“You heard me. I’ll meet you in half an hour at the top of the lighthouse. And come alone. I’ll be able to see everything from up there so don’t try anything funny. Understand?”
“Yeah. I understand.”
The phone went dead before Nick had a chance to ask to speak to Keira. Carlton might have merely stolen her cell. Maybe she was still safe at home.
And maybe her father was going to kill him himself if she wasn’t, Nick added as he dressed. Aiden’s house was where he was going first.
And if Keira’s not there? he asked himself.
Then it would be time for a full confession. He just hoped it wasn’t going to be too little, too late.
Keira’s feet and hands were so cold they stung. Her teeth chattered. Her body shook. Every step sent needles of pain shooting up her legs.
As her captor dragged her through the side yard of the Fitzgerald house and pushed her into his old pickup truck, she was almost glad. At least that meant she was no longer forced to walk barefoot across snow and refrozen slush.
Pulling up her legs under her, she tried to slip her feet inside the cuffs of her sweatpants. That helped a little. So did pulling down the long sleeves over her hands. It wasn’t as good as having gloves and boots but considering the gravity of her current situation, she figured she’d be doing well to survive, let alone find a modicum of comfort.
Carlton slid behind the wheel and released the parking brake. He left the headlights and engine off until they had coasted down the hill a short way, then fired up the truck and hit the gas.
It occurred to Keira to ask if he was trying to kill them both by racing so recklessly through the fog but she held her tongue. The less attention she called to herself, the better.
From what she’d read in the newspaper archives about this man, he tended to be unforgiving and brutal. That was how he’d escaped from custody in the first place. Some of his fellow officers had treated him kindly and he’d repaid them by grabbing a gun, shooting up the station and fleeing.
According to ensuing reports, he had later murdered one of the dirty cops who had been going to testify against him in exchange for a reduced sentence. No wonder Nick had been so concerned when he’d learned that Carlton was nearby.
Confounded by her musings, Keira lowered her forehead to her knees and pulled herself into a ball on the truck seat, arms wrapped around her calves. If Nick had known how dangerous the man was, why hadn’t he warned her?
Because he didn’t know Carlton was here. We didn’t tell him about the fingerprint ID, she answered. If Nick had suspected that an actual threat was imminent, he surely would have spoken up and admitted everything. She knew he would have.
And if I had confided in him, as my partner, I wouldn’t be in this fix now, either.
Keira’s jaw clenched. Whether or not that conclusion was true, she intended to cling to it. To believe Nick would have told the truth in order to protect her.
The truck skidded around a corner and bumped over a curb. She had to brace herself to keep from sliding off the seat. The cylindrical side of the familiar white tower of the lighthouse loomed ahead.
There were no lights on at Charles’s nearby home. Everything was dark as a tomb.
Bad analogy, Keira thought wryly. Really, really bad.
Nick had phoned Aiden to alert him that he’d be arriving and to ask that the other Fitzgerald officers be included in their emergency meeting. Rather than wait for a ride, he’d jogged the two blocks up the hill and managed to beat Ryan and Owen. They slid their cars into the driveway just as Nick was running onto the porch.
He didn’t have to knock. Aiden jerked open the door and dragged him inside by the sleeve of his jacket while the others brought up the rear.
“Where’s my daughter?”
“That’s what I came here to talk about.” Breathing hard, Nick led the way into the living room. Judging by the dirty looks he was getting, he wouldn’t be given long to explain before the group lost its collective patience.
Nick faced Aiden. “You’ve checked the house like I said? She’s not here?”
“All I found was some melting ice cream on the floor in the kitchen. Her bed hasn’t been slept in. It looked like she’d been sitting on it and using her computer.”
“All right. Then I know where she is and who took her.”
In the background he heard a female gasp and spotted the housekeeper entering with a steaming coffeepot and a tray of mugs. “I can’t believe I slept through it all,” Irene said. “I’m so sorry, Aiden.”
“Just put that down and leave us,” the chief ordered. He waited until the men were alone again before he glared at Nick and said, “Okay. We’re waiting. Where’s Keira?”
“Carlton has her,” Nick said, feeling the words nearly choking him. “He wants me to trade myself for her.”
“Where?”
“The lighthouse.”
“When?”
Nick checked his watch. “He gave me half an hour. We have fifteen minutes left.”
“Why my daughter?” Aiden asked.
“Two reasons, I suspect,” Nick replied. “One, he wants to hurt me and he knows how much I care about her. Two, she’s an honest cop. He hates them almost as much as he hates me.”
“Because of something that happened in Boston?”
“Yes.” Nodding, Nick briefly explained his former job before he said, “I didn’t come here just to help you solve the Henry murder. I was sent to Fitzgerald Bay to prove that you and your department were falsifying evidence in an attempt to exonerate Charles.” He cleared his throat. “The reason you couldn’t find much in my file was because it had been scrubbed to hide my real background.”
The murderous glares coming his way didn’t surprise Nick. He did, however, have one more thing to say. “If you had told me up front that you’d lifted Carlton’s prints, we might have avoided all this, you know.”
Aiden grimaced. “I know. Keira wanted to but I didn’t trust you. And I was right.”
