Rock Harbor Series - 04 - Abomination

by Colleen Coble

“Hey, Patti, where’ve you been all this time, anyway?”

  “Around.”

  “Where? You seem to be off the drugs now. How’d you do that?”

  “Some friends helped me. Which was more than you ever did.”

  “We tried,” he said. “You have to want to get well before it happens. I just wondered how you got to that point.”

  “No, you’re trying to figure out who Keri’s father is. Well, I’m not saying. So drop it.”

  Nick waggled his eyebrows at Eve. Patti wouldn’t tell them anything. He parked the SUV outside the lighthouse. When they got out, he could hear the children squealing and shouting in the backyard.

  “Go on in, and I’ll get Keri,” he told the women.

  Eve nodded and ushered Patti to the front door. He stepped around back.

  “Watch me, Keri!” Davy shouted. He ran along the sand and hurtled himself into a cartwheel, but his feet didn’t go very far up.

  “Good try,” Nick shouted.

  The little boy gave a delighted grin. “She can’t do it yet. She’s too little. But I’m big.”

  “You’re quite the little man,” Nick said. He rubbed the boy’s head as he passed. “With you showing her, Keri will learn it in no time.”

  “I’ll teach her.” Davy turned to try another one.

  “You practice. I need to take her to see her mommy a little while.” He scooped up Keri, sand and all. “Hey, baby girl, let’s go inside.”

  “No!” She wiggled to get down.

  “Your mommy wants you.” Holding her over his head until she squealed and laughed, he crossed his eyes at her, then cradled her against his chest. “And Grammy made you cookies.”

  “Tookies?” She quit fighting.

  Nick carried her onto the back porch, then brushed the sand off both of them before stepping inside.

  His mother was still working at the stove when he walked through. “I can’t believe you’re letting that woman see her,” she said, shooting him a glare that usually made him quail.

  He snagged a cookie for Keri and himself. “It’s for the best, Mom.” He didn’t want to argue with her. Stepping through the doorway into the living room, he listened, but there was no fighting. In fact, there was no talking.

  Patti sat on the sofa, and Eve sat opposite her on the armchair. Patti was staring at her hands, and Eve looked out the window. Both looked up with relief lighting their eyes when he arrived.

  “Here she is,” he said in a voice he recognized as too hearty. “Keri, this is Aunt Patti. She’s kind of your mommy too.” He set her on the floor.

  “Kind of?” Patti’s eyes narrowed, and venom spread over her face. She opened her mouth, then shut it again when he shook his head. The smile she turned on Keri didn’t reach her eyes. “Hi, sweetie. Come see me.”

  Keri hung back, her eyes wide and questioning. She backed up until she bumped against Nick’s legs. “Where Mommy?” Spotting Eve, she ran to her and climbed into her lap. “Mommy,” she said, her gaze still on Patti.

  “Let’s go see your Aunt Patti,” Eve said. Carrying Keri, she moved to the sofa beside her sister.

  “Would you like some candy?” Patti asked, rummaging in her purse. She pulled out a Jolly Rancher.

  “She’s not old enough for hard candy,” Eve said, intercepting the candy when Keri reached for it. Keri began to cry, and Eve jiggled her legs. “Eat your cookie.”

  “I can say whether she’s old enough or not,” Patti snapped.

  “You don’t have any experience,” Nick told her. “Eve knows what’s appropriate.”

  “I’m her mother. I should be able to say if she can have candy or not.” Patti took another piece out of her purse and dangled it in front of the little girl.

  Eve stood with Keri in her arms. Keri started to cry. “This isn’t going to work. Patti, you have to always think about what’s best for Keri, not about who’s got the most power.”

  Nick could see the meeting going south in a hurry. “Sit down,” he whispered to Eve. He pointed to the chair.

  Carrying the squalling child, she went back to the armchair. “Hush, Keri,” she said. “You’ve got a cookie.”

  Keri threw the cookie onto the coffee table. “Want tandy!”

  Nick picked up the cookie. “That’s enough, Keri,” he said, his voice stern.

  She sniffled with her gaze on him. Her wailing stopped, and she took the cookie he held out. Her eyes wide, she watched him go back to his chair.

