Treasure Point Secrets

by Sarah Varland

  “No, I’m done working for the day.” He wished he didn’t feel guilty as he said that. He’d worked his shift at the police department that morning and gone straight from there to the church. It was well over an eight-hour day, not exactly slacker’s hours, although his dad probably would disagree.

  “So you’re having dinner at home?” He laughed. “If I remember right, your culinary skills are a little lacking. See? Making pastoral visits would get you out of cooking, too.”

  Adam didn’t know why he said it. Knew he shouldn’t but couldn’t hold it back any longer. “Actually, I’m not cooking tonight. I’m having dinner with a friend.” His heart pounded. Here it came...

  “A friend? Who?”

  Adam had known his dad would ask. “With Shiloh Evans.”

  “Shiloh? What is she doing in Treasure Point?”

  “She’s working here.”

  “As a cop.”

  It wasn’t a question, the way his dad had said it.

  “Adam—” his voice was filled with warning “—men are designed to be protectors. Not women. Didn’t you learn anything from what happened with your mom?”

  “I’m not talking about Mom with you right now, Dad.”

  “Fine. Let’s not talk about her. Let’s talk about Shiloh. She breaks your heart, then becomes a cop when she knows how you and I feel about it.”

  It crossed Adam’s mind that Dad actually hadn’t known how Adam had felt about it. Everyone had just assumed that he and his dad agreed.

  “And now you’re thinking of restarting a relationship there? When you’re a pastor now? Son, a pastor’s wife—”

  “No one is talking marriage, Dad.”

  “Fine. A pastor’s girlfriend is subject to all kinds of unsaid standards you know nothing about. You think Shiloh’s going to bake a casserole for a potluck dinner, take banana bread to sick congregation members, help you do ministry when she’s too caught up in carrying a gun and seeking revenge?”

  Adam’s gut churned. “I never said anything about dating her.”

  “But if you’re seeing her again—”

  Adam did something he rarely did. He cut his dad off. “Look, Dad. I’m not dating her. You’re probably right that she wouldn’t make a suitable match for a pastor. But I’m not dating Shiloh. We’re friends. Barely even that. I’m doing her a favor, fixing her broken porch.”

  And trying to keep her safe and figure out why a killer was after her. But Adam had wised up over the past few minutes—he’d keep that part secret. There were some things his dad didn’t need to know.

  “I’ll let you go, then.” His dad’s tone had softened a little. “Adam, I’m not trying to interfere. I’m just proud of you being a pastor. It’s a hard job that I want to be as easy for you as possible. Not like it was for me because of the career your mother—”

  “I told you I’m not talking about her.” Adam forced the words out, fought back the sadness that he knew would come in waves if he let it.

  “Fine. But I warned you.”

  The line clicked.

  Adam dropped the phone into the seat as if it had burned him. And in some ways it had. He wished he could go back in time, not answer that call, not have his dad’s advice echoing in his head. But that was the thing about the past. You couldn’t change it, so it was better just to move on. Taking a deep breath, he climbed out of the car and walked to Shiloh’s front door, raising his hand to knock.

  She opened the door and smiled. Oddly enough, he felt some of his stress melt away in the light of her smile.

  Shiloh looked gorgeous. Too gorgeous for his own good. Her dark hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail, and she was wearing a T-shirt, ripped jeans and flip-flops.

  “Hi!” She was still grinning as she scanned his clothes. He’d opted for jeans but had put on a polo instead of a T-shirt, because for some reason he didn’t want her to think he was a total slob in his after-work hours. “You look nice. Sure you don’t mind fixing my porch in that?”

  He shook his head.

  “The porch will actually only take a second. It was really just an excuse to get you over here. But if you don’t mind nailing in this new board while I finish dinner, that would be great.”

  “I’ll be back in when it’s done, then.” He motioned to the two-by-four in the corner. “That’s the new one?”

  “Yep. That one over there—” she motioned to the edge of the porch “—is getting seriously warped by the water coming off the roof when it rains.”

  He nodded, making a mental note to fix the drainage problem so she wouldn’t be facing this problem regularly. “Got it. It’ll just take a few minutes.”

  Shiloh started back inside but paused in the doorway. “Hey, Adam?”

  He looked up and was rewarded with the sweetest smile he’d seen in five years. “Yeah?”

  “Thanks for doing this.” She rubbed her right hand over her empty left-hand ring finger. On purpose or subconsciously? “I know you don’t owe me anything, and you’re probably pretty mad at me. For leaving like I did. But thank you.”

  And then she was gone. And Adam was finding it hard to be too mad about the past.

  That couldn’t be good.

  * * *

  Shiloh let the screen door slam behind her, certain she couldn’t stand there looking at Adam for another minute without falling in love with him all over again. There were thousands of reasons that this was a terrible idea, though at the moment she couldn’t think of one of them.

  She brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face, suddenly self-conscious about the way she looked. Had Adam dressed up for her? He looked distractingly good; she’d always loved dark green on him. Was that why he’d picked that shirt?

