by Brenda Novak
***
Megan didn’t have to wait long. Lucy emerged, one hand holding her phone to her ear, the other gripping her pistol. She shooed Megan back down the drive, returned her pistol to her bag, and joined Megan at the gate, hanging up when a police cruiser appeared.
“Thought I told you to wait,” she said to Megan as a patrol officer stared at them through his windshield, assessing the threat.
“Did you find Mateo? Is he okay?”
Her mom frowned and shook her head. “He wasn’t in there.”
The officer’s lips moved—talking to his dispatcher, no doubt. Finally, he left the patrol car. He was black with short-cropped hair, taller than her dad, which placed him at 6’2” at least, wearing a short-sleeved uniform shirt that revealed his muscular arms, and no hat. His sunglasses were the kind the SWAT guys Lucy trained with wore, with the same special anti-glare tint. Megan knew they cost a lot; she’d been saving to buy Lucy a pair for her birthday.
He eyed them both for a long moment, his fingers caressing the woven leather of his holster. “You the woman called in a disturbance?”
“Yes. I’m Lucy Guardino, a Supervisory Special Agent with the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office. There appears to be—”
“FBI. Dispatch said you’re armed?”
“My off-duty weapon is in my bag.” Lucy slowly lowered the bag to the ground and stepped back. “Along with my credentials.”
The officer remained beside the car, one hand on the butt of his weapon. He jerked his chin at Megan. “And this is?”
Megan opened her mouth to answer but Lucy shook her head. “My daughter. She found the scene. There’s a significant amount of blood and signs of a struggle, but no one is inside.”
“You went through the house?”
“To make sure there was no one needing medical attention.”
He made a noise that clearly did not approve. “And you,” he nodded to Megan again, “you were inside as well?”
“Yes sir. I was waiting for Mateo. He works here, but he didn’t show up or answer his texts and that’s his bike,” she pointed to the garage, “so I went up to the door and it was open. I only stepped inside a few feet, left as soon as I saw the—”
Another car pulled up behind the patrol car, this one an unmarked gray sedan with emergency lights behind the front grill. The officer raised a hand to silence Megan as a woman in her fifties wearing a pink sundress and wide-brimmed hat like the one Megan’s grams used to wear on Easter approached. She conferred with the patrol officer. His shoulders slumped and his hand came off his weapon; he even turned his back on Lucy and Megan to face the older woman. Obvious who was in charge. And it wasn’t Pretty Boy.
Megan caught her mom’s eye and knew she was thinking the same thing. Lucy stood with her feet planted, hands palms up, posing no threat, but Megan could tell she was getting a bit irritated by how slowly the locals were moving. Not only was it hot standing out here on the asphalt driveway, her mom was bare footed and her bad ankle was probably aching. More than that, as Lucy shifted her weight and narrowed her gaze at the man and woman, Megan had the feeling the locals were treating Lucy like this on purpose, making certain she realized her FBI rank had no standing here in Harbinger Cove.
To her surprise, Lucy glanced at Megan and gave a one-shouldered shrug. As if to say, this was all part of the game, just play along.
Stupid adults with their stupid power trips. She wasn’t about to play along. Not with Mateo missing. “Excuse me, but don’t you want a description or photo or anything?”
“Of who, little lady?” Pretty Boy said without looking at her. Instead he glared at Lucy as if it was her job to keep Megan quiet.
“Mateo Romero. He’s missing. It could be his blood in there—if it is, then he’s injured.” Megan emphasized the last word. “He needs your help. Now.”
Pretty Boy bristled at that but the older woman simply smiled indulgently, as if Megan were a child. She turned to Lucy. “Officer Gant informs me you’re an FBI agent?”
“On vacation.”
The woman nodded. “I’m Chief Hayden. We’re a small force, but I assure you we’ll get to the bottom of this. In the meantime, I’m happy to secure your bag in the trunk of my car. And if you two can have a seat while we take a look inside?” As she spoke, Officer Gant stepped forward and scooped Lucy’s bag from the ground. Megan glanced at her mom but then realized the two officers didn’t want to leave an unsecured weapon at their backs while they went inside.
