Shadows of Love

by Crystal V. Rhodes

“If what Ray says is true, I don’t know if I can handle it,” Sin said softly, aware that his words needed no further explanation.

  “I don’t know many people who could.”

  He tightened his hold on her. Nedra burrowed deeper in his arms.

  “I hope it’s not true,” she whispered.

  “I hope it’s not either.”

  The cell phone sitting on the table beside them rang, the illuminated numbers on caller ID showed the call was from outside the country. Mrs. Ruiz! Taking an unsteady breath, Sin put the call on speaker phone and answered in Spanish which Nedra also spoke.

  “Hola, Sinclair Reasoner, aqui.” The caller responded in Spanish.

  “This is Mrs. Ruiz, Mr. Reasoner. I just got your message. Thank you for calling. I left the clinic a while ago and Mr. Hardman, he’s worse.”

  “Sorry to hear that, Mrs. Ruiz. I do want to thank you for writing me, but I’m not sure that anyone here knows this Mr. Thomas Hardman.”

  “Oh? But I found the pictures and hoped that they might help find his family. I’ve been working for him for years and he never say nothing about his family or nobody else in his life. I thought maybe the man in that picture might know him since Senor Hardman’s been to California.”

  The couple stilled. Nedra slid off Sin’s lap. He stood up.

  “He’s been to California? When was that?”

  She gave dates that matched those in which the kidnap drama in their family had unfolded. The timeline fit the period in which Ray stated he had spotted him. Sin proceeded cautiously.

  “Did he say anything to you about his trip when he got back?”

  “He said he enjoyed it.”

  “Do you have a picture of Mr. Hardman? Maybe someone here might recognize him.”

  Glancing at Nedra, he could see by the look on her face that she knew where he was headed with this. She nodded encouragingly.

  “Senor Hardman, he never takes pictures.”

  “Then can you tell me what he looks like.”

  “He’s a handsome man. He’s an American. He’s black and six feet tall with brown skin color. His hair is black with some grey and white in it.”

  The description was too general for Sin to recognize it as being that of the man who visited his office. He decided to try another tactic.

  “Mrs. Ruiz, the staff at the clinic has computers and internet access, right?”

  “Si, a friend of mine at the clinic, she looked up the name of your company for me.”

  “Okay, then please don’t take this the wrong way. I don’t want to offend you, but someone at the clinic wrote the letter you sent, correct?”

  “Si, senor.”

  “Then I need to ask if you know how to read and write?”

  “I do, but I don’t write English.”

  “I understand, so I’m going to give you my email address and I’d like you to give it to your friend at the hospital. Please tell her to email me, and then I’ll send you a copy of a picture. After you look at it, you can send me a message and let me know if it’s Mr. Hardman or not. Is that alright with you?”

  Mrs. Ruiz agreed and took his email address. “I got to go now. This is a friend’s phone and I got to pay for this call.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll send you the money,” Sin assured her.

  “Gracias, senor, but you don’t need to do that.”

  “It’s no problem. But, does Mr. Hardman have a telephone at his house?”

  “He got a cell phone somewhere, but I can’t find it.”

  “That’s fine. I’ll wait to hear from you.”

  “You will, and sorry to bother you, but I worry for Senor Hardman. He’s a nice man, and very good to me and my family. If he dies and got family, I want them to know.”

  After disconnecting, neither Nedra nor Sin enjoyed anything more than a cat nap the rest of the night. It was early morning when his cell phone rang again, and Sin got the answer that he was seeking. The look he gave Nedra said it all.

  “It’s him.”

  ****

  “I went online, found the photo from the newspaper article and cropped the name off the bottom of the picture before I sent it,” Sin explained to Ray and James Starr as he reviewed his actions earlier that day and his conversation with Mrs. Ruiz.

  They were sitting in the golf course club house having followed through on the outing they had planned for the day. Yet they hadn’t played one round. Being here was a smoke screen, just like the shopping trip Nedra was on with her cousins. No one wanted Bev or Dana to suspect that anything was out of the ordinary.

