Free Runs Deep by R.D. Brady

head. “It’s crazy. People are losing it. Mrs. Beale over on High Street accused the Schroeders of stealing her mums.”
    “Did they?”
    “Well, seeing as the Schroeders moved away twenty years ago, I doubt it. Mrs. Beale suffers from dementia. Her kids were supposed to come back to town and grab her before the storm, but unsurprisingly they didn’t. Luckily her neighbors agreed to take her in. She’s been fine for the most part, but the storm’s setting her off.” Russ paused. “And just about everybody else.”
    “Storms will do that.”
    “Oh, there’s also a missing teenager.”
    “What? Who?”
    “Elise Ingram. She never showed up home after work.”
    “Any ideas?”
    “She’s run away before and has a boyfriend over on the mainland. But her friends say she was supposed to meet up with them and never showed. That’s not like her.”
    A missing teenager just when Steve shows up in town. Damn it. But Declan also knew that with a missing teenager, it was usually a case of simple running away, not some sort of abduction. “What are you guys doing about it?”
    “The regular—calls to the boyfriend, a BOLO. But she’s eighteen. We can’t really do much more than that, at least not yet. And with the storm…”
    Declan shook his head. “I’m surprised the governor didn’t call for an evacuation. With the reports, it looks like it might even be worse than originally forecasted.”
    Russ shifted his eyes away and stared at his cup.
    A feeling of dread began to build inside Declan. “Russ? The governor didn’t order an evacuation, did he?”
    Russ sighed. “It wasn’t an order so much as a strong suggestion—at least that’s how the chief is taking it.”
    “The chief? Why is he calling the shots? What about the mayor?”
    “Mayor Do-Nothing? He’s out of town. As soon as he heard about the storm, he took off with his family. Left Keith in charge.”
    “Oh, for God’s sake. Is Keith at least going to tell the town?”
    “I don’t think so. I tried to talk him out of it, but you know how he gets.”
    Mel bustled in from the kitchen, two more plates in hand, a pie box dangling from his fingertips. He dropped the plates off at another table and headed back to Declan. “Here you go. Hey, Russ.”
    “Hey, Mel.”
    “What do I owe you?” Declan asked, pulling his wallet from his back pocket.
    Mel waved his money away, his cheeks growing redder. “It’s on me. Tell Bess I said hello.”
    Declan had always suspected Mel was a little sweet on Bess. Looks like he was right.
    Declan slid off the stool. “I’ll do that. And thanks.” He turned to Russ. “Be careful out there. And if you need anything, you give me a call.”
    “Will do,” Russ said, grimacing as he took another sip of coffee.
    Declan headed for the door, his thoughts heavy with the upcoming storm. Keith was an idiot. When he pushed open the diner door, a gust of wind nearly tore the pie box from his hands. He cradled it to his chest like a football as he made his way to the car. Damn, that wind’s getting really strong .
    The wind almost yanked the passenger door from his hand as he opened it. He carefully placed the box on the floor, then wrestled the door shut. He walked around to the driver’s side, shaking his head. If this is the pre-storm, the actual storm is going to be a monster .
    A groan of metal snapped his attention to the bridge. What the hell was that?
    He peered at the old bridge, and there was a sinking feeling in his chest. Was he seeing things, or was the bridge actually shaking? He watched for a long minute until the wind gusted again. This time he knew it wasn’t a trick of the light. There was definitely a tremor in the metal.
    God damn you, Keith , Declan cursed as he pulled out his phone. There had to be a way to go over Keith’s head. It was already past five o’clock though. He glanced at the darkening sky and at the bridge as he dialed.
    The bridge gave another shudder.
    Declan listened to the