Wilde One

by Jannine Gallant

  “You don’t believe the guilty party could be Marietta Damonte?”

  “I honestly can’t image she’s physically capable of beating up a man as big as Parnell Jones.”

  “Someone struck him from behind and knocked him out cold. He never saw his attacker.”

  “Oh.” Ainslee let out a breath. “I’m glad we don’t have the painting and jewelry with us any longer. Although by now, whoever hurt Parnell must realize the game is over.”

  “I’d suggest staying alert…just in case. Once we nail this bas—uh, person, you’ll be able to relax.”

  The breath seized in her chest, and she pressed a hand to her breast. “You think I could still be in danger?” Her voice rose. “What about Griff?”

  “Probably not. It never hurts to err on the side of caution, however.” The detective rose to his feet. “Thanks for coming in and clearing up a few facts.” He glanced at the big, black watch strapped to his wrist. “I have meetings scheduled with Mr. Morris and Ms. Damonte later today. After questioning them, I hope to have a clearer understanding of the situation.”

  “Who do you suspect is guilty?”

  “I’d rather not say. We don’t have enough evidence to make an arrest, but maybe these next two interviews will yield the information we need.”

  Ainslee stood. “I sure hope so. Will you let me know?”

  “As soon as an arrest is made, I’ll be in touch.”

  “Thank you.”

  He cleared his throat. “In the meantime, please stay in the area. I’ll want to be able to reach you if I have more questions after interviewing the others.”

  She nodded.

  “I wasn’t able to contact Mr. Wilde earlier, but I left a message. If you talk to him, please have him get in touch with me.” He handed over a business card.

  Ainslee slipped it into her purse. “I’ll do that.”

  “Thank you for your cooperation. And for coming here to talk to me.” Carter rounded his desk and took her elbow. “I’ll see you out. This way.” He led her through a labyrinth of hallways then stopped when his cell phone rang. “Go straight to the exit up ahead.”

  “I’ll find my way out. Good-bye, Detective Carter.”

  Ainslee hurried down the corridor toward the front counter. A female officer buzzed her through the locked door. Several people waited in the lobby area. Her gaze slid over a tearful woman clutching the hand of a young boy then moved on to a man in a suit talking on his cell. Meeting familiar hazel eyes, her steps faltered.

  Ogden Morris pocketed his phone and crossed the room to stop in front of her.

  “I thought you were meeting with the detective later?”

  “I came in a little early. Did you find the treasure?”

  A shiver chilled her. She crossed her arms over her chest. “We don’t have it any longer.”

  He snorted. “Yeah, right.”

  “Seriously, we don’t.”

  “Whatever.” He lifted heavy shoulders in a shrug. “You won, fair and square. Is Wilde still with you?”

  Ainslee nodded and tried to edge around him toward the door.

  After a pause, he stepped back. “Tell me this much, was it worth the hassle we all went through to find it?”

  “I…I’m not sure yet.”

  “Well, congratulations.”

  “Thanks.” She escaped to the street and let out a shaky breath. She was safe. If Morris was responsible, and she had to believe he was, he wouldn’t follow her. Not straight out of a police station when Detective Carter was expecting him. Still, she glanced over her shoulder a few times as she hurried to her SUV parked a couple of blocks away. By the time she reached the vehicle, sweat dampened her brow despite the cool day.

  Once she unlocked the door and slipped onto the seat, Rocky greeted her with enthusiastic licks. Her hand shook as she petted him. “I’m fine. He didn’t come after me.”

  The dog gave a sharp bark. After giving her racing pulse a chance to steady, she started the engine and pulled out into the flow of traffic. Stopping at a red light, she tapped her fingers on the steering wheel and waited as pedestrians crossed. A woman with dark, wavy hair wearing a tight, black dress and four-inch heels hurried past her front bumper, a phone pressed to her ear. Turning her head, she met Ainslee’s gaze through the windshield and stumbled. An elderly man walking in the opposite direction steadied her. With a nod and a smile to the man, she reached the sidewalk with a final glance back at Ainslee.

