Strangers

by Crystal V. Rhodes

  “I’m also being paid to handle this situation my way,” he countered, “and right now this is the way I want to handle it.”

  There was a moment of silence as Sin used the time to calm down. “I don’t understand the problem, Starr. You followed the lead when that other note came to you. Hell, we looked like a group of vigilantes swooping down on that man’ house. Now all of a sudden I’ve got to practically beg you to follow up on this?”

  Dana stepped out of the bathroom in time to see the look on James’ face. It was obvious that his talk with Sin wasn’t going well. She sat down beside him.

  James’ tone was conciliatory. “Sin, you’re a loose cannon and you need to take a step back...”

  “I don’t think that’s for you to say,” Sin snapped.

  “Well, that’s my opinion,” James answered calmly. “So I’ll talk to you later.” He hung up.

  “What is going on?” Dana wanted to know.

  “Sin wants the information in that note, and I won’t give it to him because I know that he’ll follow-up on it. I really don’t need him in my way while I’m trying to do my job.”

  “Do you really think that he’ll be in the way? You let all of us go with you when we went over to that Andy guy’s house.”

  “I took you because you were my ticket into the house, but as you might recall I was reluctant. I really shouldn’t have let any of you go. That was my mistake, and I don’t plan on making it again.”

  “From what I saw, Sin handled himself pretty well. He seems to know what he’s doing”

  James looked at her in frustration. “What kind of lawyer are you? Sin doesn’t have a license. It’s illegal for people to go running around interfering with an ongoing investigation.” He was beginning to sound like Agent Conway.

  “I’m an entertainment attorney, not a criminal one,” she reminded him. “But this is about family.”

  “No, it’s about me doing my job as you and Sin have reminded me often.” James gave a sigh of resignation. “And after talking to Carla, I do want to check this out so I already decided to follow through on this latest note.”

  “Yes!” Dana pumped her fist in the air. “But who do you think put that note in your mailbox?”

  “Well, Carla suggested that considering the amount of the reward that’s being offered for information, whoever it was will step forward when the time is right. You can believe that.”

  “True, and if this latest tip turns out to be nothing more than a wild goose chase, you can just pass the note on to Agent Conway like you did the other one.”

  “Thank you, Detective Mansfield,” James said sarcastically. “I’m sure he’ll be pleased to get all of my discarded notes.”

  His words helped eased the tension that had been threatening to build regarding Sin.

  “I’m glad that you like my suggestion.” Dana gave him a kiss on the cheek. “And I’ve got another one.”

  James lifted a cautious brow. “Oh really? I know that you’re not going to suggest that you go with me.”

  “No, not to Salinas.”

  “Good.”

  “Just as far as Carmel.

  “What!”

  “Since you’ll be headed to the Peninsula why don’t I ride down with you. I can do some shopping.”

  James frowned. “I’m going on business, not on vacation.”

  “Yes, but if I go down with you we’ll have a little more time together. Remember, I’ll be heading for L.A. soon and I can leave from there.” She upped the ante. “We could spend the night at the Come Right Inn before I go.”

  James had no objection to that.

  ****

  Sin was incensed. As he went about his work day, he only grew more agitated about Starr not having shared the information that was in that note.

  By early afternoon he had decided that he would jump in his car and head to Marin County. He was going to get the information he wanted from James Starr and that was that. If the name and address on that paper would help solve this case, he would do what he had to do to get it.

  He was walking toward his car to start his trip to the Bay Area when his cell phone rang. It was Dana.

  Hi, what’s up?” He didn’t want to tell her that he was headed her way. She might warn Starr, but she had a surprise for him.

  “James and I are about an hour from the Peninsula. He decided to come down that way today. He’s in the convenience store right now picking up some snacks, so listen carefully because he’ll be back at the car in a minute. He’ll be dropping me off in front of the Carmel shopping center on Ocean Avenue. After that he’ll be headed to Salinas to check out the man named in the note.”

  “Okay, then give me the name and the address. I’ll meet him there.”

  Dana knew that would be his response. “No, I think you’ll try to do this on your own, and it could turn out to be dangerous. So just follow him from the shopping center and the two of you can have each other’s backs when he gets to where he’s going. That’s the deal.”

  Sin had no choice but to accept it. Dana described the car that James was driving.

  “Starr’s not going to be happy. Why are you doing this?”

  “Do you have to ask? Family first and you’re family.”

  CHAPTER 24

  “I know what I’m doing, Ray. Don’t worry.”

  Dana gave an exasperated sigh. Before leaving for the Peninsula, she stopped by the boat to change clothes, pack, and to let her sister and brother-in-law know where she would spend the rest of the day and night. Bev was out on an errand, but Ray was there and wished her the best.

  “James is a good guy,” Ray had observed. “I hope the two of you can make it. You deserve to be happy.”