  If she didn’t have chicken to fry and potatoes to mash, she’d be tempted to change into something stunning that would make his heart do all the crazy things hers was doing. Just as well that she was starving. The old attraction between them was better off left alone.

  She mixed the cream cheese into the potatoes—part of her mom’s secret recipe—and struggled to keep Adam from her mind. What had she been thinking, inviting him over? It had seemed like such a good idea earlier and like an even better idea after hearing how uneasy the chief had sounded about the recent incidents.

  Assurance returned. She had to sort this out somehow, and she’d always worked better with a partner, someone to bounce ideas off of and to view things differently. She and Annie had been perfect together. This pirate case wasn’t the only one that Annie had talked through with her, but it had been Shiloh’s first official job as a consultant. It had matched perfectly with her previous career, her specialty in early American history and pirate legends.

  Though she’d always loved analyzing things with her cousin over late-night coffee, Shiloh had hesitated to get involved in this case officially, even off the record. She’d told her cousin no at first, but when Annie’s overtures were rejected by several other professors at the college where Shiloh had worked, Shiloh had felt she had no other choice.

  She’d even gone to Professor Slate—her mentor and the newly appointed head of the history department—asking him to reconsider and to help her cousin. He’d refused, citing all of the responsibilities he had at the university. Shiloh had understood, of course, but she’d wished anybody else could’ve helped. As much as she loved adventurous hobbies, she hadn’t wanted to get involved in a case that had already involved three murders by the time Annie had asked for Shiloh’s help.

  Ultimately, and against her better judgment, she had gotten involved. But she hadn’t been able to figure anything out fast enough to prevent a fourth murder. If Shiloh didn’t get help soon, she wouldn’t be able to stop a fifth murder.

  Hers.

  The sound of sizzling grease forced her attention back to
what she was doing. She watched the chicken until it became a dark golden-brown and then took it out of the oil.

  “Looks as good as it smells.” Adam’s deep voice behind her surprised Shiloh, making her jump and nearly fling a piece of hot chicken across the kitchen into the living room.

  “Whoa, whoa...” Adam’s face registered compassion, and Shiloh felt ridiculous for overreacting and for not paying better attention to her surroundings.

  “Shiloh...” Adam stepped toward her. Slowly. As if he wasn’t sure what she’d do.

  He reached out both of his arms and folded them around her shoulders, gently, pulling her into his embrace.

  Shiloh fought to hold her body stiff and resist the urge to melt into his strong arms—though the thought did cross her mind. She shoved it—and him—away as soon as it did, though. Hadn’t she let Adam hurt her enough?

  “Whatever’s happening, we’re going to figure it out.”

  She ignored his reassuring words. “Dinner’s ready. Do you want to eat inside or outside? I have a table in the back I eat at sometimes.”

  “Outside’s great.”

  “Okay.” She nodded. “But the things I need to talk to you about will have to wait until after dinner, then. I’m not sure it’s...safe...to discuss them out where anyone could hear.”

  “Sounds fine.”

  Shiloh led him to the back door, which he opened for her, always the gentleman.

  “Wow.” His admiring gaze moved over the landscape. “This is beautiful.”

  She looked around her personal oasis, trying to see it through his eyes. The wide wooden porch was simple, but the space was welcoming and comfortable. The yard below was well kept, draped by centuries-old live oaks. All of the small trees and brush on the five acres she owned had been cleared to afford her a good view of the entire area surrounding her house. Not only did she think it was gorgeous, it helped keep her safe and assured her that no one could get too close to the house without her seeing them.

  “You did all this?”

  Her cheeks warmed at his obvious approval, and she nodded. “Yeah. It’s taken a while, but I like it this way.” She shrugged.

  “It’s perfect.”

  They sat down at the table and fell easily into conversation. Half an hour or so passed, seeming like just a couple of minutes, and Shiloh noticed that the sky had darkened and that the musty scent of rain hung in the air.

  Movement to her left caught her attention and Shiloh jerked her gaze to the trees at the back of her property. Had she seen something?

  No. She was imagining things. She had to be.

  Lightning cracked through the sky, illuminating the area, and this time Shiloh could clearly see the shape of a person darting from behind one oak tree to another.

  She shoved her chair back from the table and took off toward where she’d last seen the figure. Somewhere in the distance, she heard Adam yell for her, but she ignored him.

  Whoever this guy was, his first mistake had been killing four people in Savannah. His second was coming after her. She was going to catch him, going to end this tonight.

  Her feet pounded the ground as rain began to soak the grass. She kept her eyes focused on where she’d seen the man last, which was how she saw him visibly startle when he saw her advancing toward him and take off running. She changed her course to follow him, pushed herself to run faster.

  She was maybe thirty yards away from him by the time he neared the trees at the edge of her property. She couldn’t let him get into the woods, or he’d be gone. She would have failed. Again.

  Willing her body to find an even faster speed, she was so focused on her target that she failed to notice the slight indentation on the ground that caught her foot. Almost in slow motion she broke her stride and fell to the soaked ground. Through the pounding raindrops she watched the lone figure disappear into the shelter of the trees. She made a fist and hit the ground, splashing mud onto her clothes and face. Shiloh brushed some of it away, along with the tears she hadn’t realized she was crying. Thunder clapped overhead, and Shiloh felt her hands start to shake.

