by Paula Graves
Mike was her safe place.
Her breathing settled into a regular cadence, and the panic subsided.
“Do you want to keep going?” Lauren asked.
“Yes.”
“You were unconscious, weren’t you?”
“I must have been. I think Alice drugged my beer.” Charlie frowned. “She was planning something. I knew she was. And it had something to do with that building across the alley from the bar.”
“You don’t know what that building was?”
She thought about it, tried to picture the place. “The alley was behind it. I’m not sure I even know what street the building must have faced. I didn’t spend a lot of time in Mercerville when I was younger. It was sort of the big city to me then.” She laughed at the thought. “Little Mercerville as the big city. Isn’t that something?”
“Let’s not worry too much about that building. That’s information we can track down later,” Lauren said. “I’m more interested in what happened when the world came back to you.”
Tension built low in her spine. “I don’t remember.”
“Are you sure? Maybe you just don’t want to remember.”
Charlie shook her head. “I do want to. It’s just a blank.”
“You told me before we started that you had a memory of seeing Alice dead. Can you recall that moment?”
Charlie shivered, but she let her mind return to the dark alley. She was past the gravel, lying facedown on the pavement at the edge of the road. Peavine Road, she remembered. That was where Alice’s body had been found.
She opened her eyes, bracing herself for what she knew she’d see.
But Alice wasn’t dead.
She stood in the middle of Peavine Road, crying. Her blouse had been torn at the shoulder, and her wavy blond hair was tousled and frizzy from the light drizzle falling. The light on the corner seemed to glow underwater as fog rolled into the streets, washing everything in a dreamy haze.
Charlie tried to call Alice’s name, but her tongue was thick. And Alice wasn’t listening to anyone. Not even the man who stood nearby, talking to her in fast, tense tones.
When it happened, it was fast and shocking. A large black sedan, moving fast and strangely quiet, the motor hum barely audible over the thudding bass beat coming from inside the nearby bar. It slammed into Alice from behind, hitting her waist high and sending her flying up into the air. She landed on the trunk of the moving car and rolled off, slamming into the pavement with a sickening thud.
“I saw it happen,” Charlie rasped, her heart racing with shock. “I saw Alice killed.”
“Can you remember anything about the car?”
“It was big and black. A sedan. It looked expensive, but I’m not an expert on cars. I remember the engine was quiet. I think that’s why it seems like an expensive car to me. No rattling engine or faulty muffler.”
“You said you heard a man’s voice talking to Alice. What do you remember about it?”
“It seemed familiar. It still does, but I can’t place it.”
“You’re lying on the side of the road still. You’re seeing Alice’s body in the road. You must be feeling shocked and traumatized.”
Cold crept into her skin. “Yes. I feel as if it’s not real, even though I just saw it happen. I think I need to get to Alice, I need to help her. But I can’t move. I can only watch the blood spreading across the pavement beneath her head.”
“What about the man who was talking to Alice? Can you tell what he’s doing?”
“He’s walking into the road. I can’t see anything but his back.”
“What is he wearing?”
“Jeans. A jacket—maybe a rain jacket. It has a hood.” Her breath caught. “Like the man I saw in the alley last night.”
She watched the man bend close to Alice’s body. He reached out one shaking hand as if to touch her, but he pulled it back at the last minute.
But not before his sleeve pulled away from his arm, revealing a half-moon scar on the inside of his wrist. “Oh, my God. He has a scar on his wrist. A half-moon scar.”
On instinct, she reached out for Mike. He caught her hand, and the cold, dark alley disappeared. She was in Mike’s living room again, seated near a warm fire. Lauren Pell sat across from her, her expression curious.
“I know who the man was,” Charlie said. “I remember. He stood up and turned toward me. I saw his face.” Even now, the features of the man’s face were so clear in her mind, she wondered why she’d never been able to recall them before now. Sandy hair, wisps peeking out from the rain jacket’s hood. Cool blue eyes, dark with fear. Straight, sharp features twisted with shock and desperation.
“Who was it?” Mike asked.
“Randall Feeney. Craig Bearden’s chief aide.”
* * *
“ARE YOU SURE he wasn’t the person in the car?” Archer Trask asked Charlie. He and Maddox Heller had returned to Mike’s house at Mike’s request shortly after Lauren Pell departed. She’d left a recording of the hypnosis session with Mike and Charlie, which they’d played for the two men soon after they arrived.
“Pretty sure. I heard him talking to Alice right before she was hit.” Sitting next to Mike, Charlie seemed to have recovered from the hypnosis session for the most part, though there was a strained sadness in her hazel eyes that made Mike’s heart hurt.
Witnessing the murder of her best friend had clearly traumatized her so much that she’d repressed those memories. She still believed she’d been drugged, but some of the memories she’d thought were gone had, instead, been concealed beneath the trauma.
“But he saw the hit-and-run and never told anyone,” Mike added. “So we think he must have some idea who was driving.”
“When we went out into the alley, I heard voices. I couldn’t make them out. I can’t say for sure if they were male or female. But I think they were in that building behind the bar.”
