by Clay, Verna
Chapter 24: Reassessment
Dottie squeezed her eyes tight. She'd been making out with Collin and if they hadn't been interrupted, how far would things have gone?
She sat up fighting the woozy feeling that still plagued her and walked to the windows where Collin had been standing. Moving her gaze along the beach she fought tears of frustration. Her feelings for Collin intensified every day, and now that he'd shown interest in her other than as a friend, she had a decision to make. Should she allow the course they were on to continue, or nip it in the bud? Should she throw caution to the wind and have an affair with him that would surely end in a broken heart for her since he wasn’t the type to settle down with just one woman?
She sniffed and brushed at a tear.
* * *
Collin entered the living room to find Kate standing behind the bar pouring a drink. She glanced up. "Your usual?"
"No. Just water."
She lifted an eyebrow. "Well, I need a stiff shot after the hell of yesterday." She tipped her shot glass back and gulped before opening the fridge to retrieve a bottle of water. Grabbing another for herself, she walked to hand Collin his. Settling onto the couch across from him, she twisted the cap on her water, took a long swig, and then set it on the coffee table. She leaned forward. "Any idea what happened with Dottie's gear?"
Collin decided to play dumb. "Not really. Do you have any thoughts?"
She shrugged. "Malfunctions are known to happen in our line of work."
"Except that nothing like that has ever happened to us before. So, why now?"
Kate's expression darkened. "Do you think there was foul play?"
"I don't know. Do you?" His stare held hers.
Something flickered in her eyes, maybe astonishment, and she jerked upright. "Now wait a minute. You don't think that I had anything to do with this, do you?"
He didn't respond.
She sucked a breath. "Collin, I may have feelings for you, but hurting another woman you're interested in isn't my style."
Collin risked a question. "What about me? Is hurting me your style?"
"What are you talking about? You weren't on the dive."
"I'm not talking about the dive." He glanced at his crutches leaning against his chair.
Kate followed his gaze. Her jaw dropped.
She whispered, "No!" and jerked her eyes back to his. "Are you telling me your plane was sabotaged?"
"Perhaps. The crash is still under investigation."
Kate lifted a hand to cover her mouth. "Oh, my god!"
Something about her demeanor made Collin uncomfortable. "Do you know something?"
She replied with astonishment, "Of course not! It's-it's just so shocking. Why would anyone want to harm you or Dottie?"
Collin shrugged and lifted his water bottle to his lips. "I may not have the answers now, but I promise you, I will soon. And heaven help anyone behind this."
Kate stood and walked to the bar, pouring herself another shot of whiskey. "Have you notified the authorities?"
"Yes. In fact, Detective Aguiar is expected anytime."
Kate gulped the shot, gathered her purse on the bar's counter, and said, "I just came by to see how Dottie's doing."
"She's recovering well. Thanks."
"If there's anything I can do, just ask."
Again, Collin said, "Thanks."
After Kate left, Collin pondered their conversation. Had she been hiding something? He couldn't tell. Was she capable of murder? He didn't know. Did she have the knowledge of how to sabotage dive gear? Yes. An airplane? Not likely.
Collin's thoughts shifted to Dottie. He closed his eyes feeling her body beneath his; her sweet mouth returning his kisses; his desire for her. Physically, he wanted her like he'd never wanted any woman, but there was more. He wanted to touch her essence, if such a thing were possible. Was he ready to commit himself solely to one woman? If not, he needed to back away. She was the kind of woman who wanted the happily-ever-after commitment. Was he even capable of such a thing?
Sandy entered the room and distracted his thoughts. "Oliver just opened the gate to Detective Aguiar. Would you like to meet with him in here or somewhere else?"
Collin reached for his crutches. "Show him to the library."
Sandy nodded and left the room.
Fifteen minutes later, Collin was sitting on the settee in his library and J.D. was standing beside the wall of windows gazing at the ocean. The detective said, "You have a beautiful place, Collin, but I have to tell you, the view from my cottage is superior to this one."
