SCENT OF A MYSTERY...A CITRUS BEACH MYSTERY (Citrus Beach Mysteries Book 2)

by Victoria LK Williams

  “I appreciate you including me, I know that’s not always possible with your FBI cases. Let me know where you want to meet and I’ll be there. Just assure me that everyone who is up there in Lady Fish Bay with you is safe.”

  “I have a full security detail up here, Sheriff Green. And they will stay until this is all resolved. Listen, I’m going to have to take my informant down to Miami with me to clear up some details on the case and hopefully work towards a resolution. How about if we meet out by the turnpike a bit south of town around 10:00 am?”

  “That will work for me. I need to get with Mrs. Potter at the cabin first thing in the morning. I can drive right out after I finish with her.”

  “Alright then. I’ll see you in the morning. And, Sheriff, thanks for the phone call.” In a smooth motion, Aiden disconnected Megan’s phone before she could get a word in to the sheriff.

  She looked at him, ready to complain about his high-handed ways and suddenly seemed to realize that he was sitting on her bed and she had been sleeping only in a loose tank top. Embarrassed, she tugged at the sheets to make sure she was properly covered up. Aiden followed her movements and his eyes darkened with passion. Standing up quickly, he put some space between them and cleared his throat. They both started to talk at the same time.

  “How did they figure out Tom was still alive?”

  “We are going to have to help Tom remember more details of his attack.”

  They looked at each other, the moment of intimacy gone.

  “Out, Aiden. Let me throw some clothes on and I’ll meet you out on the deck. I’m wide awake now, so we may as well talk things through.”

  “Right. I need to talk to my security detail and let them know what has happened.” Aiden agreed with her, but his eyes lingered on hers as if he was waiting for something else. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he turned and left the room.

  As he left, Megan let her breath out with a loud whoosh. Something was developing between them and she wasn’t sure if she was ready for it. She preferred to take things slowly and think about it before acting. Yet she was learning that Aiden was a man of action, who was used to taking charge and moving forward once his mind was made up. It was starting to feel as if he was making up his mind about Megan. She pulled on the shorts that were on the end of the bed and grabbing a well-worn zip up sweatshirt, she headed out to meet him on the balcony.

  It was a beautiful night with just enough of a breeze to keep them cool. The moon was high and bright, so there was no need for any additional lighting as Megan paced while she waited for Aiden to join her. Rather than sitting down in one of the deck chairs, he leaned against the railing and watched her pace for a few moments before she realized he was there. Giving him a slight smile, Megan joined him at the railing and they began to whisper, to be sure they wouldn’t wake up the others.

  “You said that we need to somehow get Tom to remember the night of his attack. How do you propose that we do that, without traumatizing the poor man?”

  “Well, I don’t think continuing to question him and forcing him to remember is going to work. He’s exhausted and I don’t want to send his memory into a relapse. At this point, I think the memories need to be jarred to the surface.”

  “And you’re thinking that this trip to Miami is going to do that?” Megan asked, looking away from the darkness around them and into Aiden’s eyes.

  “Yeah, that’s what I’m hoping for. If Tom is placed back into the environment in which he lived for so long, maybe that will stir things up. I’m planning on getting him back into the warehouse without being detected and seeing if that won’t rekindle his memories of what happened that night he disappeared.”

  “That might work. But how are you going to sneak him into his own company without someone noticing?”

  “Megan, I am an FBI agent. I don’t think that getting him into the warehouse is going to be a problem. Besides, after what happened in Citrus Beach tonight, I think that Tom’s trail has been found by his attackers. Maybe if they are up here, then we don’t need to worry as much about Miami.”

  “Good point, Aiden. But what I can’t figure out is how they tracked him to Citrus Beach. Or why. After all those years of silence, they had to have figured that he was out of the picture. I mean, after all Gina had him declared dead. How much more confident do they have to be?”

  Before Aiden could answer her, Megan heard a gasp and turned around to find Taylor standing in the doorway, tears running down her cheeks. The stricken look on her face told Megan she had heard the conversation and from the way she was crying, Megan had a pretty good idea that Taylor was about to let them know something of importance.

  “I did it,” she gulped as she twisted her hands in aggravation. She looked at both of them as if waiting to be condemned, but saw only looks of patience and concern.

  “When you brought Dad with you to Charlotte's yesterday morning, I was just so excited. I had no idea he was in so much danger at the time. I left the room while everyone was talking and I sent a text to my best friend. This was before you told us to keep his return to ourselves. She’s been my friend since we were little and she loved my dad as much as I did, so I just had to share the news. All I said was “Dad’s Alive." She must have told her mother. I’ll bet anything that her mother told mine. What have I done? Is my dad in more danger because of me?”

  “No, Taylor. He is in no more danger than before. The only thing your text did was speed up our time line. And that may be good. We still have the upper hand; they don’t know where your dad is, or they wouldn’t have wasted the time and energy to burn down the cabin and bring attention to its occupant.” Aiden had given her a reassuring hug before he continued talking, thinking out loud more than anything else.

