Reunited by Danger

by Carol J. Post

  Okay, maybe “male model” would be more fitting than “tourist.”

  Caleb leaned forward to rest his forearms on his legs and entwine his fingers. “Since everyone’s here, I have some things to go over with you.” His serious, no-nonsense tone didn’t fit with their plans for a day of fun and relaxation. “Hunter and I will stay on alert, but we’ll also have several other sets of eyes on you ladies. While we’re kayaking, a couple of guys will be fishing from a powerboat.” He grinned. “We had no problem getting volunteers for that undercover assignment.”

  He leaned back but didn’t unclasp his hands. “We’ve also got someone on Atsena Otie Key. We’ll rent the kayaks right there by the park, paddle out and circle the island.”

  Liv grinned. “You sure know how to take the spontaneity out of an outing.”

  Caleb ignored the teasing criticism. “Between our guys on the water and the one strolling the island, we should be able to spot any suspicious activity.”

  As Caleb talked, Liv popped her gum. She had one leg crossed over the other, her foot swinging in a steady rhythm. Instead of boating shoes or flip-flops, she wore sandals with a modest wedge heel, her toenails painted to resemble mini watermelon slices. “What about this afternoon?”

  “After lunch, we’ll hike the old Railroad Trestle Trail. One deputy will go ahead of us and the other will watch for anyone going in behind us. Throughout the day, be alert. But relax and have fun. Let law enforcement be your eyes and ears. If the killer thinks your guard is down, he’ll be more likely to strike.” He looked around the room then stood. “Let’s go have some fun. And we’ll see if we can catch a killer.”

  Amber slipped her pistol into the waistband of her shorts and pulled her T-shirt down over it.

  Fifteen minutes later they all stood on the beach, two kayaks lying next to them in the sand. Amber picked up her orange life vest and tossed it into a kayak. A short distance away, Atsena Otie broke the surface of the Gulf, a green, tree-covered mass. According to Caleb, someone was already there, posing as a tourist, strolling the beach. Three powerboats bobbed up and down in the gentle swells, one likely holding law enforcement.

  Caleb pushed a kayak into the water. After holding it steady so Amber could get in, he joined her.

  Soon Liv and Hunter were settled in theirs. Liv had kicked off her shoes and was wearing a wide grin, her eyes sparkling. The stress that had hung over her when she’d arrived seemed to have dissipated. She raised her paddle over her head. “Wanna race?”

  “You’re on.” Caleb’s tone held a good dose of competitiveness. “Losers buy the winners lunch.”

  Amber dug in her paddle, alternating side-to-side in fluid circular motions. She didn’t want to lose to her long-time friend, but she especially wouldn’t concede to her brother if she could help it. Caleb coordinated his rhythm with hers and their kayak surged forward with each stroke.

  Amber glanced at their competition. Liv and Hunter were neck and neck with them, both their faces set in determination. Before long, Amber’s shoulders and triceps began to burn. She was in decent shape but her early morning runs didn’t prepare her for kayaking, even with the three-pound dumbbells she often carried. In recent days those runs had come to a screeching halt.

  Gradually the other kayak moved into the lead. Liv didn’t seem to be tiring. The gap broadened and Amber frowned. “Unless they capsize, I think we’re buying lunch.”

  As soon as Hunter and Liv nosed their kayak onto the shore of Atsena Otie, Liv stepped out. “We won.” She spun around twice then did a fist pump. The sun slanted through the purple highlights in her hair, creating a glow that matched the joy on her face.

  Amber laid her paddle across her lap and let Caleb propel them in. A walk on the beach would be nice. Anything that didn’t require the use of her arms.

  After pulling both kayaks onto the sand, they set out walking, Amber and Caleb in the lead. She released a contented sigh. A walk on a deserted beach, native flora on her left, the gently rolling Gulf on her right. It had the potential to be quite romantic. Except for her overprotective brother watching from behind. And the fact that their interest in one another was strictly professional.

