by Kaylea Cross
“In the pot over there,” Beckett muttered, nodding at the counter where the cash register sat.
“You cheap bastard,” Aidan said, rolling the R, and pushed to his feet with a sigh. “I fly across the country to help you out of your crisis, and you can’t even buy me a coffee. That’s harsh.”
“That’s life,” Beckett deadpanned, making Noah grin. He already liked the Scotsman. Between him and Jase, they should make Beckett’s life real interesting.
A flash of pink off to the side caught his attention. He looked over in time to see Poppy walk in from the bookstore with another customer carrying a stack of books. She wore a bubblegum pink sundress with another light sweater covering her arms, and today her hair was loose around her shoulders.
In the midst of chatting with the woman as they walked toward the cash register, Poppy noticed him. Her posture stiffened ever so slightly, then a smile spread across her face and a light tinge of pink colored her cheeks. Noah smiled back and lifted a hand, making the three other guys at the table with him look over at her.
“Who’s that?” Aidan asked, and even though Noah had only met him a minute ago, his unspoken interest was clear in his tone.
“Poppy. She’s the owner,” Noah answered, slicing a warning look at him.
Aidan blinked, then grinned. “Ahh. And I gather she’s why we’re meeting here?”
Feeling a little defensive, and maybe even a little territorial, Noah shrugged. “She’s new in town, and—”
“Yeah, how ‘bout you just not poke at that spot, okay?” Jase said to Aidan. “Until Noah decides what’s happening there, just do us all a favor and consider her off limits.”
Noah fought a scowl and picked up his coffee cup. Even the idea of Jase or Aidan making a move on Poppy made him want to snarl at them.
“Duly noted,” Aidan said with an easygoing grin.
Noah watched Poppy as she worked, taking advantage of being able to look without her noticing. She was a hard-working, kind-hearted person, and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t want a shot with her. The only things holding him back were them being neighbors, and her seeming reluctance for them to be anything other than that.
At work later, he reviewed the latest report from the FBI about the missing women’s case and took care of some other things that had piled up on his desk over the weekend.
At a knock on the door he looked up to find his assistant standing there. “Just got a call from a worried mother saying that her daughter’s missing.”
Noah sat up straighter. “What are the details?”
“Liz Porter. Local girl, twenty-one. Was supposed to be at work and is never late. She didn’t show up for her shift last night and hasn’t been seen since yesterday afternoon just after lunchtime.”
A hard ball of dread gathered in Noah’s gut. She was on the young end of the group, but not too young that he couldn’t discount that this might be related to the other missing women in the area. “I’ll get on it right now.”
He and a deputy drove to the mother’s house. She was distraught but let them in and answered all their questions about her daughter. Liz’s bed was perfectly made, and none of her electronics were missing. The only thing she’d taken with her to work was her purse, containing her phone and wallet.
As he was walking to his cruiser forty minutes later, Noah got a call from the FBI. Because she fit the profile they were suspicious that Liz might be another victim of the suspected serial killer. “I’ll start an immediate grid search,” Noah said.
Within an hour he had his deputies and a host of volunteers out looking for signs of Liz. Most of the town showed up. Then he saw that flash of pink and Poppy was there, wearing a light sweater over her dress as she rushed toward him carrying a huge box in her arms.
“What’s all this?” he asked in surprise.
“Food and drinks to keep the volunteers going. As well as our fine men and women in uniform,” she added, giving him a proud smile that warmed him from the inside out.
“That’s really nice of you. I’m not sure where you want to put it—”
“I’ve got a table coming,” she said, turning around. “Here it comes.”
Noah looked past her to see her young employee carrying a folding table. He reached for the box Poppy carried, and she hurried to help her employee. They set up the table and as soon as he put the box on it, they unpacked everything.
“Coffee and tea should still be hot,” she said, setting out the pastries and appetizers. Then she dusted off her hands and faced him. “So, where do you need us?”
