“Actually, I wondered if you’d have time to answer a few questions about Keith McDonald?”
Bonnie’s brown eyes clouded, and Jane noticed the red rims around them. She’d probably heard of Keith’s disappearance.
Bonnie glanced behind her at the two young men. “I’m going to take a break, guys. I’ll be at the table with the chief if it gets crazy.” She came around the espresso machines and exited the counter area.
“Are you sure Ruby will want me there? She didn’t say anything to me when she got here.” Bonnie’s voice choked off.
“Ruby’s having a hard time.”
Bonnie paused when they reached the table. “Um, where do you want me to sit?”
Ruby patted the chair Jane had vacated. “Sit here by me, Bonnie. Did you hear about Keith?”
Bonnie sank bonelessly into the chair and burst into tears. Ruby reached over and gripped Bonnie’s hands in hers while she cried too. Jane’s impulse was to embrace them both, but they weren’t close enough for that kind of gesture. Her eyes burned at their pain, and she wished she could ease it somehow. Keith had to be dead by now. Regret resided in Reid’s eyes too.
Bonnie reached for a napkin and blotted her eyes. “I wanted to get him back.” Her voice wobbled. “I tried calling him and texting him for the past week, but he never answered. I was sure he would have realized it was a mistake by now. He said he wanted me to have time to date around rather than waiting on him, but I already knew I didn’t want to date other guys.”
Reid handed her another napkin. “Wait a minute. Are you saying he broke up with you? You didn’t break up with him?”
Bonnie crumpled the napkin in her hand and shook her head. “I loved him. I wanted to marry him.”
Ruby let go of Bonnie and sat back in her chair. “Keith told me you broke up with him—that you couldn’t handle his long absences.”
Bonnie lifted her reddened eyes and locked her gaze on Jane. “That’s not true. It wasn’t my idea at all. Now that he’s missing, I think he was afraid I’d get hurt by whoever is behind all this. He made an excuse to break up to keep me out of it.”
Jane pulled out her notepad. “Have you met other men Keith worked with?”
Bonnie glanced at Ruby, then back to Jane. “Um, just that English guy he bunked with. He gave Keith a fat manila envelope and told him not to show it to anyone. We were at my apartment, and when Keith walked him out, he warned Keith to keep an eye on me. It was kind of creepy.”
Reid made a sound, but Jane held up her hand to silence him. “Why would he warn Keith like that?”
“Keith was tight-lipped about it, but I think it was to keep Keith from talking about what he’d overheard.”
“Do you still have the manila envelope?” Jane asked.
“No, Keith took it with him, and he didn’t tell me what was in it.”
“Do you remember the guy’s name or what he looked like?” Reid’s voice was tight, and he shot a warning look at Jane.
“He was Keith’s bunkmate. He’s a really big guy with a gold tooth and tattoos.”
Reid leaned forward. “Dex!”
Jane stared at him. “You know this guy?”
Reid’s brown eyes narrowed. “He’s a deck pusher on the rig and showed me around yesterday. Let’s see if we can find out when he’s coming ashore. He knows a lot more than he let on to me. He didn’t say a word about being Keith’s bunkmate.”
And Reid’s aggrieved tone indicated he didn’t like Dex’s subterfuge one bit. Jane was going to have to work with him on this a lot more closely than she’d like.
* * *
Jane was going to be madder than a wet cat.
Reid rose with his empty cup, then held out his hand for Jane’s cup. She handed it to him. Pelican Brews picked up with lunch business, and Bonnie had to get back to work. Ruby excused herself as well to go back to the school.
He let his gaze linger on the beautiful planes of Jane’s angular features as he took the coffee cup. The humidity released the curl in her light-brown hair, and her eyes were more green than hazel today. He wanted to linger on those lips he still dreamed of kissing again, but she’d be furious if she knew what he was thinking.
He gestured to the daily menu on the chalkboard. “Any food to take with us? The paninis smell good.”
