That Unforgettable Kiss

by Tamara Ferguson

  Sam sighed. “Yeah. I’ve never invited him out for lunch, either. I might’ve been stretching it a bit too far – trying to give you a little more time in case you didn’t hear him pulling into the landing.” He frowned, studying the paperwork. “Cal, maybe you’d better take a look at this. It appears to be a ledger.” Sam slid the notebook across the table.

  After thumbing through the first few pages, Cal stared at Sam in astonishment. “I can’t believe this, Sam. This is an exact record of his transactions. He’s even made notations of the dates when he’d stolen our building materials. There’re even invoices here, listing who he’s sold the materials to.”

  Murphy finally spoke. “But why would he do that – leave records laying around that’d lead back to himself?”

  Cal answered, grimly, “Because apparently, Jim’s been selling our materials to our biggest competitor – Masterson Construction.”

  “Jim’s been getting away with pilfering your materials for years, Cal – so he’s obviously not too worried about getting caught anymore.” Sam nodded thoughtfully. “I have a feeling that these records are his insurance against Masterson. If Jim’s desperate for money, he might’ve turned to blackmail. And maybe Jim thought, that if he left these receipts in his home, there was more of a chance of Masterson discovering them since Masterson’s construction company built Jim’s house. More than likely, the two of them cooked up this scheme years ago. But the good news is, guys, I think that there’s enough here to ask for a search warrant.”

  CHAPTER

  THIRTY-TWO

  From the moment she’d opened the door for Jim Dupree, Kate knew that there was something very wrong here. After tying off his inboard at the end of the dock, he’d come knocking on the front door. His thinning dark hair, usually combed back neatly from his face, was standing up in disarray. Normally, he stood up straight, attempting to disguise the thickening of his belly around his waistline.

  But not so today.

  Appearing much older than his fifty odd years, he had the stance of someone who was wearily defeated.

  Kate had immediately sensed the danger.

  He held his hand over his holstered weapon.

  Deliberately, he shoved her back through the door. Why hadn’t she ever noticed the darkness there, that disturbing intensity hidden deep within his eyes? Nervously, he licked on his lips as he peered furtively through the door across the lake.

  He looked like someone who was being hunted.

  She studied the cruiser tied up at the dock. “It was you,” Kate said, realization suddenly dawning. “You were the one who was watching me – taking pictures of me.”

  Somewhat maniacally, he answered in a monotone. “I did everything for you, Kate. I built you a brand new home on the lake, along with a customized workshop, so that you could continue with your hobbies. I had a decorator come in and design my home; exactly the way I thought you would’ve wanted it. I bought a brand new cruiser, because I knew how much you loved the water. I even waited a few more years, to make sure you were ready to settle down. I was just getting ready to court you. Everything was organized. Everything was finally finished.” He suddenly appeared haunted. “And then this Murphy guy came back into your life.” Now visibly distraught, Jim began pacing through the room.

  Kate was stunned. She hadn’t had a clue. But the more she thought about it, the more she began to recognize all the signs. Even when she’d been a teenager, Jim had seemed to mysteriously appear at the strangest times.

  How should she handle this?

  She quickly came to a decision – she’d obviously have a better chance at getting away from him if she just played up to his obsession.

  But just how far would she have to go?

  “I...I wish I’d known, Jim,” she said, softly. “You never really gave me any indication about your feelings for me, you know.”

  He halted a few feet away, turning slowly to stare at her. “What do you mean?”

  Kate swallowed, trying hard not to gag on her words. “It’s just that, I never even knew that all this time, you’ve been interested in me. I wish I would’ve known how you felt about me before now, Jim.”

  His eyes locked onto hers. Although he appeared to be somewhat dubious, Jim searched her eyes desperately for confirmation. “You mean...?”

  “I...I’ve always had kind of crush on you, Jim. I’m surprised you never noticed.” She continued to reassure him with her eyes. Maybe her ploy wasn’t working?

  But Jim seemed to relax. He shoved her gently through the door and out along the deck. “You need to hop into the boat, Kate. We have to get out of here now.”