  Soon, Liv moved up to walk next to Amber and Caleb fell back to talk to Hunter. Male voices drifted to her. Police talk. Comfortable conversation for her. Probably not for Liv.

  The spring left Liv’s step and her shoulders slumped. She’d cast off the cheerfulness the way one removes a mask. “I can’t believe Vince is gone now, too. He had everything—money, a great job, a pretty wife and an amazing house.” She looked out over the water. “Do you think the killer is out there somewhere watching us?”

  Amber scanned the gentle waves. A young couple paddled toward them in red kayaks. A short distance out, two older guys fished from a Carolina Skiff, according to the lettering on the side of the boat. Even farther out, a sail broke the horizon, headed toward blue water.

  “It’s possible.”

  “He probably won’t try anything while the guys are with us.”

  Amber cast a glance over her shoulder. The guys were even farther away than she realized. Maybe they were waiting to see if anyone would make a move. Or her meddling big brother was conspiring with Caleb. If she didn’t keep a rein on him, he’d soon have Caleb agreeing to be her personal bodyguard.

  “Do you ever feel bad about everything?”

  Liv’s words cut across her thoughts. “What do you mean?”

  “Do you regret sending the texts inviting Landon to the woods?”

  “Sometimes.” She shifted her gaze to the left where twisted, sun-bleached wood bordered the palmettos and other Florida undergrowth covering the island. In another hour or two, the tide would reach its maximum low and the stretch of beach where they walked would begin to disappear.

  Amber released a sigh. “What bothers me the most, though, is that I didn’t text him back and tell him not to come.”

  Liv nodded. “That would bother me, too. If you had texted him, he’d have stayed home and nothing would’ve happened.”

  Amber shot her a sideways glance. Was Liv trying to make her feel worse?

  She couldn’t tell. Her friend was staring straight ahead, her expression distant. Maybe her words were just an observation. Sometimes Liv had no filter.

  “When you and I left, I was too drunk to think about texting him back.” She crossed her arms. “You know, I haven’t touched the stuff since.”

  Liv gave her a rueful smile. “I’m afraid I can’t say the same. It helps me forget. I can pretend, at least for a while, that everything’s okay.”

  Amber’s stomach twisted. Several reasons had been behind her own drinking—rebellion, the desire to fit in, the way it made her feel. Liv’s was all of that, but the primary appeal for her was escape from an intolerable home life. She’d left that life behind a long time ago, but she was still trying to escape.

  Liv gave a couple of quick shrugs and turned, her face suddenly bright. She’d slipped the mask of happy party girl back into place. “So what’s this Railroad Trestle Trail we’re going to do this afternoon?”

  “It’s a raised trail through mangroves and marshland where the old railroad used to be. All that’s left of it are some pilings sticking up out of the water at the end of the trail.”

  “Sounds kind of sad. Then what?”

  “That’s it. Caleb’s got to go home and get in a few hours of sleep before his shift tonight. Hunter will cut out right after lunch. He’s scheduled to report at two.”

  “He won’t want to miss lunch, since you and Caleb are paying.” Liv’s smile was teasing.

  Amber couldn’t help but smile back. Today’s outing was good for Liv. Maybe she’d go back home more able to cope with the fear of being hunted and the constant reminder of long-ago mistakes.

  “What about yo
u?” Amber looked over at Liv. “When do you have to report back to work?”

  “I’m not working right now. I got laid off last year and haven’t found anything...” Her voice trailed off. Maybe her unemployment was a sore subject.

  It didn’t take Liv long to find another topic. As they moved around the island, Amber listened to her unending flow of words but still stayed alert to their surroundings. So close to low tide, the fishing probably wasn’t great, but there were still a few diehards out there casting their lines.

  Her gaze snagged on one sitting in a rowboat with a trolling motor on the back. He was shirtless, with stringy, shoulder-length hair pouring out from beneath a wide-brimmed hat. He held a fishing rod in his right hand and a brown bottle in his left, which he raised in silent greeting. Judging from the laid-back demeanor, he wasn’t likely their killer.