“I’m not hungry, thanks. Go ahead if you want something.”
“I’m good.” He led the way to the door.
Outside, he turned toward the trash receptacle, and the gulls hanging around gave him arrogant stares from their black eyes. They didn’t even fly away when he approached.
He tossed the cups. “We need to find out when Dex is coming ashore. And where he lives.”
“I was going to see Steve Price today anyway. He’s the shore manager, and he’ll know.”
He swung back toward her. “Mind if I tag along?” He expected a glare and an emphatic no, but she assessed him for a long moment.
“Okay. He might be swayed to be more honest by the fact you’re with the media.”
He hid his jubilation and followed her and Parker across the street and into the sunshine. A muscle car roared past, and he missed what she’d said. “Sorry?”
Her gaze locked with his. “Let me ask the questions. And don’t think this means anything has changed between us.”
He gave a jerky nod. “Understood.”
He wanted to ask if she’d ever forgive him, but the words got tangled with regret. Before he could say anything else, she swung away from him and stalked toward her SUV in the police station’s parking lot. He followed, admiring the strong curves of her legs in the khaki skirt she wore.
The lights flashed with the beep of the vehicle unlocking, and she put Parker in the back before she climbed behind the wheel. Reid slid into the passenger seat. Maybe changing the subject would be the wisest choice about now.
He cleared his throat as she exited the lot and pulled onto the street. “I told Will he could go fishing with your dad.”
The glare he’d expected earlier shot his way before she turned her attention back to the road. Her jaw tightened, and her knuckles went white on the steering wheel. “You didn’t think to ask for my permission?”
“Uh, no. I assumed you’d want him to spend time with your dad.”
“My dad doesn’t deserve to be around Will, not after all the lies.”
“That’s not Will’s fault. He’s pathetically eager for a relationship with his grandfather. I know the feeling. I’ve been searching for my grandparents too.”
Too personal. He should have kept his mouth shut.
Her grip on the steering wheel relaxed. “Any luck?”
“Actually, yeah. I found my mother’s parents living in Indiana. I haven’t contacted them yet. I’m not sure if I should.”
Shut up, Reid.
“Any aunts and uncles?”
“Two uncles, younger than Mom. I just got the report from Kelly, my investigator. They’re both married with kids. One has two girls and the other one has twin boys. The older of the two, Randy, still lives in Wabash. The other one, Rick, lives in Wickenburg, Arizona.”
She turned into the parking lot of an industrial complex. “I found an online article this morning about Liberty’s Children.”
She was actually talking to him? “A recent one?”
“Dated last week. According to the article, the group has taken over an abandoned town along the Cumberland River in Kentucky.”
“That’s about as clear as mud. The Cumberland is nearly seven hundred miles long. Did the article say just where?”
“I don’t remember the exact details. It mentioned the headwaters? I don’t really know what that means.”
“I do. I did a documentary about the Cumberland about five years ago. Its headwaters are three separate rivers that converge near Baxter, Kentucky. The river is wild and turbulent throughout much of the area. Thick vegetation, not many people. Maybe we can find out more details and make a visit. See if your mom is still ther
e.”
“I can’t see her ever leaving.”
Reid nodded. “You think this Price fellow will talk?”
“He won’t want any negative publicity.” She parked the vehicle near the front of the building and turned it off. “Let’s see what we can find out.”
She was all business again and would be unlikely to open up to him again. If only he’d had a little more time.
Six
Reid’s presence had her on edge.
Jane led the way and had only to flash her badge before being ushered into Steve Price’s office. The room was massive, and windows filled one whole wall that flooded the space with light. His desk was a sleek modern one, and the room was furnished with a sofa and comfortable armchairs on one side plus a long meeting room table with seating at the other end. Her whole studio apartment above the bakery would fit in this one room.
Steve stood from behind his desk and approached them with his hand out. “Jane, nice to see you.” He shook her hand, then petted Parker.
