In Plain Sight (Otter Creek Book 7)

by Rebecca Deel

“I need to play anyway.”

  “I’ll arrange for Pastor Lang or one of his staff to meet us.”

  Delaney’s was standing room only. Several people called out a greeting as he waded through the crowd to the counter and placed the order. The waitress said, “It will be a few minutes before it’s ready, Rio. The high school basketball team is in the playoffs and it looks as if the whole town stopped here before the game.”

  “No problem, sugar. I’ll visit with a few folks while I wait.” He turned toward the right side of the diner and smiled at Julia Kendall who was standing on the bench next to her father, waving at him with a beautiful smile on her face. His heart turned over in his chest. That sweet child had been through so much in the last two years. She deserved a long, happy life.

  He threaded his way through the crowd, stopping several times to chat a minute with various ones. Finally, he paused at the booth where Julia waited for him with her father. She leaned over Jim Kendall, slender arms reaching for him.

  Rio glanced at the policeman for permission before sweeping her into his arms. “Tiger Lily, how is my girl?”

  Her arms wrapped around his neck for a tight hug. “Daddy said I can have a milkshake.”

  “That sounds great.”

  “Tell him our deal, baby,” her father said.

  “I have to eat half a hamburger and five French fries.”

  He glanced at her plate. Not there yet. Her appetite hadn’t returned to normal after her chemo treatments and the doctor was concerned. Her worried parents had resorted to bribery. “May I sit with you a few minutes, Julia? I’m waiting for a takeout.”

  “Yes, yes.” She wiggled in his arms. “Sit with me.”

  “Thank you.” He placed her on the empty bench and slid in beside her. He moved her plate across the table and nodded at the food. “Why don’t you eat a few more bites of that hamburger while I talk to your dad for a minute.”

  Once she was chewing a bite, he turned to Jim. “How are Karen and little James? I haven’t seen them in a couple weeks.”

  “They’re great.” He motioned to the milling crowd. “Karen’s worried about the baby getting a cold or the flu.”

  “Smart. Folks can’t resist holding a baby and his immune system is vulnerable because he’s so young.”

  “I hear your friend has agreed to do a concert for Julia’s medical fund.”

  “She’s an incredible musician and she loves kids.”

  His friend’s face reddened. “We appreciate her help. The medical bills are tough to handle on a cop’s salary.”

  Rio glanced at his little friend’s plate. The fries were gone as was more than half of the hamburger. He chatted a little longer with her father, telling him about his demonstrations earlier in the day with duct tape. By the time he finished the story, Julia’s plate was empty. Nice. He reached over and stroked her hair. “Well, looks like you’re ready for that shake now.”

  “Uh huh. Can I have chocolate this time, Daddy?”

  “You bet, baby.” Jim’s voice sounded choked. “Rio, can you sit with her while I get it? Tracie said she would make it as soon as we were ready.”

  “Sure. Julia will keep me out of trouble, won’t you, sugar?”

  The girl wrinkled her forehead. “I’ll try. But you’re bigger than me.”

  “True enough. Madison told me you’re working on a knitting project for your mom. Can you tell me what you’re making or is it a secret?”

  She motioned him down. Rio bent so his ear was near her mouth. “It’s a scarf, a purple one because it’s Mommy’s favorite color.”

  “Nice. She’ll love it.”

  “It’s hard. I keep dropping stitches and Madison has to fix it.”

  “I don’t know anything about knitting, but I do know the more we practice hard things, the better we become.”

  She nodded. “That’s what Madison says.”

  “Here you go, baby.” Jim placed the child-sized cup with a straw in front of his daughter. “Rio, Tracie said your order was ready.”

  “Excellent.” He leaned over and kissed the top of Julia’s head. “Thanks for keeping me out of trouble, Tiger Lily.”

  “Bye, Rio.” Her cheeks hollowed as she sucked hard on the shake, which Rio knew from experience was thick and rich.

  “How did you get her to eat?” her father whispered.

  Rio’s lips curved. “I distracted you. She can tell you’re worried about her and it’s affecting her appetite. When you relaxed, so did she and her body let her know she was hungry.”