  “They must have assumed that because you and your grandmother had come to Citrus Beach that Tom was there too. If Megan and Paul were able to recognize him from an old photo they found, then it would be easy enough for Malcolm to flash a picture or two around town and find out if it was your dad and where he was staying. I doubt very much if they realize that he has a memory lapse, they probably think he is just in hiding. If they eliminate him before you all can go to the police, then there is no witness of their smuggling operation.”

  Taylor nodded her head in understanding, looking grief stricken as she realized that her stepfather and, most likely her mother, still wanted to see her father killed.

  “We can control this situation and bring the case to a close and give your father back his life. But Taylor, no more texting--not even to Santa Clause, himself. Understood?”

  Taylor smiled weakly and nodded her head. After a few minutes, they sent her back inside to try and get some sleep. Aiden asked Megan if she wanted to go back in, but she declined, telling him that she was wide awake and would never get back to sleep in any case.

  “I’m going to take Tom with me to meet with the sheriff in the morning and then from there we are going to catch a flight back down to Miami. I need to go over as much as I can with Tom at the scene where I found all that blood that night and see if that won’t jar loose some of those last few memories he is holding back. Once we have as many details as possible, we will set a trap for Malcolm Fields and anyone else who is involved.”

  “Don’t even think about it, Megan. You don’t need to be included in this last part. I know you want to, but there is absolutely no reason for you to put yourself in that kind of danger. Besides, I’m going to want you to stay up here with Taylor and Beth and keep an eye on them. If for some reason Gina does show up here, we can’t let her know what is going on down south. And I have a feeling that Beth and Taylor might need some reining in if she shows; something my men will not step in to do.”

  Megan felt her shoulders slump with disappointment. She wanted to be in on all the action, not hear about it after the fact. But she also knew that what Aiden said made perfect sense, too. She half-heartedly agreed with him and then they spent the next couple of hours talking ov
er possible outcomes of Aiden’s plans. They were still talking as the sun began to rise from the east while the moon set in the west. It wasn’t long after that when they started to hear the noise of morning birds and the voices of the occupants of the cottage as they woke.

  Aiden pulled into a small roadside café in a cloud of dust from the dirt parking lot, making sure to park in a spot out of sight from the front windows of the cafe. He got out of the car first and looked around carefully, after making sure that everything seemed safe, he motioned for Tom to follow him as he headed towards the entrance to the café. Pulling open the doors, he felt the cool blast of the air-conditioning hit him in the face and he turned to the right to see Sheriff Green sitting at a table waiting for him. Leading the way, he and Tom moved over to the sheriff's table, motioning to the waitress as he walked by for two cups of coffee.

  "Good morning, Sheriff. Thank you for meeting me out here, I know you must be busy trying to keep the investigation on that fire running smoothly. Let me introduce you to Tom Jamison, the man that fire was intended for."

  The Sheriff stood as he saw them walking over and held out his hand to shake with Tom. The waitress was right behind them with the coffee, so they didn't say much until she set the cups down on the table and walked away.

  “Well, Mr. Jamison, I’m pleased to see that you are alive and well. I will be in good grace with Charlotte Potter when I can report back to her on your condition. You have her all in a tizzy with worry.”

  “I’m pleased to meet you as well, Sheriff Green. I am sorry for any problems I’ve brought with me to Citrus Beach. No one was hurt in the fire, correct?”

  “Thankfully, no. And don’t worry about that old cabin; Charlotte’s already making plans for what she is going to do with that piece of property. Aiden, I take it that Megan and her guests are safe up in Lady Fish Bay?”

  “Yes, we’re covered up there. As long as Megan follows my instructions, everything should be fine.”

  The sheriff gave Aiden a long look as he said this and couldn’t help the grin that worked its way to the corners of his mouth. He had known Megan long enough to know that somehow she always seemed to land in the middle of things; be it good or bad. It wasn’t that long ago that he had been part of the rescue that had kept her from being taken out to sea to be disposed of, right along with Aiden. Aiden had the grace to acknowledge what he had just said was like asking for trouble and he chuckled along with the sheriff.

  "Well, she did promise and I know she will try her best to keep her word. We just have to hope that nothing comes up that will steer her in another direction. Anyway, I brought along these files for you look over, Sheriff. Feel free to go through them and ask any questions. I'll do my best to answer."

  The sheriff opened the files in front of him and while picking up his cup of coffee, started reading through the information occasionally asking Tom questions to clarify something. Tom was mostly silent while he read, adding information as he remembered things. The sheriff pointed out a few things that had changed over the years that might affect the case and when he had finished reading, they spent a few moments talking. It was while they were bringing their discussion to an end that the sheriff, who had been looking out the window into the parking lot, got a funny look on his face. Standing up, he managed to put is body in the line of sight from the window to their table.

  “Aiden, this would be a very good time for the two of you to exit out the back door. Don’t look towards the entry and move fast.”

  Aiden didn’t hesitate, he heard the warning in the sheriff’s voice and got up, pushing Tom in front of him to head out the back. At the last second, he looked back at the sheriff, giving him a questioning look, waiting for a quick explanation. He got it in two words.

  “Kim Heart.”