  “Looks like the gang’s all here.” When the light changed, Ainslee stepped on the accelerator. “First Morris and now Marietta. What do you think, Rocky? I was going to take you for a walk, but now…” She let out a breath. “Let’s just get the hell out of the city first.”

  When a muffled noise erupted from her purse, she fished inside to pull out her cell. Griff. Finally. Whipping into a parking spot next to a fire hydrant, she answered it. “I’m glad you called. Did you get my message?”

  “Yeah, I did. The service sucks in the canyon, so don’t be surprised if we get cut off. Where are you?”

  “Illegally parked on a street in San Francisco, so I’ll have to make this quick.”

  His voice was soft. “Everything okay? You sound stressed.”

  She let out a sigh. “I’m fine. I talked to the detective, told him everything that happened to us. He wants you to call him.”

  “Does he have any suspects?”

  “He wouldn’t say.” She shifted on the seat. “I ran into Ogden Morris when I was leaving the police station. He congratulated us on our victory, but he looked pissed.”

  “Did he follow you?” Griff’s voice rose. “Does he know where you are?”

  “No, I made sure he didn’t. Anyway, he had an appointment with Detective Carter. He couldn’t just blow the man off. Besides, what good would following me do? We don’t have the treasure, and I told him that.”

  He let out a breath. “Good.”

  “Uh, Morris isn’t the only one I saw. Marietta walked right in front of my car when I was at a stoplight. I don’t know who was more surprised, me or her.”

  “She saw you?”

  “Yep, we made eye contact, but she was on foot. I had intended to bolt straight out of the city when you called.”

  “Stick with that plan. Shit! I should be there.”

  “I’m fine, Griff. Honestly.”

  “I thought because we unloaded the treasure, we’d be clear of any danger. Now I’m worried.”

  “Don’t be. I’m going to go find a nice safe room with a view somewhere. The detective wants me to stay close in case he has more questions. Maybe I’ll drive north across the Golden Gate Bridge. No one will have a clue where I’m going since I don’t know myself.”

  “You’ll call me when you get settled? A couple more days, and I should be able to leave Utah. The crew did a lot of filming this morning. I wish…” He hesitated then cleared his throat. “Ainslee, we need to talk. I should have told you—”

  “Crap! I see a cop in my rearview mirror. I have to go. I don’t want to get a ticket.”

  “Call me. Promise?”

  “I will. Bye.” She dropped the phone and squeezed back into traffic. When a car up in front of her ran through a light just turning red, the patrol car whipped past her in pursuit with lights flashing.

  Maybe her day wouldn’t end so badly after all.

  Chapter 24

  Two missed calls. Perched on a rock above swirling white water, Griff checked his phone for service and swore. Not even a single stinking bar. When he waved the cell over his head, the display crept up to one. Perfect. He slammed the hand not holding the useless device down on the rock. Twenty yards away, camera technicians filmed a twilight scene with Blake Benedict and a young ingénue playing the part of his daughter. The rest of the actors milled around some distance from the shoot, talking in lowered voices.

  Sawyer seemed to be enjoying himself. A smile curved his broth
er’s lips as he chatted with one of the actresses, a totally hot brunette with mile-long legs. Another of the women, a petite blonde with impressive curves that more than filled out her bikini, had given Griff a few encouraging glances during a hair-raising ride down the river that day. He hadn’t even been tempted.

  With a sigh, he jumped off the rock to follow a rough trail that wound in a series of switchbacks up the cliff face and hoped he wouldn’t break something coming back down in the dark. He’d climbed for several minutes before he found decent service. A miracle—five freaking bars! He slid onto a rock and pressed the callback button for Ainslee.

  She answered on the first ring, her voice breathless. “Griff?”

  “It’s me. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. I took a walk down the beach with Rocky then ran on the way back when I realized how late it was getting. We’re almost to the car now.”

  “Where are you, exactly?”

