by Connie Mann
Cat hid her desperation as they shoved her into the SUV, heart pounding. She had to stay positive. With any luck, they’d take her where they were holding Blaze. Then Cat could figure out a way to get them out of there, together.
And if she was really lucky, she’d find a way to get justice for Daniel at the same time.
Nick’s SUV churned up clouds of dust as he hurried away from Garcia’s mansion. That comment about looking closer to home echoed in Nick’s mind. Was Garcia trying to deflect attention? Of course. But just maybe, Nick could put some pressure on Varga to get him to finally spill what he knew.
It didn’t take long to reach Varga’s place on the other side of Safe Harbor. The minute he pulled up to the rusting mobile home, he knew it was empty. But just in case he was wrong, he climbed onto the rickety steps and banged on the door.
“Varga. It’s Nick Stanton. Open up.”
He listened, but there were no sounds from inside. He walked around the mobile home, knocked on the back door, too. Still nothing.
As he was coming back around, he stopped at a small fire pit ringed by a haphazard circle of rocks. Beer cans and various rusted lawn chairs proclaimed this a gathering spot.
Nick moved closer, noticed that three of the heavy wooden kitchen chairs had been knocked over, while the lightweight aluminum chairs were still standing. The broken bottles confirmed there’d been a fight of some kind. But whether it had any relevance to what was going on was anybody’s guess. It could just be normal, everyday behavior for Varga and his friends.
He turned his back on the scene and studied the surrounding woods, unable to shake the feeling he was being watched. Was Varga hiding out, hoping he’d leave?
Before he climbed into his SUV, he called, “Eddie? If you’re out here, come talk to me. It’ll be better all around if you do.”
There was no response, but he hadn’t really expected one. Lowlifes like Varga survived by being quick and sneaky.
After one last check of the area, he left.
“Have you looked at those tapes Wally dropped off yet?” Wanda asked as Nick walked into the station. “He’s already called to see if you found anything helpful on them.”
Nick snorted. “Angling for gossip, is he?”
Wanda chuckled. “Isn’t everyone?”
Desperate for anything helpful, Nick pulled the tapes from his desk drawer and then went to the small conference/break room in the back of the station. He knew he was still missing something important.
The aging television, plus a DVD player and VCR, sat on a console against the wall. He turned on the television, pushed the tape in, and rewound until he got to the time stamp for the night of Teddy’s murder. There wasn’t a lot of activity late in the evening, so he fast-forwarded until anyone entered the store, played it at normal speed, then fast-forwarded again.
He watched for several more minutes, but there was nothing suspicious and no one who looked out of place.
He was just about to stop the tape when two men came into view. He rewound the tape and played it again.
“What are you looking for?” JD asked as he walked into the room.
Nick hit pause and went over to the television for a closer look. He reached for his cell phone and took a picture, then went forward several more frames, stopped, and took another one.
JD stepped up beside him. “That’s Captain Barry and Chief Monroe. They were both at the wedding, right? What are you looking at?”
“Captain Barry is missing a button on his jacket cuff.” Nick had stopped the tape again, checked, just in case. Nope, Chief Monroe’s cuffs weren’t visible, so that didn’t help. Though it was highly unlikely that both men would be missing a button and that those buttons would be identical. He turned everything off and led the way back to his desk, where he pulled up the picture of the button found at the quarry and compared the two.
They matched. Which meant that Captain Barry had likely been out there the night Teddy Winston died, unless the man regularly went out wearing his Sunday suit. Which Nick doubted.
But was he involved in Teddy’s murder? Did the chief figure into this, too?
He turned to JD, grabbed his keys. “I’m going to check out Captain Barry’s place.” If he was involved in Teddy’s murder, some pressure from Nick might net the location where Cat and Blaze were being held.
Sweat dripped down Blaze’s cheeks and mingled with a rogue tear. She’d been so sure Cat or Nick would come barreling through the door, guns blazing, and get her away from these crazy people.
