Shadows of Love

by Crystal V. Rhodes

  Sin was pleased with how he avoided the truth without telling a full blown lie. He also knew that the latter revelation would divert Ray’s attention. He was right.

  “What did you mean you found a picture of her!” Ray bellowed. “Did you destroy it? I don’t want any evidence at all that they were connected.”

  “You don’t have to worry. It’s been taken care of.”

  Ray released a relieved breath. “So he was Colton Cameron. Is that what you’ve been hiding? Why didn’t you tell me that in the first place?”

  “Did you hear how you freaked out? You’ve been on pins and needles about this whole thing.”

  For a moment Ray was silent. He couldn’t deny the truth. “You’re right. I’m just glad it’s all over. I’m telling you, man, Colton Cameron was bad news. Who knows everything he was in to.” He paused, pondering his next inquiry. “If I ask you another question will you answer it?”

  Sin was cautious. “It depends on what it is.”

  “I’d like to know what’s up with you and James? What’s going on between you two?”

  “It’s a business thing. I’d rather not share it with you.” And I hope you never find out about it.

  Once more there was reflective silence on the other end, and then, “I can respect that. We all have our secrets.” He sighed. “As a matter of fact I’d like to share one with you that’s been on my mind for a while.”

  Sin braced himself. “What’s that?”

  “Do you remember that day you, James, Dana and I went to that kidnapping suspect’s house in Inglewood?”

  “How can I forget it? It’s not every day that you find a man beaten nearly to death.” The man in question was presently in a wheel chair and eating through a straw. “Not that he didn’t deserve what he got, but as I recall, you didn’t go inside with us. You stayed in the car.”

  “And while I was parked in front I saw Colton Cameron drive by the house.”

  That got Sin’s attention. “What? Are you sure?”

  “I’ve thought about it over the years, and I’m sure. Especially when I saw him later at the airport on the day the family flew back from Stillwaters.”

  “You never told us about him diving pass the house! Why didn’t you say something?”

  “What was the point? He got on a plane leaving San Francisco. I never thought he’d pop up again. But, the fact is that he was in the area during the time of the abduction and I think it was him who beat that man in the house, not the man’s partners like everybody thinks.”

  His words sent shockwaves through Sin’s system. “Why would he do something like that?”

  “Are you kidding? Man, think! Those girls are his granddaughters. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t have done the same thing if you could have gotten away with it.”

  Sin knew that was true, except he might have done worse.

  The thought that Colton Cameron, aka Moody Lake, aka Thomas Hardman, cared enough to have done such a thing sent his head spinning.

  ****

  “She hasn’t come out from behind the gate since I got here,” Lamont reported to James referring to Nedra Reasoner. “I’ve been parked as close to the area as possible every day. To be honest, it’s just blind luck that my car hasn’t been spotted. Security patrols this area quite a bit and so far I’ve managed to avoid them.”

  “She probably hasn’t left the house because her daughter has come home,” James informed him. “Her niece, Nia, is there too. Believe me, she’ll be coming out from behind that gate soon. Being shut up with a fourteen year old and a seven year old—who wouldn’t want to escape?”

  “Those might have been the kids in a red car that passed by me a short while ago.” Lamont described the vehicle to James.

  “That sounds like the one Mrs. Lucia drives. She’s the housekeeper, and probably took the girls off of Nedra’s hands. Just be patient, she’ll be coming out.”

  Lamont hoped that he was right. So far, this assignment was boring.

  CHAPTER 31

  Nedra walked around the house enjoying the silence. She loved her daughter and niece madly and was happy that they were home, but she was glad that she had the place to herself. While Nia was a quiet child who could find dozens of ways to entertain herself, Gillian was the polar opposite. The girl was kinetic energy itself. She was always on the move and the only time she wasn’t talking was when she was reading or when she was asleep.

  It had taken the girls roughly twenty-four hours to sleep off the jet lag they experienced flying from Aruba. When they awakened, the action was nonstop.

