Laughing, Tori replied, “Oh, no. Believe me, I have a good grasp on what my family is like. Vanessa and mom were two peas in a pod; that’s why my sister rarely spent time here.” Sighing, she added, “My summers here with grandma…and my Baytown friends, were the best times of my life.” Looking at Nancy, she said, “I’m going to be very candid, Mrs. Evans, and I hope this doesn’t offend you, but, well…my divorce was because my husband slept with my sister.”
Eyes bugging, Nancy barked, “What? You’re kidding!”
Realizing she could speak about it without grimacing, she shrugged. “Both said it was over, but I left him the night I found out and filed for divorce the next day. I told him if I didn’t get the divorce I’d go public and his business reputation would take a hit. I haven’t spoken to my sister in over a year…until she showed up last week, but I closed the door on her.”
“May I be so bold as to ask about your mother’s reaction to all of this?”
Now the grimace broke free. Sighing heavily, Tori said, “Mom…was hurt and angry with me divorcing Thomas, but I couldn’t tell her why.” Rushing on as she observed Nancy’s wide-eyed, incredulous look, she added, “I told mom that I didn’t expect her to choose, but I would no longer be around Vanessa because she had hurt me irrevocably and…I think I knew that mom would always have wanted me to forgive and forget Vanessa’s transgression.” Looking up at Nancy, she added, “It would have killed me to have to listen to mom take Vanessa’s side just for the sake of appearances, so I never told her.”
Before Nancy could reply, the front door burst open and Ed stalked into the room. His worried gaze moved quickly to Tori, visually assessing her before landing on his wife. Nancy leaped up to hurry over and rested her hand on her husband’s chest.
“Ed, I know you’re frustrated, but please…don’t make me worry about you.”
Tori smiled as his face softened and his hand smoothed Nancy’s cheek.
“I’m good, I promise. I did all I could and decided I needed to be here at the house taking care of you two.” Dropping his gaze back to Tori, he asked, “You doin’ okay, darlin’?”
“I’m fine. I took a little nap and then Nancy and I’ve been talking.” Her gaze implored him as she asked, “What can you tell me?”
Sighing, he sat down in a chair, Nancy settling on the arm of it with her hand resting on his shoulder. “They found the bullet near the site where you were shot. Wasn’t long range ammunition, so the person must have been just over the dunes.”
“So it wasn’t a hunter by mistake,” Tori said, her shoulders slumping.
“Still an ongoing investigation, but my gut tells me no. Someone that close, shooting over the top of the dunes…they knew what they were aiming for and it wasn’t a goose.”
“But how would someone know where I was? That makes no sense! It’s not as if I go sea glass hunting there every day.”
Rubbing his hand over his chin, he said, “Well, Katelyn’s got a theory she talked to Mitch about.” Seeing both Tori and Nancy’s curious gazes on him, he quickly continued. “There was a big meeting at the pub last night about getting the almost defunct American Legion in the area revitalized and moved closer to us. The bar was crowded and we occupied the back area but it’s all open. Anyone could have been around, listening. Katelyn remembers talking to Mitch about going sea glass hunting by the golf course. Anyone could have overheard your plans.”
“But that would imply someone here wanted to harm me,” Tori cried. “I don’t understand!”
Nancy hopped up and rushed to her side as Ed leaned forward, “Not necessarily. The bar was crowded and, with Aiden and Brogan in the back with us, a couple of girls were handling the front. There were so many people there you wouldn’t notice a stranger lurking about. So we’ve got no idea who it could have been.”
Anger coursed through Tori’s veins as she fought to keep from yelling. Wishing she were off somewhere alone so she could give in to the urge to scream without fear of Mitch’s parents thinking she was losing her mind, she simply pinched her lips as she looked out the front window behind the sofa.
She saw Mitch prowling up the front walk, his face resembling his father’s when he walked in…furious. Sucking in a deep breath, she attempted to calm herself, knowing Mitch was angry enough for both of them.