  Kate glanced down at the gun tucked into his holster. She had no doubt – he wouldn’t hesitate to use it. Sighing resignedly, she made her way across the deck and stepped into the cruiser.

  CHAPTER

  THIRTY-THREE

  It’d been a little over two hours since Sam had left for his office, to begin the tedious process of requesting a search warrant. Murphy frowned, staring at his watch. He’d been trying to reach Kate for the last few hours. He’d finally given up and eaten lunch without her. But where was she? He was anxious to let her in on what was happening with Jim Dupree.

  Sam had just called Cal. Apparently, the search warrant for Jim’s Dupree’s home and property had been granted and executed. Unable to do anything more, Dylan and Cal had gone their separate ways to wait for additional information from Sam. After trying to reach Kate, Murphy had decided to wait at The Tap for her to call him back.

  After one more failed attempt to reach her, Murphy finally decided to just go home. Maybe she was visiting her mom, or even Julie Thompson, and hadn’t had a chance to get home yet.

  But when Murphy pulled into the garage twenty minutes later, he discovered that Kate’s truck was parked inside. He entered the kitchen and found the house was completely quiet. Usually, Kate liked to work with the sound of light rock music playing in the background. “Kate,” he called out.

  No answer. He peeked into the living room. Hmm. Not there, either. Moving over to the stairs leading down into the family room, he called out again, “Kate?”

  Searching the house, he noticed Kate’s purse laying on the kitchen table, and grew more concerned. Murphy ran up the staircase and into the master suite. She wasn’t there either.

  His phone rang, and he quickly answered it, his voice brusque. “Kate?”

  “No, Murphy, it’s me, Cal. Isn’t Kate there?”

  “No, Cal. And I’m beginning to get worried. Her truck’s in the garage and her purse is still here. Maybe she’s with Julie? But it’s not like her to forget to leave a note or set the alarm.”

  “Damn it, Murph. Sam wants us all over at Jim Dupree’s place, right away. Kate, too. He wouldn’t tell me why. I have a really bad feeling about all of this. But where in the hell is Kate? I haven’t heard from her all morning, either. She was supposed to call me back earlier; about some projections she was gonna come up with. I’ll send Dylan over to pick you up. It’ll be easier than giving you directions to Jim’s place.”

  “Alright, Cal.”

  “Why don’t you give Julie a call – to see if she’s heard from Kate? I’ll see you soon.”

  * * *

  Jim Dupree’s home was crawling with police. Sam stood off in the distance, impatiently eyeing his watch. “No doubt about it,” he said harshly, as Mike, Murphy and Dylan approached. “Jim’s your thief.”

  Sam waved his hand through the air as he motioned them on toward the house. Grimly, he spoke to Murphy. “I’ve got something I need you to see.”

  Leading them into the house and up a long, wide staircase, Sam stepped in through the door of a magnificent master suite. Strolling to another door located at the opposite end of the room, he hesitated, before he twisted the doorknob. “Cal, Dylan – maybe you two should wait out here for now? Come with me, Murphy.”

  When Sam led him into the office, Murphy felt his heart sink. Obviously, someth
ing was dreadfully wrong.

  “I’d appreciate it, Murphy, if you could give me a rough estimate on the timing of a few of these pictures.”

  Murphy gaped, staring at the pictures. Mounted on the walls were rows upon rows of pictures of Kate.

  And many of them showed her in various stages of undress.

  It even appeared that some of the pictures had been taken very early in Kate’s life.

  “Oh, my God, Sam.” Murphy shook his head in disbelief. “He’s been stalking her for years.”

  “I’m afraid so, Murphy.” Sam shook his head wearily. “And how is it – that no one’s ever even noticed? With everything that the Callahan family’s been through, I feel like I’ve let them down.”

  “You can’t beat yourself up, Sam. Neither Cal or Dan seemed to have noticed either.” Suddenly, Murphy pointed at one of the photographs. “This one, Sam. It was taken only last week,” he growled.