Collin chuckled. "And I agree with you. How'd you get that piece of prime property anyway?"
J.D. turned around and grinned. "Not on a detective's salary, that's for sure. My great-great grandfather won that beachfront land in a poker game." J.D. winked. "And I'm wondering if his slight of hand with a deck of cards had anything to do with it. He never would answer that question straight out."
"So…when you were considering a career, did you ever consider professional gambling?"
J.D. laughed loudly. "I couldn't win a game of Go Fish. No, my friend, I've always wanted to be a part of the police force."
"Speaking of which…"
"Yes, speaking of which, it's time to get down to business. Tell me everything that's happened from the beginning when you left for Arizona, even the smallest details."
Chapter 25: Shocking News
Dottie heard a knock on her door and then Collin said, "May I come in."
Her eyes remained fixed on the horizon as she stood at her window. Her heart raced as she answered, "Yes, of course." She heard the door open and held her breath. How would Collin respond to what had almost happened between them?
The door clicked shut. After that, the room was silent. Summoning her courage, she moved her gaze away from the sailboat that had become a speck in the distance and turned around. Collin was leaning against the doorframe. His eyes roamed her face. The intensity made her want to twirl back around. She met his gaze.
He said, "I need to tell you something."
She nodded.
He motioned to an overstuffed chair in the room. "Maybe you better sit down."
His frown had Dottie surmising that their encounter was something he very much regretted. Before he could say anything, she lifted a trembling hand to push a stray lock of hair from her cheek. She saw Collin's gaze shift to her mouth. She said, "I think it would be best if I returned to Oasis."
Collin sighed heavily. "That's not possible right now."
Now Dottie frowned. "Why not?"
He lifted a hand to squeeze the bridge of his nose. "Because someone is trying to kill us and I need to keep you protected."
Chapter 26: Full Plate
Over the next week Dottie tried to make sense of Collin's revelation. She'd been expecting him to address their romantic interlude. Nothing could have prepared her for what he'd said. Someone wanted them dead—both their accidents had been premeditated.
He'd then recounted his call from Jake and visit with Detective Aguiar. Dottie had been stunned. When Collin stood to leave, she'd wanted to embrace him and offer comfort, but she didn't know how he would receive it. He hadn't made mention of their kisses. She supposed he had so much on his plate that their make-out session wasn't top priority.
The day after Collin's revelation, Dottie was lounging on the patio outside her room when she heard him talking to Jake over his cell phone. She saw him pacing near the pool. They were talking about the trawler posted near the dive site to watch for poachers. Because she didn't want to be an eavesdropper, she stood to return to her room. Before she entered, however, she overheard more of the conversation. Collin cussed and said it was only a matter of time until their discovery of the Vittoria would find its way into the media, and when the reporters discovered the attempt on their lives, all hell would break lose and the tabloids would have a field day.
Dottie wondered how things could get much worse.
Chapter 27: Things Get W
orse
Security guards had been posted at the front and rear of Collin's home and Dottie hadn't left the estate for a week. She had been interviewed by Detective Aguiar a couple of times. He'd wanted her to recount not only her scuba diving incident, but Collin's plane crash. He'd said no detail was too minor. She'd complied wholeheartedly. The strain on Collin's face was breaking her heart and her womanly instinct to comfort him was barely held in check.
At the beginning of the second week, Collin received a call and shouted "dammit" into the phone. After hanging up, he confessed, "The news media got wind of the discovery of the Vittoria and problems with our dive." He glanced at Dottie. "I'm so sorry, honey. I never meant to turn your life upside down."
Even though Sandy and Oliver were in the kitchen, Dottie gave in to instinct and approached Collin, lifting her arms to encircle his broad shoulders. "You are not to blame."
She felt him shift one of his crutches and then snake his arm around her waist, pulling her tightly against him. He placed his mouth on her ear. "I'll make it up to you. I promise."
