‘Oh.’ Brynn felt as if she’d been kicked. Mark’s room isn’t important to anyone anymore, she thought bleakly. Come get his stuff. Clear out the last traces of him. ‘I can do that today.’
‘How about this morning? Our check-out time is noon and I’d like to have that room in shape to rent out again by one at the latest. It’s nothing personal …’
‘Personal? How could it be? You don’t even know me,’ Brynn snapped. ‘I’ll be there within half an hour. Will the room be unlocked?’
‘Uh, yeah, if you’re sure you’ll get here pretty fast. I can’t just leave a room unlocked, you know.’
‘I know. Goodbye.’
‘Good—’
Brynn cut him off and stood staring venomously at the cell phone. Then she closed her eyes, took a deep breath and counted to ten. She put down the phone and stared at herself in the mirror. ‘So much for trying to look upbeat today,’ she said, gazing at the cheery dress. She unzipped it, threw it on the bed and dug in her duffle bag for a pair of jeans with tears at the thighs and knees, a faded Rolling Stones T-shirt and a pair of worn sandals. Clothes for packing and moving, she thought. Work clothes. This is nothing but work. It has nothing to do with Mark.
As soon as she’d dressed and found an empty box in Cassie’s basement, Brynn left for the Bay Motel. She turned into the parking lot and saw that the parking spaces across from Mark’s room were occupied. ‘Damn it,’ she muttered, driving to the back of the motel. As she headed for an empty space across from the rooms, she caught sight of an auburn-haired woman stepping out a doorway, then turning and grasping a tall, beefy man and kissing him passionately. As soon as she saw the hair, she knew the woman was Rhonda Sanford. Brynn whipped into a narrow space, shut off the car, lowered herself in the seat and watched in the rearview mirror.
Rhonda’s kiss turned from passionate to almost violent. She looked as if she were going to devour the man’s face. He raised his arms and grabbed her hair, pulling back her head, and Brynn almost gasped to see Ray O’Hara. He said something to Rhonda, who laughed and pushed forward, groping him, holding up her face for another kiss. Brynn glanced at her watch. Ten o’clock. Rhonda should have been at work an hour ago. Had she been here all night? Her wrinkled dress and bare feet answered that question.
Finally, Ray took her arms, turned her around and propelled her forward. Her shoulder bag fell off her arm. She laughed, staggered, turned and started back toward him but he stepped into his room and shut the door. Rhonda stood weaving for a moment, then shrugged, picked up her bag and walked unsteadily toward Brynn’s car, stopped, looked around in confusion, and staggered toward a sedan three cars away. After nearly a minute, she crept out of the parking place and started out slowly, nearly hitting the trash dumpster as she turned the corner and headed to the east side front of the motel.
Rhonda and Ray? Brynn thought, baffled. Since when? And why did Rhonda keep harassing Garrett if she was involved with Ray O’Hara?
THIRTEEN
Not many of Mark’s belongings had been left in the motel. Brynn didn’t look at anything closely. She didn’t hold the shirts up to her nose and try to catch Mark’s scent. She didn’t inspect the condition of the clothes or search the room, looking for some important clue the police had missed like some genius amateur detective. She hummed and thought about the book she should be working on, trying to take her mind off what she was doing – sweeping away Mark’s things as if he’d never occupied this sadly plain, anonymous room.
Brynn filled only two of the three boxes she’d brought. She made two quick trips to the car, hoping Ray wouldn’t come out of his motel room and see her or that he’d already left for the day. Afterward, she drove slowly around town, gazing at everything, almost as if by looking hard enough, she’d spot him walking along jauntily, whistling. Mark loved to whistle.
At least he had before Jonah died.
Brynn squeezed her eyes tight for a moment then opened them, relieved that she hadn’t swerved into the other lane. What was wrong with her? Did she want to die because she might never see her troubled, maddening, beloved big brother again?
Well, she wouldn’t see him if the search for him had been called off. The possibility seemed strong if the police were no longer interested in the place where Mark had been just before he disappeared, and it had kept her in a daze since she’d gotten the call from the motel. She had to know what was going on. She needed to talk to Garrett.