*
The ride to his house was mostly silent but only took about ten minutes. She watched in fascination as they made their way down a long gravel drive to a small cabin near the ocean. She was reminded of when his grandfather was still living and kept the fishing cabin.
Katelyn had gotten her drivers license and drove me and Jillian to the beach bonfire party. Nervous, I kept checking my hair in the little mirror in my purse.
“You’re gorgeous, silly,” Jillian said. “Anyway, your hair will just blow once we’re on the beach.”
“Who are you wanting to kiss tonight, Jillian?” Katelyn asked. “I’ve got my eye on Phillip Bayles.”
“Yeah, well you might have to fight Stacey Usher for him.”
“Nah, she cast her claws toward Mitch.”
At the sound of Mitch’s name, my ears perked up. I knew Mitch dated…why wouldn’t he? Since I went to school in Virginia Beach and only came to Baytown for holidays and summers…it wasn’t like he could be my boyfriend. But…I wish. When he’s with me, it’s as though we’re together.
“Tori, Tori. Earth to Tori,” Katelyn laughed. “I would ask where your mind was, but I bet it starts with M!”
Jillian smiled at me and said, “Don’t worry. I don’t think Mitch likes Stacey. She’s just…convenient.”
Offering a weak smile in return, all I could think about was what a horrible time I was going to have tonight. Sighing, I wondered if it was too late to have a stomachache and go home. Looking around at the cars parked outside the little cabin, I knew I had no such luck.
It did not take long to head down to the bonfire, but longer to be able to see who all was there. Aiden and Zac were already off to the side, making out with a couple of girls. Brogan was talking on the porch with some other guys, a group of giggling girls hanging desperately on their every word. But no Mitch. Sighing deeply, I hung my head. Great…he’s already off with someone.
Just then, arms wrapped around me from behind and a whisper at my ear said, “Hey, beautiful. I heard you were back in town.”
Grinning, I twisted around to see Mitch beaming down at me. My stomach fluttered, but not with an ache. Instead it was filled with a type of longing I’ve never experienced before. His seventeenth birthday was just around the corner and I could not imagine a more handsome man.
“Hey,” I answered back. “I got here today.”
“All summer?”
“Yep, I’ll be here until school starts.”
“Perfect, beautiful.”
Then with a squeeze, he let me go, walking over to talk to Brogan. As we three girls grabbed sodas and headed down to walk on the beach for a few minutes before sitting by the fire, I chanced another glance back at him…earning a wink. Grinning, I carried his wink in my heart.
The sound of a guitar strumming and people laughing filled the air. A volleyball was smacked back and forth across a net on the beach, and Tori watched as several girls shrieked when some boys kicked water on them down by the surf.
Fifteen minutes later, we walked back toward the bonfire and my overfilling heart stumbled. There was Mitch, along with many others, sitting near the fire, his back against a log, and Stacy was pressing up close to him. I felt Katelyn and Jillian bristle next to me, but as soon as his eyes landed on mine he jumped up, a smile spreading across his face. His motion caused Stacey to almost tip over, earning another grin from me.
Mitch jogged to me, taking my hand and leading me toward the fireside. Settling us on the opposite side of the huge bonfire from Stacey, we sat next to each other. I tried not to look at her, but could feel her bolts of jealously through the fire’s flames.
“Um…I th
ink maybe someone is unhappy you’re here with me,” I ventured.
Mitch twisted his body so it was close to mine, while still maintaining a proper distance. “Forget her. She’s always trying to get my attention. She’s okay, but you’re the one I’ve been waiting for.”
Looking up at his face, I saw his twinkling eyes and more…sincerity. “I’m glad. I’ve been dying to be with you too.”
He leaned forward and I was sure he was going to kiss me, but just then Aiden and Zac, and their two girls, all jumped in the group loudly and someone turned up the music. Disappointed, I watched as irritation crossed Mitch’s face, only to be replaced by another wink, and then we settled back for the evening.
I not only carried his wink, but the almost-kiss in my heart that night.
“Tori? Babe? Are you all right?”