For a long time they held each other and when they separated, Oliver and Sandy were no longer in the kitchen. Collin's eyes drifted over Dottie's face and then he lowered his mouth to hers, gently kissing her. His lips lingered for only a moment and then he stepped backward. He spoke softly, "I need to make some phone calls." He crutched from the kitchen.
It was late before Dottie drifted to sleep, but when she did, it was deep and lethargic. Emotional exhaustion had depleted her energy. Her dreams turned nightmarish. She was with Collin in the cockpit of a small aircraft. The plane suddenly nosedived and panic choked off her breathing. The dream morphed from air to water. She was scuba diving alongside Collin as he pointed out colorful plants and fish. She was so happy, but when she inhaled, there was no oxygen in her tank. She swam frantically toward Collin, but she could never reach him.
Dottie jerked her eyes open and tried to expand her chest with a deep gulp of air.
Her nightmare was real! She still couldn't breathe. She clawed at something covering her mouth, only to discover it was a hand. A male voice snarled against her ear. "Don't worry I'm not going to kill you, yet. Oh, no. I have better things planned. Collin's going to suffer the way he made me suffer. She was mine, but he stole her from me."
Dottie clawed at the vise over her mouth. The man was big and he'd pinned her against the mattress with his body. With everything in her, she struggled to free herself. But it was no use. A fist connected with her jaw. Intense pain rendered her mute and helpless. Like a rag doll she sagged and the man stuffed a gag into her mouth. He dragged her backward through her open slider, keeping her hands pinned to her sides and half lifting her. She fought to regain her senses. Beyond a doubt she knew her life depended on it.
Some of her strength returned, but she feigned listlessness. Perhaps she could break away and run if she caught him unawares. Where was the security guard?
The sound of waves lapping the shore became louder and the pungent odor of the sea grew stronger. Was her assailant going to drown her?
He stopped but Dottie kept her head lolled to the side. Barely lifting her eyelids, she saw the outline of a small boat. Her mind raced trying to determine the moment she should attempt her escape.
That moment arrived when he strode into the water, positioning her to toss into the boat. Before she could attempt an escape, however, she was again fisted in the face. Her world turned black.
* * *
Pain forced Dottie into wakefulness. She wanted to stay in a gray world where only dull throbbing wracked her jaw, not this excruciating pain too intense to ignore. The return of pain was accompanied by the return of memory.
She had been abducted!
Hyperventilating wouldn't help her so she forced herself to breathe steadily and slowly. She needed to assess the situation.
She was bound and gagged and the sound of lapping water, along with a rocking motion, evidenced she had been loaded into the boat. Feigning unconsciousness, she peeked through lowered lashes to see a dark figure steering the craft and she heard the noise of a small motor.
The ride seemed endless, but she remained motionless, desperately thinking how to escape. Finally, the skiff banked. Still, she pretended to be unconscious. When a hulking figure nudged her, she didn't move. Grunting, the man jumped from the boat and lifted her over his shoulder. Had she not been tied so tightly she would have fought him then, figuring it was better to fight and die, than do nothing.
She watched the ground beneath her and when he stopped, she heard a familiar sound. Realizing it was the trunk of a car being popped, her mind screamed, NO! With unearthly restraint she remained still. She couldn't take another hit rendering her unconscious and dulling her senses. She was plopped into the trunk and the lid slammed shut.
Dottie's heart pounded so hard she thought she would die of a heart attack, and some part of her found comfort in imagining her captor opening the trunk and discovering her already dead.
The ride wasn't long. But it gave Dottie enough time to explore the rope binding her hands and feet. She wiggled her hands trying to free them, and in her struggle she felt something beneath her hip. Moving her body until her hands could grasp the object, she almost cried with relief. It was a small shard of metal or glass. If given enough time, maybe she could cut through her bonds. She started on the rope tying her feet. If she freed them, she could run. The car slowed and stopped as soon as she began sawing at the rope. Hiding the small shard in her palm, she again focused on her breathing and feigned unconsciousness.