  Footsteps behind her seconds later made her jerk her head up, but it was only Adam.

  “What were you thinking?” he demanded between puffs of breath. “Running off after someone alone like that?”

  She stood, then said, “He was going to get away.”

  “Or he was going to lure you far enough away from help, from me, that he could attack you. Are you trying to kill me with all this worrying about you?”

  “I’m an adult and a fully trained police officer. I can take care of myself.”

  “Why is it so hard for you to let someone else watch your back? People care about you. I care about you, and you’re so intent on pushing me away.”

  She glared at him. “I never asked you to care.”

  “I can’t help it, Shiloh.” They stood face-to-face, rain pouring down, soaking both of them, making Shiloh’s dark hair stick to the sides of her face.

  Adam reached to brush it behind her ears but she swatted him away. He dropped his hand to his side. “Let’s get inside before one of us gets struck by lightning.”

  As though on cue, lightning lit the sky again in twin jagged bolts. That and her already shaking hands were all the persuasion she needed to hurry back to the house. What was wrong with her? Why couldn’t she get past this fear of storms? Weren’t cops supposed to be fearless?

  Once upon a time she would have agreed with the other Christians in her life, that she needed to give her fears to God and trust Him. She’d been a better Christian back in Savannah when Annie had been still alive. Shiloh turning her back on God when her cousin had died hadn’t been intentional. She wouldn’t even say she’d turned her back on Him. More like...it seemed He’d stopped being there. So she’d stopped expecting Him to be.

  Another bolt of lightning and crash of thunder sent her running the final few yards to her back door. Once inside she shivered, rubbing her wet arms. “Thanks for coming.”

  “I’m not leaving yet.” He had that stubborn glint in his eye that said he meant it.

  Between losing the man who’d been watching her and the storm that still raged outside, she’d had the fight mostly drained from her. “Fine. I’m going to change. I’ll be right back.” She eyed his soaked clothes, trying not to notice the way his shirt clung to him. “I don’t have anything that would fit...”

  “I have a change of clothes in my car. If you don’t mind, I’ll run and get those and change in your spare bathroom.”

  She nodded. Minutes later she walked back into the living room to find Adam in dry clothes, sitting on the couch. The storm had grown more intense, and her hands weren’t all that was shaking now. All of her was.

  “Are you okay?”

  Shiloh nodded but couldn’t stop the shivering. She’d always hated storms but hadn’t felt this sort of panic until recently. If she were to consult a shrink, the doctor would probably called it PTSD, since storms tended to give her flashbacks to the night she’d lost her cousin.

  Please, please, Lord... To her surprise, Shiloh found herself praying. Not tonight. Let me pull it together, at least in front of Adam.

  “Let’s sit.” Adam tugged her down onto the couch next to him, grabbed the fleece blanket she kept on the back of the couch and settled it around her.

  Her defenses melted a little more at his kindness. Remember he disapproves of your job, Shiloh. Besides, he’s a pastor now, and you haven’t been to church in who knows how long. You’re completely wrong for each other.

  “Let’s forget about what happened outside for a little while and talk about why you wanted me to come over.”

  Shiloh nodded, noting that her shivers had eased. Because of God? Or because Adam was such a calming influence? Both?

  “
It’s about Annie...”

  “And the warning on your car,” Adam finished for her.

  Shiloh paused as she tried to find the words. “You know Annie had been working on a big case before she was...” Shiloh began.

  “Yeah. I didn’t know many details, but I got the impression it was big.”

  “Three law-enforcement officials in the Savannah area had all been killed in the line of duty, and at first no one could figure out why. One was a port-authority worker. Another was a security guard at a historical-society building. The third was a Chatham County sheriff’s deputy. Not exactly people who would have worked together, and there were no obvious reasons why they were killed on the job. No crimes had been obviously committed at any of the places where they worked. That’s when Annie was assigned to the case.”

  Adam let out a whistle. “Attacking officers is serious. And not something other officers take lightly.”

  Shiloh nodded in agreement. “It’s why Annie was so dedicated to this case, even more than she had ever been before. Anyway, through some investigation—I don’t have all the details on that—she finally figured out the connection. These people are apparently some of those who believe there’s buried pirate treasure off the Georgia coast. And they were sure enough that they were close to the location of the treasure that they were killing people who got in their way. That’s why the officers had been killed. They were either reporting suspicious activities, or they had caught an intruder in the act at some point.

  “Annie was being extremely careful.” Shiloh felt a lump rise in her throat. “But she was willing to do anything to solve the case. Annie thought that if she could get to the treasure first, she could set a trap for the killers.”

  Shiloh took a deep breath, needing all the courage she possessed to confess the next part.

  “After Annie was killed... You know how the press reported that the police had been working with a consultant on that case?”

  He nodded slowly. “That’s right—I remember. The department was furious that information went public. With Annie out of the way, her consultant would be the prime target of the killers, especially when the police stopped actively pursuing the case, since it had been so long without a lead.”