But no one had come. She’d prayed, too, and told God she was sorry for all the crappy things she’d done, but He hadn’t sent help, either.
She figured Mama Rosa would cry at her funeral, if they didn’t hide her body in a swamp somewhere. So would Pop. Probably. No, he would.
But what about her real parents? Would they care, even if they knew?
She doubted it, and somehow that just made her sadder. Defeat pulled at her, and she curled into a little ball, lonelier than she’d ever been in her life. She kept trying to do the right thing, but it never worked out for her. Nobody loved her.
Sasha and Jesse do, a little voice said.
Yeah, maybe, but they didn’t have room in their lives for her. They had a baby on the way and their dog, Bella, to take care of. They didn’t need her hanging around.
What about Eve? She’s a major pain, but she and Cole have definitely tried to be there.
Blaze couldn’t really argue that.
Cat and Nick love you, too.
Her heart hitched. Maybe. Or maybe they just tolerated her. They were both busy. No, if she was going to survive this nightmare, she would have to find a way out by herself. Just like always.
She sat up and wiped her cheeks. Enough sniveling. She’d have to be tough.
And smart. Eventually, someone would come to the door.
When they did, she’d be ready.
She’d just climbed to her feet when she heard footsteps outside. Before she could formulate any kind of plan, keys rattled and the door burst open.
Somebody came in and grabbed her by the arm. “Let’s go. The boss wants you.”
He yanked off her hood and exchanged a look with the man with him, who laughed in a way that made Blaze’s skin crawl.
By the time they had shoved her up the short gangplank onto a yacht, Blaze was even more scared than before. She could identify them. Which meant they didn’t plan to let her go. She bit her lip to keep it from trembling.
Once onboard, they led her through a fancy living room that made Blaze’s eyes widen. This scary creep must have buckets of money. The yacht looked like the kind you saw on television.
The burly guy pushed her into a bedroom and pulled the door closed behind her. The men’s laughter receded as they walked away.
Another man sat on the bed and patted the space beside him. She didn’t like the way he ran his eyes over her. His clothes were expensive, but the evil in his dark eyes made her insides quiver. “Have a seat.”
She folded her arms over her chest. “No, thanks. I’m good. Who are you?”
He laughed. “They told me you were feisty. I like that.”
Blaze almost threw up.
“You are very much like Catharine. Spirited beauties.” His expression darkened. “She owes a debt.” He looked her over like she was a prize heifer at the state fair. “I do believe I’ll keep you both. I might quite enjoy that.”
He stood, and Blaze moved around the bed, well out of reach. “I really expected someone would try to rescue you. Apparently, you’re not that important.” He smiled then, and goose bumps popped up on Blaze’s arms. “Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of you.”
Still smiling, he walked out the door and left, locking it behind him.
Blaze waited until his footsteps faded away before she sank to the floor, shaking like a leaf.
After a while, she stood and prowled the room, looking for a way out, a weapon, something.
<
br /> She wasn’t sure what he’d been talking about in terms of a debt, but she wouldn’t let him get to her. Nick and Cat would come. She had to believe that. And when they did, Blaze would be ready.
Chapter 31
Nick arrived at Captain Barry Brown’s house, not far from where his own used to be. The house was a Craftsman style, with a deep front porch and columns at either end. It was well kept, with flowerpots all around. Since Captain Barry spent most of his time at his tire store or the marina, he guessed the white wicker furniture on the porch was his wife’s doing.
Nick reached up to knock on the front door, and it swung inward. He slowly pushed it open, then pulled his gun out and held it next to his leg. “Captain Barry? Mrs. Brown? It’s Nick Stanton, Safe Harbor police. Anyone home?”
He walked all through the downstairs, but there was no sign of either of them. Nothing seemed out of place in the upstairs bedrooms, either.