She parked near the courthouse where police headquarters was housed. Brynn didn’t want to see Garrett this morning. Last night was too fresh in her mind. She’d cried after hearing her brother’s tortured voice on the phone. She’d clung to him at first in devastation, then in slowly growing desire, until finally her passion had taken control as she’d felt his passion for her. Brynn knew they could never go back to acting as if they were nothing except two acquaintances working together only because they were searching for her lost brother. They’d unmasked each other last night, the deep, fiery yearning between them showing in their kisses, their intimate caresses, their whispered expressions of pleasure …
‘May I help you?’
Brynn realized she’d walked into the main room of headquarters without even realizing it. The craggy-faced woman she’d seen on her first visit here was looking disapprovingly at her over the rim of her glasses. Brynn glanced down at her ragged jeans and Rolling Stones T-shirt. ‘I’m here to see Sheriff Dane.’
‘Is he expecting you?’
‘No. But it’s important. I’m Brynn—’
‘I know who you are,’ the woman said in her grainy voice. ‘You really should call before you just show up here. The sheriff is a very busy man.’
‘But not too busy to see Miss Wilder.’ Brynn looked up to see Garrett standing in the doorway. He didn’t smile but walked slowly toward her. ‘I’ve been expecting a visit from you today. Come back to my office.’
Brynn heard the craggy-faced woman huff in exasperation. ‘Not one of my fans,’ she murmured to Garrett.
‘Not one of anyone’s fans. Perpetual sense of being wronged by the world, but too organized and experienced for me to let go, much as I hate being greeted with that sour expression and sandpaper voice every morning.’
‘Did you know I was here?’
‘Yes. Carder saw you come in and headed straight back to tell me. He knew she’d give you a hard time.’ He walked slightly farther away from her than usual and his voice sounded more formal. He opened the door to his office. ‘Have a seat. Want coffee?’
‘Not this morning. Especially nothing with caffeine.’ She sank tiredly onto the hard chair across from his desk. ‘I’ve just come back from the Bay Motel. The manager called me this morning and told me to clean out Mark’s room before noon. They’re ready to rent it out again.’ She gave Garrett a hard look. ‘He said you were through with the room.’
‘We are.’ He sat down in his comfortable executive desk chair. ‘Did you think we’d keep it closed forever?’
‘No, but it’s so soon after Mark disappeared. You’ve stopped the investigation, haven’t you?’
Garrett looked at her in surprise. ‘God, no. We’re just finished with the motel room, which I told the manager, but I didn’t say it had to be cleaned out today. Apparently the manager just couldn’t wait to get someone else in there.’
‘But why today? Why so soon?’
Garrett picked up a pen and tapped it almost nervously against his desk. ‘Look, Brynn, he’s planning on pooling funds with some of his friends and buying the place. He said he didn’t want the room getting the reputation of being the place where Stone Jonah Wilder’s accomplice lived for a few days before he disappeared.’
Brynn winced, then said, ‘What about the former owner being murdered?’
‘I don’t think he knew Sam was the sole owner. I’m keeping that confidential.’
‘Have you found out anything about Sam’s murder?’
‘You know I have to keep details abou
t another investigation confidential,’ Garrett said.
‘So details about Sam’s murder, which took place in our former house, is confidential and you haven’t found out anything about my brother.’
‘Sorry, but I’m being honest.’
‘I know. I guess I’m just not in the mood for so much honesty at the moment.’
‘You’re always in the mood for honesty. You’re mad at me.’
Brynn looked at him questioningly.
‘I was out of line last night – so out of line I can hardly believe it,’ Garrett said stiffly. ‘You’re involved in a case I’m investigating. We should have a professional relationship, nothing more. Instead, I took advantage of your vulnerability. My behavior was unprofessional, inappropriate—’
‘Oh, be quiet, Garrett,’ Brynn snapped. Last night had meant more to her than she wanted him to know. She also saw that he felt deeply embarrassed. The moment she’d seen him this morning, she’d decided to act off-hand, even a bit hard-nosed about the whole incident. ‘I’m a woman, not a little girl. Nothing happened that I didn’t want to happen.’