“It was my job,” Nick countered. “You’ll be glad to hear I didn’t find any indication that you were being untruthful.”
“That’s little consolation right now,” the chief said. He looked to his sons. “We’ll have to be very careful how we go about this. Charles’s place will make a perfect command post. I’ll call and let him know we’re coming.”
He handed Nick his spare key ring. “You take my car and stage in front of the police station. We’ll work our way into the house by the back way and radio when we’re ready. Come in hot and loud to cover any movements we’ll be making as we get into position.”
“All right.” Nick fisted the keys. “He said he wanted just me so I’ll have to make the climb to the top alone.”
“I know.” Slowly, deliberately, Aiden offered his hand.
Nick shook it, assuming the other man was about to wish him good luck. He was floored when the chief said, “Godspeed. We’ll all be praying for you.”
“C-can’t we just wait here in the truck?” Keira stammered through chattering teeth. “I’m freezing.”
“Too bad. I need to be high enough to see if your boyfriend tries to pull another fast one.”
“What can he possibly do?” She had a few ideas of her own but they involved other members of her family as backup. Her fondest hope was that Nick had disobeyed Carlton’s orders and had asked for their help.
“Plenty,” he grumbled, dragging her across the truck’s seat and pulling her out the driver’s door after him. “But he won’t win this time. Not while I’ve got you.”
“We know you pushed that boulder down on us,” she said, stumbling and struggling as he tugged her along. “What about the other stuff? Was it you who tried to run me down?”
“What if it was?”
“I—I just wondered how long you’d been in town, that’s all. Why didn’t you plant the narcotics when you ransacked Nick’s room at the inn?”
He guffawed, keeping the sound muffled enough that it
didn’t carry well. “How far back are you planning to go? Would you like to blame that old murder on me, too? Huh? Well, forget it. I was in Boston until a week ago.”
“But you did hit my patrol car. I recognize this truck.”
“Maybe. I almost took a shot at you and my buddy Delfino outside that big party at the inn, too, but there were too many witnesses milling around. I might not have gotten away with it.”
“So you went to Nick’s and planted the dope, instead?”
“You’re a nosy little thing, aren’t you?”
“I’d just like to know how you managed to stay hidden and accomplish so much when everybody in Fitzgerald Bay knows everybody else.”
“Because I’m smarter than all of you put together,” Carlton boasted. “I moved into an empty house practically across the street from the old mill, hid out and kept a low profile while I watched Delfino and everybody else come and go. Made me laugh to see how clueless you all were.”
“The Smith place. Of course. We didn’t search it because the truck that was parked there wasn’t the same one that tried to run me down.”
“You sure about that?” Chortling, he slammed her against the door at the base of the lighthouse and ordered, “Open it.”
“I can’t. It’s locked.”
Carlton snorted derisively. “You must think I’m dumber than your partner.” He reached past her and twisted the knob easily. “I already made sure we could get in.”
Rusty hinges creaked. Keira was unceremoniously shoved inside and the door slammed behind her.
“Climb,” the burly man ordered. He poked her in the ribs with the barrel of his gun. “And don’t stop until we get to the catwalk at the top.”
NINETEEN
Nick’s heart was in his throat. It was all he could do to sit there in the chief’s private car and wait for the order to move in. The radio in his hand felt as if it weighed a hundred pounds and his heart was hammering so loudly he wondered if he’d be able to hear anything over the noise of his own pulse.
Finally, the radio crackled. All Aiden said was, “Go.”
That made sense considering the fact that Carlton might also have a police radio and be listening to their calls. Hopefully, that was not the case because Nick needed all the help he could get and the situation would probably come out a lot better if their enemy didn’t know what they were up to.
Not that Nick did. Not really. All he knew was that he was the decoy. What actions the others took was up to them.
In truth, he didn’t care what happened as long as he got Keira out in one piece. One living, breathing piece.
He revved the engine and dropped the transmission into gear. Hands fisted on the wheel, he gritted his teeth. This plan had to work. Had to be successful. The alternative was unacceptable.
Ahead, the fog seemed to part momentarily, almost as if he were meant to make the short trip safely and quickly. Was this kind of thing what Aiden had meant when he’d said they’d pray? He doubted it.
If there was even the slightest chance that God might help Keira, Nick figured he’d better ask. Only how? He hadn’t been raised in church and the prayers he had heard a few times had sounded formal and very proper.
“That’s not me,” Nick said aloud. “I’m just a regular guy who happens to be in love with a woman who needs Your help right now, Lord. I don’t deserve anything from You. But she does. So help her, will You? Please, God? And if it’ll do any good, use me. I’m not much but I’m all Yours.”
The sky didn’t open. But Nick did feel a strange sort of peace. And an added strength of purpose.
As he wheeled the car into the parking lot at the base of the old lighthouse, he made sure the tires squealed, then revved the engine again before shutting it off. If that wasn’t enough distraction for the cops he hoped were already on scene, there was nothing he could do about it.
Not wanting to give away their plan due to inopportune radio traffic, he laid the handheld unit on the seat of the car and got out without it. He was on his own now. It was just him and Carlton.