  Kendall gave him a rueful smile. “I won’t forget that. Thanks, Rio.”

  He clapped the other man on the shoulder, dived back into the crowd, and paid for the meals. Ten minutes later, he strode into the Victorian house with one large bag of takeout dinners. Within thirty minutes, the food had been consumed and the technicians were back at work to finish the last of the installations, the team leader agreeing to text Trent and Rio the code when they left.

  “I should finish shoring up the floor,” Mason said. “Her piano will be delivered tomorrow afternoon.”

  Rio unlocked the SUV and helped Darcy in before eyeing his cousin. “Mase, how much work do you have left?” He suspected Mason was trying to avoid the residents of Otter Creek. Rio wasn’t going to let him do it. He couldn’t see the Cahills holding Mason’s past against him, not knowing what their son and the rest of Durango were called upon to do in the course of their work.

  Mason sighed. “Not much.”

  “The Cahills don’t bite,” he murmured as he passed. “They’re a good couple to have on your side.”

  His cousin looked skeptical, but didn’t say anything more.

  Liz Cahill greeted Darcy with a gentle hug. She drew back. “Nick told us about your accident, Darcy. I’m so glad you weren’t seriously hurt.”

  “It was a near thing, Mrs. Cahill.”

  “Please, call me Liz. All of Josh’s friends do.” She turned to Trent who folded her hand between his big mitts, his cheeks turning red at her inquiry about his recovery. When her attention turned to Mason, Rio thought his cousin would bolt from the house. “You must be Mason.” She smiled up at him. “Welcome to our home, son. If you will all give me your coats, you can go to the dining room. Dinner is on the table.”

  Amusement surged through Rio when he realized Liz had seated Mason next to her. By the time dinner was finished, his cousin was as charmed by her as the rest of Durango. Yep, Liz Cahill was a steamroller. No one stood a chance against her.

  “Let’s sit in the living room where it’s comfortable,” Aaron said. “I’ll answer what questions I can about Gretchen Bond.”

  “I’ll help Mrs. Cahill clear the table,” Darcy said.

  Once they were seated, Aaron said, “What did you want to know, Rio?”

  “Anything you can tell me about Ms. Bond.”

  “A very nice woman. She was a great teacher. All our children had her in English. Can’t say Josh made the best grades in her class, but he learned a great deal. Gretchen loved being in the classroom.”

  How could he ask about Ms. Bond’s obsession with pirates or treasure without making her seem strange? Even Annie admitted her friend had grown eccentric in the last few years. Did Aaron know the eccentricity included pirates? “What were her interests?”

  Aaron laughed. “Books, obviously. She read everything. She said she didn’t have enough room in her house for more books, so she borrowed them from the library. She was one of the most well-read people I’ve ever met.”

  “Did you have a chance to see the inside of her house?”

  “No. Why?”

  “She wasn’t kidding about not having any room. Darcy filled over a dozen large Dumpsters with junk that was piled up in that house.” Rio summarized the contents of the rooms they’d cleared. “Did Nick or Josh tell you about the problems Darcy has had?”

  A grim expression settled on the bank president’s face. “Liz and I were shocked. You think the events ar
e connected to the house?”

  “Darcy hasn’t been in town long enough to make enemies, Aaron. And the accident was no accident. Someone tried to shove her car over the side of the mountain with her in it.”

  “I’m glad she wasn’t hurt worse. Bad first impression of her new home. I’ll do what I can to help, though it will be precious little. Gretchen lived in Otter Creek about 60 years, came as a newlywed, and settled into teaching immediately. She finished her degree before she married Calvin.”

  “You said she read a lot. Do you know what she read?”

  His brow furrowed. “Everything. Sorry, that’s not helpful. I imagine Annie knows specifics. I served with Gretchen on several boards. She was one shrewd lady. She had tact even when she laid you flat.”

  “We found books dealing with pirates and pirate treasure. Did she ever mention anything to you about it?”

  “Oh, sure. Her great-great nephews were obsessed with pirate movies. She collected books about pirates for them. When she had several, she’d mail them to the boys.”