The chief opened the rear door of the patrol car in a clear invitation. Lucy simply smiled. Ignoring the chief, she took Megan’s hand and led her away from the cars to a small tiled table on the other side of the drive beside the wall separating the mansion from the hotel. Lucy took the seat where her back was to the wall, allowing her an excellent view of both the drive and the front door of the house.
The corners of Chief Hayden’s mouth rose as she raised an eyebrow at Lucy. Megan had done a science project last year analyzing political commercials and she recognized the same fake smile politicians specialized in. Lucy stretched her legs out as if she was settling in and getting comfy, waiting for happy hour.
“Mom,” Megan said once the two police officers disappeared into the house, Officer Gant with his gun drawn, the chief following him. “No one seems to care about Mateo.”
“It’s not that,” Lucy said. “It’s a small town with a small force—they aren’t used to this kind of crime. I’m guessing this Pastor Fleming probably carries some clout as well. They’ll be calling him next, I’m sure.”
“What about Mateo?” Megan insisted.
Lucy pursed her lips, considering. “Town this size, tourist season not officially begun, Hayden probably only has six or seven full-time officers. I doubt if she has a detective, definitely no forensic unit. Which means sheriff’s department for investigation support and the state lab for crime scene processing.”
“We don’t have time for all that,” Megan pleaded. She really didn’t care about local politics. She only cared about Mateo. “Shouldn’t they be calling for a search party, dogs, a helicopter?”
“Honey, I know you’re worried. But these guys are doing all the right things—even if they’re moving slower than you and I would like. Look around—no bloodstains outside the house, so he didn’t leave on foot. Nothing between the front door and the drive, so if he went in a car, he wasn’t bleeding so badly that he left a trail. And I didn’t see any footprints in the blood inside the house.”
Megan tried to put the pieces together. “You don’t think that’s Mateo’s blood, do you?”
“No. But if Mateo came and saw it—”
“Then where is he?” Her voice tightened with fear. “What if he interrupted a killer? Maybe he’s been kidnapped.” She turned her face away, pretended to be admiring the delicate jasmine growing along the wall. Mateo’s work. Could he be hurt? Or worse?
How the hell did her mom keep her personal feelings out of a case? Because Megan had to fight her tears and even more, the panic that threatened to swamp her at the thought of Mateo lying somewhere, injured, maybe dying, while she was stuck here, powerless to help him.
Lucy wordlessly gathered Megan into her arms. She didn’t make any empty promises like telling Megan that everything would be all right—her mom never made promises she couldn’t keep, which sometimes was irritating as hell. But right now what Megan needed wasn’t promises, but something more. Something she trusted only her mother to give her.
“Find him,” she told Lucy as she choked back tears. “Please, Mom. You’ve got to help Mateo.”
Before Lucy could answer, a silver Jaguar pulled up behind the two police cars. A blonde got out, her dress the same color as the sky. She jogged up the drive, her heels slowing her down, a frown creasing her forehead and one hand pressed against her mouth. She pushed through the gate and spotted Lucy and Megan.
“Who are you? Why are the police here? Where’s my husband?” The rushed ques
tions came in a thick Southern accent that had Megan struggling to translate.
The woman aimed for the front door. Lucy stood and called out, “Ma’am—”
Too late, the woman was through the door. A moment later the screaming began.
Chapter 6
Megan had been involved in crimes before—for some reason the psychopaths her mom hunted seemed to take their impending capture personally, and twice now had targeted Lucy’s family. But she’d never experienced the frustration of watching and waiting like she was now. Everyone was moving so slowly! Didn’t they understand Mateo’s life was at risk?
Chief Hayden escorted Pastor Fleming’s distraught wife from the house, one arm wrapped around the woman’s shoulders, heads bowed together as the chief consoled her. Lucy got up and offered her seat at the table. The chief smiled her thanks.
“Now, Shelly, you need to let me and my people do our jobs.” The chief took the seat opposite Megan who scooted back but was still in eavesdropping range. “When was the last you heard from Robert?”