After a moment, Garrett said, ‘You don’t know what you wanted to happen. You were too upset and I was there, representing authority, strength for you.’
Brynn laughed. ‘I kissed the hell out of you because you represented authority? Garrett, I kissed you because I wanted to. In fact, I think I’ve wanted to kiss you since I was twelve. Not passionately back then, of course, I was just a little girl, really, but now …’
‘But now?’
‘I’m not saying any more. You’ll drown in guilt if I do. Either that or you’ll think I’m half out of my mind because of Mark. Don’t get me wrong. Right now, finding Mark is the most important thing in the world to me. But it’s not the only thing that’s important to me.’ She looked at him. ‘Stop gaping and blushing. You’re acting like a teenage girl. And don’t you dare imply that you haven’t thought about me over the years, just like I’ve thought about you. I’m not an adolescent with a silly crush. I’m a woman, Garrett. I know what I want and I’m strong. I don’t swoon into the arms of any man who comes to my aid.’ She stopped until she was certain Garrett was too shocked to answer. He just stared at her. ‘You said you were expecting a visit from me today,’ Brynn finally said crisply, knowing she couldn’t keep up this casual act much longer when what she really wanted to do was to wrap her arms around him and taste more of his kisses. ‘So, did you want to see me about Mark’s room?’
Garrett cleared his throat, shuffled a few papers, then met her gaze. ‘Partly about Mark’s room but mostly because I heard someone left another of your old possessions at Cassie’s house this morning,’ he said in an almost businesslike voice. ‘Uh, a necklace? When did you lose it?’
‘It was an imitation turquoise and imitation silver necklace I bought when I was nine or ten. It was very cheap. I used to wear it every day and then I got careless with it when the chain started turning my neck green. I guess my body chemistry changed. That was sometime when I was twelve. I didn’t miss it immediately. One day I wanted to wear it but it wasn’t in my little jewelry box. I couldn’t remember when I’d worn it last and I thought maybe it had just fallen off and I hadn’t noticed.’ Brynn sighed. ‘It wasn’t something I really valued like Mom did her mother-of-pearl makeup case. I wasn’t upset.’
‘But somebody found it and cherished it enough to hold onto it all these years.’
‘I guess.’ Brynn felt a chill on her neck. She hadn’t wanted to think about someone keeping that little piece of junk jewelry for eighteen years. ‘The house was under surveillance last night,’ she said vacantly.
‘The front of the house. Carder wasn’t circling the place once an hour and no one was watching the backyard with the fence covered in all that ivy. The necklace was hanging from a plastic adhesive hook?’
‘Yeah. Brand new. Cassie said she hadn’t put a hook there.’
‘So someone probably sneaked in during the night and put up the hook directly in front of that window where it would catch the morning sun.’
‘I guess.’
‘You don’t sound very interested.’
Brynn turned her head and gazed out the window. ‘I’m tired,’ she said flatly. ‘Not just physically. Emotionally. And I feel like a failure. I pictured myself coming here, finding Mark in record time and taking him home. I knew something serious had happened to him, but I still kept that stupid super-girl fantasy in my mind like some kid.’
‘Finding Mark is up to us, not you,’ Garrett said mildly. ‘I heard from the Baltimore police this morning. There’s no sign of Mark being at his house for days. The neighbors haven’t seen his car. He didn’t seem to be close to any of them. They talked to the manager of the bank where Mark worked. He said Mark was fired for continually coming in late and not being in shape to work.’
‘Hungover.’
‘Well, yes. The manager gave him a couple of warnings, but he didn’t improve. After nearly three months he let Mark go.’
‘His wife left three months before he was fired.’
‘The bank manager emphasized that Mark’s …’ Brynn looked up to see Garrett barely smiling, ‘… lackadaisical manner, poor deportment with customers and slipshod appearance were the reasons he was fired. God, this guy sounds like a barrel of fun. Anyway, there was no question of Mr Wilder doing anything dishonorable businesswise.’
Finally Brynn smiled. ‘Was this manager from the nineteenth century?’