He seemed surprised by her question. “You’re volunteering?”
She frowned. “Of course.”
“In that?” He gestured to the dress and light sweater she wore. It was gorgeous on her, but not conducive to conducting a grid search of the area he’d mapped out.
“I brought a change of clothes.”
“Who’s manning the shop?”
“No one. I closed it and left a note. The customers I kicked out are on their way down to help too.”
Noah couldn’t help but chuckle. Damn, he already liked her too much for his own good. After this, he was gonna be done for. “All right. You can work an area of the grid with Beckett, Jase and Aidan.”
She nodded, that adorable little frown of concentration wrinkling her forehead as she listened to what he told her. “Okay.” She looked up at him for confirmation. “So…now?”
“Yes, no time to waste. I’ll walk you over to your area on my way to the command post.” Gently grasping her upper arm, he led her to the trail at the edge of the parking lot.
He would think about how to handle things with Poppy after Liz was found safe and sound.
POPPY HAD NEVER done anything like this before, but she was anxious to help, and having Noah escort her to her starting point was no hardship. Though his grip was gentle around her arm, she could feel the steely strength and warmth of his fingers through her thin sweater.
She darted into the public washroom to change, the tiny, dark stalls making her skin prickle with claustrophobia, and hurried back out in jeans and a light sweater. People came up to ask Noah questions as he walked her down the trail that led to the beach. She hadn’t explored this one yet, so she didn’t know where it led to.
He’d just finished talking to another volunteer when his radio squawked. “Buchanan,” he answered, and after listening a moment, immediately started giving orders. Though she had known he was sheriff, seeing him in action, watching him take charge and direct the search effort was impressive.
And sexy. Every damn thing about him seemed to be sexy.
She pushed the thought from her mind. Noah paused in his conversation with his deputy and stopped at a rise on the trail, releasing her arm. “I have to go,” he said, regret in his eyes. “If you follow this trail to the beach and turn left, you’ll see Beckett there with his dog. He’ll show you what to do.”
She nodded. “Okay. I’ll see you later?”
He gave her a little smile. “Yes, you will.”
That sounded both promising and a little intimidating, to be honest, but right now all that mattered was finding Liz. Poppy had met her a few times when she’d come into the shop, and she hated to think something bad had happened to the girl.
The sound of the waves intensified as she walked down the remainder of the path, increasing to a muted roar. Though it was mid-summer, the constant breeze coming off the water was cool. It tugged at her hair, pulling wisps free of the ponytail she’d hastily put it in on the way to the search effort parking lot.
She shaded her eyes with one hand when the ocean came into view. Miles and miles of breakers rolling against the wet sand, the afternoon sun glinting off the waves.
Voices floated toward her on the breeze. She spotted Beckett’s huge frame easily, and the dog next to him. She started toward him, recognizing Jase and the new guy with the hot Scottish accent, Aidan.
They all glanced over as she approached
, so she raised a hand in greeting and rushed the rest of the way. “Noah sent me over to help with this part of the grid,” she explained to Beckett. “I don’t know what I’m doing, though.”
“I’ll show you. And thanks for coming.”
The dog waddled over to sniff at her legs, his long, feathery tail swishing. He was the saddest-looking animal she’d seen in a long time, some kind of basset mix with the droopy hound dog eyes and floppy ears. His muzzle and head were gray with age, and he must not have had many teeth left, because his tongue was sticking out the side of his mouth.
“Hello,” she said, crouching to let him sniff her hand.
“This is Walter,” Beckett said. “He’s old, but his nose still works, so I thought he could help search for Liz too.”
“I think you’re being overly ambitious with that,” Jase said as he and Aidan walked up to them. All three of them moved with an innate confidence that Noah had as well, but theirs was different, and their military bearing was obvious in the way they carried themselves. “Walter would rather be home resting his arthritic joints and snoozing on one of his memory foam beds.”
