The House at Saltwater Point

by Colleen Coble

  “And I can’t understand why you can’t muster a little courtesy! You were married to the man for two years. There has to be some kind of feeling left.”

  “There is—it’s called hatred.” Mac brushed at the stain on her shorts. “If you loved me, you’d cut him loose. He’s gone so much anyway, kayaking in that inflatable he keeps in his truck. You do most of the work.”

  “That’s not true. Jason works hard.” Ellie took a step back. “Our partnership goes back to before you knew him. Jason is like a brother to me. He brings a lot of business savvy to Lavender Farms. Don’t pull me into your feud.”

  “You don’t understand anything about relationships, Ellie. You’ve never even had a serious boyfriend. You’re so afraid of letting someone down like you did Alicia, you never take a chance on loving anyone. You don’t know what it’s like when someone breaks your heart.”

  Ellie gasped and pressed her hand against her chest. They never spoke of their little sister’s death, and to have it thrown in her face now was like a knife to the heart. “You blame me for her death too? You always said it wasn’t my fault.”

  Tears flooded Mac’s blue eyes and she rushed for the door. Ellie thought for half a second about going after her, but her pain was too raw. They both needed to cool down.

  Even as she wandered the rooms in the estate sale, Ellie mentally ticked off all she wanted to do in this house. In her mind she already owned it, and the more she saw of the room sizes and high ceilings, the more she liked it. The superb view from the big windows at the back of the house looked out on Rainshadow Bay, and she caught sight of Mac’s ship docked there.

  The Robbs had owned this house for fifteen years, and Ellie used to babysit for their son. Terrance Robb had grown up in town and had gone on to work for the CIA. He’d recently been transferred to an upper-level position at Langley, and Ellie suspected half the people perusing the contents were hoping to see him or his wife, Candace. Everyone in town had been curious about what he’d be doing in Virginia and hoped to ferret out some spy details. The truth was much more mundane since he worked in the accounting department. Spies worked in other countries, and Terrance’s job was simply one of support.

  She paused at a large cabinet with various items inside. She spied a vintage mah-jongg set in a blue vinyl case and grabbed it. Mac would love this. Ellie had already gotten her a bracelet for her birthday, but this would be a nice bonus gift. She tucked it under her arm and tried to sidle past a petite, dark-haired woman who was frowning at her.

  “I was about to buy that.” The woman looked to be in her twenties and of Asian descent. She held out her hand. “May I have it, please?” She had a slight Asian accent. Her high heels and slim-fitting dress had to have cost a fortune.

  “Sorry, it’s a gift for my sister.” Ellie started past her, but the woman made a grab for the box. “Hey!” Ellie clamped her other hand on the game before the woman could snatch it out of her arms. “What’s wrong with you?”

  The woman’s face contorted, and she stepped closer to Ellie. “Give me the box!”

  “Is something wrong?” Jermaine Diskin got between her and the woman. Jermaine was an African American flight paramedic who worked for Zach Bannister. He and his wife, Michelle, owned a lavender farm on the outskirts of town.

  The woman glared at him. “She has my mah-jongg box.”

  Jermaine’s pale-green eyes narrowed. “I saw her pick it up first. Get lost, lady, or I’ll call the cops. I saw Deputy Rosa Seymour in the other room.”

  The woman clenched her fists, then spun on her three-inch heels and brushed past Ellie.

  Jermaine stared after her. “That was weird. I hope you don’t mind that I interfered.”

  “I was thankful you did. I’ve never had to fight for an estate-sale purchase before.” She looked down at the box. “I’ve heard some vintage games are worth a lot of money. Maybe this one is, but I wasn’t going to resell it. It’s for Mac’s birthday.”

  “Glad it all worked out then. You’d better buy it and get out of here before she comes back.”

  Ellie thanked him again, then paid five dollars for the game. When she neared her old blue pickup, she frowned. Both tires on the passenger side were flat. Who would slash her tires? Would the woman have been so angry about losing out on the mah-jongg tiles that she would have done something like this? It seemed extreme.