  She and her husband were still at odds. Conversation between them was limited, but the girls didn’t seem to notice. Their precocious teenage daughter was determined that she was going to Hawaii where her best friend, Sweet, was vacationing with his family. Since her arrival home, her campaign had been relentless. She was constantly trying to sweet-talk, cajole, or convince her parents in any way she could to agree to her request. When she wasn’t engaged in trying to manipulate her parents, she was on the cell phone, talking and texting. Thank goodness for unassuming little Nia. If it wasn’t for her, Nedra would have gone out of her mind. After several days of bonding with the girls, Nedra had been in nirvana when their long time housekeeper, Mrs. Lucia, volunteered to take them off her hands. She had taken them with her to the grocery store. Nedra estimated that she had at least a few hours to herself before their return.

  Relaxing in the family room, her thoughts turned to her husband. When they first got married, they had made a vow to each other to never go to bed angry. Through the years they had been fairly successful living up to that promise, but Thomas Hardman entering their lives was straining that commitment. Lately, they slept in their bed back to back.

  She missed the comfort of being in Sin’s arms. Anger and bitterness had no place in their relationship. Since it was her rash decisions that brought them to this point, it was up to her to do whatever she had to do to see that things changed.

  This day had started out to be a good one and she was going to make it even better. She called Sin. He answered on the third ring.

  “Hello, baby,” she cooed.

  Sin hesitated. “Hello,” he answered cautiously.

  “How long do you plan on being at work?”

  “I’ll probably be here until 4:00 or 4:30.” Nedra sounded like she was up to something. What now? He had to ask. “Why?”

  “I was thinking about doing a drive by.”

  Sin nearly choked on the bottle of water he was drinking. Was she saying what he thought she was saying?

  “A drive by?”

  She could almost see the look of shock on his face. “Yes, remember the last time?”

  Did he? The memory made him laugh heartily. It felt good.

  The sound brought tears to Nedra’s eyes. Too much time had passed since she’d heard that sound.

  His voice softened. “As I recall, the last time you did a drive-by you could have been arrested for public indecency. Are you willing to take that chance again?”

  “For you, I’d go to the city lock up willingly.”

  Sin’s groin tightened. He shifted in his office chair. “That’s good to hear.”

  “It’s time for us to put this behind us, Sinclair. I want us back. I want things to be like they used to be. I miss that. I miss you. I miss us.”

  “I do too.” Visions of their naked romp on the island flashed through his mind. His manhood twitched, but still there were things to be settled. “Both of us have said and done things over the past few weeks that...”

  “I know, “Nedra stopped his words. “I won’t let this situation with Thomas put a rift between us any longer. I’ll do what I have to do to fix this.”

  She sounded desperate and he felt a tinge of guilt. “We’ll both do what we have to do to get us through this,” he whispered.

  Nedra’s tears flowed. “I love you, Sinclair.” It had been a while since she had said those words to him.

&n
bsp; “I love you more.”

  The words were spoken with such tenderness they sent flutters of need straight to Nedra’s core. She was ready to strip from head to toe that instant.

  “So, what about that drive-by?” she asked hotly.

  The mere thought of what they had shared weeks ago on the desk he was sitting at had Sin on his feet, heading to his private bathroom. “How about showing me what you’ve got when I get home this evening. Unfortunately, I’ve got a meeting to attend, after I take a cold shower.”

  It was Nedra’s turn to laugh. “Make sure you don’t drown,” she purred.

  When they disconnected, it looked as though they just might be on the road back. There was just one more thing she needed to do to make certain of that. She called Thomas.

  When he answered her call on the cell phone she had provided, he sounded better than he had since they first met. She was delighted. Mrs. Spencer had declared him to be the most determined person she’d ever known. Nedra had to agree

  “You sound great. What are your plans for today?”

  “I’m going for a walk on the beach—alone.”