  He decided the firm, direct approach would work best. “Patti, we asked you here for two reasons. We want you to get to know Keri, and we’d like to find a way to settle this out of court. How about if we agree to liberal visitation? How often would you like to see her?”

  “How often would you like to see her?” Patti countered. “I’d let you have liberal rights to her too. Maybe every other weekend?”

  “We’re not giving her up,” Eve said. “You don’t even know how to take care of her.”

  “You don’t know any more than I do. I bet you don’t remember her favorite snack or which toy she likes best. When the judge hears you can’t remember anything, I’ll be awarded custody.”

  “You don’t know those things either,” Eve pointed out.

  “I remember,” Nick put in. “How will you get around that?”

  “You’re not married,” Patti pointed out. “That’s not going to help you.”

  “I’m her father. The only one she’s ever known. Keri’s never even met this great guy who’s so ready to throw his wife over for you. Who is he?”

  Patti snapped the latch on her purse open and shut several times. Nick could almost see the wheels turning.

  “None of your business,” she said finally. “You’ll meet him at the right time.”

  “He’s a real stand-up guy if he lets you do all the dirty work.” Nick had disdain in his voice. “A real man would help you.”

  Patti unwrapped the Jolly Rancher she held without looking at him. “He’s a great guy. You don’t know him.” She popped the candy into her mouth.

  “But we’d like to.” Eve’s voice was gentle. “Could we meet him?”

  “No! He wants to stay out of the picture until it’s all over.”

  Nick didn’t like the sound of this guy. What a weasel.

  “Would you like to hold Keri?” Eve stood again and approached the sofa.

  Patti put her purse on the floor and held out her arms, but her hands shook. “Come see your mama, Keri.”

  Keri’s small brow wrinkled, and she looked up at Eve. Nick wanted to slap someone. Patti was determined to push her own way. He and Eve locked gazes, and he saw the same awareness in her eyes. They should have kept Patti as far away from Keri as possible.

  Eve settled the little girl on Patti’s lap and sat beside them. Patti jiggled the child awkwardly on her knees. “Can you say Daddy, Keri?”

  Keri’s head swiveled toward Nick. “Daddy,” she said. She reached her arms for him.

  Patti exhaled. “He’s not your daddy, not your real daddy.”

  “Daddy. My daddy,” Keri said, pooching out her lower lip.

  Nick had had enough. He stood and scooped his daughter out of Patti’s arms. “This was a mistake,” he said. “You don’t even know the proper way to behave around children, Patti. I thought maybe you’d grown up the last few years, but I was wrong. We’ll have to deal with this in court.”

  Patti blinked, then bit her lip. She reached down and grabbed her purse. “The judge will give her back to me. You’ll see.” Casting an angry glance at her sister, she rushed to the door, slamming it behind her.

  “HAVE ANOTHER PIECE OF TIROPITA,” RHEA URGED EVE. “YOU too, Nicky.”

  The darkness outside the kitchen windows made the bright kitchen seem even more welcoming, and Eve’s full tummy contributed to her sense of well-being in spite of how badly it went with Patti. She refused to stay for dinner, so Nick had run her back to the hotel. Oliver had emerged from the basement, follo
wing the aromas of Rhea’s meal.

  “I’m stuffed, Mom,” Nick said.

  Eve wondered how many family dinners like this she couldn’t remember. From the familiarity Nick’s parents showed, she would guess there were a lot.

  “I’ll get the kids ready for bed,” Bree said. She lifted Keri from the booster seat and took Davy’s hand. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Thanks,” Eve called after her.

  “How’s our Jane Doe coming?” Cyril asked Oliver.

  Oliver was on his third helping of stew. “Almost ready to paint. After dinner I will show you. She’s quite lovely.”

  Oliver looked totally drained—as well he should when he finished the thing in record time. Eve wondered if he’d had more then two or three hours of sleep a night.

  “Let’s go see her.” Nick half rose, but Oliver waved him back down.

  “Not until I have some dessert. Your mother has cooked in the kitchen all day, and the least we can do is appreciate her labor. The meals I get at the bed-and-breakfast are not nearly so excellent.”

