The news of her discovery probably hadn’t reached him, since he’d been traveling on the ferry then in his car with the broken radio. When he heard, would he call her? She looked out at the yacht again. She had to find that phone.
She looked around, unnerved by the silence. “Where is everybody?”
“Gone.” Jessica sniffed. “After the sheriff talked to all my friends, he told them they were free to go, so they bailed. Who can blame them, right?” She wrapped her arms around herself and stared out at the dock. “I mean, who wants to be around my freak show of a family?”
Cognizant of the ease with which she could respond the wrong way, Kate settled for a sympathetic nod. She watched as Jessica pulled her sweater closer around herself and chewed on her thumbnail, wondering if she dared say anything to her about her ‘freak show’ of a brother. She opted to tread lightly. “Where’s Stuart?”
Jessica rolled her eyes. “He’s probably drowning his sorrows…” Her voice trailed off as she tossed Kate a guilty look. “Sorry. Bad choice of words. I’m sure this news sent him over the edge.” She blinked at her second poor word choice. “He and my mom had a rough time with each other, but the last couple of years she was here, she really tried to help him. He appreciated that.”
“Help him with his drinking, you mean?”
She nodded, taking a couple of steps closer to Kate and leaning on a glass-topped table. “She actually got him into rehab. He was clean and sober, and Mom was really proud of him.”
“Clean and sober?” Kate thought about what he’d told her about the last day Trina was seen alive. “So the day she disappeared, he was lucid?”
“Oh yeah. Then her disappearance sent him into a total tailspin. I think it reminded him of his own mom. You know…he’s never gotten over that.”
Kate nodded. Small wonder, especially with no resolution to his own memories of the incident.
She calculated her words. “How was your mom getting along with Chase…your dad, before she disappeared?”
The look on Jessica’s face told Kate more than she would have liked. “I told the police my parents never fought, but that wasn’t exactly true. He can get pretty angry.”
Kate’s stomach lurched. Could she really have been so wrong about Chase?
Jessica sat on the chair next to Kate, her eyes filling. “I know what everyone says about my dad, but I just couldn’t believe it. I kept hoping Mom would come home.” She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her sweater. “I was awful to her. I thought she must have left because of me. I’ve spent the last year hoping she’d come home so I could tell her I was sorry for the way I acted. For all the things I said.”
Jessica’s sentiment hit Kate with a painful familiarity. She longed to tell her own mother the same thing.
Jessica blew out a breath. “But now, I have to admit that what everyone says happened might really be true. I have to face that she’s not coming back.”
A scuffling sound pulled their attention to the stairs leading up from the shoreline.
“Excuse me, ladies.” The sheriff reached the top step, stopping a courteous distance from them. Dark splotches marred his taupe, button-front shirt in a pattern that suggested he’d gotten as close a look at the body as he could without actually diving in to join it.
Kate kept her head down. The man had questioned her earlier, but she’d still been in shock. It hadn’t really occurred to her then that the local law enforcement might study the national fugitive lists. Sure, she’d changed her appearance, but she lived in terror of being found out for what she had done.
“I’m sorry to tell you, but we won’t have any answers for you tonight.” He spoke in a compassionate, fatherly tone. “I called for a CSI unit, and they’ll be here tomorrow.” He cautioned a step closer. “It’s going to be getting dark soon, and they’ll want to bring the body up in full daylight.”
“Of course.” Kate lifted her eyes to meet his. To her relief, his expression didn’t give any hint of suspicion of her. “But, is it safe to just leave it…you know…overnight?”
His smile reassured. “Deputy Sheriff Joel has volunteered to stay to keep watch over the dock area.”
Kate shuddered. Keep watch over a submerged corpse? That was one job she wouldn’t be caught dead doing.
A sob slipped from Jessica’s throat.
Shifting from foot to foot, the sheriff winced. “Is there anything we can do for you, Miss Cole?”