  Sam sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “That’s what I was afraid of.”

  Murphy moaned, covering his face with his hands. “Damn it, Sam. We need to find Kate.”

  “I know, Murphy,” Sam said bleakly. “But that’s what I’m concerned about, since you haven’t been able to get a hold of her. I have a sneaking suspicion that Jim’s already taken her.”

  * * *

  Dan Callahan came rushing through the door into the police station. “Dad, Dylan, Murphy? What in the hell is happening? Mom’s nearly hysterical, sitting at home waiting with Lucy and Gabe.”

  With a shaking hand, Cal reached over, patting his son on the shoulder. “Thanks for coming home, son.”

  While Cal, Dylan, Dan and Sam threw out strategy from around the conference table in the office, Murphy sat numbly quiet in a chair.

  “Obviously, this had to be a spur of the moment abduction. Where would Jim have taken her?” Sam stood up and stared at a map on the wall. “Since Jim was driving the cruiser, they have to still be in town.”

  Dan stepped up to examine the map. “They’re traveling by water, you say?” He hesitated. “I hate to bring up the obvious, but what about the tunnels – since that’s where Lucy was held hostage?”

  Sam stared at Dan. “The tunnels? But I thought Jake Loughlin closed them off when he redeveloped Dragonfly Pointe?”

  “Well, Jim grew up in Crystal Rock.” Dan continued studying the map. “There was always a rumor, when I was a teenager, that there was some kind of cave near Dragonfly Pointe. A lot of kids used to go there and party.” Dan rolled his eyes. “You know – to drink and smoke pot? But, supposedly, you could only access the cave by water.”

  Sam stared at Cal. “Could it really be that simple?”

  “I’ve heard about that cave.” Cal shrugged. “Jenny’s trouble-making uncle even used to hang out there as a kid. You’ve had patrols on the water for hours. Maybe it’s a possibility? If Jim hasn’t been seen since this morning – he might’ve just snatched Kate up, and now he’s holed up with her inside that cave.”

  Murphy finally spoke. “Let’s get moving. We need to contact Jake Loughlin.”

  * * *

  “Truth is, Sam, I could never close it off – even though I told everyone I did.” Years before, a human trafficking ring had been discovered operating from Dragonfly Pointe and using the cave as a transfer point. “Somehow, it didn’t seem right to do it until after we discovered the identities of all of those who were buried down there,” Jake added grimly.

  “Damn, Jake. We’re just relieved that we actually have access. Although, who knows, maybe we’re totally off base, trying to search here?”

  “It’s a maze down there, Sam. My structural engineers recommended adding steel beams for support, as opposed to closing it off – in case I ever wanted to build any extra cabins. I’ve been advised to leave this area as it is, if I don’t. I use the cellar underground to store the concession stand equipment over the winter months.”

  Sam’s deputies followed behind Jake and Sam as they made their way into the concession stand that’d been built to conceal the trap door. Murphy, Cal, Dylan, and Dan had been asked to remain outside.

  “I’m going down into the tunnels,” Murphy finally said, staring at Dylan.

  “Me, too,” Dylan said, nodding decisively.

  Silently, Dan and Cal followed behind them as they pushed their way inside the building.

  When all four men appeared and stood behind his deputies, Sam broke off his conversation with Jake and sighed in resignation. “Turns out there’re several different tunnels, guys. We’ll probably need all of you, anyway. But, just to play it safe, let’s pair off.

  After they chose partners, the trap door was opened. The men climbed down the long wooden staircase leading into a large cellar-like room that’d been partitioned off with stalls.

  “This used to be the boathouse belonging to the Dragonfly Inn. The inn was actually located here, on the point, back in the late eighteen-hundreds,” Jake explained. Once they reached the cellar, he began handing out flashlights along with rolls of twine.

  “What’s this?” Dan said, staring down in confusion at the twine.

  “Unroll the string as you move through the tunnels.” Jake grimaced. “I stocked up on several rolls after my wife and I got lost down here when we were exploring. It would’ve actually been funny, if it hadn’t taken us hours to find our way back out.”