  A black Taurus with tinted windows drove by slowly as she called for roadside service. Roy’s Service Station had a truck there in fifteen minutes. She kept her eye out for the vandal as she waited for new tires to be put on her truck, but she saw no one suspicious. She stuck the mah-jongg tiles in her toolbox for safekeeping.

  She paid Roy’s employee, then climbed behind the wheel to go pick up Mac for their dinner out. The marina parking lot was nearly empty, and she pulled into the spot beside Mac’s BMW. Mac’s clipper, Lavender Lady, was gorgeous in the sunlight. Her sails were down, and her masts soared toward the clouds. Ellie often wished she could share her sister’s passion for sailing. She loved the water and the scent of the sea, but all the sailing terms confused her.

  She parked her truck, then walked out onto the dock. Seagulls landed near her feet, and their black eyes looked up for a snack. “Sorry, guys, I didn’t bring any bread.” Where was Mac? Ellie thought she’d be on the dock or near her car waiting. Maybe she’d lost track of time.

  She cupped her hands around her mouth. “Mac!”

  No one answered her but the squawk of the closest seagull and a toot from a ferry out in the bay.

  Mac’s skiff bobbed in the water next to the ship, but there was an inflatable raft bumping against the dock Ellie could take out. She stepped into it and steadied herself as it rocked in the waves. She sat down and rowed out to board the boat. She tied off next to the skiff, then climbed the ladder to the deck.

  She looked down and bile rose in her throat.

  A pool of red congealed on the tile floor about four feet from the railing on the starboard side. A lot of blood.

  She tried to swallow, but all the moisture evaporated from her tongue. “Mac?” Her voice came out as a whisper. She rushed along the deck and followed the blood to the railing. There was no sign of Mac in the blue waves lapping at the hull.

  She fumbled her phone out of her purse and dialed 911. Mac couldn’t be dead, not on her birthday.

  Chapter 2

  You’ve heard to trust your instincts. That piece of advice never fails.

  —HAMMER GIRL BLOG

  Shauna Bannister stood on the bow of the ferry and watched the island of Hope Beach draw nearer. The sea air had curled her black hair into something that resembled Frankenstein’s monster’s bride, but she made a vain attempt to smooth it back into place. The scent of salt and sea wrapped around her in a caress. They were finally here after an eventful honeymoon, and she couldn’t quite believe she was about to see her brother again after all these years.

  Zach dropped his arm around her, and she welcomed his warmth. “Traipsing all over North Carolina in search of my brother isn’t much of a honeymoon for you, Zach.”

  “We had a great honeymoon. This is just an extension.” His lips brushed her temple. “I’m with my beautiful bride, and that’s all I want.” He pointed out two dolphins jumping beside the boat. “This is going to be an exciting week.”

  While they couldn’t really label their honeymoon “great” after barely escaping with their lives, it had only made them stronger. And more in love.

  She tipped her head back to stare into his deep-blue eyes. “You’re sure it’s him?”

  “As positive as we can be without a DNA test. From what I can tell, he doesn’t know he’s adopted, honey. You have to be prepared for some initial disbelief that you’re really his sister and he’s who you say he is.”

  Disbelief. Would he reject her? He’d been old enough when he disappeared that he should still have some memory of her, shouldn’t he? She’d looked it up, and some people remembered bits
of their childhood from age two. They’d spent a lot of time together, and she clearly remembered his adorable freckles and the cowlick in his blond hair. He’d been a cute toddler and was probably a handsome man now.

  She pressed her hand against her stomach. “The butterflies are trying to escape.”

  He tucked a long strand of her dark hair behind her ear. “We’ll weigh them down with something sweet once we hit the island. I hear there’s a great place for lunch and ice cream in town.”

  Taking time to eat would give her a chance to calm down. They’d landed in Norfolk last night and stayed at a hotel, then flown on a charter flight to the Dare County Airport this morning where they’d caught the ferry.

  “Sounds good.” She leaned her head against his shoulder. “I’m so nervous. In my daydreams he recognizes me immediately and we hug until we’re breathless.”