Jessica turned to face the water, shaking her head and wiping her eyes. “I just can’t believe she was…right…there.” Her words came out between gasps, as if the full weight of the situation had just hit her. “Under the dock. This whole time.”
The sheriff drew in a long breath. “Not likely this whole time. My guess is that the tide dragged her in.”
Kate looked up, alarm choking her. “The tide?”
“We did a thorough search of the waterfront when Mrs. Cole went missing last year. They would have seen her if she’d been close to shore. It seems most likely that she started out somewhere in the bay or even beyond and washed in. That’s the thing about the water. It has its secrets, but you wait long enough and the tide with tell the truth.” He grunted, clearly not seeing a need to elaborate further.
Kate exchanged an uneasy glance with Jessica. The whole idea that Trina had been out there in the water for an entire year horrified her. Looking out at the bay, she clutched her elbows, wishing she’d thought to grab a sweater off the yacht that morning.
She perked up at the sound of a powerboat slapping against the water as it rounded the tip of Shaw across the bay. Sam had said she was taking a powerboat. Maybe this was her.
It reduced speed before curving into the bay and heading toward the yacht. If this was Sam, she might have slowed at the sight of the yellow crime tape swathing the dock.
“I hate to ask.” The sheriff ran a hand through his thinning hair. “But do either of you ladies know the whereabouts of Chase Cole?”
Jessica paled at the implication of the question. She just shook her head and turned away.
Feeling ridiculous for not being in better touch with the man she was supposed to marry in a few days, Kate offered up what she knew. “He’s in Las Vegas. I would have tried to call him, but I lost my phone and…” Realizing how pathetic she sounded, she let her sentence go unfinished.
The sheriff’s chin dipped a fraction, as if this were an uncomfortable topic for him as well. “It’s important that we speak as soon as possible. If you hear from him, I’d appreciate you passing on the message.”
Kate nodded again, losing sight of the powerboat as it pulled around to the other side of the yacht. It must be Sam, but what was she doing?
She glanced over at another officer making his way up the stairs, a look of urgency creasing his young face. As he reached the deck, he tipped a greeting to Kate, then let his gaze rest on Jessica.
“What is it, Joel?” The sheriff’s voice rasped with weariness.
The younger man—apparently Deputy Sheriff Joel—cleared his throat. “I finished securing the perimeter. It looks like someone might have tried to get over the fence down a ways from the front gate.”
A fresh wave of terror spiked in Kate’s veins. Get over the fence? Her entire plan had rested on the theory that no one could get to her here. Had she been wrong to believe that?
Chapter 26
The sheriff pinched the bridge of his nose. “Do we need to send someone to do some repair work on that fence?”
“No.” Deputy Joel shook his head. “I just noticed that a tree on the other side had a branch hanging down low, kinda resting on the spikes at the top. I thought it looked like someone might’ve tried to use it to climb over.”
Startled, Kate considered the implications.
“I’ll have a look tomorrow.” The sheriff ran a hand over his chin. “I’ve about had it with those reporters. They’ll do anything to get a lead on this story.”
Deputy Joel straightened with
an almost-military air of efficiency. “I told Mindy to let any media people who get wind of this know that you’ll give an official statement when you get back to the station.”
“Good.” The sheriff grunted. “The last thing we need is to have them poking around here right now.”
“I don’t think we have much to worry about.” Deputy Joel went on. “That situation over in Friday Harbor has taken the focus away from the Cole family. Every reporter in the area is trying to get an exclusive with Shania Hane. No one even seems to know about what’s happening here.”
Thank goodness. Kate made a silent vow to thank Shania Hane in person if she ever had the opportunity. It was horrible what she’d gone through, but at least the timing had been fortuitous.
With a promise to return to the house as soon as possible in the morning, the sheriff retreated down the stairs.
