Deadly Undertow Read online

  Deadly Undertow

  Lantern Beach Mysteries, Book 6

  Christy Barritt

  Copyright © 2018 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.

  Created with Vellum

  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 Break (coming soon)

  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 (coming soon)

  Raven Remington

  #1 Relentless

  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 Iniquity (coming soon)

  #7 Random Acts of Outrage (coming soon)

  Lantern Beach Mysteries

  #1 Hidden Currents

  #2 Flood Watch

  #3 Storm Surge

  #4 Dangerous Waters

  #5 Perilous Riptide

  #6 Deadly Undertow

  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

  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

  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)

  Contents

  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

  Sad to see the Lantern Beach mystery series come to an end?

  Also by Christy Barritt:

  Other Books in the Lantern Beach Mystery Series:

  You might also enjoy …

  Holly Anna Paladin Mysteries:

  The Worst Detective Ever:

  About the Author

  Prologue

  23 Weeks Earlier

  Cady Matthews listened to the dull sound of her boots hitting the cement beneath her. She tried to pace her steps instead of listening to her instincts and breaking out into a run.

  The sun was setting, but that wasn’t what made the area around her seem gray. Nor was it the tall buildings blocking the sunlight that made the sky constantly dismal. The truth was, darkness had simply descended onto the God-forsaken area.

  Cady did know one thing. She wanted to leave.

  Now.

  And she didn’t need anyone’s approval.

  Cady had slipped away from the gang’s compound—an old apartment complex in a shady part of downtown Seattle—to go to work at the drugstore, just as she did every evening.

  Except tonight, she wouldn’t.

  She glanced over her shoulder, feeling like she was being watched.

  She saw no one. Not yet.

  Cady was going to walk away from this assignment, turn in all the evidence she’d collected, and do her best to resume her life.

  Somehow.

  She wasn’t sure what that life would look like now.

  But maybe she and Ryan could plan their future. Maybe they could get married, move somewhere quiet and peaceful, and nail down the things that were really important in life.

  It wasn’t about money or power or titles.

  It was about people. Love. Family.

  Even as the thought crossed Cady’s mind, she knew reality didn’t match up with her dreams. Ryan was career-driven. If he had to choose between Cady and his job as a prosecuting attorney for the county, she’d be on the side of the road, a barely visible image in Ryan’s rearview mirror.

  Her stomach clenched at the thought. Not being your fiancé’s top priority was hard to swallow. But she should be used to it. When had she ever been anyone’s top priority?

  Never.

  Not even her parents.

  She’d deal with those thoughts later.

  Right now, Cady had to focus on staying alive.

  She hiked her fake leather purse higher on her shoulder and hurried down the cracked sidewalk, kicking a used syringe out of the way. No one wanted to venture into this part of town—not if they wanted to keep their lives and well-being.

  But, against all odds, Cady had managed to blend in. She was a rich white girl—her parents were one of the wealthiest couples in the country. She’d grown up with every privilege imaginable.

  Yet she’d somehow adapted to this assignment, going undercover as a street-smart gang member.

  Perhaps it was perseverance that had gotten her this far. Ambition. The fact that she’d hardly failed at anything.

  Then again, maybe that was all working to her detriment. If she hadn’t grown up with that can-do attitude, maybe sh
e would have said no when she’d been approached about going undercover in one of the country’s most dangerous gangs, DH-7.

  Just ahead, on the corner, she spotted the drugstore where she worked. The location also served as a place to exchange communication with her contact on the task force.

  Her spine stiffened as she started to cross the intersection, and she looked over her shoulder again. She saw no one unusual. A man loitered outside the door to his apartment building. A boy bounced a basketball, no doubt headed to the quarters two blocks away. A woman—most likely a prostitute—paced a four-foot section of cement across the street while smoking a cigarette.

  Cady’s gut told her someone was watching her.

  A member of DH-7?

  Since they suspected a traitor in their midst, it was a good possibility.

  She needed to go inside the drugstore. Work for a little while, just like normal. Especially if she was being watched.

  And then, a little later, she could slip away out the back door.

  Call a cab?

  No, that was too risky.

  Call for backup?

  There probably wasn’t time.

  She wasn’t sure yet. This hadn’t been her exit plan, so she was going to have to wing it.

  As soon as she had clocked in, donned an ugly blue smock, and taken her place behind the front register, a familiar face walked in.

  Bill. A patrol officer. A contact whom she could feed information.

  He laid a pack of gum and a bottle of Coke on the counter. His eyes showed only a hint of recognition as Cady rang him. To anyone watching, they were strangers.

  “I heard a storm is brewing out in the Pacific.” He nodded behind her at the long, narrow window in the front of the store. “A big one.”

  Cady’s breath caught at his underlying message. “Is that right?”

  “Forecasters are saying it’s going to be bad.”

  “What are they telling people to do?” Her hands trembled as she put the gum and soda in a bag.

  “People in its path need to evacuate. All the models they set up have proven themselves inaccurate. Like always. They say to never believe a weatherman.”

  Her heart thumped in her chest as she chewed on his coded words. Trouble was coming—and it wasn’t going to be good. The models that had been set up? That meant the plan they’d set in place for this assignment. Something had gone wrong.

  What could that be?

  Cady needed to flee. And the sooner the better.

  She handed the officer his bag and smiled. “Have a good evening.”

  He gave her one last warning glance.

  She got his message loud and clear—there was no time to waste.

  As soon as he was out the door, Cady slipped from behind the counter. She needed to go to the back of the store and escape. Now.

  “Cady, where you going?” Mr. Jenkins, her boss, stepped from the beauty aisle where he’d been restocking lipstick and stared at her.