As Nick came back out onto the porch, a little convertible sports car zipped into the driveway, and the captain’s wife climbed out. She hurried up the walk, stiletto heels clicking, eyes wide. “Is everything OK? What’s going on?”
Nick looked up and down the street, noticed curtains twitching behind several windows. He indicated the open front door. “Why don’t we step inside?” Once away from prying eyes, he asked, “Mrs. Brown, do you know where your husband is?”
“No. I haven’t seen him. I went by the shop, and they said he left just after he opened this morning, but he hasn’t come back.” Her eyes were worried. “Sasha says he hasn’t been at the marina today, either. Why do you want to talk to him?”
“You’ve called his cell phone?” Nick asked.
“Of course. Half a dozen times. This isn’t like him. We had an, ah, errand to run today.”
“Did you and your husband attend Eve and Cole’s wedding on Saturday night?”
She glanced away. “We weren’t there long. We had another engagement that night.”
Nick walked over to a small table by the front door where a baseball cap lay. He picked it up, then turned to Mrs. Brown. “This your husband’s? Do you mind if I take it with me?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Why?”
“It’s part of the ongoing investigation into Teddy Winston’s murder.”
“What does that have to do with Barry?”
“Maybe nothing. Process of elimination.”
“Don’t you need a warrant or something?”
“Not if you give it to me.”
“Sure, fine, whatever.” She waved a hand, then turned to Nick. “Has something happened to him?”
“I don’t know.” He pulled out his card. “But please let me know if you hear from him, OK?”
Nick clenched his jaw as he drove. Varga and Captain Barry were conveniently missing, and there was no sign of Cat and Blaze at Garcia’s. The smell of tequila suggested she’d been on the yacht, but a smell was not enough for a search warrant, especially since Garcia had already let him look around.
Where were they? Nick was out of time and out of options.
Halfway back to the station, Wanda called. “Hey, Nick, I just got a call from a fisherman out by Gull Point who says he thinks he found a body.”
“Did you tell him to stay put and not touch anything?”
“Of course. He’s from Chicago, here for a few days after a convention in Tampa, and is totally freaked out. I said you’d be right there.”
“I’m heading there now.”
“By the way, I called the chief, but he didn’t pick up his cell phone and hasn’t responded to my message yet. JD is on his way.”
Interesting. The chief was usually all about high-profile calls and would be eager for the press coverage. “Thanks, Wanda. Try to keep Avery away for now, would you?”
“I’ll do what I can.”
Nick flipped on his lights and sirens and headed toward the two-lane road that led out to Gull Point. The pier was popular with the tourists, as it was easy to get to.
A small crowd had already gathered by the time he arrived, and Nick sighed when he spotted several fishermen talking on cell phones and videotaping the area.
He walked over to a twentysomething guy and snatched the phone from his hand. “I’ll get it back to you when I’m done with it.”
The man started to argue, but one look at Nick’s face, and he simply nodded.
He turned to the assembled crowd. “This is part of an investigation. No pictures. No video. Step away, please, and wait over there. I’ll want to talk with each of you.” He pointed to a shady spot several yards away.
Then he approached the fisherman who’d called the body in. He looked pale and shaken, and based on the smell and the stain on his shirt, the man had tossed his cookies more than once. Nick looked over the railing and saw a fishing line attached to a body that was half-covered in the marshy grass. “I’m Officer Nick Stanton with the Safe Harbor Police Department. You made the call?”
“Yes. I was going to climb down to see if he was still alive, but then I was afraid I’d disturb the evidence or something.”
“Thanks for calling us right away.” Nick had been out here before and knew the water wasn’t that deep, not with the tide out. He climbed over the railing and waded over to the body. The victim was facedown in the water, covered with blood and evidence of what appeared to be a recent beating. Just in case, he checked for a pulse, but given the severity of the injuries and the angle of the neck, he didn’t expect to find one. He was right.
JD arrived and waded over to him. He paled when he saw the body. Nick glanced over at him. “You OK?”