  “That’s good. You’ve come a long way, Thomas.”

  “I know. That’s why I’m flying out of here this weekend.” He braced himself for her reply.

  “I think that’s a good idea.”

  Hardman was surprised by her compliance. “You mean no trying to talk me into going for a checkup before I go?”

  “No. I’m sure if you feel ill when you get home you’ll go to the clinic.” Nedra took a breath and continued. “To tell you the truth, I think for everyone’s sake, including your own, it’s time for you to go.”

  “So you’ve finally seen the light,” he teased.

  “Sometimes the sun does shine through.” Hesitating, she thought about the best way to put what she would say next. “I hope that you won’t be insulted about what I’m about to say.”

  “I doubt it. Spit it out.”

  “I pray for you every day, Thomas.”

  He chortled heartily. “Relentlessly, I’m sure. I think I told you before that you’re wasting your time. My soul is not salvable.”

  “If Sinclair’s is, so is yours, and he’s coming along quite well, thank you very much.” She waited until he stopped laughing. “Listen, since I haven’t seen you in a while, I’m thinking about coming by today for a final visit.”

  “You’re always welcomed,” Thomas responded warmly.

  She had the distinct feeling that he meant it. As improbable as it might seem, the two of them could possibly call each other friend.

  ****

  Hardman was smiling when he and Nedra disconnected. Despite the murky circumstances of their relationship, he admired her. He respected her. Sinclair couldn’t have asked for a better woman. He was looking forward to her visit and he was glad that she finally understood that he had to leave.

  He didn’t feel as though he was in danger here, but it didn’t hurt to be cautious. The beauty and serenity of the Peninsula, wasn’t the type of playground in which his former colleagues usually found pleasure. It was a little too tame. Still, it was better to be safe than sorry. He had spent a bit of time in this area as Moody Waters. There were people around who might remember his face. He didn’t want to take that chance. His plan was to leave even earlier than he told Nedra. Tomorrow he would be out of here. Today when she came to visit this would be their final goodbye. As for now, he was going for a walk.

  He headed for the front door. “Mrs. Spencer! I’m on my way out.”

  She peeked around the corner. “Okay, but don’t forget to find a bench and rest if you feel winded.”

  Hardman gave an exaggerated salute. “Yes, Sergeant.’

  “General.” She corrected. “Do you have your cell in case you have to call me?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Hardman chuckled as he slipped out of the house.

  ****

  Ham jammed the last item of clothing into his suitcase, zipped it up and placed it by the door. It was hard to believe, but he had been on the Monterey Peninsula for nearly a week and was glad that he came. It wasn’t as boring as he thought it would be. Following that pip squeak P.I. down here hadn’t turned out half bad.

  Checking into the motel across the street from where Lamont Madison was staying, his room gave him a perfect view of the parking lot and Lamont Madison’s car. He could monitor his movements. The only problem was that after meeting a stripper called Lady Tonya in a nearby nightclub, he’d lost interest in Madison altogether.

  He did follow him the first day of their arrival, noting where he turned off the highway into what looked like a grove of trees. Unable to trail him without being spotted, he waited until the early morning hours when he saw Madison’s car in the motel parking lot. Ham then took that opportunity to retrace the route the P.I. had taken and turned off at the grove. A road led him to a dead end, where a large gate provided security for several costly homes. Ham’s best guess was that Madison was trailing a cheating husband or wife.

  On his drive back to his motel, he chastised himself for having wasted his time on some fluke. Seeing the P.I. had spooked him, but following Madison had been a stupid waste of time.

  Ham was still stewing over the mistake he had made when he wandered into a nondescript bar in the wee morning hours, and it was there he met Lady Tonya. Meeting her made up for everything. The woman turned out to be the best piece of ass he’d ever had. Lady Tonya had all the women he’d had in San Francisco beat by a mile! The hotel room in the Bay Area was cancelled. Why bother going back? Nothing could be better than what he had found.