  No one else appeared threatening, either. Everyone seemed to simply be enjoying a summer day on the water.

  When they finished kayaking and went to Big Deck for lunch, no one was watching them then, either. The same when they said goodbye to Hunter and headed out on the Railroad Trestle Trail. If the killer was nearby, he wasn’t making himself known.

  By the time Caleb pulled into her driveway, it was almost four thirty. Liv climbed from the truck and circled the front of the cab.

  Amber slid out the driver’s side behind Caleb. “We didn’t accomplish what we’d hoped, but I had a lot of fun.”

  “Me, too.” Liv approached to wrap her in a hug. “Thanks for everything. I’m dreading going home to my empty house, but this really helped.”

  The smile Liv wore looked forced and the sadness behind it tugged at Amber’s heart. As much as she longed to help her friend, she hadn’t found her own answers yet. She watched Liv plod to her Fiat.

  Instead of getting into his truck, Caleb walked toward the front porch. “I’m going to make sure everything’s okay inside before I leave.”

  “You and Hunter both. You know, I am capable of clearing a house.”

  “I know. We’ll do it together.” He grinned. “I’m your backup.”

  At least he didn’t make her feel incompetent like Hunter sometimes did. She unlocked the door and he followed her inside. After they’d checked the house, he met her back in the living room.

  “Speaking of your brother, it looks like I’ll be coming to your family’s July Fourth celebration.”

  Just what she’d thought. While Liv had been talking her ear off, Hunter had been securing babysitting services. Her stomach quivered with an odd mix of annoyance over Hunter’s interference and anticipation at the thought of spending the day with Caleb. She curbed the latter.

  “My brother tends to stick his nose in where it doesn’t belong. Please don’t feel obligated.”

  “I’m off the Fourth. The third, too. It’s my weekend. And I can’t think of a better way to spend my holiday.”

  “I’m guessing Hunter wanted you to drive me to Ocala and back and guard me with your life while I’m there.”

  He grinned. “Something like that.”

  She’d kill him later. Or maybe thank him. “All right, but I’m driving.” It would be her vehicle and her gas.

  She cast a glance at the clock in the dining area.

  Caleb followed her gaze. “You have plans for tonight?”

  “I’m sitting with someone, but I don’t have to leave for another hour.” She moved to the couch and took a seat.

  He sat next to her. “Your eighty-seven-year-old boyfriend?”

  “This one’s younger. He’s only seventy-eight.”

  “You get around.”

  Amber turned so she could face him more fully. “Thanks for everything today. I had a great time.”

  Caleb nodded. “Me, too.”

  “I could tell Liv did, also. She seemed reluctant to leave.”

  “I noticed. She’ll be fine, though. The deputy is following her home. Once his shift is finished, someone else will take over. She won’t be alone.”

  Amber pulled her lower lip between her teeth. Liv needed more. She needed someone to listen to her when she was upset, someone to comfort her after a nightmare, someone who knew her past and understood her quirks.

  “I’m thinking about inviting her to stay with me.”

  “Is that what you want?”

  She lowered her gaze to the floor. No, it wasn’t. She’d lived alone for the past six years. Sharing her space with someone else, especially someone as high maintenance as Liv, was going to require a huge adjustment.

  She shrugged. “What I want isn’t important. It’s what Liv needs. Everything’s been taking a toll on her. She’s never been emotionally strong. She needs someone to help her cope.”

  “And that someone has to be you.”

  “Why not? Other than Raymond, I’m the one who’s been friends with her the longest.”

  “Have you talked to Sheltering Hands yet about taking the cats?”

  She looked at him sharply. Caleb had a reason for the abrupt subject change.

  “Not yet. I haven’t gotten around to it.”

  He continued to study her. She hated it when he looked at her like that, as if he was trying to discern all her secrets.