  By the time Ray picked Sin up at the hotel, Ray had told his brother-in-law about the letter Sin received and that he’d long suspected that his wife’s first husband might be alive.

  Sin found it all hard to believe. He felt numb. What in the hell was happening? It was as if an unexpected avalanche had buried him alive.

  “Since it’s been verified that Thomas Hardman and Charles “Moody” Lake are the same man, I’m not sure where to go from here,” he confessed.

  “Let’s put this thing in perspective,” James advised in an effort to lessen the shell shock he knew both Sin and Ray were experiencing. “We know that Hardman is Lake, but is he Colton Cameron? So far, that part is still speculation.”

  “You’re right,” Ray eagerly agreed, relieved to have finally unloaded the burden of his secret. He would give anything if this whole thing turned out to be the result of an overactive imagination.

  “If this situation is approached practically, there’s only one thing that will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt if Colton Cameron is still alive.” James paused, looking at each man pointedly. “DNA.”

  CHAPTER 6

  Nedra sat in a popular Sausalito café with Bev Cameron-Wilson and Dana Mansfield-Starr eating lunch. She tried hard to appear as excited about the time they were spending together as they were. The opportunity for such a gathering was rare.

  Like their husbands, her cousins were successful business women with very busy lives. Yet, the two sisters were as different as night and day.

  Fourteen years older than her sister, Bev was a physically imposing woman, standing nearly six feet tall. The dusky beauty wore her hair in a close cut Afro sculptured perfectly to her beautiful, heart shaped face. Brilliant, intellectually, she was the founder and CEO of a highly successful financial consulting firm. Bev was serious and focused. She was the complete opposite of her younger sister.

  Like her brother-in-law, Dana was an attorney to the stars. Her client list was filled with renowned celebrities, among them her niece, Darnell Cameron. Dana was as intelligent and as attractive as her sister, and she had an outgoing personality. But, when family members described the sisters she was the one referred to as being “flighty”.

  Growing up, Dana had never possessed Bev’s confidence. Until a few years ago the relationship between the sisters had been estranged, but they were now close. Living in close proximity to each other, they interacted often, but the same could not be said when it came to them and Nedra. Although she only lived a few hours from her cousins, opportunities to see them weren’t plentiful. This time spent together was to make up for that.

  As she concentrated on their cheerful banter, Nedra tried not to think about the past 24 hours.

  “Okay, we know what the men will be doing every day,” Bev stated.

  “Golfing like possessed demons.” Dana scrunched her nose up. “For reasons I’ll never understand.”

  “Me either, the game is boring, unlike shopping,” Bev teased. “Which everybody knows is a serious sport. So we’ll need a serious plan.”

  “We’ve already hit half of the stores on this street.” Dana indicated Sausalito’s busy main thoroughfare. “That means we should be through with the other half by the end of the day.”

  “With a stop for dinner,” Bev added. “Our husbands can fend for themselves today.”

  There was cheerful agreement as the women gleefully clicked their
glasses together in a toast to shopping. Nedra laughed along with them all the while wondering how long the laughter would last if they knew about the conspiracy of silence in which she and their spouses were involved. If they found out about Hardman, how would that affect their relationships?

  Dana’s marriage to James was her third and the couple worked hard making sure that this one would work. Divorces were rare in the large, extended Stillwaters family. There had been a time in her life that Dana had vowed she would never marry again, that was until James came out of nowhere and captured her heart. They were happy together. It appeared that she had finally met her life mate. Would her husband’s involvement in the intrigue involving her sister’s first husband jeopardize their union if it was revealed?

  As for Bev and Ray, he had been battling her memory of Colton Cameron since the day they became involved. She had been an eighteen year old girl in love for the first time when she married Colton. His tragic death in an automobile accident had forever preserved him in her mind as perfect. Bev had put him on a shrine at which she and her daughter worshipped for decades. In spite of that, Ray had persisted, eventually winning her love. Afterward, Colton was no longer an issue, at least not until yesterday.