  Days and nights passed and he hadn’t left the motel room. The Lady and he only came up for air to eat and sleep, and the latter was sporadic. The indulgence had cost him a small fortune, but it was worth every dime. Damn! The woman had been a human sex machine. But now, it was time to go home to New York. California could kill a man!

  After checking out of the motel, Ham tossed his bag in the car and headed for the highway. Bopping to the sounds of one of his favorite songs, he missed seeing the face of the man in the car that passed him, but he did recognize the car he drove.

  Lamont Madison! Ham laughed aloud at the irony. He had forgotten about the man.

  “Goes to show you what good sex can do,” he mused aloud. “It can make you lose your mind.”

  It was idle curiosity that caused Ham to pull into the same lane and follow him. He wondered where Madison was going. He looked at the exit sign to see where they might be headed, and mouthed the words, “Pacific Grove.”

  CHAPTER 32

  Glancing at the flowers lying on the car seat beside her, Nedra reprimanded herself for the umpteenth time as she raced through the streets in a panic. If only she hadn’t stopped at the florist, she could have reached the beach in Pacific Grove sooner. If only she hadn’t turned her cell phone off, she would have answered the call from Mrs. Lucia informing her that’s where she was taking the girls. If only! If only!

  She had called Mrs. Lucia, but it had gone to voicemail and so had her call to Thomas’ cell phone. A call to Mrs. Spencer, confirmed that he was still at the beach.

  Nedra took a calming breath. Perhaps her fear was unwarranted. Asilomar was a public beach. The shoreline ran for miles. The odds of Thomas encountering his grandchildren were one in a thousand. Of course, if she hadn’t moved him so close to her family’s doorstep it would be nonexistent. She couldn’t deny that. If only!

  Arriving on the street paralleling the miles of beach with its pounding surf, and incredible vistas, Nedra was forced to drive slowly. Tourist season was in full force, and the line of cars was creeping along. The pace was perfect for conducting a visual search as her eyes darted frantically between the road ahead and the beach. But, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

  Her family had spent countless hours roaming this beach and she knew her daughter’s favorite spot.

  Maybe when she reached it there might
be a sign of the trio. When she did, no such luck. She kept driving.

  She called Mrs. Lucia to see where they were located, but got voice mail again. Nedra was so frustrated she wanted to scream.

  Several cars behind her, Lamont Madison was also thankful for the heavy traffic. It helped him keep Nedra’s car in sight. Surveillance was one of his favorite parts of the job. The game of cat and mouse was a real adrenaline rush.

  He glanced in the rearview mirror at the multitude of vehicles behind him. The dark blue car that he had noticed earlier was still there.

  It was possible that its occupant could be a tourist. He hadn’t noticed the car earlier when he first started tailing Mrs. Reasoner. Yet, there was something about it that made him suspicious. What driver doesn’t try to catch up with traffic when given the chance?

  Ham was growing impatient with the line of vehicles moving at a snail’s pace along the ocean’s periphery. He wanted to kick himself for allowing the P.I. to distract him again. Damn this! He had a night of fun planned in San Francisco before flying back home tomorrow, and this was a waste of time. He started looking for a place to turn around so that he could get back to the highway.

  ****

  Hardman fell on the bench like a bag of stones. It wasn’t fatigue that buckled his knees, but a pair of light brown eyes and a dimpled cheek smile that had knocked him off his feet.

  He was walking the beach when a bright orange Frisbee landed at his feet. Picking it up, he stood ready to toss it back to its owner when a little girl ran up to him to retrieve it. As soon as he saw her he knew who she was—a perfect replica of both her parents, Darnell Cameron and Thad Stewart. His breath caught in his throat.

  “Thank you,” Nia said politely.

  Taking the Frisbee from his trembling hands, she scampered up the beach where a second child was waiting. With the grace of a gazelle, Gillian Reasoner leaped into the air and caught the disc her cousin tossed to her.