  His words had brought tears to Dana’s eyes. Ray had been her friend long before he became her brother-in-law, and although they had disagreements over the years, the relationship between them remained strong. He had always been a man who knew what to say to a friend, and when to say it.

  The same couldn’t be said about Bev. Her sister had no reservations about expressing her opinion about whatever was happening in Dana’s life. As her older sister, she had always been protective.

  The call from her had come when Dana and James had been only minutes from Carmel’s main shopping district.

  “I know you’re a full grown woman, but I just want to make sure that your heart remains safely intact,” Bev replied rolling her eyes at her husband who had warned her not to interfere. “I saw how the two of you interacted when we were in New York.”

  “And?” Dana couldn’t help but be curious about her sister’s opinion, even though she tried to tell herself that she didn’t care.

  “And I liked what I saw. He seems kind and he’s respectful, and I liked the way he looked at you.”

  “How was that?”

  “As if you were the best thing that ever happened to him and you looked at him the same way.”

  “That’s how you and Ray look at each other.”

  There was a pregnant pause on the other end of the line before Bev whispered. “I just want you to go into this with your eyes wide open.”

  “I appreciate that thought, but I’m much stronger than I’ve been in the past.” The words and not as needy remained unsaid. “It’s taken a while, but Sis, I’m really there.”

  Bev could hear the certainty in her sister’s voice. “Okay, then that’s all I want to know.”

  The ladies said their goodbyes just as James pulled up across the street from the Carmel Plaza Shopping Center. Finding an empty parking space, he parked.

  “So have I passed your sister’s inspection?” James had been pleased by Dana’s end of the conversation. From what he could tell she had defended their budding relationship against her sister’s concern.

  “You’ve passed my inspection,” she told him. “That’s the only one that matters.” Dana leaned across the console and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Call me when you’re on your way back to Carmel. I
’ll go on to the Inn and meet you there.”

  After getting out of the car she waited until he had pulled away before she starting across the street to the shopping center. Glancing surreptitiously up and down the street she tried to see if she could spot Sin’s car. She couldn’t, but she knew that he was around somewhere.

  As she headed into the Plaza she thought about how a few years ago she never would have done something that the man in her life might not like. She had been a pleaser then, anxious to do anything to keep a man in her life, even if it was to her detriment. How times had changed.

  More than likely James wouldn’t be pleased with her for having told Sin to follow him, but she would deal with that later. She liked James a lot and could see a strong relationship evolving between them. If she had made a mistake regarding her decision, she was willing to accept the responsibility as well as the consequences.

  ****

  Hardman would give it a week. If the information that he left in the mailbox in Tiburon didn’t lead to the arrest of Robert Heflin then he would take care of the man himself. After that he was out of here. The longer he stayed in this country the more likely the chance would be of his bumping into someone who might recognize him. That couldn’t happen.

  All he could do was hope that he had left the information in capable hands. He had no doubt that Darnell and Sinclair had hired the most competent person possible to investigate the abduction. He would trust their decision.

  Hardman moved to the window that looked down onto the streets of San Francisco. He hadn’t planned on staying in the city by the Bay. His plan had been to drop the note off and return to the island, but he wanted to know the outcome of his endeavor. In addition, he was too wound up to travel. The past few days had left him practically giddy. There was only one thing he could think about, and that was his extremely handsome, exceptionally intelligent and highly successful son.

  He loved his daughter from the very depths of his heart, although he had met her very briefly only once, and of course she didn’t know who he was. He never imagined that he would have another experience in his life that would mean as much to him, but he had been wrong. The time spent with Sinclair he would cherish until the day he died.

  It was hard for him to believe that a man like him had fathered such wonderful children. Only one fact overshadowed his euphoria. He had no idea who Sinclair’s mother might be.

  Hardman had never thought of himself as being sexually promiscuous, although he had to admit that in his youth his appetite had been voracious. Despite that, he had been safe and used protection long before the threat of HIV/AIDS. Still, his son’s existence couldn’t be denied.

  It never occurred to him that the day would come when he might need to recall any of his sexual liaisons before marrying Bev. Why would he? They had meant nothing to him.

  When he was in Sinclair’s office, he’d had a flicker of hope that his son might have a picture of his mother among the array of photographs on display. That hadn’t happened. Now he was left to guess who the woman might have been.

  As close as Hardman could figure he had to have been in his teens when Sinclair was conceived. Unfortunately, he had been especially mobile during those years, moving across the country trying to survive. Women of all ages had been plentiful then, and he had indulged lavishly in their abundance. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t come up with a name or face.

  Hardman was a practical man, and he decided that there was no need for self torture. What was important was the fact that he had a daughter and he had a son. They had been hurt and he was absolutely determined to get retribution from the people who had harmed his children and grandchildren. Each one of the abductors would pay.

  CHAPTER 25

  James wasn’t aware of being followed until he was well inside the Salinas city limits. He had taken an exit off the highway onto a street leading to the neighborhood in which the suspected abductor was said to reside. He glanced in his rear-view mirror. A car he had noticed behind him on the highway was still there.

