by Terri Reed
“And again when I was fourteen.”
Tony let out a soft whistle. “Whew. We’re in the presence of royalty.”
Carter grinned. “Two wins. Good for you.”
She sighed. Embarrassment curled her toes within her shoes. “Actually, I won again when I was seventeen.”
“Nice,” Brianne said. “Way to go.”
Her face flamed. She was sure they thought she was as vain as they came. She didn’t mention that her mother had pressured her to enter each time. And hoping to gain her approval, Rachelle had complied only to be disappointed when her mother still found fault with her even after being crowned.
Hoping to steer the conversation away from the pageant, she said, “The other claim to fame we have is the Vidalia onion was an answer on Jeopardy.”
Barbara arrived with their orders, stalling any more conversation about her hometown. Instead, as they ate, the officers talked shop and she was content to listen, absorbing the nuances of their speech and the shorthand language they used.
Lou came over to clear their plates. “Dessert?”
“Apple pie for me,” she told him. “No ice cream.”
“Me, too.” Brianne said. “With an extra scoop of ice cream.”
“I’ll have the same,” Gavin said.
“Not me,” Tony said. “I need to head out.” He rose and nodded to Rachelle. “Nice to meet you.” He took his dinner ticket to the cashier station to pay Barbara.
“Can I have a bite of your pie?” Carter asked Rachelle. “I don’t want a whole piece of my own.”
Surprised and pleased, she nodded. “Of course.”
When Lou brought the slices of pie, he handed Carter an extra fork.
Sharing the warm gooey pie with Carter, Rachelle told herself not to read too much into the gesture. It was only pie they were sharing, not their hearts.
After their desserts, Rachelle said goodbye to her new friends and then fell into step with Carter and Frosty and headed for the exit. She’d enjoyed meeting the officers and learning more about them as individuals and as a team. “My dinner was delicious.”
“Agreed. Barbara’s meat loaf is almost as good as my mom’s,” Carter said, placing his hand at the small of her back as they stepped outside. While still light out, twilight was approaching and the heat and humidity from earlier in the day had eased considerably.
“You know, it’s funny that you and I hadn’t met before the other day,” he said. “You seem to be very close to the Griffins.”
“They’ve been very good to me. I’d seen you in the Dog House with your brothers and the other officers,” she told him. “But as a civilian, I never dared venture into that part of the diner.”
“Ah. I guess I wasn’t paying very good attention.” He guided her around the K-9 Unit building to the back, where he’d parked his vehicle.
She wasn’t sure how to take his words. Was he saying he was remiss in not noticing her? The thought was thrilling.
Once they were safely inside the vehicle, she let out a breath that eased the constriction in her chest. She hadn’t realized how the tension of the day had tightened her nerves and irritated her already-sore muscles. Even being in the coveted inner sanctuary of the Dog House, surrounded by a dozen other officers, hadn’t set her mind at ease.
“I’ve been thinking,” she said as he started the engine.
“Uh-oh. That could be trouble.”
“What?”
The corners of his mouth tipped upward. He was teasing her.
Warmth spread through her. “What if the name Ophelia isn’t a woman or a restaurant, but a boat?”
His eyebrows rose. “A boat?”
“Yeah. Lou mentioned sailing calm waters and it occurs to me that many boats have a female name. One of the photos I found on his social media was of him on a boat, remember?”
“You could be onto something there.” The approval in his tone tickled her. “Tomorrow we’ll search for any registered boats with the name Ophelia.”
“Or we could take a quick detour to the World’s Fair Marina in Flushing Bay. See if we can spot a vessel with that name.”
“Trouble with a capital T,” he stated. “No.”
“We wouldn’t even have to get out of the vehicle,” she told him. “Just drive through the marina. Nothing dangerous about having a look.”
“Every moment with you is dangerous,” he muttered beneath his breath.
Obviously he didn’t like having to protect her. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a bother.” She crossed her arms and looked out the side window. “I would think you’d want to do everything possible to find your brother’s killer.”
“You’re not a bother,” he said. “And I do.”
She turned to face him again. “Then let’s check out the marina.”
He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “What makes you think Miles owns the boat?”
“The picture, remember? I could totally be off base but it would be worth the time and effort to see. We have nothing to lose if I’m wrong.”
“Why the World’s Fair Marina?”
“It’s the closest marina to the warehouse owned by Miles in Flushing,” she replied.
She watched his internal debate play across his handsome face.
“Ellie’s with your parents,” she offered. “We don’t have to rush home.”
Her automatic urge to refer to his family’s property as home made her ache with a yearning she wasn’t willing to consider.
“I guess it wouldn’t do any harm,” he said, albeit grudgingly.
“Thank you.” She settled back with satisfaction. They were doing something proactive. As a team. And she’d be grateful for however long it lasted.
* * *
Carter pulled the vehicle to the curb near the gate leading to the docks of the World’s Fair Marina just as the sun set, casting long shadows across the water of Flushing Bay. Lampposts shone a warm glow over the various-sized boats tied to cleats on the dock. All appeared quiet. Except at the far left side of the marina, a light was out. Unease slithered up his spine and settled at the base of his neck.