The sound of Mitch’s worried voice broke through her memories. “Yes, yes, sorry. I guess the pain meds are making me loopy,” she lied.
She waited as he walked around the front of his jeep and carefully took her in his arms. Carrying her bride-style, she felt self-conscious as he stooped to unlock the front door before carrying her into the small living room.
Setting her gently on the sofa, he bent to kiss her head before crouching on the floor in front of her. Scooting over, careful of her leg, she patted the sofa next to her and said, “Mitch, please stop fussing. Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on.”
“Don’t want to hurt you, babe, so I’ll sit here and just be close.” With that, he pulled the coffee table over so, as he perched on it, he was right in her space. Sighing, he said, “We scoured the beach and found the bullet. It was not from a rifle but from a gun. The Dunes’ manager said that other than a few early-bird golfers, there was no one else on the golf courses. He also said The Dune’s community was not having any hunters for the geese until the fall. The security guard has a record of who came to play golf, but there were some other cars with Dune’s Resort ID stickers that went through, so there’s no way to find out who they were. We did have someone talk to the outgoing guests today to ask if anyone was on the course or beach and saw anything. And of course, we talked to the groundskeepers.”
“And?” she asked hopefully.
Blowing out a frustrated breath, he shook his head. “Nothing so far.”
Shoulders slumping, she said, “Oh.” Lifting her eyes back to his, she asked, “Who would want to do this? I’m nobody. Absolutely nobody.”
“Babe, I don’t know yet, but you aren’t nobody,” he replied, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear as he gazed deeply into her blue eyes.
Taking a big breath, she sat up straighter and said, “Okay, then let’s look at this logically. If I die, then my mom would get everything, and I talked to her a couple of weeks ago and we’re fine. Maybe not the closest of relationships, but we’re fine. So no one benefits from my death.” Her voice rose with each word.
“Shhh,” he said, placing a finger over her lips. “We’re not doing this now, babe. You need to rest and I’ve been processing the intel all day.” Leaning forward to replace his finger with his lips, he said, “Let’s get you to bed. I want to hold you close all night and pretend that I did not spend part of my day watching you bleeding from a gunshot wound.”
Chapter 22
Mitch indulged in what he wanted by holding Tori all night, but sleep did not come easily. Even the sight of her in his large Army t-shirt was not enough to knock out the image of her lying in the cart, blood running down her leg. The pain pill she took made her fall asleep quickly, but every time she turned and bumped her leg she groaned in her sleep. Finally, he carefully slipped out of bed and pulled on a pair of old FBI sweatpants and headed through the house and out onto the back deck.
Standing at the rail, watching the undulating surf in the moonlight, he breathed deeply. The clean, fresh air of the Bay filled his lungs and helped to clear his mind of the events of the day, filling his thoughts instead with a long-forgotten memory.
“Marco!”
“Polo!”
The screams of us kids in the bay, splashing around, filled the air. For as long as I could remember, we’d spent our summers in the water and on the beach when we weren’t at the ball fields. At thirteen, I wondered if this would be our last summer of freedom, since I hoped to get a job next summer.
I kept my eye on Aiden, who had his eyes closed while yelling “Marco!”, attempting to find the others so he could tag them. He kept moving closer and closer to Tori. Cheating Aiden—he must be peeking!
I moved closer to her, wanting to protect her, when she suddenly disappeared under the surf. Twisting around and around, I searched for her, my heart pounding. Just when I was about to yell for the others to look for her, she popped up fifteen feet further in the bay.
My breath left me in a whoosh as I observed her huge smile. Aiden and the others forgotten, I dove under the water and swam toward her. Surfacing a foot in front of her, she squealed in surprise. Before she dove under again, I grabbed her arms.
“You shouldn’t swim out too far, Tori,” I warned. “It can be dangerous.”
Wiping the water droplets from her eyes, she smiled at me. “But I’ve seen you swim out here.”
“Yeah, but I swim out here all the time. I’ve learned how.”
Her face scrunched as she considered my boast. “Will you teach me? I want to swim as good as you do.”