  “I need a bathroom break.”

  “You just got here.”

  “Female problems.” No one ever argued with that—especially not men.

  He sighed long and hard. “Don’t take too long. I need someone to man the register. Anita already called in sick.”

  “Got it.”

  He paused before muttering, “Good help is hard to find.”

  She mentally sent an apology. Yes, good help was hard to find. And poor Mr. Jenkins always seemed to be at his wit’s end. He’d obviously drawn the short straw when he’d been assigned to this location.

  Cady’s hands shook as she rushed past the aisle filled with stomach and indigestion aids.

  The “Employees Only” sign at the back of the store was now within sight. She just had to go through that door, grab her purse, and then she’d run. Fast and furious. As hard as she could.

  And she wouldn’t look back.

  Ever.

  Just as her hands hit the door—just as she felt freedom within her grasp—someone called her name.

  All the blood drained from her face as she paused. She knew that voice. She squeezed her eyes shut, wishing this was just a nightmare.

  Cady knew it wasn’t.

  Slowly, she composed herself and turned.

  Orion, Raul’s right-hand man, stood there glaring at her. His light brown skin glistened with sweat, and his black hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail. His eyes held the cold, hard look of someone who would rip another person from limb to limb if that’s what it took to advance his agenda.

  And it was even worse when he was high.

  Which he was right now. His pupils were dilated, his motions faster than usual, and his chest rose and fell too quickly.

  She glanced around, making sure Mr. Jenkins wasn’t nearby, and lowered her voice. “What are you doing here?”

  Orion stared at her, the wicked look in his eyes causing her to shudder. He had no respect for life. No respect for anyone or anything but himself and his own agenda.

  “Raul sent me to get you. Me and Tyron.”

  Cady looked over as another man joined them, someone she’d only seen from a distance. A twenty-something man, on the short side, but thick with sinewy muscles.

  She didn’t have time to observe him for too long because Orion’s words echoed in her mind.

  “Raul sent you to get me?” She could hardly breathe.

  Was this it? Was this the moment she died? Where it all ended?

  “Something happened,” Orion said. “He wants to talk to you about it.”

  “Just me?” This couldn’t be good.

  Orion shrugged, his upper lip twitching like he had a bad taste in his mouth. “I dunno. Maybe everyone. I just know I have to get you. No questions asked.”

  “Better be important. Might cost me my job.”

  Orion narrowed his eyes and let out a cool breath. “You know you don’t need this job.”

  Tyron stood in the background, as if he was just here to be the muscles, the one who stood lookout.

  Cady leaned closer to Orion and lowered her voice. “I’ve been getting you guys drugs so you can make meth. It’s working out in all of our favor.”

  Cady had actually paid for the drugs, unable to bring herself to steal them.

  “That’s small potatoes compared to what we’re doing. You know that. Now come on.” He grabbed her arm. Tight. Too tight.

  She wanted to argue. To refuse. But if she did, she’d only be setting herself up for failure. She had no choice but to go with Orion and Tyron. She slipped her smock off and dropped it on the floor.

  But as she left with the men, Cady’s life flashed before her eyes with every beat of her heart . . . beats that might soon be nonexistent.

  Chapter One

  Today’s Goals: Spend as much time with Ty as possible. That’s it.

  Cassidy stepped back from the dining room table and smiled at what she saw.

  “What do you think, Kujo?” She looked down at the golden retriever sitting beside her, his tongue hanging toward the floor like a banner proclaiming happiness.

  He let out a quick but enthusiastic bark.

  “You approve?” she confirmed. “You think Ty will like it?”

  The dog barked again.

  Cassidy patted his head, his soft fur feeling luxurious against her fingertips. “I know I can always count on you, boy.”

  Was this what her life had boiled down to over the past week? Talking to Ty’s dog like it was a normal thing? Was she that desperate for Ty to return?

  He’d been gone for seven days, visiting his mother who was having surgery. Her ovarian cancer had spread, and doctors had no choice but to operate since chemo and radiation hadn’t worked. Thankfully, the surgery had gone well, and Del was now at home recovering.

  Cassidy wished she could have gone with Ty. But she couldn’t leave Lantern Beach—not without serious risk of blowing everything. Since the trial against members of DH-7 was only a month away, she needed to sit tight and
bide her time until she could mark this chapter of her life closed.

  Strangely enough, being in hiding was one of the best things that could have happened to her.

  In thirty minutes, when Ty pulled into his driveway—provided he was on time—Cassidy was going to surprise him with brunch. She’d made a fruit salad, blueberry muffins, and a spinach and sausage quiche.

  Just for fun, Cassidy had added a white tablecloth to cover the jaundiced wood of the old seventies-style dining room table. She’d topped the linen with some candles and the finest dishes she could find at her rental—which just happened to be old with brown flowers on the edges. The September day was beautiful—in the mid-seventies—so she’d opened her windows, and a pleasant breeze made the whole house aflutter with excitement.

  In all of its imperfections, the setup still seemed simply perfect.

  Outside, the sound of tires crunching against the gravel drive leading to her beach cottage caught her ear.

  Ty.

  Her heart surged. He was early. And Cassidy was more than okay with that.

  Quickly, she ran a hand through her long blonde hair and straightened her blousy shirt.

  Cassidy hadn’t expected to miss Ty this much. After all, she’d always been the independent type. But Ty had gained an unmistakable place in her heart over the past few months—a place she wanted to keep him forever and always.

  Kujo barked, obviously hearing the vehicle and anticipating the arrival of his owner as well.

  “We both missed him, didn’t we?” she murmured.

  Kujo barked again, almost as if he understood every word she said. It was just one more reason she loved the canine.