Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed?

by Shawna Delacorte

  Reece glanced at his watch, then reached over and shut down the computer. “I don’t know what else we can do tonight.”

  He turned in his chair to face her. For the last fifteen minutes his mind had barely clung to what they were doing. Most of his attention had been on what the rest of the night would hold—an unsettling topic at best.

  He gestured toward the suitcase he had brought her. “Now that you have some clean clothes, I assume you’d like that hot shower.”

  “Yes, most definitely.” She rose from her chair and picked up the suitcase. She opened it and looked at what he had brought. Everything she had asked for was there plus an additional couple of days’ worth of clean clothes. Was that indicative of his plans or merely a precaution on his part?

  He noted the frown that crossed her face, then it turned to a look of uncertainty. “What’s wrong? Did I forget something?”

  “No, it’s not that. I was just thinking that, well…maybe before I take a shower and change clothes…”

  “What?” A little tremor of apprehension tugged at him. She obviously had something on her mind.

  She looked up, making eye contact with him. “I think we should go back to my house so I can look through my picture files.”

  It was the last thing he had expected her to say. “Are you sure you want to do it tonight?” He glanced at his watch. “It’s after eleven o’clock, and it’s an hour drive to your house. Obviously we can’t do it during the day, but we can do it tomorrow night.”

  “No, I think we should do it now.” She tried to shove aside the anxiety churning in the pit of her stomach. “If Frank James was watching my house earlier this evening, there’s no telling what he might do tomorrow night. I need to check my files now before he decides to break in to my house and steal them. If I can figure out which files someone had been looking through, then maybe we can figure out what’s going on.” She forced what she hoped was a confident smile even though it was a far stretch from what she felt. “And you know I’m the only one who can figure out what, if anything, is missing.”

  “Yes, I know.” He couldn’t stop the slight frown that wrinkled across his forehead. He could tell by looking that she was attempting to put up a brave front. He could also see the determination etched into her features. It was the type of expression that stated loud and clear that there wasn’t any use in trying to change her mind. And she had been right, it’s what they needed to do. They had to stay one step ahead of Frank James if they were going to solve the puzzle. A tremor of ap prehension jittered inside him when he realized he had turned his thoughts to them doing it together rather than him doing it alone.

  She put her feet back into her damp, muddy shoes. “So, let’s get started. If I’m going to be out in the rain again, then I’ll save the shower and clean clothes until we get back.”

  “Okay. Another trip into the rain.” Her comment about returning to the cabin rather than going to a motel was not lost on him. He pulled on his boots, grabbed his rain jacket and handed one to her.

  Reece opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. “Are you ready to make a dash to the car?”

  A couple of minutes later they pulled out onto the fire road and were soon headed for Rocky Shores. He saw the anxiety etched on her face. He made a couple of attempts at casual conversation, but her abbreviated responses made it clear that she didn’t want to talk. He respected her wishes and remained silent for the rest of the trip, allowing his thoughts to wander to his trial, the lies Frank James had told on the witness stand and his subsequent two years in prison. If nothing else, it reinforced his determination to get the proof he needed to bring Frank down. And apparently Brandi was the key that would open that door for him.

  By the time they reached their destination, the rain had been reduced to a drizzle. Reece drove by her house, checking out the few cars parked at the curb. The same excited surge of adrenaline that had assaulted his senses earlier that evening had put him back in the middle of the work he loved to do. Rather than parking in the alley behind her house as he had earlier that evening, he chose to park on the next street, where his car would not be obvious to anyone checking out the alley. They made their way back to her house, crossed the backyard and entered the garage through the side door.

  Before going to her office, Brandi made a quick tour of the rest of the house. “Nothing seems to be missing, at least not anything obvious. My televisions, VCR and DVD player are all here.” She checked her jewelry box. “Nothing missing from here, either. Let’s check my files.”

  She came to an abrupt halt at the door of her office. The room hadn’t been ransacked, but it was obvious that someone had gone through everything. She had seen the pictures, but was still unprepared for the actual sight. She turned and shot a questioning look at Reece.

  “Nope, not me. This is exactly the way I found it. Other than taking your appointment book, your PDA and turning on your computer, I didn’t touch anything in your office, supply room, darkroom or studio. Your office was a mess compared to the rest of your house, so I assumed someone must have gone through your files. Since there was no way for me to know what you had in here, there was no point in my disturbing anything while trying to figure it out.”

  A sigh of resignation escaped her lips. “Well, it’s not like they ransacked my office, tore up my files and threw everything all over the place, but they definitely went through my files and left them a mess.” She went to her darkroom and looked inside, then to her studio and finally to the supply room. Someone had looked through everything. She returned to the office and started going through her picture files.

  “Is there anything I can do to help you?”

  “No. It’s quicker to do it myself than to try and tell someone else what to do.”