  Ray was right. Whatever was discovered about Bev’s late husband could never be revealed. Colton Cameron could not rise from his grave!

  “What do you think, Nedra?”

  Lost in thought, she started at the sound of her name. “What?”

  “Girlfriend, where is your mind?” Dana chastised.

  Nedra made light of her inattentiveness. “I just drifted off for a second. What are we talking about?”

  “Our plans for the next few days,” Bev filled her in. “Tomorrow, should we go wine tasting, hiking in Muir Woods or hit the casino?”

  “I’m an ordained minister, Bev. I’m not going gambling.”

  The sisters looked at her with raised brows. She knew the source of their skepticism.

  “That trip to Vegas was a surprise from my husband!” Nedra said defensively. “He didn’t tell me where we were going and I didn’t gamble. All I did was eat and see shows.”

  Her family members had been teasing her about the trip ever since.

  “Of course,” Dana snorted. “What goes on in Vegas stays in Vegas.” She and Bev gave each other a high five.

  Nedra couldn’t help but laugh. She loved these women, even when she was the butt of their jokes. Yes, Colton Cameron had to remain dead.

  ****

  “Please have Mrs. Ruiz call me at this number,” Sin told the man on the other end of the line.

  Ray and James had developed a plan to obtain a possession of Thomas Hardman’s that could be tested for DNA. When Mrs. Ruiz called again, Sin would request that she provide him with hair from Hardman’s hairbrush, explaining that it could help determine if her employer has family members.

  “Overnight express would be the most expedient in getting the sample here,” James suggested. “But who knows if they have such a thing where she’s located.”

  “Maybe Hardman will be dead by then,” Sin said dryly.

  Ray wasn’t sure whether his comment was an observation or wistful thinking. He preferred that it be the latter.

  “Let’s hope.”

  Sin and Ray exchanged a look of mutual understanding while James empathized with them both. He couldn’t imagine how either of them felt.

  James had known Sin since they were teenagers belonging to rival gangs. They had been sworn enemies then, but as adults the two men had reconnected. By this time they were mature enough to forgive and forget. Now they were family, cousins by marriage, as well as friends.

  His relationship with Ray went back to when James was living in New York City, working as a security consultant. The two shared a mutual friend who introduced them and James and Ray hit it off from the beginning. Never would James have imagined that one day they would be brother-in-laws.

  He was aware that Ray had found the love of his life in Bev, just as he had with her sister, Dana. What man would want his wife’s deceased husband rising from the grave? The whole situation was a powder keg, and his wife, Dana, couldn’t help but be affected by the fallout. James didn’t plan on that happening.

  “The sooner we find out the truth,” he told the others, “the sooner we can be done with this.”

  “There’s another route we might want to take,” Ray offered, hesitantly. “But I don’t know how much he might reveal about his involvement with his former boss.”

  “He who?” asked Sin.

  “Russell Ingram, the man who replaced Lake as CEO of Stark Enterprises.” Ray paused and looked from one man to the other before continuing. “He’s also the man who was supposed to have killed Moody Lake.”

  CHAPTER 7

  “Hey, baby.” Bev Wilson gave Ray a quick kiss before dropping down on the lounge chair beside him. “Whew! I’m beat. I could sleep for a week.”

  Nedra and Dana joined their husbands. The couples were on the top deck of the Wilson’s luxurious, three story houseboat, which was moored on the Sausalito dock. The slew of floating homes had become as much a tourist attraction as the quaint little town in which they were docked. The sun was setting on the horizon, leaving a golden sky in its wake, but it went unnoticed by those aboard.

  Nedra was anxious for an update regarding Hardman. She was ready to leave the gathering so that Sin could fill her in. Propriety prevented such an early departure, but Ray solved her dilemma.

  “You ladies, rest,” he suggested. “I’ll go downstairs and fix a pitcher of fresh squeezed lemonade.” He started down the stairs.

  Bev called after him. “And after you squeeze the lemons, don’t forget to hide the juice can deeper in the trash this time.”

