He turned to hispanion with renewed enthusiasm. “Fraser, help me carry her inside.”

    “Make it quick.” Fraser approached, and together they hoisted Carrie’s “unconscious” form—Sumner supporting her torso while Fraser gripped her legs. Sumner’s eyes gleamed with anticipation as he made his suggestion. “Want to participate? Opportunities like this don’t present themselves often.”

    “Count me out. I’m here strictly for the payment.” Fraser deposited Carrie onto the break room bed and stepped back immediately, refusing to spare her another nce.

    Disappointment flickered across Lise’s features at his response. Two attackers would have inflicted far greater psychological devastation on her victim. Still, with both men positioned inside the building, Carrie’s chances of sessful escape remained virtually nonexistent. Lise decided against pressing the issue further.

    On the opposite end, Kristopher had arrived at the amusement park as well. He directed his driver to a side entrance, where a graying security guard sat hunched in the booth.

    The car rolled to a stop, and the driver leaned toward Kristopher. “Getting through won’t be much trouble. We could make up a story about losing a pet and slip the guard a little something to look the other way. But if the staff is in on whatever’s going on, trying to force our way in might tip them off. This park is too big to have just one way in. Since business is shut down, there shouldn’t be many guards around. Why don’t we circle the perimeter and see if there’s a gate nobody’s watching?”

    Catching his own reflection in the rearview mirror, Kristopher saw only a frosty stare and guarded eyes.

    He straightened his jacket, opened the door, and stepped out onto the gravel. After ducking back down, he spoke to the driver. “Taking the car inside would draw too much attention. I’ll slip in by myself. Stay here and keep watch. If we’re certain Carrie’s inside, have the others move in and cover the exits.”

    The driver tried to protest, urgency in his voice. “Mr. Norris, you shouldn’t go in alone. Why don’t you wait here, and I’ll try to track down Ms. Campbell?”

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    “That won’t be necessary.” Kristopher rejected the idea without hesitation.

    A gut feeling told him Carrie was inside. Without another word, he moved quickly, scaling the low wall behind the guardroom and disappearing from sight.

    Meanwhile, the police had dispatched inclothes officers to the amusement park. To ensure they could recognize Carrie, Arion went along with them. Reece remained at the station, piecing together every clue. As he reyed Carrie’sst words in his mind, realization struck.

    “She said the car smelled really strong. Search the traffic cameras near the hospitals for any trucks hauling medical waste,” said Reece, barely pausing for breath.

    Acting on the tip, detectives managed to track down two garbage trucks. One had already circled back to the hospital parking lot, but the other was heading straight for the waterfront.

    The police chief assigned a team to apany Reece to the seaside amusement park. Just as they were leaving, Jacob and Kelsey appeared near the front steps of the station.

    A flicker of suspicion crossed Reece’s face, but he greeted them quietly. “Mrs. Hinks. Mr. Dury. Looks like today’s full of surprises, but there’s a family emergency I need to handle.”

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