Grinning in pride, I let go of her arms, swimming in a circle around her. “Sure, I can teach you, but you’re a girl, so you can’t swim as good as me.”
At that, she punched me in the arm and I was surprised…it hurt. Startled, I frowned—but only for a second, ’cause the sweet smile on her face made my heart beat faster. “Well, maybe I’m wrong,” I admitted. “I’ll teach you and then we’ll race.”
“You’re on!” she laughed.
“Hey, you two! You gonna make goo-goo eyes at each other or join the rest of us?” Brogan yelled.
Shooting him a warning glare, I watched as Tori swam back toward the game before I followed.
The rest of the summer, Tori and I met almost every day and swam in the bay. Never going out too far, I taught her about riptides, staying away from piers and rocks, and judging how far from shore she was. And she surprised me. By the end of the summer, I still won the race, but she wasn’t too far behind.
“Swimming in the ocean isn’t easy, but you’re a really good swimmer, Tori. You’re better than most of the boys I know,” I admitted, admiring the way her smile made her face light up.
Swimming up to her, offering what I convinced myself was nothing more than a congratulatory hug, I could not stop the thought that this girl felt perfect in my arms.
Mitch, still standing at the rail, staring out toward the bay, relishing the calm, remembered another night, many years before, when he saw Tori as a teenager standing on this very deck. It was her first night of summer vacation that year and he had been anxiously waiting to spend time with her. Seeing her standing at the rail, looking for someone…hopefully me…he had come up behind her and had wrapped his arms around her from behind.
It had not escaped his adolescent awareness that when he tucked her close, her breasts were pressed against his arm, and he had forced himself to be a gentleman. Not too much later, another girl had come over trying to claim his attention, but for him it had always been Tori.
Dropping his chin to his chest, he sighed again. I now finally have her…and someone is trying to kill her. What the hell am I missing?
No answers came in the night, but with another deep breath of fresh air, he slipped back inside and into bed, drawing her closely once more.
*
The next morning, Tori insisted that Mitch take her to the Sea Glass Inn, which he agreed to only because Jason and Jillian would be there. Once he had her settled, he bypassed the station and headed to a small business on one of the side streets. Pulling up to the front of Harrison Investigations, he climbed out of his jeep an
d made his way to the front door. Glad to find it open, he stepped inside and saw a small reception area with a desk where a receptionist could sit. Behind that appeared to be a short hall with four open doors.
Gareth popped out of one, a nod of acknowledgment as soon as he recognized Mitch. “Come on back, Chief Evans.”
“Please, call me Mitch, and thank you.” Walking toward the door, he quickly ascertained the room directly across from Gareth’s office was a small conference room and the other two doors led to a bathroom and small staffroom.
Watching Mitch’s gaze move around, Gareth laughed. “I’ve got what I need for now, except for a receptionist. If you know of anyone looking for a part time job, let me know.”
Taking a seat in Gareth’s office, Mitch said, “I know your time is important and, God knows, I don’t have much time either, so let me get right to the point.” Seeing Gareth’s nod and interest, he said, “I haven’t been here long enough to delve into all the ins and outs of what computer programs I have at my disposal. I’ve only got four officers and, being in the summer, I have to keep one of them patrolling the town. I’d like to hire you to do some computer digging for me.”
“Whatcha need?”
“The only motive for someone wanting Tori dead would be someone after her money…or rather the Sea Glass Inn. The beachfront property, the early 1900’s brick home, the furnishings and antiques…all are valued at about a million dollars. I need a little more digging into who might benefit.”
“Anyone in town got a motive? Is there something in the old house? Something hidden? Could it be a former disgruntled guest?” Gareth asked.
Shaking his head, Mitch said, “At this point, we’re considering anything and everything, but I still feel like it has to do with the inheritance. If you could do more digging into Thomas Porter and Vanessa Hurkamp that’d be helpful. I’ll be heading over the bridge to visit Tori’s mother today so send me an email with anything you uncover.”
Coming Home: Baytown Boys Series Page 18