Jane had been around Steve at various events in town. He was about forty with wings of gray threaded through his dark hair at his temples. His tall, distinguished air attracted female attention, but since his wife’s death, she’d never seen him with another woman.
His gaze went past Jane’s shoulder to Reid. “I don’t think we’ve met.”
Reid held out his hand. “Reid Dixon, journalist. Your office gave permission for me to board the oil platform for a documentary. I was out there yesterday.”
Steve’s thousand-watt smile dimmed. “I suppose this is about our man overboard?” He gestured to the seating area to Jane’s left. “I have about half an hour before an important meeting, but I’m happy to answer anything I can. It’s tragic, just tragic.”
Jane waited until they were all seated, then took out her notepad. “Are you aware Keith McDonald feared a terrorist attack on the oil platform?” Might as well go for shock value and see what happened.
Steve shook his head. “Homeland Security contacted me about it, and I told them I’ve seen no evidence of anything like that. We have top security out there, and cameras all over the place. Our IT department reviewed every feed we have, and there’s nothing to indicate Keith was in contact with terrorists. Supposedly he overheard a conversation, but we’ve found nothing like that in our feeds. I wonder if it might have been an attention stunt. The young man had some, uh, issues.”
Jane’s ears perked. “Issues?”
Steve nodded and petted Parker, who laid his head on Steve’s knee. “He had taken my son under his wing after my wife died. Our families have been friends for years, and Tyler idolized Keith. But he’s been strange lately.”
“Tyler or Keith?”
Steve frowned. “Keith, of course.”
“I heard your son was having some short-term memory loss after a baseball accident.”
Steve gave a dismissive wave of his hand. “Minor. The doctors say it will pass. Where’d you hear about that?”
“His ex-girlfriend, Megan.”
“I wouldn’t exactly call her a girlfriend. He’s only fifteen. They ‘broke up’”—he put the words in air quotes with his fingers—“over a month ago.”
“But Megan says he forgets they’ve broken up and has been following her. And stalking her on Snapchat.”
Steve’s brows drew together. “I’m sure it’s nothing serious. All she has to do is tell him to quit it.”
“She has, but he forgets.”
She clenched her fists at his dismissive attitude. “What about Keith? Do you have any idea what was going on with him? His mother said he wasn’t on any antidepressants. You think he deliberately jumped off the oil platform?”
“It was my first thought. He’d just been acting strange, paranoid even. He kept looking out the window and asking me if I knew the car going by. The last time he was at the house he insisted on keeping the curtains open, and he sat in the chair where he could see out to the front yard. I thought maybe he was working too many hours and offered to see if I could adjust his schedule, but he brushed that off. Now I wish I had.”
Reid leaned forward. “What if he was paranoid for a reason?”
“I just don’t buy it. Why would a terrorist want to blow up the oil platform?”
“Major contamination of the beaches,” Jane said. “And maybe quite a few dead.”
“Even Deepwater Horizon only killed eleven. Now, that’s a tragedy. I’m not discounting those lives, but it’s not like the attack on the World Trade Center. Most terrorists want at least a few hundred dead to make a point. Blowing up the platform would gain some attention, but not the kind that would make all the cost and planning worth it. At least not in my opinion. It’s not something you see much of, even worldwide.”
She rose. “Thanks for your time, Steve. We’ll let you get back to work. If you think of anything else, please let me know.” She passed him a business card with her cell number on it.
He fingered it and put it in the inside pocket of his navy jacket before he rose to escort them to the door. “Will do. Sorry I couldn’t be more help.”
“I do have one more question,” Reid said. “Do you know when Dex, one of your deck pushers, is due to come ashore?”
Steve went to his desk and jiggled his mouse. “I can find out. You know his last name?”
“Sorry, I don’t.”
“I might still be able to find him.” He peered at his screen. “There he is, Walter Dexter, nickname Dex. He’s ashore right now.”
“Could I get his address?” Jane asked.
“Sure. He lives right here in Pelican Harbor.”