He swallowed hard. “Yeah.” Then he straightened his shoulders. “What would you like me to do?”
“You’re doing fine, JD. Doing fine. Why don’t you start interviewing that crowd over there, get their statements while we wait for the coroner. Check their phones, too, for any pictures we can use. I’ll talk to him.” He nodded to the fisherman leaning heavily on the railing.
Doc Henry arrived and examined the victim. He turned to Nick. “Someone went to great lengths to make sure we can’t identify the body, not immediately, anyway. His fingers are mangled so badly, I’m not sure I’ll be able to get any prints. He hasn’t been dead all that long, but it was a painful way to go. I’ll know more after I get him on the table.”
“Thanks, Doc.” Nick paused. “Do you mind if I get a strand of hair? I may have a way to confirm identity.”
The man studied him. “Not usual protocol, but go ahead.”
Nick took the sample and bagged it, then continued processing the crime scene.
Though Avery Ames arrived with her camera, there was still no sign of the chief. According to Wanda, his wife had called the station three times because she was worried. She was out of town visiting family and couldn’t reach her husband.
Nick tried Monroe’s cell phone again, but it went right to voice mail.
It was hours later before he and JD finished processing the scene. Nick felt exhaustion seeping through him and rolled his shoulders and shook his head to try to stay alert. As he drove, he got a call from his insurance adjuster, who said they were sending a check to help cover his living expenses while they settled the claim on his house.
Nick hung up and almost laughed. He’d been so focused on finding Blaze and Cat, as well as Teddy’s murderer, he’d momentarily forgotten he was homeless. On impulse, he swung past what was left of his house on the way back to the station. He sat in the driveway for a moment, looking at the charred remains.
His past was gone, along with all the tangled emotions and mementos of his parents that went with it. He let out a deep breath and made a decision. He’d have the lot cleared, sell it to a young family that wanted to build a house. He’d find another place. It would be good to start fresh, make new memories.
Cat’s face popped into his mind and brought him sharply back to the task at hand. He started the car and backed out of the driveway. He had to find her.<
br />
JD pulled up behind him at the station, and they walked in together. Wanda looked tired, too, her desk littered with messages, while the phone continued to ring.
Between calls, Nick asked, “You doing OK?”
She nodded. “Everyone in town is calling to tell me who they think the body is and to pump me for my guess.” She held up a hand. “Don’t worry. I’m not speculating.” She met his eyes, hers worried. “Still no word from the chief?”
“No. And Captain Barry’s wife has called several more times asking if we’ve found him yet.”
A somber silence settled over the room.
“Has anyone said anything about Eddie Varga?” Nick asked.
Wanda looked surprised. “No. Want me to call the Gas-n-Go and see if he’s been there today?”
“Please.”
Wanda picked up the phone. “We have gotten a number of calls mentioning a ‘suspicious-looking Asian man’ and also several black SUVs in town that apparently looked like ‘them government types drive.’”
“Thank you, Wanda.” Nick hurried into the chief’s office and looked around, surprised to see his official Safe Harbor police Stetson hanging on the coatrack in the corner. That wasn’t like the chief at all. He did love that hat. Nick checked the band, saw two strands of hair, and hoped there was a root attached so the lab could get DNA.
He bagged the hat, then found a box in the storage room and put the hat, the evidence from the body, and Captain Barry’s baseball cap inside. He walked back out front. “JD, I need you to run this box over to the crime lab. I’ll let them know you’re coming.”
JD looked at the Stetson, then back at Nick, and swallowed hard. Nick made sure all the necessary information was entered in the log, completely by the book. He wanted to ensure there wouldn’t be a problem with chain of custody down the road.
Once JD left, Wanda glanced at him, obviously fighting tears.
“Why don’t you head home and get some rest. It’s late and there’s nothing more we can do tonight.”
“You’ll get some rest, too?” she asked.