  “I rented a room for the night at a lodge overlooking the ocean in a little town called Rockpoint. Splurged, thanks to the big, fat check I deposited yesterday.”

  “Good for you. No troubles?”

  She laughed. “Not unless you count sneaking Rocky in and out of the lodge. They don’t allow pets. I decided tiring him out so he’d sleep soundly would be a smart move, which is why we’re down at a beach north of town.” She hesitated before speaking again. “What’re you doing?”

  “Staying very still so I don’t fall off the cliff. It’s the only place I could get cell service.”

  “Oh, my God, Griff!”

  “Probably a slight exaggeration.” He grinned. “Good to know you care.”

  “Of course I care.” A long sigh echoed through the connection. “We need to talk about a few things when you get back.”

  “I agree. I miss you.”

  “You do?” Her tone was light. “I would have thought you’d be too busy with all those actresses to notice I’m not around.”

  “I’m not joking, Ains.”

  “I miss you, too.” Her voice sobered. “A lot.”

  He hesitated for a long moment, gathering his thoughts. “I know I haven’t been great about telling you how I feel.”

  “An understatement.”

  He winced. “Honestly, I haven’t been serious about any woman since Johanna. Haven’t wanted to be.”

  “The girlfriend who cared so much she was clingy?”

  “Your sarcasm is warranted since I didn’t explain the whole situation.” He let out a long, shuddering breath. “She tried to kill herself. Swallowed a bottle of pills then called me.”

  Her gasp came through sharp and clear.

  He rushed on, needing to spit out the words. “I called 9-1-1, then afterward waited around the emergency room for hours. She almost didn’t make it.”

  “Oh, God. I’m sorry.”

  He rested his chin on a clenched fist, elbow propped on one knee. “I stayed with her until her mom was able to fly back from Europe. Turns out, she’d pulled the same stunt once before when a relationship was unraveling.”

  “That’s awful.”

  “Yeah, it was. Anyway, I’ve kept things casual with women since then. Until you.”

  “You don’t think I’d ever—” Her voice broke.

  “No, of course not.”

  “There’s a big difference between wanting a partner in a relationship to be emotionally available and going totally psycho when you hit a rough patch!”

  A long sigh slipped out. “I know.” His gaze strayed toward the river. The camera crew was repacking their equipment, apparently finished filming for the evening. “Damn, looks like everyone is getting ready to go.”

  “Go where at this hour? Surely it’s dark there.”

  “Not quite, but close. The director insisted he needed this exact spot for a night scene they were shooting. The take out point is only a short distance away on a fairly flat stretch of the river.” He sighed. “I guess I should get my ass down there and help load up, but I didn’t want to wait any longer to call you. I’ve been worried all day.”

  “No reason to be.” Her voice was soft. “I’m glad you told me about Johanna. It does help explain a few things.”

  “I hope you know how much you mean to me. I should have been a lot better about expressing my feelings before I left.” He huffed out a breath. “I suck at this.”

  A piercing whistle spilt the air.

  “Ah, hell. Sawyer’s calling me the same way he does his damn horse. I’d better go.”

  “We can talk later.” Humor crept into her voice. “I just got back to the car, and I need to clean the sand off Rocky. That should be fun. Give me a call once you’re settled for the evening.”

  “Phone sex?” His tone was husky.

  She snorted with laughter. “I don’t know about that. I—hey, back off, mister.”

  “Ainslee?”

  The phone clattered. Indistinct words came from a distance. Barking, shrill and strident.

  “Ainslee! Ainslee!” Griff’s voice rose. “Ainslee, are you there? Are you okay?”

  Nothing in response but a man’s voice, not one he recognized, growing louder.

  “If you even attempt to get away, I’ll hurt you. Maybe I’ll start with that little shit of a dog if he tries to bite me again.”

  Griff skidded down the trail and slid in an avalanche of small rocks, managing to stop himself on a hardy bush growing out of the side of the cliff. Heart pounding, he kept going, stumbling in the dark, the phone pressed to his ear.

