Detective Richie Roberts

Richie had calmed down by the time he got to Coffs, he was thinking like a cop now, like the detective he once was. He checked by the police department, nothing there. He went to the hospital checking out the ER admissions…nothing. As he was pulling out of the parking lot he thought he saw her vehicle over in a different section. He pulled up behind it and got out. Door was locked and her damn purse was on the floorboard…why leave that behind the very thing somebody would break into a vehicle for.

He got back in his vehicle either somebody had followed her here or she’d pulled a trick, one he knew. Okay she’s left it here on purpose…so where did she go? He picked up his phone and called Skinner again.

"I’m just thinking she might be in trouble, Max if you can give me the address of the bank or ATM she used maybe I’ll know what part of Coffs she’s been in and I would appreciate it if she makes anymore withdrawls if you’d let me know where from…I don’t’ care about the amounts." He made a few notes, "Thanks, Max."

He went by the bank machine she’d been at still nothing clicked. Noticing a taxi sitting at the stoplight he went to the Taxi company to see what he could find out.

He listened while the traffic manager rolled off his excuses, how many pickups from the hospital there had been, blah, blah, blah.

"I’m looking for a young woman who may have been abducted in one of your fucking cabs." He described her and where her vehicle was left. Finally one of the drivers said she might have been in his cab, he might have taken her to the marina."

Richie hauled out of the depot and headed for the marina, this is the second time he’d had to go to the marina looking for her and that made him wonder. He went directly to the berth where Barth Madison usually lived, empty. Something turned over in his stomach when he walked up to the guard shack at the marina because he had an idea of what he was going to find out.

Back in his vehicle he lit a cigarette, she had gone of her own free will, shown up by herself with a bag all packed and some shopping. There was no way to know where Barth was headed. He felt a little sick that she would take off with somebody like that. What the hell was she thinking?

He ran a hand over his face, he knew what she was thinking. She’d opened her heart to him and he’d thrown it back in her face. A shitty thing to do and he knew it. He couldn’t just sit there, he started the motor thinking about going home and then he remembered the bar that Barth owned. He probably needed a beer anyway. He briefly thought about Frank that maybe he should clue him in and then dismissed him, fuck Frank Parker. He was still pissed with him.

He had his beer in front of him, the bar was crowded looked like a pool tournament going on. He tried the bartender next time he made it down to his end of the bar.

"Hey, I’m looking for Barth any idea where I might find him?"

"He ain’t here."

"Yeah okay, next question…"

"He’s workin as far as I know, he’s not around here."

"Working where, I really need to contact him…about a job."

"He’ll be back maybe a couple of weeks."

"I can’t wait that long…how much does it cost for a ticket?"

"To where?"

"That’s what I’m askin’ you?" Richie took a drink from his glass.

"Twenty…that’ll get you to Queensland."

Richie slid a twenty across the bar. "Queensland’s a big place."

"Yeah…it is," the bartender gave him a half grin and walked down to the other end.

Queensland…what the hell was in Queensland Richie had no idea but if the bastard was going by water… what he needed was a map.

He found one at a variety store but unfortunately it was a road map with little coastal definition. He tried down by the marina but the shops were closed. It was getting late in the day. McGee’s yacht was out there somewhere he surely had maps of the coast and waterways. He rode back toward The Glen was he crazy to try and do something tonight but then the longer he waited the longer she was with that bastard Barth Madison. That bothered him, it bothered him a lot.