Mrs. Fleming was older than she’d appeared at first glance, older than Megan’s mom, even, mid to late forties. But still pretty—the kind of pretty that was more nurture and less nature. She sniffed and glanced up. “This morning we had breakfast. I’ve been at a prayer retreat in Columbia since Friday. Robert as well, but a parishioner called, needed his counsel, so he came home early.” Her gaze focused on the empty driveway. “He should’ve been home hours ago.” She frowned then her eyes widened. “Maybe that’s not his blood? Maybe he drove whoever it was to the hospital? That would be just like Robert. You know that, Norah.”
“Of course it would, Shelly. Do you know who he was coming to meet?”
“No.” Her distraught turned the word into two syllables. “Find him, Norah. You have to promise me you’ll find him. He’s my world. My whole world.” Another round of sobbing shook the wife. The chief patted her on the back, then disengaged herself, leaving Shelly at the table.
Megan glanced at Lucy, panicked at being left with the crying wife, and bolted from the table. The chief joined them, beckoning them to walk with her farther into the garden. “You said you had Mateo’s photo and contact info?”
“Yes ma’am. From this morning. I can send it to you.” Megan scrolled to the info on her phone and forwarded it to the chief’s phone.
Chief Hayden held her hat in place with one hand as the breeze kicked up and her phone in the other. “When I was starting out in this job, we thought being able to get a fax was cutting edge. Who knew I’d be running investigations from a phone smaller than my wallet?”
“We were with Mateo until 11:30 this morning,” Lucy volunteered. “He left to go home for Sunday dinner.”
Hayden glanced at Mateo’s photo and nodded in recognition. “One of the Romero Landscaping boys. They do good work. Never had any run-ins with the family before.” She turned to Megan. “He told you to meet him here?”
“He said he had to take care of Pastor Fleming’s orchids, that they were out of town and only trusted him. I guess they’re kind of fussy or something.” She glanced back at the wife who was still bent over the table, shoulders shaking. “When I got here, I waited outside the gate but he never showed, so I texted a few times and tried to call, but no answer.”
“So you didn’t see him arrive? Or anyone leave the property?”
“No, ma’am. Just his bike parked in front of the garage.” She nodded to the empty garage.
“Did you hear anything from inside the property? See anyone? Sense movement in the house?”
Megan shook her head. “Nothing. When I went to the door, it was open. I stepped inside—just a few feet, stopped once I saw…”
Hayden nodded. “Thanks, Megan. That’s been very helpful.” She glanced up as Officer Gant emerged from the back door of the house, approaching them on the patio.
The afternoon light cast this part of the house in shadow, making the blood streaking the windows appear black. Megan shivered, curled her arms around her chest and turned her back to the house. There was a path leading over the dunes to the ocean, its bright blue sparked gold by the sun. Hard to believe anything bad could happen on such a beautiful day.
“Someone lost a helluva lot of blood,” Gant said. “And the safe’s door is open, contents missing. Chief, you think this Romero kid could’ve tortured Pastor Fleming for the combination?”
The chief frowned, mirroring Lucy’s look of consternation at the wild theorizing without facts.
“Mateo would never—” Megan protested before Lucy nudged her into silence.
“Get a BOLO out on Mateo Romero as well as Pastor Fleming,” the chief ordered. “Alert the county sheriff. We’ll need to get the state crime techs out as well.”
“Will do. But,” Gant rocked back on his heels as if he was the one in charge, “sure seems pretty clear cut what happened here.”
Lucy’s lips tightened. Megan knew her mother was itching to jump in and take charge but not only did she have no jurisdiction, she was a potential witness. It was only as a courtesy that the locals allowed her to remain at the scene—that and the fact they needed Lucy present in order to speak to Megan since Megan was a minor.
Hah. Let Mom see how it felt, standing on the sidelines, she thought. But then her glance fell on Mateo’s bike and she stifled her knee jerk reaction. This wasn’t about Lucy and Megan; it was about finding Mateo safe and sound.