  A troubled frown wrinkled his forehead. “It’s not going to be like that, babe. I think deep down you know that. A lot of time has passed. He spent most of his life in Japan. There’s no guarantee he even remembers Washington.”

  “I remember lots of things from when I was two and three.”

  His embrace tightened. “And he went through a lot of trauma when he was ripped from his family after watching his mother die. He might have blocked out most of it.”

  She knew Zach was trying to make sure her expectations were realistic, but the thought of a negative reaction from her brother was disconcerting to her. She pulled away and watched a seagull regard her with inquisitive eyes from a nearby railing. “Maybe this was a bad idea. I probably should have called first and talked to his parents.”

  “No, we’re doing it right. I could be wrong, you know. He might recognize that black hair.” He twirled a lock of hair around his finger.

  She smiled and leaned against his chest. Being married to Zach was wonderful. He’d found her brother, Connor, all by himself as a surprise. How many men would do that? “We should probably call and check on our boy.”

  “I talked to Alex while you were in the bathroom, and he was heading to the beach with Marilyn to go tide pooling. I’m sure she has her phone with her if you want to call.”

  “Of course you called. You’re a good dad.”

  His eyes crinkled in a smile. “I try. He’s easy to love. And so is his mother.” As the wind ruffled his dark hair, he wrapped his arm around her waist and they turned to watch the ferry dock at Hope Beach. “I hear we can rent bicycles in town. That would be a fun way to tour the island.”

  “We’re booked at Tidewater Inn, right?”

  “Yes, they have a van picking us up. Looks like a nice place. It’s a few miles out of town, and the van runs back and forth every two hours.”

  Zach had planned all this down to the last detail. “Let’s drop off our stuff, then head into town. I’d like to at least get a glimpse of Grayson before we approach him.” It would be hard to remember her brother’s new name, Grayson Bradshaw.

  “We could ask about him at the hotel too. Maybe the manager knows him or his family. It might be good to have a little more information before we attack.”

  She sputtered a laugh. “I sure hope he doesn’t feel like it’s an attack.”

  He steered her toward the gangway. “It’s going to be fine. Don’t worry so much. We’ll get through this. Even if he needs some time to absorb it all, I think he’ll want to get to know his amazing sister and nephew. You’ll see.”

  She could only pray he was right.

  Ellie’s eyes felt raw and scratchy from crying. The sheriff and his men had been all over the ship and found no sign of Mac’s body. It was clear she’d gone into the water. With that much blood Ellie didn’t see how Mac could have survived. One of the deputies had even spotted a few fins in the strait, and she shuddered at the thought that they might never find her sister’s body.

  The cold wind laden with the smell of kelp cut through her as they headed back to the parking lot. She reached her truck and opened the door. “I need to tell Jason. I tried to call our dad, but he’s out of the country on a safari. He won’t be back to civilization for another two weeks.”

  “Sorry to hear that. You could use the support.” Sheriff Everett Burchell, a burly man in his forties with a slight resemblance to Elvis, pulled a pad of paper from his shirt pocket. “Mackenzie and her ex don’t get along great, do they?” His tone was too casual.

  Ellie caught her breath. “You can’t suspect Jason.”

  “I have to look at everyone, Ellie. Even you. This wasn’t an accident.”

  “Maybe she fell and hit her head. Head wounds bleed a lot. She could have been disoriented and fallen overboard. Aren’t you going to call in some divers?”

  “I already did. They’ll be here any minute. Now, about your sister. When did you see her last? And do you know where I can find Jason?”

  Ellie pressed her lips together. She’d seen enough movies to know law enforcement always thought a relative was to blame.

  Tires squealed behind them, and she turned to see Jason’s new Chevy pickup pull up behind her. The door flew open, and Jason bolted from the vehicle with the engine still running. He rushed to Ellie’s truck.

  His brown eyes were vivid in his pale face. “I heard Mac was attacked. She’s all right, isn’t she?”

  “She’s missing,” the sheriff said. “I’m glad you’re here though, Jason. I have a few questions. When did you see her last?”

  “Just before lunch. She was painting at a flip we’re doing. She left the house to get some lunch. I didn’t see her after that.” He ran his hand through his sun-streaked brown hair. “Wait, am I a suspect?”

