  As their finish line—an old, weathered fence that ran alongside a sand dune—appeared in the distance, Ty seemed to get a burst of energy. He surged ahead and beat her.

  A flock of seagulls appeared to celebrate with him by clattering from their place on the beach and soaring in the salty air. Even the waves were crashing especially loud today, as if lending their applause.

  Cassidy paused and bent forward, trying to catch her breath. As she did, she cast her husband a loving scowl. “Good job.”

  Kujo—their golden retriever—barked beside her. The dog didn’t look winded at all. Maybe Cassidy needed to up her workout routine.

  She still hadn’t gotten used to running on the sand. It made jogging ten times more challenging. But Cassidy was always up for a good challenge, especially with Ty by her side.

  “Good job.” Ty raised his hand to give her a high five. Sweat beaded his face and his thick, dark hair rustled with the chilly ocean breeze. The man looked equally as good in a tux or in running shorts and a tee.

  “Uh huh.” She was still trying to catch her breath. But she raised her hand, not willing to leave her husband hanging. As their hands connected, Ty caught her fingers in his grip and pulled her closer. His hands went to her waist.

  “Have I told you how beautiful you are?” Ty peered into her eyes, his gaze filled with warmth that occupied her dreams at night.

  Her heart skipped a beat as she looked up at him. Six months of marriage, and Ty still got her pulse racing and made her feel like the luckiest girl alive. “You’re just saying that because you won.”

  A grin spread across his face. “That’s not true.”

  “Well, you should just be happy that I’m a good sport.” She playfully poked his rock-hard abdomen. “Otherwise, I might be bitter right now and hold it against you.”

  Ty leveled his gaze. “I won that race fair and square.”

  “I think you’ve been sneaking in some workouts while I’ve been on the job.”

  “I would never …”

  Cassidy stepped closer. “It’s a good thing I love you.”

  “Yes, it is, a very good thing.” Ty planted a soft kiss on her lips before pulling away and taking her hand. They started back toward their house, just over the dune, with Kujo trotting along beside them.

  Just as they stepped onto the deck, Cassidy’s phone—snug in a holder strapped on her arm—rang. She pulled it out, glanced at the screen, and saw it was an unknown number from Washington State.

  Her pulse quickened.

  Washington represented her old life—a life that couldn’t materialize here in Lantern Beach. Not if she wanted to stay alive.

  “You recognize the number?” Ty asked, looking over her shoulder.

  She shook her head. “No, I don’t. But what if it’s something important?”

  “It’s your call.”

  After a moment of hesitation, she put the phone to her ear but said nothing.

  Finally, a voice came from the other line. “Cad—Cassidy, I mean. This is your mom.”

  Cassidy’s breath caught. The voice was definitely her mom’s—and she sounded frantic. So frantic that she’d almost used Cassidy’s old name—the one that could never be spoken again if she wanted to remain safe.

  Her mom should know it was too risky to call. This had to be an emergency.

  “Is everything okay?” Cassidy rushed.

  “It’s your father. He’s had a stroke.”

  The wind felt like it had been knocked out of Cassidy. She backed up and leaned against the house to steady herself. “What?”

  “He’s not doing well. Not at all.”

  “I’m so sorry to hear that. What’s the prognosis?”

  “It’s going to be a long road, a very long road. He had an ischemic stroke, where the blood flow to the brain is blocked. It’s too soon to say how this will affect his speech and movement, but it’s going to be a long road to recovery.”

  “Mom, I’m so sorry. I wish there was something I could do.”

  “There is something, actually. We need you to take over your father’s company. You know it needs to stay in the family—”

  Certainly, her mom couldn’t be asking that. She should know better, should know what was at stake. “I can’t do that. I have to remain in hiding.”

  “I’ve thought about the circumstances. But we could protect you. We could hire people. You’d be safe.”

  “Mom—”

  “This is the only solution. Believe me, I’ve thought through all of them. Just don’t dismiss it yet.”

  “I can’t stay on the line, Mom, just in case this is being tracked.” Unlike in the movies, they didn’t have sixty seconds before someone could trace her location. But the longer they spoke, the better chance someone had to pinpoint her exact location—if someone was listening.

  “I followed all the protocols. But I understand. Please, let me know. This news about your father’s stroke hasn’t gone public yet, but when it does …”

  After the c
all ended, Cassidy stood there in stunned silence a moment.

  “Cassidy?”

  She looked over at Ty and saw the questions in his gaze. “My dad had a stroke.”

  Ty pulled her into his arms. “Oh, Cassidy. I’m so sorry to hear that. How serious?”

  “I don’t know if he’ll ever be the same, Ty. My mom has never sounded so shaken.”

  Her mind swirled as her thoughts shifted to her mom’s proposition. What was she thinking? Didn’t she understand the situation Cassidy was in? Didn’t she know that Cassidy never wanted to head up a tech company? She wasn’t the right person for the job. She was blood, but blood wasn’t enough.

  “Did she say anything else?” Ty asked, gently rubbing her back.

  “Yes, she did, actually. She said—” But before Cassidy could adequately fill him in, her phone rang again. This time it was dispatch.

  This was supposed to be Cassidy’s day off. Then again, as police chief, she never really got a day off.

  “Hi, Melva,” Cassidy answered. “What’s going on?”

  “I know I’m not supposed to disturb you.” Her soft voice cracked, as it always did when Melva addressed Cassidy. “But something’s happened, and I really think you should know about it.”

  Cassidy truly hoped this was important. Last time Melva had started a conversation like this, it was because someone’s cat got stuck up in a tree. The fifty-something woman might be a cat lover, but that didn’t make it an emergency.

  “Go ahead.” Cassidy paused by the railing, trying to breathe deeply and comprehend what she’d just learned.