“That was the Mercerville branch of Craig Bearden’s campaign for state senator,” Trask said. “I remember because when we canvassed the area for potential witnesses, it was one of the places we stopped. I remember wondering if Bearden would ever step foot in the place again, knowing his daughter died in the street just a few yards away.”
“Did he?” Mike asked, curious.
“Never did. They closed the office and sold the property. Took the proceeds and started a scholarship fund in Alice’s name.”
“Feeney was never questioned?”
“No. He didn’t have any motive, as far as anyone knew. Bearden and his wife both said Alice preferred to stay out of her father’s political campaign, so she didn’t have much contact with anyone in his office. And we started focusing on the idea that she’d been hit by a driver under the influence, considering how close it had been to the bar.”
“But we have a problem going after Feeney, don’t we?” Heller said.
“We do,” Trask admitted, looking at Charlie. “No offense, but your memories aren’t going to give us any kind of legal probable cause to bring him in for questioning. He’ll lawyer up and we won’t have a leg to stand on.”
Charlie looked at Mike, frustration shining in her eyes. He reached over and caught her hand, giving it an encouraging squeeze. She squeezed back and lifted her chin, turning her gaze back to Trask. “So, let’s figure out a way to come up with a little probable cause.”
Something in the tone of Charlie’s voice sent a ripple of tension through Mike’s gut. Across from them, Archer Trask frowned, his eyes narrowing.
“Just what do you have in mind?” he asked Charlie.
“If we’re right, Feeney intercepted the phone call I made to Craig Bearden, telling him I was starting to remember more about the night Alice died. And after that, he started following me and then tampered with my brakes and broke i
nto my house to scare me off. Maybe twice, if Mike is right about the scar he saw on the intruder’s wrist. Then, last night, he apparently drugged Mike so he’d have a clear path to me. I think he was planning to kill me.”
“I think you’re probably right,” Trask agreed.
“So maybe we should offer him what he wants.”
“Charlie—” Mike began warningly.
“I think we should set a trap for Randall Feeney. With me as the bait.”
Chapter Sixteen
“This is a crazy idea.” Mike stopped in the middle of his restless pacing to face Charlie. “You don’t need to be there.” Ever since Charlie had proposed her plan earlier, all Mike could do was try to come up with reasons why it was a terrible idea.
“Yes. I do. He’s tracking us somehow. He needs to see you drop me off at my house alone or he’s not going to make his move.”
“Oh. I forgot to tell you. We think we know how he’s following us.” Mike told her about the tracker attached to his truck. “Heller said he left it there, so Feeney knows we’re still here.”
“He’s still going to assume you’ll be with me.”
Mike started pacing again. “I just don’t think you need to put your head in the noose to make this work.”
“Well, I do. And Trask and Heller both agree.”
Mike grimaced. “They’re thinking of the case. Not you.”
Charlie crossed until she blocked his path. “I am the case.”
“Not to me.” He cupped her face between his large hands, his touch so gentle it made her chest ache. “You’re not just a case to me.”
She laid her hands over his. “I know. And you’re not just a bodyguard to me, either.”
He bent and kissed her forehead, then pulled her into his arms, pressing his face into her hair. When he spoke, his breath was warm against her cheek. “I want this done. I want you to be free and safe. I need that.”
She stroked his broad, strong back, marveling at the solid feel of him beneath her fingers. He was a man of steel, inside and out, strong in all the ways she admired.
And he admired her, too. That was the crazy, intoxicating part of their burgeoning relationship. He wanted her, yes. That was evident in the fiery desire she saw in his eyes sometimes when he looked at her. But he also liked her. Respected her choices, even when, like now, they drove him crazy.
She wasn’t used to being admired and respected by anyone.
“I can do this,” she said, pulling her head back to look into his worried green eyes. “It’ll be okay.”
“I hope so.” He caressed her cheek. “But does it have to be tonight? Can’t we have just one more night to ourselves?”
“Just one?”
His eyes narrowed, and he kissed her. Hard and deep, a kiss that sent her head swirling and her heart racing. And he pulled away all too soon, crossing to stand by the fireplace, his gaze directed toward the flickering flames. “Never just one,” he growled.
“After tonight, we can have as many nights as we want.”
He gave her a look so full of promise she thought her heart would burst, but before she could take a step toward him, the perimeter alarm went off, and Mike instantly went on full alert.
He had added a front door camera connected to a phone app after his mother’s unexpected arrival had caught them off guard. He checked his phone and relaxed marginally. “The cavalry,” he murmured as he went to the door to greet the new arrivals.
Besides Heller and Trask, a slim redhead about Charlie’s size entered, flashing a brief smile at Mike before she turned her attention to Charlie. “Not a perfect match,” she murmured. “But it’ll work from a distance.”
“What’s going on?” Charlie asked.
“Mike’s right. There’s no need to put you in needless danger. This is Meredith Chandler. She works at the agency. Meredith, this is Charlie Winters. And you know Mike.”
Charlie looked at Meredith, taking in the short red hair, tall, slim build and pale complexion. They resembled in general, though no one would mistake them up close. Partly because Meredith was drop-dead gorgeous and partly because she walked with the grace of a dancer instead of Charlie’s ungainly gait.