“We’ll have to come back,” he said. “The gate has a keyless entry.”
Popping the passenger door open, she said, “Let’s get a little closer.” She hopped out and shut the door.
“Hey!” Unbelievable. Irritation mingled with dread as Carter scrambled from the vehicle. He quickly released Frosty, leashed him up and hustled after Rachelle. “You promised you’d stay in the car.”
“I made no such promise,” she drawled, giving him an affronted look. “I said we wouldn’t have to get out. But I didn’t promise I would stay in the car.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose where a headache was brewing. “Semantics.”
“No, not semantics.” She put a hand over her heart. “I never break my promises.”
She sounded so sincere he had trouble hanging on to his annoyance. “Whatever. We need to leave.”
“We have to get in there.” She turned away to inspect the gate.
“I’m not climbing over the fence and neither are you.”
She sighed and started walking along the fence line. “I wish I had binoculars. I can’t see the names.” She halted. “Wait there’s one called Riptide. Do you know that I’ve never actually been out on a boat?”
Carter shook his head. “You are an interesting woman.”
“I imagine you say that to all the girls.” She gave him a cheeky smile.
“No. I don’t.”
She titled her head and studied him for a moment before quickly looking away. “There’s a streetlight out at the other end of the dock.”
He’d been hoping she wouldn’t notice. But he had a feeling she noticed everything. “Not much we can do about it tonight. Let’s go.”
“Wait.” She shrugged off his hand. “There are people out there.”
He squinted and, sure enough, he saw movement. Acid churned in his stomach. Nothing good could be happening in the dark in such an isolated place. He needed to get her out of there.
“Don’t you want to check it out?”
“I don’t have a warrant or probable cause. A burned-out light is not enough.”
A low growl emanated from Frosty’s throat and then a series of alerting barks. Carter spun around and noticed two men coming toward them. One had a bandage over his nose and the other a bandage around his forearm.
The men who’d tried to abduct Rachelle.
Had they followed them to the marina?
Alarm pulsed through Carter.
One of the men held a gun.
NINE
“Halt!” Carter yelled. “Police.”
The man with the gun aimed at them.
Fearing for Rachelle’s safety, Carter snagged an arm around her waist and pulled her down behind a metal garbage container just as shots rang out and bullets pinged off the metal. He reeled in Frosty’s lead, tucking the dog close.
Pulse pounding in his ears, he unholstered his weapon and peered around the edge of the garbage container as he radioed for backup.
The two men ran to the gate and entered the code into the keyless lock. The gate opened, and they ran through and along the docks toward the darkened corner. The guy with the gun continued to fire off random shots at them.
“Carter, you have to go after them,” Rachelle said.
“I’m not leaving you.”
An engine roared to life. Carter jumped to his feet in time to see a lighted boat speeding away from the dock. Carter took out his cell phone and snapped off pictures. He doubted the photos would be any help, but he had to do something.
He called the situation in on the radio attached to his shoulder as they hurried back to his vehicle. And he asked for the harbor patrol to search for the boat. Though he knew by the time the patrol got out on the water, the escaped vessel could be miles away in a multitude of directions.
Hustling Rachelle to his vehicle parked at the curb, Carter glimpsed a white van parked in a far corner of the lot. The same van used by the men who’d tried to kidnap Rachelle earlier.
As they waited inside the vehicle, Carter said, “You know, I’m going to catch flak for bringing you here.”
“Surely your brother can’t get mad at you for following a clue.”
“Oh yes, he can.”
And he was proved correct a short time later when Noah climbed out of his K-9 Unit vehicle with his dog, Scotty, a majestic rottweiler trained for emergency service work. Along with Noah was Gavin Sutherland and his dog, Tommy, a springer spaniel who excelled at bomb detection. After instructing Gavin and Tommy to check out the van, Noah and Scotty headed to where Carter, Rachelle and Frosty waited by the curb.
The disgruntled expression on his brother’s face didn’t bode well. “What are you two doing down here?”
“Following a hunch,” Carter said.
“It’s my fault,” Rachelle said. “I talked Carter into coming down here to search for a boat named Ophelia.”
Carter stared at her. Why would she try to protect him from Noah? A strange sort of pleasure infused him and made him stand taller.
Noah arched an eyebrow. “I doubt, Miss Clark, that you could talk my brother into anything he didn’t want to do. I know I have not been able to over the years.” Noah shifted his attention to Carter. “So tell me, brother, how did you come across this lead?”
“It wasn’t my clue,” Carter told him. “It was Rachelle’s. She figured it out.” Carter smiled encouragingly at Rachelle. “Go ahead, tell him.”
She blinked, clearly surprised and pleased. For some reason pleasing her filled his chest with warmth and tenderness.
“I was scouring Miles’s social media sites. And I found a reference to the name Ophelia. I thought maybe an old girlfriend or employee. But we had no luck tracking down a woman by that name. But then I thought maybe the name belonged to a boat. I came across a photo of Miles on one, so it stood to reason...”