The printer whirred to life, and a few moments later, Steve handed her a printout.
“Appreciate your help.” She took it and stuffed it in her bag before heading outside.
She squinted when she exited into the bright sunlight and turned to Reid. “What did you think? Keith sounded paranoid.”
“Sometimes paranoia is warranted. He appeared to be afraid, and now he’s dead.”
Heat shimmered off the blacktop of the parking lot, and she paused to think about it. “Maybe we need to talk to Tyler and some of his other friends.”
“I’m not so sure Tyler will remember.”
“But he might. Steve seems to think he’s getting better. How well does Will know Tyler?”
“They’ve hung out some after baseball practice, and he’s often been at the house. We could ask Will if Tyler has said anything about Keith.”
“I don’t want to pull him into any danger.”
“I don’t think a few questions will do that. I doubt he knows much.” Reid glanced at his watch. “It’s nearly lunchtime at school. We could grab him and Tyler a sub sandwich and meet up. I’ll text him.”
All this camaraderie made her want to take a step back, but she nodded, and they moved toward the vehicle.
* * *
Jane’s manner was still as stiff as a stork’s legs.
Reid scanned the kids shooting hoops and lounging in the shade of the water oaks and pecan trees lining the basketball court. He waved at Will and Tyler sitting on a bench under a giant tree near the gurgling creek.
“There they are.” Will waved at him, and Reid waved back.
Parker gave a joyous bark and raced to thrust his nose into Will’s hand. Jane wore the first genuine smile Reid had seen on her face all morning. Would she ever smile at him like that again? Hope seemed elusive after the hours they’d spent together. How different it might have been if he’d told her who they were as soon as they hit town. They might have been a real family now.
Jane stepped out ahead of him a few feet. Her eagerness to see her son always touched him with her craving to make up for lost time. She might be small, but she was a powerhouse of love and care for others.
Will grinned up at her when she reached them. “How’d you guys know lunch was going to be tuna casserole? I’d rather eat dirt.”
Jane started to touch his ha
ir, then drew back with a quick peek at the other kids watching them curiously. “Lucky guess. Your dad got you meatball subs. That okay?”
“He knows it’s my jam.”
“Mine too.” But Tyler blinked and stared at the sack of food as if he couldn’t quite remember what a meatball sub was like.
He had a slight build, green eyes, and sandy hair that curled just over his ears. Reid could just make out the name Megan on the metal bracelet he wore on his left wrist. Another indication that he still wasn’t quite right when it came to his relationship with his ex-girlfriend.
“We had some questions for you both.”
Tyler’s eyes widened, and he pulled at his lip. “My memory isn’t so good right now. I’m not sure what you want, though.”
Will took the sack, then opened it and handed a sandwich and a bag of chips to Tyler. “It’s okay, Tyler. My parents will be cool with whatever you can remember. What’s up, Dad?”
My parents.
The casual pride in Will’s voice touched Reid’s heart. Family meant everything to a kid who’d had so little of it.
“I’m actually the one with the questions,” Jane said. “It’s about an investigation.”
“What’s up?” Will opened his sandwich and took a big bite.
Jane stared at Tyler, who was tearing open his bag of chips. “It’s about Keith McDonald, Tyler.”
The boy looked up. “Is he in trouble?”
Reid exchanged a glance with Will. Tyler had to have heard Keith was missing. His father would likely have discussed it with him. More of his short-term memory loss problem?
“He’s missing.” Jane’s voice was gentle. “Your dad said you hung out a lot with him, and he mentioned Keith had been acting like he thought someone was following him. Did he say anything to you about it?”
Tyler kept his head down and shrugged. “I don’t really remember.” He glanced over at Will. “When did we see Keith last?”
“Three weeks ago? He threw some balls for us, remember? You hit a home run.”
Reid wished he could comfort him. Kids that age didn’t want anyone to think they were vulnerable, though. Three weeks ago would have been before he took the baseball to the head.
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