Cooper raised his eyebrows.
“Yep.It was in one of the back rooms.I missed it on my original sweep.I’m not sure entirely what to make of it—maybe someone was being held hostage or otherwise forced to work with the terror cell?”
“That adds another complication to things,” Cooper mused.“I wonder who they expected to see it?”
“It’s a good question,” Radley said with a frown.“I assume anyone with access to the cabin was part of the terror cell.If someone really was being held against their will, a note in sawdust on the floor isn’t going to do much.”
Boone’s phone buzzed, and he glanced at the screen.“It’s Holt.”
“What’s the status?”Holt barked as Boone put him on speaker phone.
“We’re safe, but the cabin’s burning down.Radley’s stalker followed us here.They locked us in, set the place ablaze, then slashed my tires so we couldn’t leave.”
“Son of a bitch,” Holt muttered.“Are you both all right?”
“Never better, boss,” Radley said.
Holt swore again.
“We also assess the terror cell may be holding someone against their will,” Boone continued.“Radley will fill you in,” he told Holt, handing her the phone as the firetrucks pulled up.
She quickly spoke with him.The firetrucks and tanker engine moved around Boone’s disabled truck, and several police cars pulled in as well, sirens wailing.
“So much for keeping this operation under wraps,” Cooper muttered.“Now all of greater Seattle will know something’s been going on here.”
“Put me on the phone with the PD,” Holt ordered.
Radley carried Boone’s phone back over to him, shrugging.“The boss thinks he can smooth this over.”
“I heard that,” Holt said, sounding amused.
The firemen were rapidly deploying their hoses and getting into position, readying to douse the flames and stop the spread into the forest.Boone hustled over to the first police officers who’d arrived, handing one of them his phone to speak with Holt.
“How’d the arsonist get here?”Cooper asked, scanning the area.“I doubt they trekked through the woods.If they followed you in, maybe we can pull surveillance from the highway.”
“We’re out in the middle of nowhere, but there were some gas stations further down the road,” Radley said.“It’s possible we could get a make and model of vehicles passing by in the same timeframe.”
Cooper nodded.“I’ll swing by on our way out.”
Another SUV pulled in behind all the emergency vehicles, and Xaden climbed out, hustling over to them.“I knew you two had some major sparks, but burning down the damn cabin?”Xaden asked, smirking.“That’s a bit much.”
“Can it,” Boone said, shooting his teammate an annoyed look.
Radley raised her eyebrows without commenting.
“As long as you two kids are okay,” Xaden said.“I left Gage doing some surveillance work at an apartment building outside Seattle and hustled my ass on over here.”His gaze landed on Boone’s truck.“Shit.They slashed all your tires?”
“Yep.And left a note on the windshield.I just realized our prints are all over it,” Boone said.“I grabbed it without thinking.We should’ve bagged it to see if we could get the prints of the perp.”
“We still can,” Radley said smoothly.She grabbed her backpack off the ground and pulled out a plastic bag.“Don’t worry,” she told Boone.“I was too shaken up to think of it either.It’s not everyday someone locks you in a remote cabin and sets it on fire.”
Xaden’s gaze swept over the vehicle.“We could check the windshield and wipers for prints, too.”
“Good call,” Cooper agreed.
Radley eyed the commotion, a frown on her face.“They’re not going to stop until they’re finished with me.I’m probably jeopardizing this entire operation because of my damn stalker.Whatever clues were yet to be discovered in that cabin are gone now.”
“Bullshit.You’re not jeopardizing a thing,” Cooper said.