Free Operation Blind Date by Justine Davis

nothing but free time.”
    “Sounds...unpredictable.”
    Teague laughed. “It’s no nine-to-five, that’s for sure. I like it that way.”
    They continued toward Seattle, taking the off-ramp toward the ferry to one of the islands on the other side, and from there they’d take the bridge to the peninsula and then on to Foxworth. There was a bit of traffic, enough that Laney was glad she wasn’t driving, and she stayed silent to let him pay attention to the process.
    His cell phone rang again just as they were negotiating the turn into the ferry holding lots. Again he answered, listened, acknowledged and disconnected, this time all through an earpiece he slipped over his right ear.
    He waited until he’d paid the fare and they’d been directed into the line to wait. He glanced at his watch, said they had about ten minutes to go before loading. Then he turned off the engine and twisted in his seat to look at her.
    “We know who your guy is,” he said.

Chapter 9
    L aney might have been disappointed they hadn’t found answers at the airport, but she was still astonished at how quickly Foxworth was putting pieces together.
    “You found Edward?”
    He nodded. “We think so. Tyler put all the pieces together in his own little piece of the web, and came up with the right name. Photo’s almost a perfect match to your sketch.”
    “His sketch, you mean. He’s the one who did it.”
    “From your description. He’s sending a copy of his driver’s license photo.”
    He glanced down at his phone, nodded then held it up for her to see. Even prepared, it was a little shocking to see the man’s face.
    “Yes! Yes, that’s him, that’s Edward.”
    “His full name is Edward Page.”
    “Yes,” she said again, this time with a sharp nod. “I couldn’t remember before, but now that you say it I remember Barbara once calling out to him with that name.”
    “Then we have him. I’ll call Quinn back and confirm, then it will be only a matter of time.”
    Her mind had kicked into overdrive again, Teague could see it. He wondered how long it would take her to reach the conclusion his mind had leaped to when Quinn had said the airplane ticket to Vancouver had never been used. Not long, he suspected. She was smart, and quick, and always thinking.
    It was when they were onboard the ferry back to the other side—in addition to the availability of food, he’d thought the pleasant boat ride might be soothing for her—when she finally said something about it, and her words told him she’d realized right away, maybe as soon as he had, the implications of the unused ticket.
    “Will the police think this was enough? Would buying a ticket and not using it tip them over into believing something’s really wrong?”
    “Might get them to do another round of press releases, might move it a bit higher on the list.”
    “Might.”
    “Depends on what their caseload is right now. And I’m guessing with that string of shootings downtown, their focus is there.”
    She sighed.
    “They have to staff for the likely, not the possible,” Teague said.
    “I know, I know. Sometimes I even have myself half-convinced I’m overreacting. But it just nags at me, because Amber wouldn’t do this. If it truly was a normal romantic getaway, she’d have been texting me at the least, all about it. We would have made a shopping expedition for clothes. She would have wanted to share her excitement. That’s just who she is.”
    “So we keep looking.”
    She gave him a sideways look. “I’m going to feel pretty silly if it all turns out to be my best friend having met the love of her life or something.”
    “It’s a lot better than some of the possible alternatives.” He probably shouldn’t have reminded her of that, Teague thought. But when she answered, her words and tone eased his qualm.
    “And I’ll be delighted to feel silly. Not to have wasted your time, though.”
    “If you’re put at ease, it’s not a waste.”
    “Foxworth is a most