‘Eighteenth, I believe. The cops in Baltimore got a kick out of him, too. They said he tried to get more information as to why they were concerned about Mr Wilder, but they gave him nothing. I’ll bet he stewed over Mark all day. A young guy who works in the bank went on break just as the cops were leaving and told them he’s a friend of Mark’s. He said he knows all about the GPK murders and Jonah and how much it obsessed Mark, especially after his wife left. He said he and Mark and a couple of others play poker once a week, but none of them have heard from Mark for two weeks. Absolutely nothing. The friend said he was on the verge of calling you. He seemed really worried.’
‘I’m glad Mark has at least one friend who cares so much. If the Baltimore police will give me his name and phone number, I’ll call him.’
‘Are you sure that’s a good idea?’
‘Why wouldn’t it be? If this guy knows Mark and has been talking to him for months, he might know more about what’s going on with him than we do. And if I was him, I might be more inclined to tell his sister than the police. He knows Mark doesn’t trust the cops.’ Brynn looked at Garrett imploringly. ‘Please!’
‘You need to do something else other than calling this guy, Brynn.’
‘What?’
‘Rest.’
‘Rest? You mean go home and take a nap?’
‘It wouldn’t hurt you.’
Brynn’s fist came down hard on the arm of the chair. ‘Are you crazy?’
He paused. ‘You’re hanging by a thread today, in case you didn’t know it.’
‘So I’m not good for anything, right? Dammit, Garrett!’
Garrett stared at her for a few moments. ‘OK. I’ll get Mark’s friend’s name and phone number if you’ll do something for me.’
‘I will not take a nap!’
‘You sound like Savannah when she was three. It doesn’t involve sleep.’ Brynn looked at him warily. ‘I’d be grateful if you could go down the street to Mrs Elway’s hot dog stand.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘Savannah’s been working there for over two hours. I’d like for you to take her – and Henry – away from work for a while. She could use a break.’ He hesitated. ‘She also has something she wants to ask you. Will you do it?’
Despite Garrett’s composed voice, Brynn saw the pleading look in his azure eyes. She felt embarrassingly surprised and touched, not just because she wanted the phone number or because she couldn’t say no if Savannah wanted something of her – she already knew that – but because she’
d just realized she couldn’t refuse to do something that obviously meant so much to Garrett. He didn’t have to know that, though.
‘Well, OK,’ she answered, trying to sound mildly agreeable. Brynn longed to see Savannah, but she didn’t want Garrett to know how attached she’d become to the girl. She pretended to give it a moment’s thought. ‘I guess I can work it into my schedule,’ she said casually. ‘Anything in particular you’d like for us to do?’
‘She and Henry might like a walk around Holly Park.’
‘Fine.’ She grinned at him.
Garrett smiled. ‘I really appreciate this.’
‘Oh, you should,’ Brynn said, standing up. ‘It’s a terrible imposition.’
Ten minutes later, she was at the hot dog stand.
‘Hi, Brynn. What can I get for you?’ Savannah looked miserable.
‘Nothing. You’re due for a break.’
Mrs Elway looked slightly put out, but Savannah’s face immediately brightened.
They crossed the street and wandered around Holly Park. Outside Painter’s Cove, three artists drew chalk portraits of people. ‘Want your portrait drawn?’ Brynn asked Savannah.
She shook her head and whispered, ‘Grams did one of me in January and she was a better artist than these people.’
Meanwhile, Henry drew a lot of attention, standing patiently while people petted him, sitting on command, striking seemingly endless poses for cameras and shaking hands with everyone while Savannah smiled like a proud mother.
Finally, Brynn said, ‘I’m starving. How about you?’
Savannah nodded enthusiastically. ‘I didn’t eat any breakfast.’
‘Me neither,’ Brynn said. ‘Let’s go to Cloud Nine.’
They reached Cloud Nine just before noon. Brynn scanned the full tables beneath the bright umbrellas and saw a hand waving toward her. Her mouth nearly dropped open when she saw that the hand was attached to Tessa Cavanaugh, who was sitting with Ray O’Hara.
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