“Nah, you love the beach, don’t you boy?” Beckett said, reaching down to scratch the dog’s head. Walter wagged his tail and stared up at his human dad with adoration that made Poppy smile.
“So what do I need to do?” she asked.
Beckett got her situated and explained what to do before walking off to coordinate the rest of the volunteers.
“Hey, fancy meeting you here.”
She looked to the left, a jolt of anxiety hitting her when she saw Danny smiling at her. Suppressing a groan, she gave him a polite nod. “Hey.” Immediately she went back to her starting point, waiting for the others to get into position.
“Okay if I take the spot beside you?” Danny asked.
Nope. She glanced around, trying not to be obvious about it. Beckett, Jase and Aidan were way off in the distance now, each of them organizing volunteers on a different spot on the grid. Then her gaze landed on Paul, the caretaker/landscaper guy, a few dozen yards away.
“I’m already working with someone,” she lied, and headed over to Paul.
He smiled in recognition when she approached. “Great to see you down here to help,” he said.
She was just glad to be away from Danny and the creepy vibe she got around him. “I hope someone finds her.”
Paul nodded. “Heard she’s a jogger.” He half-turned to gesture at the cliffs behind them. “Lot of these trails are steep. Might be she lost her balance and slipped on one of them.”
“I’d rather that than find out someone took her.”
Paul looked back at her, surprise in his eyes. “Took her? Around here? Nah. Lived in the area a long time, and it’s as safe as can be. I’ll bet we’ll find her with a bump on the head or a twisted ankle at worst.”
Poppy hoped so. Except she knew something about the darkness inside people. The world had plenty of evil people in it, probably even right here in Crimson Point.
A shrill, sharp whistle sliced through the air, drawing everyone’s attention immediately. Beckett stood there in the bright sunlight, his booming voice carrying over the wind. “Start your search now.”
Poppy immediately spread out ten or so yards from Paul and began combing the area in front of her. Partway up the hill, she felt eyes boring into her back. Glancing over her shoulder, she found Danny and his pal from the garden center watching her. She shot them a glare and went back to searching.
“Those boys bothering you?” Paul said to her.
“No. I can handle it.”
“All right. You let me know if you change your mind.”
She sent him a smile. “Thanks.”
He nodded, his gaze sweeping the terrain ahead of them. Here the cliff rose steeply from the low dunes at the edge of the beach, a jumble of rocks at the bottom and the hillside dotted with clumps of sea grass that swayed in the wind. “There are three trails up there,” he said, pointing to each one. They were barely visible as they cut up the side of the cliff. “You up for a bit of a climb?”
“Sure.”
“I’ll take the far right one, you take the left. We’ll meet in the middle.”
“Sounds good.” They strayed farther apart on the way up. Poppy moved slower, unsure of the terrain, her runners slipping on the sandy rocks. It surprised her that Paul was so agile and fit for his age.
“Not too many cliffs where you’re from, I’m guessing?” Paul said to her as they climbed.
“Not the part of South Dakota I come from.” This path was damn steep. She couldn’t imagine anyone trying to jog down it. “What about you, you from here?”
“Yes ma’am, born and raised a few miles from town. You got family?”
“Not anymore. You?”
“No.” His gaze grew distant. “My…partner passed away a couple of years ago.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Thanks. It’s been tough. I miss her a lot more than I thought I would.”
Poppy chuckled at his teasing tone and scrambled up a large boulder, scanning the hillside above her. “It gets lonely sometimes, doesn’t it?”
“Sure does. We didn’t have kids, so I have to find other things to do to pass the time. I putter around at my hobbies some, but mostly I just work a lot.”
“Me too.”
He shot her a grin. “I’ve heard that.”
Really? What else did people around town say about her? “Well, I can’t deny it.”
“I know you said you can’t afford to hire help right now, but I’d be happy to do trades for food and coffee for small jobs if that appeals to you.”
“You would?”
“Sure.”