  Dead end. Frustrated, Rio rubbed the back of his neck as Darcy and Liz laughed about something in the kitchen.

  “What do you know about Charles Rockingham?” Mason asked Aaron.

  Rio’s eyes narrowed. What was this about? He’d never heard of Rockingham.

  Aaron’s head whipped in his direction. “The original founder of the bank? How do you know about him?”

  “Stella researched the history of Darcy’s house and discovered Rockingham is the original owner.”

  “That’s news to me. Rockingham is a notorious character around Otter Creek, and not in a good way. He owned the bank and was well known for being tight-fisted with the money. Got to hand it to him, though, the bank never had a run on it. People knew there was money in the place. He was rumored to have several hundred Morgan silver dollars, but no one found them.”

  Could the thieves be after the Morgan silver dollars? “Do you think there was any truth to the rumors?” Rio asked.

  “I wouldn’t be surprised, Rio. Those old bankers knew how volatile the banking system was. They might put some money in the vault so they could tell their fellow townspeople they also deposited money in the bank. The truth is several kept money outside the banks as a hedge against a run on the place. Some buried it, others hid it in their houses. Others stashed the money in hollowed out bricks in the hearth of their homes. I wouldn’t be surprised if Rockingham had a hiding place in the house.” Aaron chuckled. “It’s either that or he spent it all on the house or his wife. She was all about money and her standing in society.”

  Trent snorted. “Right. Until she took a lover.”

  “Her lover was a U.S. senator, a wealthy one.”

  Darcy walked in with Liz. “What did you find out?” she asked Rio.

  “The pirates are a bust. The silver dollars are the best lead.”

  “If you think the silver dollars are connected to what’s happening,” Aaron said, “you should see Bob Schiller. He has an antiques place on Rosewood. If Gretchen consulted anybody about silver dollars, it would be him.”

  “Is it possible Gretchen found Rockingham’s coins?” Liz asked. “It’s been over a hundred years since he died. Wouldn’t someone have found the money before now?”

  “Not if he hid it well enough, honey.” His expression darkened. “If Gretchen found it, she may have talked to someone who ultimately killed her.”

  When Liz and Aaron walked them to the door, Liz said, “Trent, Mason, come back to see us. It was a pleasure to have you.”

  “You’re always welcome,” Aaron said. He laid his hand on Mason’s shoulder. “Congratulations on the new job.”

  Minutes later, Rio parked in Darcy’s driveway. “We’ll be in later. I’m taking Darcy to the church so she can practice.”

  Trent saluted and limped toward the front door, Mason following behind.

  Rio backed out of the driveway and drove his girl to the white brick church. Lights glimmered in the windows of the auditorium.

  Pastor Lang waited for them in the vestibule. “Welcome back, Darcy. Good to see you, Rio. Come get me when you’re ready to go so I can lock up. Take your time, Darcy. I’m in no hurry.”

  Rio followed Darcy into the auditorium. “Don’t push yourself, sweetheart.” He uncovered the piano and lifted the lid for her, then sat on the last pew and settled back to listen.

  From his point of view, he couldn’t tell a difference in her playing. He knew her well enough by now to realize she wasn’t happy with her performance.

  Movement to his right drew his attention. Pastor Lang slid into the pew beside him. “Is she okay?” he murmured.

  Rio shook his head. “Sore from the accident.”

  “Do I need to reschedule the concert? People would understand.”

  He longed to jump on the offer, knew he couldn’t. “Not my call. It’s her decision.” He already knew she wouldn’t change the date. The public relations machine was already cranking out notifications about the upcoming event and his girl wouldn’t want to disappoint Julia.

  Darcy stopped playing in the middle of one of Rio’s favorite pieces and just sat there, staring at the keyboard. Concerned, Rio stood, intending to check on her, when she held up a hand to stop his forward motion and shook her head. Curious as to what she was doing, he sank down on the pew and waited. A few minutes later, she placed her hands on the keyboard and picked up the piece where she’d left off, finished it, then slid off the bench and walked to the back of the church. “I need to talk to Nick.”

  Rio blinked. Okay, not what he’d expected to hear. “He’ll be on duty in a couple hours.”

