Rock Harbor Series - 01 - Without a Trace

by Colleen Coble

  “Good luck,” Lily said. “I’ll be praying.”

  “Thanks.” She wanted to say it wouldn’t do any good, but maybe her heart was changing about that. Someone seemed to be watching out for her.

  “And watch your back,” Palmer advised.

  “I’ll be careful,” Bree promised. “Nothing is going to happen to me.” Lightning didn’t strike twice in the same place. Fate had tapped Rob and Davy on the shoulder and left her alone. She had a feeling that state of affairs wasn’t going to change.

  She drove home and parked the Jeep. Walking to the door in the cold night air, she heard wolves howling in the distance. Samson growled low in answer and sounded much like a wolf himself. The sound brought back Aunt Mathilda’s words about the Hound of Heaven, and Bree shivered. Such nonsense was just that—nonsense. Wasn’t it? Bree didn’t know anymore.

  14

  Saturday dawned with more cold rain drizzling from a glowering sky. Everything was gray, from the sky to the wind-whipped waves on Lake Superior. Not a good day for a search, but Bree didn’t have time to wait for good weather. With a yellow rain slicker and hat covering her orange jumpsuit, Bree would stay mostly dry, but the dogs would be wet and muddy by the time the morning was done.

  Hilary had called first thing in the morning to report she’d found nothing in the notebook. She agreed to meet for coffee at two and give Bree the notebook then. Bree loaded the gear in the Jeep then drove to Naomi’s and honked the horn. Naomi dashed through the rain and hopped into the car.

  Shaking the water from her hair, she slammed the door. “Wouldn’t you think it’d be snowing by now? I’d rather have snow than this heavy rain.”

  “Me too. Though the dogs should have no trouble getting the scent. The problem is the glove has been handled so much.”

  Naomi seemed lost in thought as they drove to Donovan’s. Bree thought about asking her what was happening with her quest to get closer to Donovan, but she held her tongue. There was nothing more annoying than being questioned about your love life when nothing was going on.

  The O’Reilly house was dark when Bree parked the Jeep. A dim blue glow brightened one window. “The kids must be watching cartoons,” she said.

  The women got the dogs out of the vehicle, then Bree let them sniff Davy’s glove. She wasn’t too hopeful for the day’s search. Too many people had handled the glove. The scent they needed would be overlaid with the entire O’Reilly household, her own scent, Hilary’s, Mason’s, and Naomi’s.

  Sure enough, the dogs nosed aimlessly through the brush and grew more dispirited as the rain continued to pelt them. They found no clear scent cone to follow. “This is getting us nowhere,” Bree said after an hour. “It’s nine o’clock. I’m ready to pack it in and head home. It was a long shot anyway.”

  “You go ahead. I’ll walk back. I’m going shopping for clothes for the kids with Donovan today.” Her color high, Naomi winked at Bree and took Charley toward the front door of the O’Reilly house. “I bet there are two kids ready for some breakfast.”

  “Good hunting,” Bree called with a chuckle. She put Samson in the Jeep and drove home.

  Her lighthouse seemed warm and welcoming. The rain had finally stopped, and the clouds were breaking up. A fire would be welcome after the wet search. She toweled off Samson then lit the gas log in the fireplace. After a hot shower, she’d feel almost human again. A half-hour later, dressed in jeans and a warm fleece top, she took the wool throw from the back of the couch and curled up in front of the fire.

  Though the morning’s search had been fruitless, Bree felt a sense of hope and purpose. At least she had a clue now.

  Rob’s Bible still sat on the end table by the window. Bree’s gaze lingered on it. How could it hurt? She reached for it hesitantly. Anu had said to read Psalm 112 for words of wisdom on discerning true motives. She held the Bible to her nose and smelled the aroma of leather and print. Rob had read this book every morning, yet he’d still betrayed her. She almost put it aside, but she bit her lip and flipped open the cover to the table of contents. She found the page number for Psalms and flipped through the thin pages almost to the middle of the book. She turned to number 112.