  Aiden moved a bit faster, not looking in any direction but forward, rushing his witness in front of him to the rear exit. Aiden and the sheriff both realized that if Kim Heart saw the three of them together, her radar would go off on high alert. The two men were outside before Kim had cleared the front door, with her cameraman in tow behind her. He did not give Tom the opportunity to ask any questions, just directed him to get in the car. Aiden had his phone in his hand as he got in and started the engine. Pulling out of the parking lot at a normal speed, he was grateful that Charlotte’s car had dark window tinting to keep out the glare of the south Florida sun. It was also protecting Tom from anyone getting a clear view of his face. Hitting speed dial, he called the closest FBI office, requesting a helicopter be on standby when he got to the small airport nearby. Taking to the air to get to Miami would give them a few hours of lead time over Malcolm and Gina if they decided to head south right away. Luckily, the Sheriff had been able to confirm that he had seen someone matching Gina’s description at the hotel entrance as he had driven by to meet with Aiden.

  While Aiden and Tom were making their way out of the parking lot, Sheriff Green was politely trying to stonewall Kim’s questions about the fire.

  “Sheriff, I understand the fire was on the Potter Groves property; does Charlotte Potter know anything about the cause of the fire? Was there anyone in the building when it went up in flames? Does Mrs. Potter know the man she rented the cabin to very well? Have you located the renter? This is the second building in a week that Mrs. Potter has had damages to; what does she have to say about that?”

  “Now, Ms. Heart, you know I can’t comment on an ongoing investigation before all the facts are in. And I certainly would not speak for Mrs. Potter’s feelings about her property.”

  “Can you tell me if there were any injuries? I will speak to Mrs. Potter myself, even if I have to go back up to Lady Fish Bay to do so.”

  “Kim, I can’t comment. Now let me enjoy my coffee in peace before I have to go back out to the site of the fire.”

  Kim realized she wasn’t going to get anywhere with the man and signaled her cameraman to turn off his equipment and go get his own coffee. Before she said good bye to the sheriff, she made a mental note of the two extra cups of coffee half full at his table. She bit her lip to keep quiet, but she was sure the sheriff was keeping more than the usual information from her. She would just have to find out another way to get her story. Or create one that would grab the station’s viewers’ interest.

  Chapter Seventeen

  At the same time that Aiden and Tom where pulling out of the parking lot at the cafe, Megan was working alongside Taylor and Beth, photographing and cataloging the items the volunteers were bringing up to the holding area. She was trying her best to keep her mind on the tasks in front of her, but she found her thoughts were constantly drifting towards Aiden and Tom.

  She had watched them pull away from the cottage earlier that morning, frustrated that she was not going with them. She knew Aiden had been right in making her stay behind, but she still was a little miffed about being kept out of the action. As soon as everyone had gotten up, Aiden had informed them of his plans to take Tom down to Miami and about the fire in Citrus Beach. Tom was clearly angry and was more than willing to go along with Aiden’s plans, but Beth was a bit more cautious and she needed convincing that this was the best solution. Taylor seemed quiet when she found out her father was leaving her again, but she came to the conclusion that the faster they solved Aiden’s case, the quicker she would have her father back in her life, safe from future threats.

  The day seemed to go on forever, each hour dragging. It was after lunch before Megan heard from Aiden, and that had only been a quick text telling her that they had landed at Miami International Airport and would be heading over to the warehouses later that evening, after the staff had left for the day. As Megan worked through the afternoon, she noticed that the security detail Aiden had ordered had increased by a few men and that they were working closer to the cottage, tightening the perimeter of safety for the civilians under their care.

  The women worked diligently cataloging the retrieved items, but gone was the easy-going feelings that they
had shared the day before. Gone was the teasing and bantering and although they did laugh and talk with the volunteers, each of them had a weight on their shoulders with the thoughts of what might be going on down South. It was almost a relief when the first of the volunteers started to leave for the day and Taylor took on the task of winding things down. Robert had stuck close to the cottage throughout the day as well as keeping an eye on who was coming and going and the construction workers that were finishing up the ocean side ramp. As the last of the volunteers left, he commandeered the keys to Megan’s vehicle and followed them out the drive, going into town to pick up a quick meal for everyone.

  “Okay, ladies. Let’s wrap this up for the day; I don’t know about you all, but I’ve had enough.” Megan closed up the clipboard she had been using and set it down on the nearest table.

  “I agree. Oh, wow, I could use a walk along the beach, but I’m guessing with all the security that’s not going to be possible,” said Taylor as she watched one of the undercover FBI agents walk by the ramp heading down to the beach area. She shook her head in frustration, feeling penned in and anxious.

  “Taylor, you mustn’t make their job any harder than it is. We’ll go upstairs and relax on the balcony. As a matter of fact while you and Megan relax, I think I’ll go take a shower before Robert returns. I’m not sure which is worse today; the sand fleas biting me, or that sticky salt feeling I have all over my skin. I have a feeling I’ll feel much better once I’ve had my shower.” Using her hand, Beth wiped the sweat that was gathering on her neck underneath her hairline.