  The sheriff’s smile didn’t reach his dark-blue eyes. “It’s just routine to talk to everyone close to her. Did you argue?”

  Jason looked away and sighed. “It’s impossible to talk to Mac without arguing. She’s been even more quarrelsome in the past couple of weeks. I mostly try to stay out of her way, but it’s hard to do when I’m partners with her sister.” He glanced at Ellie. “Tell the sheriff how bad she’s been.”

  “I don’t know what you mean, Jason. She hasn’t been quarrelsome.”

  “Then you’ve never seen her bad side,” he shot back. He stalked away from Ellie’s truck a few feet, then wheeled back around. “What happened out there? I heard there was blood.”

  Ellie nodded. “A lot of blood. And the trail leads to the railing and over the edge.”

  “You mean she went overboard?”

  “Ellie, please let me handle this,” the sheriff said. “Back to my questions, Jason. You said Mac was quarrelsome lately. Can you give me some examples of what you mean?”

  Ellie was interested in hearing his answer herself. Mac had been a little quiet lately and hadn’t always answered her phone, but the closest they’d come to an actual quarrel was today when Mac had practically drawn a line in the sand between her and Jason.

  Jason stared off toward the boat. “That crazy tall ship flotilla idea, for one. She got into an argument with the city council about it. They didn’t think it was worth the cost to bring it here for the seafood and Dungeness crab festival. They wanted to postpone it to next year’s lavender festival, but she wouldn’t hear of it. She seemed to think it would draw in the crowds and didn’t believe the cooler weather would affect that at all.”

  Ellie shook her head. “Sailing has been her passion for years. This is nothing new, Jason.”

  “You never seem to notice how unpleasant she can be.”

  Sheriff Burchell raised a thick brow. “Sounds like you don’t like your ex-wife much, Jason.”

  “Sometimes she makes me crazy, but I’d never lift a hand to her.”

  Ellie put her hand on the sheriff’s forearm. “He wouldn’t, Sheriff. I’ve known Jason a long time. He’s a good man.”

  The sheriff grimaced. “Anything else out of the ordinary with her that you can think of?”

  “She was dating some Coastie guy,” Jason said. “You might
check him out. Dylan Trafford. I heard she dumped him recently.”

  Ellie winced. He wasn’t helping his case by revealing how obsessed he was with Mac’s relationships and behavior.

  “That so?” The sheriff jotted down the name on the pad. “Anything else?”

  “Not that I can think of.” Ellie hoped to derail Jason from giving the sheriff more reason to suspect him. She looked over the sheriff’s shoulder. “Looks like we’ve got some help coming. The town has heard she’s missing.”

  She recognized the Diskins, the Baers, and attorney Kristy Gillings at the forefront of townspeople heading for the beach and the forest with flashlights. She spotted some of Mac’s coworkers as well as the sheriff’s wife. Stuart Ransom, the fire chief, waved at her as he began splitting the searchers up into quadrants.

  One person broke away from the group and rushed toward Ellie. Michelle Diskin had been Mac’s best friend since they were children, and the two of them were close. Her parents had moved from Korea to Washington when she was three, and Mac had quickly picked up Korean as a child from playing with Michelle.

  Ellie opened her arms, and Michelle fell into them. “She can’t be dead.” Michelle’s shoulders shook with sobs.

  “They’re looking for her.” Ellie gave up the struggle to maintain her composure and wept with her.

  Michelle pulled away and swiped her eyes. “We have to find her. I’ll text you if we see anything.” She turned and ran back to the searchers fanning out across the shoreline.

  For the first time since finding the blood, Ellie had a small sliver of hope. Their friends would try their hardest to find Mac. If she was out there, they’d find her.

  But when dawn grew pink and gold in the eastern sky, Mac was still missing.

  Ellie drove home to shower and change clothes. Her eyes were gritty from crying, and her head throbbed. She went up the steps to her front porch and frowned. The door was ajar. While Lavender Tides was generally safe, the town hadn’t escaped the country’s drug problem, and break-ins happened.