  Reece watched as she checked everything. The way she moved excited him. There was something about her that had grabbed on to him and had refused to let go in spite of how much he didn’t want it to be so. But it did not prevent him from noticing the concern that marred her otherwise beautiful features. Even though she tried, she couldn’t hide the apprehension that showed in the depth of her eyes. And it tugged at his senses in a very personal way that he wished he could ignore. It frightened him, emotionally if nothing else.

  Her voice broke into his errant thoughts, an interruption he welcomed.

  “I only did a quick search, but so far the only things missing are the negatives and prints of some of the location photography I did for the book I’m working on.”

  “When did you take them?”

  “I’ve been doing location shooting for my book off and on for almost a year. I don’t know if it turns out to be lucky or unlucky, but the pictures weren’t all filed in the same place. I shot the most recent series of photo graphs during the last month. A month ago is when I started a new file and that’s what seems to be missing.”

  “A month ago?” He scrunched up his face and stared at the floor as he turned the information over in his mind. He regained eye contact with her. “About the time the stalking started?”

  She wrinkled her brow into a slight frown. “Yes, it was about that time.” She stared at him for a moment. “Do you think there’s a connection?”

  “What were you photographing? What was on the film?”

  “It was just some scenery—beauty shots. I’m putting together scenic photos for what I hope will be one of those expensive coffee-table books filled with beautiful pictures. It’s going to take me a year to do all the photography because I want to capture all the seasons. It’s a departure for me from weddings and portraits, but I’ve really been enjoying the challenge. I can’t imagine why anyone would want to take those pictures. They don’t have any monetary value.”

  “They obviously had some kind of value to someone and the fact that they only took the ones from the last month rather than all of them says those specific pictures were their target.”

  “I suppose they could have missed the other scenic shots since the
y weren’t with the ones stolen.”

  “Are they labeled the same way as the missing pictures? I mean, the file folders showing the same type of information so that it would be obvious to anyone that they were part of the same project? That the pictures they didn’t take are part of the same thing as the ones they took?”

  “Yes, only the dates would have been different—”

  The sound cut into their conversation, grabbing both Reece’s and Brandi’s attention. A car—it didn’t drive by. It had stopped. He immediately clicked off the flashlight, then peeked out the window from the edge of the drapes. A quick rush jumped his pulse rate into high gear as he watched Frank James emerge from the car.

  Reece grabbed Brandi’s arm and pulled her over to the window. “Look carefully. Is that the man who abducted you?”

  The insistence that surrounded his words sent a quick jab of trepidation shooting up her spine. She squinted as she tried to make out the man’s features in the illumination from the street light. “I…I’m not sure. It looks like it could be, but I wouldn’t be able to swear to it in court without a better look at him.” She turned toward Reece. The serious set of his clenched jaw told her more than she wanted to know. “Is that Frank James?”

  His words were rushed, telling her of the urgency. “Yes, and it looks like he’s coming inside. We’ve got to get the hell out of here right now!”

  There was no time to think, only time to act. They raced through the house, Brandi taking the lead in the dark as they made their way through her familiar surroundings. Just as they exited the garage into the yard, he heard Frank yell to someone else to check the back of the house and the alley.

  A cold shiver swept through his body. Frank was not alone. Reece grabbed Brandi’s hand. “Whatever I tell you to do, act immediately and don’t pause to ask me any questions.” Without waiting for any acknowledgment from her, he broke into a run across the backyard. His senses remained on full alert. The blood pumped and his heart pounded. A strange combination of elevated thrill tempered with caution swept through his consciousness. Suddenly, the last two years faded into the far recesses of his mind. He was back in the thick of the action again. For the first time in a long while he felt truly alive. He hadn’t realized just how much he had missed it until that moment.

  And the icing on the cake was the opportunity to match wits with Frank James again. This time, he would put the crooked cop away while clearing his own record and having his private investigator’s license reinstated.

  A quick glance at Brandi reminded him that there was more at stake than his own safety and his personal agenda. For some unknown reason she was Frank’s target and he knew just how ruthless Frank could be. They reached the alley behind her house. He heard the sound of a car, then he saw it turn from the street into the alley with its headlights off. He pulled her down behind some bushes.

  His words came out in a rushed whisper. “Are all the yards along here fenced in or is there a yard open between this alley and the next street over where we parked?”

  “The Gleasons, three houses down on the left. Their yard is open all the way through.”

  “As soon as the car passes that’s where we’re going. Stay low as you cross the alley.” He heard her rapid breathing and could almost feel the tension coursing through her body. Judging by the tight grip she had on his hand, she was anything but calm. And he couldn’t blame her. The cat-and-mouse game they had become involved in was no place for a novice.

  Reece watched as the car moved slowly down the alley. As soon as it reached the street he gave a little squeeze to her hand. “Let’s go.”

  Brandi sucked in a deep breath in an attempt to calm her trembling insides. She continued to hold on to his hand, to draw from his strength, as they ran down the alley to the open yard. They emerged on the next street two houses down from where they had parked. She started to breathe a little easier, but it was a short-lived moment of calm.

  As soon as they were inside his car, Reece grabbed her arm. “Get down!”