  The doorbell sounded, and Bree called from upstairs. “I’ll get it.” She passed the kitchen and returned with Deputy Montgomery in tow.

  “Sorry to interrupt your supper,” Montgomery said.

  “Have an almond biscuit.” Bree grabbed the plate and offered them to the officer, who grinned and took one.

  “I was hoping to find all of you here,” Montgomery mumbled around his mouthful of biscuit. “Town is crawling with cops. I’ve been sent to ask you something, eh? I don’t agree with it myself, but I’m just the messenger, so don’t shoot me.” He glanced at Cyril. “You tell them yet?”

  Cyril shook his head.

  “A lead on Gideon’s threat today?” Nick asked.

  Cyril looked down at his plate. “I was just getting to it,” he said. When he looked up, his face was set and strained. “Son, you aren’t going to like this, but it’s the only way we can go with this. We want to use Eve as a decoy to flush out Gideon.”

  Eve came forward in her chair, moved first by shock, then by surprise that someone hadn’t come up with a plan like this before now. She gripped her water glass. The idea wasn’t terribly far-fetched.

  “No!” Nick slammed his fist on the table, and the dinnerware rattled. “That’s not going to happen. No way. I can’t believe you’d even ask.”

  Cyril spread his hands. “What else have we got, Son? Gideon’s a phantom. He’ll just keep killing.”

  “I’ll find him. I’m not risking Eve.”

  “I’ll do it,” Eve said, projecting as much confidence into her voice as possible.

  “You will not! I won’t allow it.”

  “You have no say in it.” Eve tried to say the words with gentleness, but Nick flinched. “I’m sorry, but I can’t let this guy keep on going just because I’m afraid.” The water glass shook in her hand, and she put it back on the table.

  “You don’t get it,” Nick said. “He’s following a plan, a script. I think when he gets through it, he’ll start over at the beginning again. With you.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “The passage from Proverbs. A few more deaths, and he’ll make his move on you to be the first in a new round.”

  Eve’s hands shook, but she clasped them together. “If that’s the case, I’ve got some time. I’m not going to just sit and wait for him to show up when he’s good and ready. Maybe I could even save someone’s life.”

  Nick’s eyes flashed, and he glanced to his dad. “What did you have in mind?” he asked.

  “The geocaching event is this weekend.”

  Bree nodded. “I need to get my team assembled. Eve could be part of my team, and she’d be visible.”

  “Me? I’m not very good at geocaching.”

  “Absolutely not,” Nick said. “She’s got a killer after her. The last thing she needs to do is be in the middle of his territory, where he can pick her off whenever he wants to.”

  “I’m tired of looking over my shoulder,” Eve shot back. “And like I said, it’s not your call.”

  Kade held up his hand. “Truce, you guys. Look, Nick, she wouldn’t be alone. There will be a whole team, with hundreds of people combing the woods. If Gideon makes a move, we’ll grab him.”

  Nick lifted his eyebrows. “How would you feel if he were after Bree?” Kade looked down. “See, you’d feel the same way.”

  “It’s hard not to worry when you love someone,” Kade agreed. “You can come along too, Nick. Keep an eye on her.”

  “I don’t want her anywhere near the forest.”

  “Stop talking about me like I’m not here,” Eve snapped. “I don’t know what a normal, fun day is. I won’t live my life afraid of my own shadow.” She leaned back in her chair, her shoulders sagging. “This has to end, Nick. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

  “I’m working on it, Eve.”

  She looked up at Montgomery. “You can go back and tell the police I’ll cooperate. Tell me what to do.”

  “She’ll have all of us to protect her,” Oliver said. “I’ll offer my eyes and ears too.”

  Montgomery nodded. “I’ll be back once we have it figured out, eh?” He grabbed another biscuit. “Good cookie,” he said before he walked off.

  “I’m sorry if I’m out of line,” Kade said. “But Bree and I have had some experience. Can we help?”

  “I don’t see how,” Nick said.

  “He’s left these bodies at geocaches, right?” Bree asked. “Kade and I know a lot about the sport. We might see something you’ve missed in the evidence.”