  “Ye, of little faith,” Ray’s voice drifted back up the stairs as the echo of laugher followed him.

  “I’m going down to help him bring the glasses up,” Nedra volunteered.

  “Thanks, hon.” Bev stifled a yawn. “I’m too tired to move.”

  Sin’s eyes followed his wife, aware of the real reason she was shadowing Ray. Downstairs, Ray filled Nedra in on the telephone call from Mrs. Ruiz.

  “She’s agree to send hair from Hardman’s hairbrush, but it might take a while before it gets here. Meanwhile…”

  He went on to explain Hardman’s association with Russell Ingram, and how he might fit into the picture. “Right now, this Ingram fellow is serving time in prison for embezzlement.”

  Nedra raised a brow. “So Moody Lake was into embezzlement?”

  Ray saw no need to be tactful. “From what I learned when I researched Stark Enterprises, it could have been a legal front for all kinds of illegal activities. Embezzlement was probably the least of them. But, James knows more about the company than I do.”

  “How?”

  “It was under scrutiny by the NYPD when he was on the police force. He’s familiar with Ingram. Tomorrow he’s flying to New York to see him.”

  “He’s doing what?” Nedra was surprised. “I bet Dana will have something to say about that.”

  When they went upstairs with the drinks, Nedra and Ray could hear just how unhappy Dana was about her husband’s trip. James had let it slip that he was heading east.

  “I know I said that I wasn’t going to work this week, but this case came up unexpectedly,” he told her. James was feeling guilty and so were his cohorts. Dana wasn’t going along with the plan at all.

  “This is unacceptable, James. Everybody here is just as busy as you are, but we’re taking breaks. Why can’t you?”

  “I’m really sorry, babe. Hopefully, I’ll only be gone for a day. But this is important. I’ve got clients depending on me and I can’t let them down.”

  “Oh really? You run a major security firm, with a slew of employees. Why can’t one of them do this job?”

  “My client requested me personally and Webb Starr always delivers.”

  Giving him a malevolent glare,
Dana stood up abruptly. “I’m ready to go. I’ll meet you downstairs. See you guys later.” She clamored down the stairs without a backward glance.

  For a second there was silence on deck. Bev looked at James with sympathy.

  “I’ll go talk to her,” she said rising from the lounge chair.

  Ray started to stop her, but changed his mind as he watched her move down the stairs after her sister. As soon as he thought she was out of earshot he turned to James.

  “Man, I’m sorry. I certainly don’t want this to come between you and your wife.” His words relayed what everyone else was thinking.

  Sin chimed in. “Maybe you should forget trying to talk to Ingram.”

  “He’s right,” Nedra agreed. “Ray told me what’s happening and this is not worth damaging your relationship.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Dana and I will be okay.” James rose to leave. “I’ll just call it a night.”

  They watched him disappear down the stairs leaving a pall of guilt behind him.

  “I think it’s time for all of us to call it a night,” Nedra suggested.

  Bev protested as she came upstairs in time to hear the announcement. “You guys don’t have to leave.”

  “You can barely keep your eyes open.” Nedra smiled at her warmly.

  “She’s right, honey. I’ll drive them back to the hotel,” Ray volunteered. Taking his weary wife by the shoulders, he turned her toward the steps. “As for you, it’s bedtime.”

  After bidding Bev goodnight, Nedra and Sin followed Ray to the dock parking lot where the three of them noticed that James’ car hadn’t moved. He and Dana were sitting inside. It looked as though a heated argument was in progress.

  Settling inside Ray’s car, Sin spoke up. “This won’t do. We can’t let some stranger upset everyone’s apple cart like this. ”

  “No, we can’t.” Nedra and Ray said simultaneously.

  Withdrawing his cell phone, Sin called James’ number. When he answered, Sin dispensed with the formalities.

  “Your clients have taken a vote and it’s unanimous. You’re not going to New York tomorrow. We’ll wait until the sample arrives. No argument. End of Story.” He hung up.