  Praise the LORD.

  Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,

  who finds great delight in his commands.

  His children will be mighty in the land;

  the generation of the upright will be blessed.

  These verses reminded Bree of Anu. Hilary was respected and had married well, and even Rob had been someone the town looked to for leadership as fire chief.

  Wealth and riches are in his house,

  and his righteousness endures forever.

  Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,

  for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.

  Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely,

  who conducts his affairs with justice.

  She frowned as she thought of Steve. He loaned money generously, though it wasn’t his own money. Did that apply? This was harder than it looked.

  Surely he will never be shaken;

  a righteous man will be remembered forever.

  He will have no fear of bad news;

  his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

  His heart is secure, he will have no fear;

  in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.

  He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor;

  his righteousness endures forever;

  his horn will be lifted high in honor.

  The wicked man will see and be vexed,

  he will gnash his teeth and waste away;

  the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

  The wicked man was the one she was after. But she still didn’t know how to pick him out. She ran through the suspects. Steve, Eric, Lawrence, Kade. And Hilary, though Bree didn’t even want to think about that. But she couldn’t rule her out yet.

  Her gaze wandered back to the verses. Wealth and riches are in his house. Did that mean every person as rich and respected as Hilary was righteous? Surely not. She would have to ask Anu.

  The words she’d read were strangely comforting. She’d been taught religion was a crutch for weak people, and she’d been appalled when Rob began to attend church and take Davy with him. They’d fought long and hard about it, but he’d refused to budge. If a Christian could do what Rob had done to her, what good was being a Christian? She wished she could talk to Anu about it, but she’d never told Rob’s family of his infidelity. Let them keep the perfect image they had of him.

  Samson put his cold nose against her bare ankle, and the wet sensation jolted her out of her reverie. She put the Bible aside. The sun had finally come out, and she could get her chores done, though the mud outside wouldn’t make it easy. “Ready to get going, Samson?” Those flower beds wouldn’t get mulched by themselves.

  The dog woofed, practically dancing with excitement. What she should do was get that brick repointed, but there was no way she would ever climb out on the tower again. Handyman work had never been her forte. Before Rob’s death, her expertise had started and stopped with wallpaper and paint, but little by little she was learning. She would have to pay someone to do it, though her bank balance might complain. After she mulched, she would make some calls. Snow would arrive any day, and the tower would never make it through another Upper Peninsula winter.

  Samson followed her as she went downstairs and out the kitchen door to the backyard. She grabbed the pitchfork and began to layer straw onto her strawberry beds. The straw was soggy and heavy, and soon she was perspiring. After a few minutes, Samson turned his head and barked.

  “What is it, boy?” Probably something as simple as the black squirrels raiding the bird feeders. As far as Samson was concerned, the neighborhood answered to him.

  “I heard there was a tower around here somewhere about to fall down.” Kade’s deep voice startled her.

  Bree jerked at t
he sound, and the straw on her pitchfork flipped onto Samson’s head. He gave her a wounded look and shook himself. She laughed, and Kade’s deep chuckle joined hers. Dressed in jeans and work boots with a rope slung over his shoulder, he grinned at the dog’s outrage. A Chicago Cubs cap, marred with flecks of paint and dirt, was pulled low over his eyes. A leather apron hung from his right hand.

  She set down the pitchfork and wiped her fingers on her jeans. “You look like you’re ready for work.” A surprising warmth spread through her belly at the sight of him. Anxiousness too. Was he angry about the puppy? Maybe he’d been too mad to call her on the phone and wanted to confront her in person.

  He opened the gate and stepped inside the backyard. Samson rushed to him and rubbed his head against Kade’s hand. Kade grabbed the dog’s head in both hands and worried it back and forth. Samson growled playfully, pleasure in every line of his posture.

  Kade released the dog and turned to Bree. “I bet you didn’t know brickwork was the way I put myself through college.”

  Bree’s eyes widened as the reason for his attire penetrated. “How did you know it needed doing?”

