Bruce Webb had promised his wife he would quit his job with Tipstaff Security after the current case wrapped up. Now, he wondered if by saying those words he had cursed himself. Three weeks had gone by, and they were no closer to locating the girl, Cassandra Drakos.

His crew had accessed public databases and pinpointed all of Milos Argyros's real estate holdings. They hadn't expected there would be so many. He held part ownership in twenty-two properties, any of which where he could hole up his niece. A painstaking search of over two-thousand tenants occupying the mega-unit condos yielded nothing conclusive. Of course, he hadn't expected the girl or her aunt to use their real names.

They had cleared sixteen of the twenty-two smaller buildings. Today, he and Razzy were onsite at a twenty-story high rise located on Clearwater Beach. They had split off from the other members of the crew who were assigned to check another property.

Stationed at the back door of the structure facing the beach, the big Seminole muttered what Webb had been thinking. "Boss, this is pointless. There are four-hundred units in this building, most of them short-term rentals to tourists. Even if we setup a permanent stakeout, the turnover makes keeping track of the residents impossible."

It was the most densely populated of the Argyros properties which made it the most likely place to hide someone. They were observing people coming and going on the off chance they might spot the girl or her aunt. They had memorized what the females looked like, and they had photos with them in case they needed to compare the images to possible sightings.

Webb ran a shirt sleeve across the perspiration beading his brow. "I agree, but we have to go through the motions to satisfy Doctor Armando. If we don't find Cassandra at one of these properties, then she truly is in the wind. We will have lost her for good."

Razzy grunted. "If that's the case, Armando will blow a gasket."

"Do you really give a crap about disappointing the doctor?"

"No. Disappointing that man would make my day."

It surprised him to hear such a statement from Razzy. The man always came across as completely focused on the mission. "If Doctor Armando wants to permanently stakeout these properties, he can get the agency to hire rent-a-cops. They come a lot cheaper than what we're being paid."

A hot-looking twentysomething babe in a bathing suit exited the building with a black-haired girl who wore her hair in long braids. Razzy grinned. "The job may be boring, but the scenery is nice."

"Copy that," Webb said. The girl was Cassandra's age, but the hair was different. He hadn't gotten a good enough look at her face to verify, because he had been focusing on the pretty woman who was definitely not Marnie.

He glanced at the time displayed on his phone. "We'll hang out here another hour and grab a late lunch. Then we'll cross off this property. It's too big for us to monitor."

Razzy grunted but said nothing.

The hour passed. Razzy started to squirm. "Let's get the hell out of here. I signed on to this job for action. What we're doing now is like watching corn grow."

"Yeah, let's go."

Razzy laid a hand over his stomach. "First, let me find the head. I think there's a men's room in the lobby."

While Razzy attended to his business, Webb looked for a bank of vending machines hoping a candy bar would take the edge off his hunger. He dug change from his pocket and plinked the coins into the slot. He figured a Snickers bar would do the trick and pressed the selection button.

Nothing happened.

"What the hell?" He pressed the button again. Still nothing.

He cursed and started shaking the machine.

"Don't feel bad. That machine eats everyone's money."

Startled, Webb spun around. It was the black-haired girl with the long braids. He smiled and was about to ask how he could find the manager to get a refund.

Her face.

Her face!

Oh, God, standing right in front of him was Cassandra Drakos.

She cocked her head and regarded him. "Mister, is something wrong?"

"Um..." What a lucky break. He could just grab her and go. But in that moment, he visualized the girl's mother dissected on Doctor Armando's cold, steel table. "That was the last of my change."

Her expression went slack for a few moments as if she were in some sort of trance. After she blinked a few times, she reached into a small pocket at the side of her bathing suit. She pulled out a coin and held it up for him. "I've been carrying this thing around. It's special somehow, but I can't remember the reason why. I feel as if...you should have it." Her whole face lit up with a charming smile.

He swallowed, his conscience fighting with his sense of duty. "It's kind of you to offer money to me, a stranger."

"Go on, take it. It's meant for you."

He took from her hand some sort of medallion or token. It wasn't money.

"The other machine won't eat your change. Besides, it has more nutritious food." She waved a scolding finger at him. "You shouldn't be eating that sugary junk." She opened the door to the ice machine and scooped cubes into the container she carried.

He couldn't believe how this sweet, eleven-year-old girl would someday grow up to be...what? Something to be feared? He couldn't reconcile the contradictions going through his mind.

She pulled her arm from the ice machine. "Are you having trouble deciding what to choose?"

Amused at her boldness, he asked, "What would you recommend?"

She slid in between him and the machine and studied the options. He could so easily cover her mouth with one of his big hands, lift her from the floor, and carry her away.

She pressed a finger over the window with the ham sandwich. "Get that one. It's on the bland side but the meat is usually fresh."

"Thank you, I'm Mr. Webb." He extended his hand to see how she would react.

She took his hand and shook it. "I'm Cassie. Do you live in the building?"

He decided to test her, to see how well her minders had trained her about situational awareness. "Yes, my wife and son and I live in unit 802. His name is Brandon and he's five. Which unit is yours?"

Without any hesitation she said, "1010." She frowned. "Brandon wouldn't happen to have a swim ring with a seahorse head, would he?"

Where did that thought come from? "No, why would you ask that?"

She waved an arm. "No reason."

A moment of silence passed before Cassie said, "Well, it was nice meeting you, Mr. Webb. Maybe next time you can introduce me to your little boy. I like little kids."

Would a monster like little kids? "Yeah, sure, it was nice meeting you too."

He watched her walk away. Cassandra Drakos. She lived in unit 1010. He decided then and there he would take that information to his grave before he'd tell anyone.

The token wasn't American. He didn't recognize the writing or the embossed strange symbols. It probably wasn't worth anything and certainly would be rejected by the vending machines. Yet, he was overcome with a strange sensation he should keep it. Like he would need it someday.

Razzy rounded the corner. "There you are. Are you ready, boss?"

Webb pocketed the token. "Razzy, I want you to be the first to know. Tomorrow morning, I'm handing in my resignation."

Question: Cassie's instinct led her to give Webb the token entrusted to her by her mother. What is she sensing about him?