  It didn’t take him long to figure out who was behind the wheel. He doubted that his newly acquired house was bugged by the FBI, which meant nobody in that agency would be aware of his destination. There was the possibility that the anonymous note writer could have set him up and could be following him, but he had no idea why anyone would do that. That left one other possibility.

  Making it obvious to his stalker that he had been spotted, James pulled into a supermarket parking lot and waited. When Sin got out of his car and started walking toward him, James could feel his heart constrict. That one possibility had become a reality. Dana had betrayed him.

  Sin knew that he had been discovered. As he approached Starr’s automobile, he didn’t intend to apologize. Starr knew what Sin wanted and either he would comply or he could expect for Sin to be his shadow until he did. Looking through the passenger window, Sin watched Starr slip a tape recorder into his jacket pocket before he unlatched the door. Sin slid in beside him.

  “I’m not going away.” He sounded determined.

  “I figured that.” James was perturbed.

  “So why the tape recorder? Do you plan on recording me? Okay, take it out. I’ll admit to strong arming you into taking me with you?”

  James gave an exasperated snicker. “Man, you are something else. You know that you need a license to do this.”

  “That’s been established already, but if you’ll remember I signed a legal document releasing your company from liability.”

  James blew out a frustrated breath. “This is not reality television. It can be dangerous. You have a family!”

  “You did too at one time, and how long did it take you to lose your thirst for revenge?”

  James did not respond. Both Sin and he knew the answer to that one. They were men whose values had been honed in the streets. Back then there were codes by which these two men lived. Anybody who touched family members would pay a price. For them, that code had not changed.

  Sin listened quietly as James explained how he planned on handling this latest effort. He would use one of the many false identities that he adopted as an investigator and would go straight to the front door of the suspect’s house.

  “I’ll be an insurance agent doing a claims call and I’m showing up at the wrong address.”

  Sin was skeptical. “You mean to tell me that whoever is inside of that house is going to open the door to a 6’ 6”, bald black man with an earring in his ear? I know I wouldn’t do that. I hate to tell you this, man, but you look menacing.”

  “That’s your opinion. You’d be surprised at how charming I can be.”

  “Yeah,” Sin rolled his eyes skyward. “I’m sure.”

  “Okay, smart aleck, you’d be shocked at how helpful people can be to a lost stranger.”

  Sin deadpanned. “No wonder there’s so much rampant crime.”

  They arrived at the house of Robert Heflin, who had been pinpointed as the third abductor. This house was much different than the one in Inglewood. It was a neat, well kept bungalow in a quiet, middle class neighborhood.

  James had driven around the block to get the name of the street so that he could identify it as his intended destination. That would make his story sound credible. Sin was to remain in the car while James made his initial contact. They developed a prearranged signal that James would use if he needed help.

  As Sin waited, he wanted to be at the front door too. He wasn’t sure that his former nemesis could get all of the information that might be needed, but he was willing to give him the chance to prove himself. If he failed, Sin was ready to take over whether Starr liked it or not.

  He was waiting and watching when his cell phone vibrated. It was Nedra. He would return her call later. He certainly didn’t want her to know what he was doing. His wife had made it clear how she felt about his investigative efforts.

  “If you get arrested, I’m not going to bail you out,” she had warned. “If you get hurt, y
ou’re going to wish you were dead when I get through with you. God forbid that anything worse happens, because I’ll never forgive you.”

  She went on to tell him that she was coming home, not only because she and the children missed him but for a more practical reason.

  “I need to keep an eye on you before you do something crazy.”

  She was too late. If “something crazy” came down today Sin planned on being right in the thick of it.

  The woman who responded to the doorbell that James rang appeared to be in her sixties. She was understandably cautious when she saw the tall stranger standing at her front door. She kept the storm door between them securely locked

  Introducing himself, James held up his phony ID and inquired about the fictitious person for whom he was supposedly searching. As expected, her answer was negative. He proceeded to go into his desperately confused act and solicited the sympathy he was seeking as well as the information.

  “I’m sorry, but nobody lives here but me. My son, Robert, moved out recently into a place of his own.”

  The name confirmed that he might have the right house, but just in case—

  “Oh, I’m sorry, Mrs…”

  “Heflin,” she confirmed.

  “So your son doesn’t work at Rosewood Industries?”

  “No, my son works for Tech Play in Carmel. He’s in computers. He just got a promotion,” she told him proudly.

  “Oh really,” James feigned pleasant surprise. “I live in Carmel. Where’s this Tech Play located?”

  She told him, providing the address and a detailed description of the building.

  “He’s been working there for years. My son’s a wiz when it comes to computers.”

  “So is mine,” James said brightly. “He’s kind of shy though because he speaks with a slight lisp.”

  “Oh my goodness!” she exclaimed. “It’s the same with my son. He’s got a lisp, but I keep telling him that it’s hardly noticeable.”