  “I ran into Naomi and Donovan at the coffee shop this morning, and she mentioned it. I wasn’t sure I should even help after the way you sandbagged me with that pup.” His eyes narrowed. “You knew I didn’t want her to have a dog.”

  Uh-oh, she’d known it was coming. “She needed one, Kade.”

  His mouth twisted. “If you could hear that puppy cry at night.” He shook his head. “But the worst of it is she isn’t taking responsibility for him.”

  Now Bree did feel guilty. “She’s only had him a week. Give them time to adjust.”

  “I don’t have much choice.” He grinned, but it was feeble. He moved forward and grabbed her bucket. “Okay if I use this?”

  “Sure. Naomi was with Donovan? Were the kids with them?”

  “Yep. Looked like one big happy family.”

  Bree couldn’t help the delighted grin that spread across her face. “She must be making headway.”

  “Looked that way to me, if by making headway you mean her and Donovan becoming an item.” He took the hose and sprayed water in the bucket then began adding dry mortar mix from a bag.

  Bree watched until she realized she was admiring the muscles in his back as they rippled under his shirt. Her cheeks heated and she looked away.

  Kade gave the mortar a final stir. “It looks about ready. Show me how to get to the tower, and we’ll have this job done in no time.” He stood and hefted the bucket in one hand.

  Much as she hated to accept charity, right now Bree felt like hugging him in gratitude. “This way,” she told him. He followed her as she led him through the kitchen and up the steps to the second floor.

  “I like your house,” he told her. “You’ve done a great job on the floors. Naomi told me you and Rob did most of this yourselves.”

  High praise indeed, since he seemed to know something about house restoration. Bree’s spirits lifted. “I’ll just be glad when it’s all done.” His compliment gave her an inordinate amount of pleasure.

  She paused outside the door to the catwalk. Her mouth went dry as her hand reached for the door handle. She didn’t want to go back out there, but with Kade’s attention on her, she had no choice. The handle resisted her, but she managed to thrust open the door and step outside. Thankfully, there was little wind, but the metal walkway shuddered under their weight. Her stomach plummeting, Bree gripped the railing tightly.

  Kade moved past her and set down the bucket. He strapped on the leather apron and pulled a trowel from its pocket. Unwinding the rope from his shoulder, he tied it to the bucket, which he tied to the railing. He then opened a window and attached a harness to a post inside the tower. Within two minutes he was rappelling down the side of the tower.

  Bree watched him and wished she could be so nonchalant about dangling forty feet from the ground. Gingerly moving to the railing, she peered over the edge and watched as he began to repair the mortar.

  “It’s not as bad as I was expecting,” he called up to her. “The way Naomi talked, I thought the tower was about to crumble away. It just needs a little shoring up. I should be done in about an hour. There’s no sense in you keeping a death grip on that railing. Go back inside, and I’ll tell you about my fee when I’m done.”

  His fee? Her bank balance left much to be desired. Still, at least she hadn’t had to do the job, and if she had to, she could borrow some funds from Anu. Her gratitude overwhelmed her disgruntlement at having to pay Kade for the job. He surely wouldn’t charge her as much as a brick mason would.

  He didn’t seem to notice her surprise. He paused to swipe a hand across his forehead as a bird squawked from the power lines in front of the house.

  Kade lifted his head. “Mazzy!”

  A starling lifted from the lines and came swooping toward him.

  “Watch out!” Bree shouted. She ducked as the bird tried to land on her head. Picking up a trowel, she tried to swipe at it.

  “Don’t hurt her, Bree! Mazzy, come,” Kade called. The bird squawked again then flew down and perched on Kade’s shoulder.

  “You know this bird?” Bree blinked. How had he trained a wild bird to come when he called? Though he had a compelling personality, she found it hard to believe his charisma extended to wild animals.

  “She thinks I’m her mother,” Kade said, shooting an impudent grin up at her.

  Bree covered her mouth and chuckled. “I can’t imagine anyone less like a mother.”