  The command that surrounded his words clearly reinforced his earlier instruction to act now and ask questions later. The fear surged through her body. Her mouth went dry and her throat tried to close. Her heart pounded in her chest. Were they about to be caught? What had he seen? Or had he heard something? She strained to listen, then she heard it. The sound of a car coming closer. She huddled down in the seat. A moment later his body covered hers like a protective cloak, a sensation that helped quell the fear rapidly welling inside her.

  It also conveyed a totally inappropriate wave of sensual heat and desire, one she didn’t know how to relate to.

  He spoke in whispered tones. “A car without headlights, probably the same one that drove down the alley. It could be Frank’s cohort checking the area. Or it could be Frank, himself.”

  She forced her words, fully aware of the anxiety that filled her voice. “Do you think they’re looking for us?”

  “Probably not us specifically. My guess is that they’re checking the area in general just as a precaution.” He said the words but knew they weren’t true. There was no doubt in his mind that Frank suspected someone had been inside her house. Even though Reece had been careful not to point the flashlight at the windows or wave the light-beam around, it was still possible that Frank might have seen the light as he drove by, which had prompted him to stop. Perhaps it was nothing more than Frank’s hunch. Either way, they were in a precarious situation and he needed to be very careful about how he handled it. He had full confidence in his ability to take care of himself even though he didn’t have any type of weapon with him, but there was more at stake. Brandi’s safety was in his hands, too.

  He listened as the car came closer, then moved away as it passed them and continued down the street. He cautiously raised his head enough to see out the window, the streetlights being both a curse and a blessing. He could see, but that meant he could also be seen. As soon as he was satisfied that everything was clear, he sat up and started his car. He slowly pulled away from the curb, not wanting to appear obvious. He drove in the opposite direction than the other car had traveled.

  Brandi finally raised herself up enough to peer over the dashboard. Her tentative voice and hesitant words clearly conveyed the wariness and anxiety coursing through her body. “Is…is everything okay? Have they gone?”

  “We’ll soon know.” He knew it wasn’t the answer she wanted, but it was the best he could do. He waited until he turned the corner at the end of the block and was headed toward the highway before clicking on his headlights. His gaze constantly darted between the road in front of him, the side streets he passed and his rearview and side mirrors. A low level hum of apprehension remained constant in his body, reminding him that they were a long way from being in the clear. He glanced at Brandi. Her anxiety-ridden features and vulnerability tugged at his emotions—again.

  Somehow, Reece was exactly where he had been three years ago when he’d first encountered Cindy Thatcher—trying to help a woman in distress, protect her from harm and finding himself in a dangerous situation because of it. Only with Cindy, she had sought him out and engaged his services as a private investigator. She had told him her brother was missing and she feared he was in danger. It had turned out to be a complete lie and he had ended up serving a two-year prison term for something he didn’t do.

  And here he was starting down the same path again—a beautiful woman who appeared vulnerable and in need of help. Was history repeating itself?

  He cleared the disturbing thoughts from his mind. He needed to keep his attention focused on the current problem, not dwell on something from the past that couldn’t be changed. And the current problem was Frank James. He reached over and placed his hand on top of hers, the gesture telling her everything would work out okay.

  Reece’s touch sent a warm sensation through her body. His strong command and confidence kept her from caving in when everything seemed blackest. She finally had someone who believed her. An
d more than that, he had put himself in danger in order to help her. She had felt so alone and been so frightened for the past month, since the stalking had begun. Maybe things would turn out okay after all, and she could—

  Reece suddenly jammed down his foot on the accelerator. The car lurched forward, shaking Brandi out of her random thoughts. A surge of fear shot her senses to full alert. “What’s wrong?”

  “We’re being followed.”

  She tried to keep her voice calm. “Will they be able to trace your license plate so they’ll know who you are and where you live?”

  “Not without a lot of digging and time. My cabin and vehicle ownership are hidden behind a series of—”

  He stopped mid-sentence as he executed a perfect 180-degree spin so that he raced toward his pursuer. He clenched his jaw into a hard line. He knew his decision was a calculated risk but one that paid off when the other car swerved out of the way as Reece sped by. He made a sharp right-hand turn at the corner, then another right-hand turn into the grocery store parking lot. He came out on a side street. He knew every back alley and side street in Rocky Shores. Of course, Frank James was a member of the Rocky Shores Police Department and also knew the city streets. It would take more than just a couple of clever maneuvers if it was Frank who was driving the car following them.

  But he knew just where to lose even the bulldog determination of Frank James. No one knew the mountain back roads as well as Reece Covington, something his pursuer was about to find out. The adrenaline pumped hard and fast, sending the excitement surging through his body, tempered with a cautionary dose of anxiety.

  “Have we lost whoever it was? What do we do now?”

  He heard the apprehension in her voice and knew he had to say something to reassure her, to try to calm her obviously rattled nerves. He reached over and placed his hand on top of hers again. He felt the tension rippling just under the surface of her skin. She was trying to appear calm and in control, but it didn’t fool him for a minute. He knew she was scared.