Jessica rubbed her temples. “I can’t stay here.” She wiped her hand across her eyes and looked at Deputy Joel. “Tad, is it okay if I go stay with a friend in Seattle?”
Tad? Kate couldn’t help but notice a slight upturn in the young man’s demeanor at Jessica’s use of his first name.
He cleared his throat. “I don’t see why not.”
Redness crept up his neck, a sure sign that it had been more than professional obligation that had motivated Deputy Sheriff Tad Joel to volunteer for the unsavory position of night watchman over a dead body.
“If…you…” He stammered a little. “…want to leave me your contact information, I can let you know if anything new comes up.”
Smooth, Tad. Kate put her hand to her mouth to conceal a smile.
“That’s sweet.” Jessica actually sounded sincere. “But I’m worried about you. You’re not just going to sit out on the dock all night are you? I mean,” she glanced up at the dark clouds overhead that were quickly turning an ominous black with the setting of the sun. “The sky’s about to open up.”
“It’s nice of you to worry, Miss Cole.” He shrugged. “But we keep a squad car behind the general store for when we need to get around the island. I can park it down by the dock and stay nice and dry.”
“Oh.” She nodded. “Well, I could take you to get it. When I go to the ferry, I mean.”
“Great.” He brightened at the suggestion. “My boss would appreciate not having to swing the boat over to the main dock to drop me off.”
Kate rolled in her lips as Jessica and the starry-eyed deputy retreated into the house.
As she turned back to see if the speedboat had left the yacht, something on the shore below hooked the corner of her eye. It was Stuart. She watched as he picked up the tip of a kayak and dragged it into the water.
She frowned. Between the discovery of Trina and the brewing storm, it seemed like a strange time to go for a boat ride, but maybe that was how he blew off steam.
Watching him step into the small vessel, she felt like a ping pong ball that had just been batted back to the doubts-about-Chase side of the table. Stuart wasn’t the only one who would be adrift if Chase were arrested for Trina’s murder.
A cold gust blew a wisp of hair across Kate’s face. As she turned her head to flick it away, something caught her attention on the chaise behind her. Sam’s jacket. Shivering again, she reached for it. It was almost as if Sam had left it for her, knowing she’d need it. She slipped her arms into it, instantly feeling not only warm, but protected.
The reminder of her need to be mothered was almost too much for her to bear. Sinking into a chair, she put her face in her hands and allowed the tears to come. Thoughts raced through her mind too quickly to dwell on any one. Her mom…Dakota…Josh. So many people she cared about but had pushed away. Why did she do that?
For several minutes, she allowed her crying jag to run its course. When she finally lowered her hands from her face, her bleary eyes caught the movement of a ferry, glowing a soft pink against the royal blue water as it made its way toward Shaw Island.
The quiet thought that Jessica would make it onto this boat quickly led to an unsettling realization. If Jessica and Tad had gone, that meant Kate would be left alone in the house with Stuart. The thought propelled her to her feet.
She scanned the water, but there was no sign of the kayak. It was getting dark, so it was only a matter of time before he returned.
Glancing down at the dock, she noted that the sheriff’s boat was gone. A cold awareness that she was alone and unprotected cloaked her. She had to get out of there.
Just as she started for the stairs, the muted sound of familiar sci-fi music jolted her to a halt. Her phone. But where was the sound coming from?
She quirked an ear and quickly honed in on…herself?
Then it hit her. The sound was coming from the pocket of Sam’s jacket.
Perplexed, she plucked the phone from the pocket, giving the screen a fleeting glance. Chase. Adrenaline shot through her, numbing the connection between her brain and her voice as she clicked ‘accept’.
“Hello? Katie?” Chase’s voice sounded tinny and distant.
“Ch…Chase.” Her voice came out in a squeak. “Did you hear what happened? That I…found her?”
“Yes. Yes, I know.” His tone seemed clipped, dismissive. “Are you all right?”