  Kade’s grin faded. “Or a father, according to Lauri.” When he reached around and held out his hand, Mazzy stepped onto it. “I found this one on the ground, barely hatched and without feathers. I fed her until she was ready to scavenge for food then turned her loose in June, but she’s hung around all this time.”

  “I didn’t think it was possible to feed baby birds. Did you chew up the worms and regurgitate them for her?” Bree laughed again at the incongruous thought.

  “She liked cat food mixed with water just fine, didn’t you, girl?” He leaned back in the harness and stroked the bird’s head. “I would get some on my finger then poke it down her beak. She gobbled it right up.”

  “You’re a man of many talents,” Bree said.

  “Yeah, well, don’t think you’re getting something for nothing,” he warned. “You’ll have to pay for it with your time.” Her smile faded as she realized his fee did not likely involve monetary payment. If he asked her out, what could she say? Her heart told her she wasn’t ready for any new relationship. Not now, maybe never.

  “I’ll make some coffee,” she said abruptly. “Come inside when you’re done.”

  He nodded. “I’ll rappel on down to the ground and come in the back door.”

  As Bree backed away from the rail, Mazzy came squawking toward her. Bree ducked inside and shut the door, barely avoiding the bird’s demented attempt to perch on her head.

  She found a tin of chicken downstairs in the pantry and decided to make chicken salad. It felt strange to be preparing a meal for a man again. Strange but good. She hummed as she chopped celery and walnuts then stirred in mayonnaise.

  By the time she’d prepared lunch, she heard Kade in the backyard cleaning up his tools. Bree’s palms prickled. How stupid to react like that. She’d been out of contact with everyone but family for too long.

  One of the verses she’d read in the psalm came to her. His heart is secure, he will have no fear. That certainly applied to Kade. Giving of himself and dangling fearlessly from the tower to help a friend. Did that mean she could cross him off the suspect list? She wished she knew for sure.

  A few minutes later, Kade opened the back door and stepped into the kitchen. He took off his cap and apron and hung them on a peg by the door. “The coffee smells good.”

  “You don’t even have any mortar on you.” She was usually covered from head to toe with paint or any other material she worked with.

&nb
sp; He winked at her. “What can I say—I’m neat. I take my coffee black.”

  Bree poured him a cup of coffee then made the chicken salad sandwiches and placed them on plates. She set them on the table and pulled out her checkbook.

  “How much do I owe you?” she asked.

  “Whoa, I never said you would have to pay in money.” He took the checkbook out of her hand and tossed it on the table.

  Here it comes. She crossed her arms over her chest. The last thing she wanted to do was offend him, but anything more than friendship between them was impossible. She couldn’t deny the thought brought her a mixture of elation and terror; however, it was a dizzying proposition she’d rather not face.

  When she didn’t respond or even laugh, Kade frowned. “You didn’t really think I would charge a friend for something like this, did you?”

  “Are we friends? I thought we were just acquaintances.”

  His frown turned to a scowl. “You sure keep that wall high around yourself, don’t you? I don’t have any designs on you. The good Lord knows I already have my hands full with Lauri. I don’t need another difficult relationship.” He pointed a finger at her. “You owe me. Thanks to you, I’m saddled with a pup I expressly told Lauri she couldn’t have. Now you have to fix it.”

  “What’s he doing?”

  He sighed and took a bite of his sandwich then broke off a piece and tossed it to Samson. “Lauri’s dog is driving us both crazy. He doesn’t do anything he’s supposed to do. Could you come out and give us some more pointers? You owe me.”

  “I’m sorry, Kade, I’d forgotten all about the puppy.” How could she have been so self-centered? She’d promised Lauri to get started on the training right away, but the days had slipped past too quickly. Some trainer she was. “I’ll be glad to do that. I have about an hour and a half before I have to meet Hilary for coffee. How about I come out now?”

  A grin of relief spread across his face. “Great. If Lauri concentrates on something else, maybe those moods of hers will get better.” He spread his hands. “What am I doing wrong with her?” he asked.