  “I’ll call him after we’re home.” She smiled at Lang. “Thank you for meeting us here. I hope I didn’t inconvenience you.”

  The preacher waved that aside. “No problem. I love hearing you play.”

  She grimaced. “You are very kind.”

  “No ma’am. Honest. Give me a minute to shut down my computer and I’ll walk you out.”

  Rio rubbed Darcy’s shoulders a few seconds. Very tight. He wished Darcy had a whirlpool tub in her house. Guess a hot shower would have to do. “I’ll take care of the piano.” He left her standing in the aisle to close the lid and cover the piano.

  Lang turned off lights on the way out as they passed the switches. After setting the alarm, he walked with them out the double doors. “Darcy, we can reschedule the concert if you need a few more days to recover.”

  She turned.

  A shot rang out.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Rio grabbed Darcy and threw himself to the ground with her on top, then rolled over to cover her, his weapon up and tracking. In the woods off to the left, someone or something crashed through the underbrush. “You okay, baby?” he asked, gaze locked on the wooded area.

  “Yes. You?”

  Before he could answer, a low groan caught his attention. He turned. Pastor Lang lay sprawled against the double doors of the church, a stain spreading fast on his shirt.

  Rio leaped to his feet. “Lang!” He laid the pastor flat on the concrete and eased his shirt away from the wound. Looked like the bullet went all the way through his shoulder. If they were very lucky, the projectile didn’t hit anything except muscle. He heard his girl talking to the dispatcher on her phone. Had to appreciate a woman who was smart and kept her head in a crisis.

  “Oh, man.” Lang grimaced. “I’d forgotten how much getting shot hurts,” he said through clenched teeth.

  He stilled, glanced into the face of his pastor. “You’ve been shot before?”

  “Forget I said that.”

  “Sorry, my friend. Some things you can’t erase from memory.” Marcus Lang had hidden depths behind the calm exterior he presented to the world.

  Darcy sank to her knees by his side. “Ambulance and police should be here soon. What can I do to help, Rio?”

  “Stay with him. I need my bag.” He returned with his mike bag, yanked on glove
s, and dug out two compression bandages. Lang was bleeding heavily. The sooner he slowed the bleeding, the better for his pastor.

  Sirens sounded in the distance as he ripped Lang’s shirt and applied a bandage to each side of the wound. “How are you doing?”

  “Peachy,” he answered, voice weak. The pastor’s eyes closed.

  “Marcus, look at me,” Rio ordered. Seconds later, a bleary blue gaze locked on his. “Stay with me. You going to tell me about being shot before?”

  “Forget it. Mistake.”

  “Tough. Cat’s out of the bag, buddy. Where were you shot before?”

  “Gut.”

  “How long ago?”

  “Another lifetime. And that’s all you get, Rio.”

  “Aw, the story’s just getting good.”

  “Shut up,” his pastor groused.

  Rio grinned. “I’ll get it out of you eventually. I’m persistent.”

  The ambulance arrived, followed by a patrol car. The EMTs approached at a run, bags in hand. Rio rose, helped Darcy to her feet, and they moved aside for the medical personnel to work on Lang. “One gunshot wound to the shoulder, a through and through. Vic’s name is Marcus Lang. Tell the ER doc that Lang is diabetic.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The patrol officer spoke to him and Darcy briefly before calling the station, requesting a detective. Minutes later, two OCPD SUVs skidded into the parking lot. One of them was driven by the police chief, the other by Rod Kelter, the detective on this shift.

  Ethan stopped the gurney with Lang on board. He reached down, clasped the pastor’s hand. “You’re going to be all right, Marcus. Just do everything the nurses tell you.”

  “Like you do?” the preacher snapped.

  Rio grinned. Oh, boy. Pastor Lang was a grumpy patient.

  Rod chuckled. “No, better than Ethan. We’ll see you at the hospital later.” He motioned for the EMTs to load Lang and get him to the hospital. No one said anything until the ambulance left the parking lot.

  Ethan crossed the distance to Rio and Darcy with those long, ground-eating strides. “What happened?” he said as soon as he reached them.

  Rio gave him the details in rapid-fire military fashion.