Chapter 1160: The Missing Father and Daughter

"Bad news—Colonel Barnes's phone is off," Hannah announced, holding up her phone to the team.

At the same time, Alice appeared outside the monitoring room clutching her tablet. "While I was following up on Ryan Barnes’s alibi, I found out from Naval Special Operations Command that the Colonel recently participated in a wilderness survival training course at Prince William Forest Park—just under twelve miles from his home near Lake Ridge."

"Slipping out of camp in the middle of the night wouldn’t be hard for a Navy SEAL," JJ noted, still stuck on her suspicion toward Barnes.

"Whether it’s the mother or the father, if either was abusive toward the child, it would’ve caused serious conflict in the marriage. Add emotional infidelity into the mix, and Colonel Barnes becomes a very likely suspect."

Jack didn’t argue with her. Though his thoughts diverged sharply from JJ’s, he lacked hard evidence and couldn’t rule anything out. He turned to Aubrey.

"Do me a favor—look into Rachel’s medical history. As thoroughly as possible."

Aubrey had accompanied Jack to the psychiatric hospital the day before. As a Wall Street veteran, he wasn’t lacking in smarts—just a bit green when it came to fieldwork. But in that instant, he connected the dots and looked stunned. "You’re not seriously suggesting...?"

"Suggesting what?" Jane and the others looked puzzled.

"Some suspicions need verification. Do it fast—ideally before Clay and I bring Colonel Barnes back in," Jack said, motioning for Clay to gear up with him.

Even though Barnes had gone through the officer track—not a battle-hardened vet like Jason Hayes—he had still received all the necessary special forces training. Jack knew better than to be careless. His suspicion might differ from JJ’s, but their logic led to the same conclusion: the father and daughter were likely together, and finding one would lead to the other.

"Oh, and one more thing," Jack added, stopping in his tracks and turning to Jubal. "You might want to have someone dig up the backyard at the Barnes residence. Maybe we’ll find the murder weapon."

"You mean the Colt .38?" Jubal looked surprised. Like everyone else, he had no idea what kind of mental chess Jack and Aubrey were playing.

"Leave it to me," Hannah volunteered.

——

The safehouse Clay had arranged for the Barnes father and daughter was actually a hotel near a military base. Richmond wasn’t far from Virginia Beach, and the area’s many Navy and Air Force installations contributed significantly to the local economy.

"I know spouses are usually the first suspects, but Colonel Barnes didn’t strike me as particularly suspicious," Clay said under his breath, retrieving the room key from a terrified receptionist.

"I know. But I’m worried he might do something irrational," Jack replied. He’d met more than a few obsessive “daughter dads” before. Besides Castle and his own not-blood-related uncle, even old man Mason had shown similar tendencies.

Technically, Jubal counted too. When his eldest daughter was suspected of having leukemia—just a scare in the end—he’d been terrified. (See Chapter 705.) Most of his free time now went toward spending time with his two kids.

"Should I evacuate the other guests?" asked the stout hotel manager who had trailed behind the “armed and dangerous” pair. He seemed much calmer than the receptionist.

"Navy?" Clay asked, spotting the tattoo peeking out from under the man’s collar.

The manager nodded gravely. "Yes. Most of our staff are retired Navy."

That didn’t surprise either of them. After all, the place was called "Admiral's Heights."

"Lock down the first-floor guest area. Don’t let anyone in or out," Jack instructed. Then, trying to calm nerves, he added, "We’re not expecting trouble. This is just a precaution."

Room 101 was at the end of the first-floor hallway, right next to the emergency exit. Clay had chosen well when selecting this “safehouse.”

Jack noted the “Do Not Disturb” sign hanging from the doorknob. He pressed his ear to the wall. The TV inside was blasting at full volume.

"Ready."

Clay slid the keycard into the lock, and as the electromagnetic mechanism clicked, he lowered his stance to let Jack—armed with an MDX508 short-barreled rifle—move in first.

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

The room was empty. Aside from the TV blaring on the nightstand, it looked like a freshly cleaned hotel suite—spotless trash cans, perfectly made beds.

"No bags. No trash. Looks like we got played. They never spent the night here," Clay said grimly.

"I’ve issued an alert across the state. Airports, train stations, bus terminals—all on high alert. But the outlook isn’t good. If your theory’s right and he fled right after check-in with his daughter, they could be halfway to the Mexican border by now."

Back at the precinct, Jubal looked full of guilt when Jack and Clay returned empty-handed. "This is my fault. I shouldn’t have pulled the detail off them so soon."

"You may have saved two lives," Clay said bluntly. "If Ryan Barnes really is the killer, those officers could’ve been seen as obstacles—and eliminated."

"Alright, enough. No one saw this coming. We initially believed he and his family were victims of a terrorist plot. The important thing now is finding them—that’s the only way we’ll get to the bottom of this."

Jack turned to Alice. "Any updates on Barnes’s phone or credit card activity?"

Alice spread her hands. "His phone’s been off since last night. His last card activity was a withdrawal of two thousand dollars from the hotel ATM at 8 p.m."

"What about Rachel’s phone?" Jane interjected.

Jubal gave her a surprised look. "She’s only ten years old."

"Ten, sixteen—same difference. Trust me," Jane smiled knowingly at the father of two daughters.

"She’s right," Alice said, cutting in. "Rachel does have a registered phone line. Give me ten minutes."

"Rest stop, just north of I-95—they’re still in Virginia," she announced moments later.

Before Alice had even finished speaking, Jubal was already heading for the door. "Alert the state police and highway patrol. JJ, get us a helicopter—fast."