“We need to treat them both as a high-risk missing persons,” Chief Hayden informed her patrol officer. “Get the info out ASAP.”
Lucy relaxed a bit at that—Megan hated the way she could almost read her mom’s thoughts. But the evidence didn’t add up the way Officer Gant had seen it, with Mateo as a perpetrator. She hoped with all her might Mateo wasn’t a victim. All that blood…She shuddered. One thing Gant had gotten right: it was too much blood.
Chapter 7
Although the Harbinger Cove PD didn’t have the resources Lucy was used to, Chief Hayden and her force appeared to have things fairly well in hand. At least the chief didn’t rush to pre-judgment like Officer Gant, who seemed to want credit for solving this case before they even knew what the case was.
Time to get Megan out of here and resume their vacation. She placed an arm around Megan’s shoulders, steering her away from the house. “You have our numbers if you need anything else, Chief Hayden.”
“I surely do.” The chief hesitated, as if performing an internal calculation. Juggling the time it would take to finish processing the scene, how many officers she could pull in off duty, estimated time for the sheriff’s department to arrive with additional manpower, hours of daylight remaining. “I’ll need an official statement from both of you. Could you wait for me at the station?”
Lucy knew that wait would be longer than expected, but she also understood the pressures Hayden faced. Two high-risk missing persons in a remote area with no leads… “Of course, Chief. Let me get some shoes on and we’ll head right over.”
“Thanks for all your help, Special Agent Guardino.” Hayden handed her a business card with the address of the police station and her phone number.
As they retraced their steps back to the drive, Lucy spotted something in one of the flowerbeds. She stopped to take a closer look without disturbing it. Megan bent over as well and Mrs. Fleming joined them, now holding a handkerchief so tightly in her hands Lucy was surprised she didn’t rip it in two.
“What’s that, Mom?”
“Don’t touch it.” Lucy glanced back at the chief. “You’re going to want to take a look at this.”
“Oh my goodness,” Shelly Fleming gasped. Before Lucy could stop her, she lunged forward and grabbed the small black box that looked like a pager. It had a short length of tubing coming from the back of it. “Robert. Without his insulin, he’ll die.” She thrust the box at the chief who hurried forward with an evidence bag. “Those monsters. They’ve as good as killed him. He might even be dead already.”
> Her voice crescendoed into a shrill note of despair. Then she glanced at her hands and noticed the blood streaking them and shrieked in terror, dropping the pump to the ground. It bounced, landing face up.
Lucy glanced down and noted the model number and insignia out of habit—it was the same type of pump a friend of hers, a Pittsburgh police detective, used. The screen was flashing a warning that it was out of insulin.
“Did your husband carry extra insulin with him or in his vehicle?” Lucy asked.
“No. Yes. I mean, he always has a backup insulin pen with him, but—” Shelly’s voice trailed off. “You think he’s alive? That they’d let him have his insulin?”
While the chief bagged the pump, Megan tried to comfort the distraught wife, wrapping her arms around Shelly. Lucy felt a surge of pride at the act of compassion—Megan really was her father’s daughter, brimming over with empathy. Sometimes Lucy worried that empathy might make her vulnerable, but times like this, she truly admired Megan.
Lucy felt for Shelly Fleming, she really did. But she also knew the best way to help everyone involved was to stay focused and follow the evidence. Get too wrapped up in the maelstrom of emotions that random acts of violence brought with them and you could get swept out to sea.
“Is there someone I could call for you?” Megan asked Shelly.
“I’ll see to her,” Chief Hayden assured her. “If you could just sit with her for a minute longer.” Megan nodded and the chief beckoned to Lucy who followed her to the trunk of her Taurus where she handed Lucy back her bag and secured the insulin pump that was now evidence.
“What do you think?” Hayden asked in a low voice.
“You have an alert out for Fleming’s vehicle—”
Hayden nodded. “Black BMW with vanity plates, it should show up pretty fast. If they haven’t made it to the mainland and the highway already. Nice thing about only having one road off the island, we can control access. But that’s a lot of blood. And did you see the safe?”