  “Listen up, guys,” Sam said, grimly. “Be sure to come back here, for reinforcements, if you find them. No one acts alone, unless you have no choice. It’ll be dark soon. Plus, we’ve got thunderstorms coming in. Travel on the lake’s getting kind of rough. The cops patrolling the lake will be meeting up with us shortly.”

  Sam pointed out a pair of passageways on the left. They all switched on their flashlights. Dan hastily took off through one of the winding passageways with Cal following closely behind him. Dylan and Murphy immediately began making their way through the other.

  Jake and Sam, along with two of the deputies, moved off to the right where, apparently, there was another set of passageways.

  Unrolling the string was slowing them down, but Murphy could definitely understand why they needed to take the time. He and Dylan had already come across multiple passageways leading away from the wider one that they were travelling along now.

  As the tunnel suddenly narrowed, Dylan hesitated. There were three different passageways to choose from. “What do ya think, Murph?”

  Murphy nodded to the tunnel on his left. “Why don’t we try that one first? I think I can make out some sounds coming from outside. How about you?”

  Dylan agreed. “We might be getting close to the lake.”

  Five minutes later, when they’d cleared a narrow opening, Murphy knew for sure that they were nearing the lake. The echoes became deafening as the waves crashed repeatedly against the cliffs of Dragonfly Pointe. Thunderstorms were most definitely approaching.

  When Murphy heard the sound of muffled voices, he yanked Dylan back before he was able to step any closer. “Can you hear that, Dylan?” he whispered.

  Dylan stilled. “I think we’ve found them,” he answered softly.

  With a finger to his lips, Murphy crept over to the opening and peered through.

  Sure enough, Jim and Kate were inside. But what he saw made him furious. Jim Dupree had his hands on Kate.

  After peering into the cave over Murphy’s shoulder, Dylan yanked Murphy away from the opening. “Stay cool, Murph,” Dylan admonished quietly. “For now, she’s safe.” Pulling his holster off from around his shoulder, he handed it over to Murphy.”

  Murphy stared down at Dylan’s gun. “What in the hell are you doing?” he hissed.

  “I’ve gotta try to talk some sense into him, Murph. You’ll have to cover me. Jim has a weapon, and he knows how to use it.”

  “But...”

  Dylan held up his hand. “No arguing, Murph. I’m the law here, and I’m trained. Just be ready to tackle the guy. Once I have his attention, I
might be able to get him to turn away from you.”

  Before Murphy could utter another word, Dylan slipped silently into the cavern. “Hold it right there, Jim.”

  Spinning around, Jim pointed his gun directly at Dylan.

  CHAPTER

  THIRTY-FOUR

  Waiting until after the daytime activity had settled down, Jim had parked his cruiser in a slip at the Dragonfly Pointe Inn’s landing. Grasping Kate’s arm tightly with one hand, he’d continued holding his other hand over his weapon. But when they’d begun climbing the long rows of steps of the staircase, Jim had startled her. Halfway up, he’d jumped rather nimbly to a path behind the staircase, and had pulled Kate along beside him. Thick with shrubs and evergreens, the path that led up to Crystal Rock was hidden and barely visible. Kate had clung to Jim as they’d followed the narrow trail that wound along the edge of the steep, towering cliffs.

  Kate had truly been surprised when Jim had pointed out a nearly invisible opening. It’d been stifling for a few long moments – she’d been forced to squeeze in between a narrow crevice edged with huge rounded boulders. They’d finally reached a wide-open cavern. Even after living her entire life here in Crystal Rock, never once, had she suspected that this hideout was here.

  But, obviously, Jim had been here many times. After reaching for the neatly folded blanket that was resting on top of a jutted stone ledge, he spread it out along the uneven surface of the ground.

  Jim finally spoke. “I heard your dad telling Luke Arnett that they were getting a search warrant – this morning on the phone. Luckily, I was there at the worksite talking to Luke. I knew that I’d finally been discovered when I went back to the office and saw that my ledger was missing.