But all Meredith would have to do, Charlie presumed, was walk up the flagstone path from the driveway to the front door of Charlie’s house and go inside. Feeney would be trying to stay out of sight, which would make it hard to tell one tall, slim redhead from another.
“He’s not going to buy that you’d just drop me off at my house by myself,” Charlie said to Mike.
“We agree,” Trask said, “but we have an idea.”
By the time he finished telling Charlie and Mike what they had planned, even Mike agreed it was a pretty good idea.
“I checked with Bill Hardy. He’s got your brakes repaired, so your car is ready to go. Mike will drive Meredith there to pick it up. We’ve warned Bill that someone besides you will be picking it up. Mike will pay. Meredith will drive the car home with Mike bringing up the rear.”
“Halfway there, my truck suddenly develops problems and I have to pull over to see what’s wrong, while Meredith drives on.” Mike nodded slowly. “If Feeney’s following us, that’ll give him time to catch her alone.”
“Only, she won’t be alone. We’ll be there,” Heller said.
“What if he runs the minute he sees Meredith isn’t me?”
“I don’t think he’s going to confront you. He’ll sneak, like he’s been sneaking this whole time. He may try to break in and catch you unaware. Either way, we’ll be there and we’ll be ready,” Trask assured her.
“I’ll get a signal from Heller once things start to go down,” Mike said, “and I’ll get to the house for backup. Meanwhile, you’ll be here behind locked doors, with a perimeter alarm to let you know if there’s an intruder. I put the app on your phone, too, so all you have to do is check it and you’ll be able to see whoever’s approaching. If you feel threatened at all, I’m a phone call away.”
“It sounds...very planned out,” Charlie said.
Mike crossed to her side and took her hands in his. “You can say no to all of this if you want.”
Charlie shook her head. “Why would I say no? I’m the only one who won’t be in danger.”
Mike squeezed her hands. “I know you don’t like sitting on the sidelines, but—”
“I don’t like sitting on the sidelines?” She quirked an eyebrow. “I’m a sideline-sitter from way back, Mike. I’m a pro at it.”
“I know better,” he said softly. “But this time, I need you to be safe, okay? I need you right here where you can’t get hurt.”
She wanted to argue, not liking the idea of a stranger she’d just met moments earlier putting her neck on the line so Charlie could be safe. But Meredith Chandler had assured her that she was well trained. Former FBI agent, plus fresh off the new-hire training program Campbell Cove Security had mandated company wide. She would be an asset to the mission.
Charlie would just be in the way.
“Okay,” she said finally. “Let’s do it. I’ll make the call to the campaign office, ask Mr. Bearden to meet me at my house in an hour, and if it goes like we think it will, we can get this show on the road.”
What she hadn’t anticipated, however, was Randall Feeney answering the phone at the campaign office himself. Charlie’s throat closed up for a moment, and he said “Hello?” a second time.
She cleared her throat. “This is Charlie Winters. Is Mr. Bearden in?”
This time, it was Feeney who didn’t speak. Finally, he asked, “He’s not here this afternoon. May I take a message?”
“I was hoping to talk with him personally. In fact, I really need to see him in person.” She glanced at the others, who stood nearby, waiting for word to move.
&
nbsp; “I’m not sure what his calendar is like today,” Feeney said hesitantly.
“Please try to contact him. It’s urgent. I need to talk to him about what happened to Alice. I’ve remembered more information and I wanted to get his opinion about the things that are coming back to me. I’ll be at my house in about an hour, and I should be there for the rest of the afternoon. My address is 425 Sycamore Street in Campbell Cove. Please let him know. It’s important.”
“I’ll see if I can reach him.”
“Thank you.” Charlie hung up the phone, her hands shaking. “It was Feeney himself.”
“Perfect,” Trask said.
“If we’re right about who attached that tracker to Mike’s truck, that’s how he’ll be following you. He’ll be looking for a way to separate you from Mike.” Heller picked up the small gym bag he’d brought with him and put it on the coffee table. Unzipped, the bag revealed its contents—four small earpieces. Heller handed them out. “We can communicate through these, in case anything starts to go wrong.”
“Don’t I get one of those?” Charlie asked.
The other four looked at her blankly.
“Oh, okay. I just sit here and worry. Got it.”
Mike crossed to her side. “It’ll be over before you know it. I’ll be back here, Feeney will be in custody and we’ll be on our way to finding out who was behind the wheel of that car.”
She sighed, knowing he was right. The wait for word would be interminable, but she’d be a hell of a lot safer here than she would be out there with Mike and the others.
That was the important point, wasn’t it?
Trask and Heller left together soon afterward, wanting to be out of sight in case Feeney did a drive-by to see if Mike and Charlie were leaving together. Meredith went to the guest bedroom to find some of Charlie’s clothes to wear, leaving Mike and Charlie alone in the living room.
He crossed to where she stood by the fireplace, wrapping his arms around her from behind. “This is going to work.”
“You’re right,” she said, although tension thrummed deep in her chest.
“I’ll be back before you miss me.”