Burn Out Read Free

desk. She was training a new volunteer to answer the
phone.
    “ Janine, I’m going to drive
up to Santa Rosa Beach after lunch. Will you find out what
volunteers we have up there and put them on standby? Also, I’ll
need the number for the fire marshal’s office. I want to call them
on the way and set up a meeting for when I get there.”
    “ Ok, I’m on it. Red just
left to run some errands, but he can help out when he gets back.”
Janine grabbed her notepad to take notes. “What about Peter and
Rankin? You want them to go with you?”
    Peter Moore and Rankin Smartz were
part of her search team and usually went on all search and rescue
cases with Rachel.
    “ Just let them know what’s
going on. I’ll call as soon as I meet with investigators and get a
better handle on the case. This is not going to be your
run-of-the-mill disappearance case. I can feel it.” Rachel gave her
the details of the conversation she had with Nora and what
information she gleaned from the news article.
    “ Are you taking Maggie with
you?” Janine asked. Maggie was a black lab Rachel had since she was
a puppy. She bought Maggie for her daughter on her second birthday.
Maggie was her only companion since Mallory’s disappearance. She
rarely went anywhere without her.
    “ Not this time. I was
hoping she could stay with you and Jack,” Rachel said, smiling
hopefully. Jack was Janine’s ten-year-old and he absolutely adored
Maggie.
    “ Of course,” Janine said,
smiling. “Jack has been missing her lately.” Jack was abducted by
Janine’s husband when he was two years old after a nasty custody
battle. Rachel was still dealing with the loss of her own daughter
and had seen the news about Jack’s disappearance. She reached out
to Janine and together they helped track down Jack and his father.
They formed a tight bond and opened up Florida Omni Search
together. Janine had a drive and determination equal to
Rachel’s.
    “ I’m going home to pack, so
call me on the cell with the information when you get it. Pretty
please,” Rachel said.
    “ Bossy,” Janine replied
back.
    “ You know you love
it.”
    “ Do you need me to make
hotel arrangements for you?”
    “ No, I already took care of
that. I’m going to stay at a rental house my friend Michelle Couch
owns. You remember Michelle?”
    “ Sure. You guys went to FSU
together.”
    “ That’s right. She’s a
psychologist and lives near Santa Rosa Beach. Thankfully she owns a
few rental properties in the area and graciously offered to let me
stay at one. I’ll call you with the address and number when I get
there.” Rachel gave Janine a hug goodbye.
    They had a great working relationship.
Janine had full custody of Jack now, so she rarely travelled with
Rachel. She had years of administrative experience and was better
equipped to run the office. On the other hand, Rachel liked to get
out and meet people. She also had an amazing sixth sense and had a
knack for knowing what made people tick. The arrangement worked
well for them.
    Rachel walked back to the parking lot
and unlocked her truck. It was another change in her life. She had
traded in her black, 7 series BMW for a black four-wheel drive
Tahoe. She climbed in and headed home.
    Rachel actually had two homes. When
Mallory went missing she couldn’t bear to sell her house. In the
back of her mind, she felt one day Mallory would come back home.
And she didn’t want strangers living there if that happened. So she
kept it empty except for a live-in maid and her husband, who was
the maintenance man. One day she knew she would have to sell. It
didn’t make sense to put over a hundred grand in maintenance and
taxes to keep a house she would never live in again. Her second
home was a cute Florida bungalow near the beach. It was three
bedrooms. One for her, an office, and a guest bedroom. She had a
small pool, hot tub, and a nice yard for Maggie. She was rarely
home, so it suited her nicely. And it was a quick drive from