  Disapproval crept into his gaze. “You’re working a full-time job, rescuing abandoned cats and comforting the terminally ill and their families. Now you feel compelled to take on Liv’s problems. There’s a point at which a good thing becomes an obsession.”

  Annoyance pushed aside the discomfort. “I have a tender spot for animals, especially cats. And I like to help people. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

  “No, there’s not. But people do a lot of ‘right things’ for the wrong reasons. Are you motivated by the simple joy of service? Or are you maintaining a lifestyle of frenzied activity to take your mind off past regrets?”

  She pushed herself to her feet and crossed the room. Caleb’s words hit too close to the truth. But telling him so would incur more judgment. “You wouldn’t understand.”

  “Don’t count on it.” The words were barely above a whisper.

  She spun to face him. “Don’t even try to convince me you know how I feel. The perpetually perfect Caleb Lyons has probably never experienced a moment of regret in his life.” Maybe she was being harsh, but she’d had enough of his condemnation.

  Caleb rose, too, but instead of approaching her, he began to pace. “It was four years ago, on a Friday evening.” His voice was soft, his eyes fixed on the floor. “I’d finished working a double shift. We needed a few groceries. I think my wife was hoping I’d run to the store, but seeing how exhausted I was, she offered to go instead.” He stopped walking to look at her, his face lined with sadness.

  The air between them was heavy and thick. Whatever annoyance she’d felt earlier had completely dissipated.

  Caleb’s shoulders slumped and regret settled around him like a cloak. “I should have gone. Or at least have offered to ride along. Instead, I let her go out alone in the dark. When she got back out to the car, she was robbed at knifepoint.”

  Amber gasped and stepped toward him. “Did she...” Unable to put the thought into words, she let the question trail off.

  “It wasn’t enough to take her purse. He had to stab her, too. Hit an artery.” Caleb’s fingers tightened into fists. “While I lay sleeping on the living room couch, my wife bled out in the grocery store parking lot.”

  Amber closed the last of the distance between them and slid her fingers into his clenched hands. “I’m so sorry, Caleb.” Both for what had happened to him and for her outburst of a few moments ago.

  He relaxed his grip and allowed her to take his hands. “Do you know how many times I’ve asked myself why I didn’t go?”

  “It wasn’t your fault.” She squeezed
his hands and continued, her tone pleading. “Women go to the store alone in the evening all the time without giving it a second thought. You had no way of knowing what would happen.”

  “But I knew what could happen. I’m a cop.”

  “There are lots things that could happen. If we constantly dwelt on those, we’d never leave our homes.”

  He offered her a weak smile but it was devoid of joy. Her heart twisted. How could she help him when she didn’t know how to help herself?

  “Your decision resulted in bad consequences, but it was completely innocent. You can’t keep beating yourself up.”

  He looked down at her, brows raised.

  “Okay, okay.” She gave him a sheepish smile. “Someday I’ll figure out how to take my own advice.”

  In the meantime she’d stay busy. Busy was good. Maybe it wasn’t as noble as being spurred by a philanthropic heart. But doing good couldn’t be bad, even with the wrong motivation. It was certainly better than trying to numb the pain with alcohol. Like Liv.

  Amber followed Caleb to her home’s entrance then watched him make his way to his truck. As soon as he climbed into the driver’s seat, she closed the door and twisted the lock. The deadbolt swung over with a sturdy click, the sound symbolizing safety and security.

  It was a security she didn’t feel. Because the killer too often found a way around whatever precautions they’d taken.

  She’d told Caleb that all kinds of things could happen. Uncertainty and unpredictability were regular facts of life.

  But it wasn’t the unpredictable that was hanging over her like a heavy black cloud. It was the predictable.

  Ten years ago, a man had lost his life, and she and her friends had each played a part. Now, justice was coming, at least someone’s perverted sense of justice.

  He’d given them warning. More than once.

  Each of them would pay.