  “Where the hell is your phone? I saw it fall when I grabbed you.” The male voice again.

  “Under the car. You made me drop it, you freak! Let go of me!”

  “Not a chance. Goddamned dog.”

  A thud and a yelp.

  “Don’t hurt him!” Ainslee’s voice was thick with tears.

  “Shit, I see headlights.” His voice faded then the squeaking groan the passenger door made when it opened. “Get in the car, now. We’re going for a ride.”

  “Why’re you doing this?” Ainslee’s voice quavered. “Take my wallet, the SUV, whatever you want. Just leave me and my dog alone.”

  “I want a hell of a lot more than your wallet.” The man’s laugh was low and ugly. An engine started.

  Panting for breath, Griff hit the bottom of the trail as the connection faded in and out. Holding the cell over his head, he kept running. “Sawyer, I need your phone. Now!”

  His brother turned with a jerk. “What’s wrong?”

  Griff pushed past a couple of actors. “Some freaking asshole grabbed Ainslee while we were talking on the phone then drove off with her. I need to call the police!” His voice rose in a shout.

  Sawyer didn’t argue, just pulled his cell out of a waterproof bag already packed into the raft. “No service except for emergency calls. Try 9-1-1.”

  Griff drew in a ragged breath and forced himself to think. “That won’t help if I can’t give them an exact location. I’ll just be wasting time. I need to talk to the detective who was trying to reach me earlier. Carter, I think his name was.” He grabbed hold of the nearest raft with his free hand and gave it a shove. “Maybe he can track her phone.” With a grunt, he pushed the raft deeper into the water. “Let’s go. I hope to hell there’s service at the take out point.”

  “There should be.” Sawyer waved an arm. “Four strong paddlers load up with Griff. Go.”

  Benedict, along with a couple of the camera crew and one of the actresses, scrambled to comply. Griff stood in the back of the raft and clenched the phone in his fist high over his head. He hadn’t lost the connection yet and prayed he wouldn’t. The fragile link to Ainslee was all he had. Every now and then a word or two was audible. She must have dropped her phone somewhere in the car, not on the ground as she’d said. Smart.

  “Is this the place?” Blake Benedict pointed toward a flat stretch of gravel along the shore as the raft bounced an
d dipped in the current.”

  “Must be. I see lights and tents. Left side paddle hard. Right side back paddle. Back paddle!” Griff braced himself as the raft swung toward the edge of the river. When it grated over rocks, he leaped out and splashed ashore.

  “Do you have service?”

  He glanced over his shoulder at Talia, the actress who’d flirted with him earlier. Lowering the cell slightly, he checked the bars. Four. “Thank God.” He pressed the phone to his ear. The only sound was Rocky whining.

  “Shut that fucking dog up. It’s driving me crazy.”

  “It’s okay, baby.” A pause. “Where’re we going?”

  “You’ll find out when we get there. Until then, just sit there and be quiet. You and the mutt, both.”

  Silence. He lowered the phone. “Yeah, I have service, but I don’t want to break this connection.”

  “Use mine.” The actress handed him her cell.

  “Thanks.” He did a quick Internet search to find the number for the SFPD, made the call then asked for Detective Carter.

  The police officer who’d answered spoke in a bored voice. “The detective’s gone home for the day. Can someone else help you?”

  Griff gritted his teeth. “No, I need him. This is an emergency.”

  “Isn’t it always? Maybe if you explain the nature of your business—”

  Cutting the man off, he held his temper with an effort. “My name’s Griff Wilde. I have new information relating to the Parnell Jones case, and a woman’s life is in danger. The detective’s been trying to reach me for two days. Surely you can contact him and have him call me back at this number, not the one he has on file.”

  The officer spoke sharply. “If someone’s being threatened, why didn’t you call 9-1-1?”

  “I don’t know where she is.” He forced the panic out of his voice. “I was on the phone with her when she was grabbed by some crazy son of a bitch, but the attack relates to the Jones case.”

  “I’ll call Carter. He’ll be in touch.”