“As it turns out,” Carter said, “she was right.”
He showed his brother the photo of the retreating vessel. Though the image was blurry, they could make out the name painted in blue letters across the back—Ophelia.
* * *
“All clear,” Officer Gavin Sutherland called. “Tommy didn’t alert.”
Tommy was an excellent bomb detection dog and Carter trusted the canine’s nose. Carter let out a relieved breath. He hadn’t expected there to be an explosive in the van, but one never knew. It was best to be prepared.
Noah donned latex gloves and opened the side panel door. Carter tugged Rachelle behind him just in case there were any surprises waiting inside.
The van was empty. There were splashes of blood inside the cargo hold and on the door frame. From where Frosty had bitten one thug and Rachelle had broken the nose of the other.
Frosty strained at the end of his lead.
Noah nodded. “Let’s see what he can find.”
Carter dropped the lead and Frosty jumped into the back of the van. He sniffed around and then let out a bark.
“He’s found something,” Carter said, leaning inside, careful not to touch anything. “I can see brass under the passenger seat.”
“All right, everyone step back,” Noah instructed. “I’ll have our forensic team scour the van for evidence.”
Once Carter had Frosty back in control, Rachelle asked, “Brass?”
“Unspent bullet,” he clarified.
“You two head home. We’ve got this,” Noah said.
Carter heard Rachelle’s little humph of frustration. He felt the same way.
“We’d like to stay,” Carter said. “These men tried to kidnap her today and shot at us. I want to know what they’re up to and how this relates to—” He stopped himself from saying Jordan’s name. His gaze flicked to Gavin and back to his brother.
Noah gave a slow nod. “Understood. Fine. Stay back.”
Carter ushered Rachelle and Frosty away from the van and stopped a few feet away.
Rachelle slipped her hand into Carter’s. “Thank you.”
The place where their palms pressed together created a firestorm engulfing his arm and heading for his chest. “For what?”
“Everything.”
He wasn’t sure he deserved thanks. He’d only been doing his duty.
As they waited for the forensic team, he was achingly aware of Rachelle, her fingers flexed around his and her lavender scent teasing his senses. He saw the curious and speculative glances of his brother and Gavin but chose to ignore them.
When the forensic team was done, Noah walked over. His gaze flicked to where Carter still held Rachelle’s hand. For a split second Carter thought of retracting his hand from Rachelle’s but then dismissed the idea.
He liked holding her hand; he liked the connection.
He met Noah’s steely gaze, daring him to say something. No doubt he’d get an earful from his brother later about keeping a firm line between work and personal feelings. Carter had never had trouble keeping an emotional barrier between him and, well, everyone else. But this woman was slowly, methodically, undermining his walls.
But guilt was piling on fast. Reminding him he couldn’t let himself feel anything. He owed it to Helen not to give his heart away again. Carter loosened his hold on Rachelle, but she tightened hers, keeping his hand trapped within her grasp.
Noah’s mouth quirked at the corner. He shook his head and then cleared his throat. “The forensic team found a high-caliber bullet underneath the front seat. No fingerprints.”
“What about the blood?” Carter asked.
“We’ll t
ype it,” Ilana Hawkins, one of the forensic techs, said as she paused next to Noah. “Not sure it will lead anywhere but if our suspects have DNA in any database, then we’ll be able to ID them.”
“Thank you, Ilana. Good work,” Noah said.
She smiled and walked to where the other two techs waited by their mobile forensic unit vehicle.
“Now what?” Rachelle asked. “Do you raid Miles’s warehouse?”
“I can make a case with the commissioner to get a warrant,” Noah said. “I’ve got people sitting on the warehouse. There’s been no activity in the past twenty-four hours.”
“He must have other property,” Rachelle said. “We need to get back to the station and get back to work.”
“Not tonight,” Carter told her. “We’re done for now. Tomorrow we can keep searching.”
“But—”
He squeezed her hand. “No. I want to see my daughter.”
Rachelle’s eyes grew wide. “Oh, of course. Forgive me. Yes, let’s go home.”
“We’ll see you there.” Noah’s chuckle rankled.
Carter tugged his hand free of Rachelle’s and narrowed his gaze on Noah. “Not a word.”
If Noah blabbed to their parents that Carter and Rachelle had stood holding hands like a couple, Carter would never hear the end of it.
Noah held up his hands in mock surrender. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Shaking his head, Carter led the way to his vehicle. When they arrived back at the house Carter was able to park at the curb in front. He used his house key to open his parents’ front door. “Hello.”
The sound of pounding feet echoed through the house. Ellie tore out of the living room, followed closely by his mother and father. And two little yipping puppies.
“You came back!” Ellie cried and launched yourself into Rachelle’s arms and hugging her tight.
Carter’s jaw dropped. Seriously?
Over Ellie’s head, Carter met Rachelle’s surprised gaze. His insides twisted. He wanted to be the center of his daughter’s world. If that made him selfish, then so be it. “Hey, what about me?”