  Nick stared at them. “Why not? I’ve got nothing new to go on by myself. What do you think, Dad?”

  Cyril cleared his throat. “I’ve got copies of the file in the trunk. Let me go get them.”

  “While he’s getting the files, you want to see our Jane Doe?” Oliver asked. “She’s coming along.”

  Nick’s chair scraped on the floor as he stood. “You bet.”

  Eve didn’t want to see the woman, but she followed the rest down the narrow steps to the basement. In the brightly lit room, the halogen beams spotlighted the victim’s head.

  Eve heard Nick gasp before she really focused on the face. The walls of the basement wavered as she stared into her own face. “It’s me,” she whispered.

  “Nicky, you should know better,” Rhea scolded. “Bringing your wife down here. Let’s go have some tea, Eve.” She grasped Eve’s arm.

  Eve pulled gently out of her grip. Fascination pulled her closer to the worktable.

  Oliver had finished the sculpting, and the bust stared sightlessly toward a dark corner of the basement. It had to be painted yet, but there was no mistaking the woman’s resemblance to Eve.

  “It’s not you, not really,” Oliver said. “Her nose isn’t as finely sculpted as yours. And she’s older. I’d say by ten years or so. Her hair is darker too.”

  “How do you know?” Rhea asked. She put a comforting arm around Eve.

  “I found a strand inside the skull. Of course, there’s no telling where it came from on her head. If it was on the underside, it could be darker than the hair that got sunlight. But I used my best judgment.”

  Eve walked around the stainless steel table, looking at her own face, feeling disembodied. If they didn’t find Gideon, she might someday be on a table just like this one. The morbid thought made her stomach heave.

  She bolted for the stairs.

  21

  EVE ROOTED THROUGH SEVERAL FOLDERS, SCATTERING THEIR contents across the table. The photographs of the murders made her wince and avert her eyes, but she scanned the reports. If she was going to put her life on the line, she was going to see it all and know what she was dealing with.

  “This was his first listing on the geocaching site.” Cyril pulled a photo and report from the stack.

  “How long has he been killing?” Kade asked.

  Cyril handed Eve the report. “We thought it was about four m
onths. But we know he was only telling us about his kills for that long. Now we know he’s killed before. The body you found, Bree, is at least five years old.”

  Bree read through the report over Eve’s shoulder. “The first woman was found floating in a pond in Bay City.”

  Nick nodded. “Gideon identified himself pretty quickly on the geocaching Web site. His log-in name was Gideon right from the start.”

  “Did you try tracking him by computer tracing?” Oliver asked. He sat opposite Kade, nursing his fatigue with a cup of hot tea.

  “Yep.” Cyril frowned and leaned back in his chair. “He’s got some fancy scrambler on his system. It looks like it’s coming from overseas, but we know he’s right here in Michigan.”

  Bree frowned. “Do you have someone watch the geocaching site daily for any new posts related to these murders?”

  “Not daily but occasionally,” Nick said. “I check them myself weekly. I haven’t looked in a few days though.”

  “Does he mutilate every victim?” Kade asked.

  “He takes the face and some other body part.” Cyril wrinkled his nose. “The coroner believes he does the amputations while the victims are still alive.”

  “Ick.” Bree put her hand on her midsection. “This guy is so sick. It’s always women too.”

  “Blonde women,” Eve said. “Ones who look like me.”

  “What do we know about this first woman?” Kade took the report from Eve and looked it over.

  “Sophie Tallmadge,” Nick said. “The clue was from the Koran. It read, ‘Then Musa cast down his staff and lo! it swallowed up the lies they told.’”

  “Lying?” Oliver asked. “Do we know what she lied about?”

  Cyril shrugged. “We heard she testified in a trial about the defendant spending the night in question with her. Seems she perjured herself.”

  “All the women have some connection to dancing.” Nick slid a picture of Sophie to Eve. You recognize her, Eve?”

  Eve studied the woman’s face, then shook her head. “Sorry.” Some help she was going to be. This might be a mistake. She moved to the next report. “How about victim number two?”

  “We found her a couple of months later, but animals had gotten to the body and all we had were bones.”