All right? How could she be? “I…I’m fine.” Her mind whirled. Should she say something about what Stuart had told her? That he had seen Emily’s body, not in the pool but next to it? And that he had seen Chase here the night of Trina’s disappearance?
No. Trina had confronted Chase about Emily, and if Stuart’s theory was correct, she had died because of it. She couldn’t say anything to Chase about that. It was too risky.
“Good.” His voice sounded stern. Businesslike. “Where’s Sam?”
“Uh…” Kate shifted on her feet. If the powerboat was still on the far side of the yacht, she couldn’t see it, and she didn’t know if that had been the one Sam had borrowed anyway. She stammered into the phone. “I…I don’t know. She went to meet someone.”
He muttered something incoherent.
She pressed the phone closer to her ear. “What? Chase, I can’t under—”
“Katie, listen.” He came off sounding like a drill sergeant. “Go to the guesthouse and stay there.”
The guesthouse? But she’d only feel safe on the yacht. Then it registered that Chase didn’t know about the note, or the noises outside her window. “But, I can’t. I—”
“Don’t open the door to anyone.”
His disregard for her objections grated on her. How could she talk to him if he wouldn’t listen? “Chase, the sheriff needs to speak to you.”
“You’ve spoken with the sheriff?” Anxiety threaded through his tone.
“Of course.” She frowned. “You need to call him right away. Tell him again that you don’t know what happened to Trina.”
There was no answer, just ambient noise on the line that made her wonder where he could be.
“Chase…” This ambiguity was killing her. Josh was right. She had to know the truth, and now that she was a safe distance away from Chase, this might be her only chance to ask.
Rallying all her courage, she carefully considered how much she should say. “You don’t know what happened…right?”
He made an uneasy sound in his throat. “Katie…this situation is so much more complicated than…” He cut himself off.
She huffed out impatience. Out of fear, she had kept quiet about Karen, and Joe had gone free. If she had been courageous enough to speak up, would he have been arrested? She couldn’t make the same mistake twice.
She blurted out the words. “Because…I talked to Stuart.”
“Stuart?” The slightest quiver in his voice suggested that he knew what was coming.
“Yes. He told me that he saw you here at the house the night Trina disappeared. Why were you here, Chase?”
There was no answer. Just an indistinct announcement of some kind blaring in the background. Where was he? An airport?
A long moment stretched out in which she heard nothing from Chase but the sound of his breathing. When he spoke again, his voice was low and fierce. “Tell me you didn’t repeat any of that to anyone.”
The question jolted her. “No…I—”
“You didn’t tell the sheriff, did you?”
Had she? Thinking straight suddenly seemed impossible. “Chase, I just need to know—”
“Or to Joshua?”
“What? No.” Confusion overtook her. “Josh is gone.”
“Gone?” Something clanked in the background followed by the far-off sound of someone shouting. “What do you mean, he’s gone?”
“I mean I didn’t think I needed him anymore and I let him go.”
“You let him…” A loud jangling noise overlapped Chase’s next words, making it impossible for her to decipher them.
It didn’t matter, because all she could think was that he wasn’t answering her questions. That could mean only one thing. He was guilty of one or both of his wives’ murders. And now he knew that Kate knew.
Her blood felt like ice water in her veins.
“Listen to me, Kate. Stay in the guesthouse. Don’t let anyone in, do you understand?”
Mind racing, she picked her purse up off the deck and secured it over her head and one shoulder, calculating how long it would take her to hobble down to the dock. Then all she’d have to do was get the dinghy out to the yacht. Sam would be back soon and Kate would tell her everything she’d found out. Together, they would make a plan. It was all going to be okay.
Across the bay, the ferry pulled into the terminal. Its horn sounded, followed by a faint echo.
Kate’s stomach jumped. That hadn’t been her imagination. She’d heard the horn, then a slightly delayed repeat of the same sound over the phone.
Tide Will Tell (Islands of Intrigue: San Juans) Page 19