“That’s really nice of you, thanks. I’ll think about that.”
“You bet.” He paused to blow out a breath, shot her a grin. “Whew. My body’s not as young as it used to be. You ready for the next section? It’s steep, and with this wind we won’t be able to hear each other.”
Poppy looked up, analyzing the climb. “I’ll be okay. I’ll take it slow.”
Doggedly she climbed the rough section, leaning forward and staying low to help propel herself up the incline. To her left and right, all along the cliff she could see the other volunteers dotting the hillside, and others scattered out across the beach to check the water and behind the large driftwood logs. Danny and what’s-his-name were to her left, but too far away to bother her. Thankfully.
A minute later she was breathing hard, her heart and lungs working overtime. Steep was right.
“Liz! Liz, can you hear me?” she called, hoping for but not expecting an answer.
“Here!”
Poppy’s head snapped up at the faint cry coming from above her. “Liz? Are you Liz?”
“Yes! Help me. I can’t get up.”
Poppy immediately stood up straight and turned to face the beach, waving her arms around to get someone’s attention. She cupped her hands around her mouth to help funnel the sound and shouted down at the people below her on the sand. “Hey! Here! She’s over here!” A shout answered her, and someone waved their arms in acknowledgement.
Poppy whirled and went back to her task. “Liz? I still can’t see you. Can you wave your arm for me?”
“I am.” The cry came back from the left, thin and full of pain.
Poppy kept climbing, scanning the hillside to her left. Finally she caught sight of a flash of purple through a thick tuft of grass. “I see you! Just hold tight.” She scrambled and clawed her way over a clump of boulders, grasping at handfuls of grass as an anchor as she climbed a slight ridge.
Panting, she reached the top and a wave of relief flooded her when she saw Liz lying against some rocks, her legs out in front of her. “Hey,” Poppy said, hurrying toward her.
Liz’s face was pale, her dark hair whipping around her face. She was shivering, her eyes glazed with pain. Poppy knelt beside her and helped her put her purple jacket back on.
“Yes.” Poppy smiled at Liz in reassurance and wrapped her sweater around the girl’s shaking shoulders. “What hurts?”
“My leg. I think it’s broken,” she mumbled, gesturing to her right calf. “I c-can’t move.”
“It’s okay, help is coming.” She sat next to Liz and put her arms around the girl, using her body to try and block the whipping wind. “They’ll get you out of here in no time.”
Liz leaned her forehead against Poppy’s shoulder and let out a sob.
Poppy squeezed her tighter. “I know it hurts. It’ll be over soon.”
Shouts from above her brought her head up just as Paul scrambled the rest of the way to them. He took off his coat and added the extra layer around Liz, then Noah appeared at the top of the ridge.
“The sheriff’s here,” Poppy said, holding Liz tight. Noah plunged down the side of the hill with an effortless ease that was impressive as hell to watch, and then he was right beside them.
His deep blue gaze met Poppy’s for just a moment before focusing on Liz. “Good to see you, young lady.” He did a quick assessment and got on his radio to call for a stretcher. “I can carry you out on my own, but you’ll be more comfortable if we move you out on a stretcher.”
Liz nodded, still pressed tight to Poppy.
One side of Noah’s mouth lifted as he met Poppy’s gaze. “You found her. How about that.”
She smiled back, her heart fluttering like crazy. “Beginner’s luck.”
Chapter Seven
Poppy spent the rest of the afternoon buzzing around her shop in a state of cheerfulness, energized from the outcome of the search. After Noah and some firefighters had carried Liz up the steep hill to a waiting ambulance and transported her to the hospital, Poppy had stayed long enough to pack up the leftover food she’d brought down and taken it back to the shop.
Ever since she’d taken the closed sign off the shop’s front door two hours ago, Whale’s Tale had been flooded with customers. She’d met so many people that the names and faces had all begun to blur together, all of them wanting to meet her and thank her for her effort in finding Liz.