And the Lord? Perhaps. Time would tell. As far as Nick was concerned, it was all well and good to turn to prayer if a person had no other choice. In his case, he’d start by relying on his gun and his wits. They were proven weapons. The spiritual stuff was not.
Out of breath, her legs aching, her feet feeling as though icicles as sharp as needles were piercing them, Keira stumbled the final few steps to the top level of the tower and fell to her knees.
Here was where the giant light had once glowed, guiding mariners through treacherous shoals and into the safety of the bay. Now that global positioning satellites had taken over and the lights were no longer needed, a few, like this one, had been preserved as historical sites.
She couldn’t imagine having to climb those spiral stairs, night after night, to tend to the light and keep it burning, not even after the original open flame had been converted to electricity. Right now, she actually wished the light was in use so it would provide a little warmth. The next time she got up at night to raid the fridge, she was definitely going to remember to wear slippers.
She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. If there ever is another night like this. Hopefully, her days of being dragged from her warm home and forced to endure such biting cold would be over as soon as Nick rescued her.
Nick Delfino. Here I go again, she mused, thinking of him. Dreaming of him as if he were her knight in shining armor. More like dented, rusty, squeaky armor, she corrected, still miffed yet nevertheless yearning to see him again. What was wrong with her? Didn’t she have the sense of a clam? Apparently not.
Keira sighed and closed her eyes, half picturing Nick, half praying for him—and for herself. Her personal faith had been a lot stronger when she was younger. These days she was more apt to try to figure things out and fix them herself than to take her problems straight to the Lord the way she used to. The loss of her mother had been the turning point. She’d prayed her heart out and Mama had still died.
Was it going to be her turn tonight? she wondered. Or maybe Nick’s?
“Please, Lord, no,” she whispered behind her hands so her captor wouldn’t overhear. “Not Nick. Please, not Nick.”
Because I love him, she added silently. In spite of all his lies, all his undercover prying regarding the FBPD, she was deeply, desperately in love with him.
She just hoped and prayed they would both live long enough for her to have a chance to tell him how she felt.
Right now, their future wasn’t looking very promising.
“Carlton!” Nick cupped both hands around his mouth and shouted from the base of the tower.
“Come on up” echoed down.
There was no doubt in Nick’s mind that he was about to face an ominous foe. If circumstances had not included Keira, he would never have agreed to this risky meeting.
Aiden, Ryan, Owen and Douglas must be close by. At least Nick hoped they were. If he was truly about to enter the lion’s den, he’d much rather have backup.
As he put his foot on the bottom step and started to climb, it occurred to him that the reference to a lion’s den was biblical. Funny he’d remember that right now.
Nick paused halfway up, listening, then shouted. “I want to know Keira’s okay.” And make sure you really have her, he added to himself.
“Fine.”
He heard scuffling from above and a tiny squeal before she said, “Ouch! Okay, okay. I’ll talk to him.”
“Keira? Are you all right?”
“Yes. I’m sorry, Nick. I should have been more careful.”
“Don’t worry. I’m coming on up.”
“No! Don’t do it. He’s got a gun again.”
Nick heard Carlton’s maniacal laugh and sensed that the man was teetering on the edge of insanity. “Let the woman go. She can pass me on the stairs.”
“You must think I’m dumber than dirt,” the fugitive said with a snort. “Keep climbing, Delfino. We’ll
talk when I can look you in the eye.”
The final few steps were the hardest. Nick was afraid Carlton would shoot him the moment he poked his head through to the metal catwalk that circled the uppermost level.
Instead, fog-filtered moonlight showed that the man was using Keira as a human shield, apparently anticipating the same kind of lethal welcome. Her eyes were wide, her face flushed, and she was grasping the arm that imprisoned her with both her hands.
At that moment, it was all Nick could do to stifle the urge to launch an attack, even though taking a bullet was a fool’s choice. Logic prevailed. A lot of good he’d be to Keira if he was lying there bleeding to death.
“Okay. You have me. Now let her go,” Nick said. He extended his arms, hands open, to demonstrate his desire for peace.
“Take out your gun and toss it over the side,” Carlton ordered. “Now.”
There was no way to fake a throw. His foe would be able to tell if the gun didn’t actually fall. Not only were they standing on an open metal grate, the glistening railing around the catwalk was no more than a single bar of ice-coated pipe that stood about waist high.
“All right.” He slid his Glock from its holster at the small of his back and displayed it before flinging it over the side. It clattered on the rocks below. Then, everything was silent except for the whooshing of the surf and the whistle of the increasing wind off the Atlantic.
“Now the other one,” Carlton ordered. “Every good cop has a holdout gun on him.”
“Not tonight,” Nick replied. “I left in too big a hurry.”
“Pull up your pant legs. Both of them. Show me.”
As Nick bent forward to comply, he cast a wary glance at Keira and noticed a glimmer in her eyes that worried him. Surely she didn’t intend to try to overpower a man the size of the one who had his forearm pressed across her neck and shoulders. She’d never be able to toss him unless he was moving, and even then it was iffy.
Keira nodded.
Nick shook his head and stared, willing her to obey.
The Rookie's Assignment Page 18