Free The Rachel Scott Adventures, Volume 1 by Traci Hohenstein Page A

traced the registration number back to SeaScape Enterprises,” Drake said.
    Mike got up from the table. “Mind if I tag along?”

CHAPTER 20
     
    “S ome boys playing on the beach this morning found the boat and dragged it up to their house,” the policeman said as he pointed toward a bungalow. The faded-pink cottage looked in desperate need of repair. The shutters were barely hanging on and the paint was peeling in several places.
    Mike had followed Rachel and Drake to the area of the beach that the police had cordoned off with crime scene tape. A small crowd had gathered around the yard just outside the tape’s perimeter.
    “The boy’s mother found them playing in the boat and asked them where it had come from. They told her that it had washed ashore sometime last night. She had seen the news conference about Amber Knowles and called the police, thinking it might have something to do with her disappearance,” the policeman explained to them.
    They walked down to the lifeboat. The black dinghy had SeaStar written in white script with the number 21 and a smaller set of identifying numbers painted on the stern.
    “Why didn’t the crew tell us a lifeboat was missing when we interviewed them?” Rachel asked.
    “Good question. They may not have known that it was missing right away,” Drake said.
    “More important, how did it get off the ship without anyone noticing?” Mike asked.
    Rachel thought about that for a few seconds. “ SeaStar docked at Freeport in the early hours—before sunrise. It’s possible that whoever took it could have hidden somewhere on the ship, then used the lifeboat to get ashore.”
    “Pretty hard to do and not have someone see you.” Mike walked around the boat.
    “Aren’t most lifeboats equipped with some sort of emergency box? Like flares, water, first-aid kit?” Rachel asked.
    “The ones on the cruise ship all have that. Plus ownership paperwork,” Drake answered.
    Rachel peered into the boat. “Apparently this one doesn’t.”
    “Anyone else have access to this boat?” Drake asked the policeman.
    “Just the little boys, I think. We called you guys as soon as we found it.” He shrugged his shoulders.
    “Maybe Shawn and Amber used this lifeboat to escape?” she asked.
    Mike kicked the sand around with his shoe. “Shawn’s a smart guy. If he thought Amber was in danger, he would have done any and everything he could to protect her. Especially if he knew her father was the governor of Florida.”
    “If she and Shawn got off the boat and made it to the island, where are they now?” Drake wondered aloud.

CHAPTER 21
     
    D rake had driven Rachel back to the hotel so they could change and gather the search team together. Janine had arranged for a rental car company to deliver a SUV to her hotel so she would have transportation around the island. She didn’t want to rely on Drake to drive her everywhere.
    Within a couple of hours, they were back at the site where the lifeboat was discovered. The east side of Freeport, where they’d found the SeaStar ’s lifeboat, was a sleepy fishing village that was home to people who mostly made their money from selling their daily catch to restaurants. It consisted of tiny shotgun cottages with small sandy yards and rundown vehicles in the driveways.
    Pulling a tube of sun cream out of her tote, Rachel slathered it on her arms and legs. She pulled her long auburn hair in a ponytail and put a Florida Omni Search cap on her head. This was what she lived for. It was what she did best. Finding missing loved ones.
    Drake walked up to her. “Ready to go?”
    “Yes.” Rachel walked up to the front of her group that had gathered for the search.
    “We are going to work in the usual teams.” Rachel passed out the copies of the map to everyone.
    Rankin Smartz led the search and rescue with his dog, Max, an adorable black Lab that Rankin had rescued when he was a pup. Phil, one of her tech guys, was in charge of all the specialized