The trunk popped open and a hand nudged her. She remained silent. Her assailant said, "You're either a good actress or I cocked you out cold."
If not for the gag in her mouth, Dottie would have screamed. She recognized the voice. Smith!
Smith lifted her over his shoulder and trudged away from the car.
Dottie gathered every faculty she possessed trying to determine her whereabouts. From the sound of Smith's footfalls, he was either walking on concrete or a tarmac. The smell of petrol and oil was strong. They had to be at the airport.
When Smith stopped walking she heard a rustle of keys. He shifted her body to open a door. Once inside, he immediately shut them in, flipped on a light, and dumped her hard on the ground at the back of the room. Her only sound was an escaped grunt.
"So, little lady, are you finally coming around?"
She didn't respond.
Chapter 28: J.D.
The unique chime of Collin's cell phone alerted him to the fact that J.D. was calling. He jerked upright. His bedside clock registered 3:08 a.m.
"What's up?" he said hoarsely into the phone.
"We think we know who the culprit is."
Collin reached to lift his casted leg over the side of the bed so he could sit up. "I'm all ears."
"A few minutes ago the night officer patched a call through from Kate Sorenson. She sounded frantic. She was talking so fast I had a hard time keeping up—but before I tell you more, I want you to check on Dottie. Make sure she's okay. I know you have security, but do it for my peace of mind.
"I'm on my way. Keep talking." Collin grabbed his crutches and hurried from his room.
J.D. continued his explanation. "From what I gleaned, Kate had a secret lover and they concocted a plan to divest you of a lot of money and valuables. But the plan went sour when she fell in love with you and called things off with her boyfriend. You can imagine that didn't go over well with him."
Collin had almost reached Dottie's room. "Who was her lover?"
"Hold on to your hat, buddy. Franklin Smith, your pilot."
With his hand slowly turning Dottie's doorknob, he squelched a loud profanity. He peeked around the door allowing his eyes to adjust to the light, hoping he wouldn't wake her or scare the daylights out of her.
The cloudy night shrouded the room in shadow even though the bank of windows were not draped. He stepped farther into the room. The sight of
tangled covers, half on the floor and half on the bed, stopped his heartbeat. Dottie was gone!
He shouted the profanity he'd earlier squelched, "Fuck!"
"What! What!" J.D. shouted over the phone.
"She's not here and it looks like there was a struggle."
"I'm on my way with a full force of officers. What the hell happened to your security? Don't touch anything."
Collin rushed through the open slider. "I'm headed toward the beach."
J.D. said, "Collin, as much as you want to help, you could destroy evidence. You need–"
Collin interrupted, "I almost stumbled over my security guard. It appears he was whacked on the head. I can feel a knot and blood. It's so fucking dark I can't see much. He's got a pulse, thank god."
J.D. said, "I'll dispatch an ambulance."
Collin disconnected the call before J.D. could again admonish him to stay in the house. He crutched as fast as he could to the beach, but saw no one. He was still scanning the area when he heard sirens and saw the lights of the police force rushing toward his home.
By the time he got back to the house, J.D. and several officers were just entering the front door. Oliver and Sandy stood off to the side, their eyes wide with fright and confusion.
J.D. didn't waste time chastising Collin, he merely said, "Did you find anything that might help?"
"No. I covered the beach extensively, but it's so dark I couldn't see if there were footprints."
"Okay. I'm on it." He turned to one of the officers. "We need to light the beach up, look for footprints."
"Yes, sir," the officer replied and hastened from the room.
In a short time, the beach was lit like a baseball diamond with detectives combing it. Collin paced the length of the living room on his crutches while Oliver and Sandy huddled together on the couch.
J.D. walked into the room with his cell phone held to his ear. "Good work," he said as he hung up. He glanced at Collin. "They found additional tracks on the beach that led into the water."