Scene of the Crime: Widow Creek

by Carla Cassidy

  “My parents can tell you what time I got there Tuesday night.” Bo dug into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. “I even have a gas receipt that will show you that I was on the road to Tulsa Tuesday night.” He pulled out a receipt and held it out to Lexie.

  Nick noticed that her fingers trembled as she took it from him and stared at it. “Look,” Bo continued, “I don’t know what to tell you about your sister, but whatever has happened to her, I had absolutely nothing to do with it.”

  Lexie stared at Bo for several long, agonizing seconds, then handed him back his receipt and looked up at Nick. Her eyes behind the dark-rimmed glasses were large and luminous with barely suppressed emotion. “Let’s go,” she said. She didn’t wait for Nick, but hurried toward the door.

  “Nick, I swear I have no idea what’s going on with Lauren,” Bo exclaimed. “Everything was fine with her when I spoke to her on the phone Tuesday evening before I left town. I’d never do anything to hurt her. I like her!”

  Nick nodded and glanced toward the door where Lexie had disappeared from his sight. “Thanks, Bo.”

  “Let me know what you find out. Now I’m worried,” Bo said.

  “Will do,” Nick replied and then left the booth, eager to catch up with Lexie.

  As he stepped outside, he didn’t see her either waiting for him outside the door or standing by his truck. He walked toward the truck and then spied her in the doorway of the vacant storefront next to the café.

  She looked small and broken, leaning her back against the window with her shoulders hunched slightly forward. She’d taken off her glasses and held them in one trembling hand. As he approached her, his heart squeezed tight in his chest.

  “I didn’t realize how much I’d hoped that she was with Bo until now.” The tightness in her voice let him know that she was precariously close to losing it. “I believe him. I don’t think he had anything to do with Lauren’s disappearance.” A sob escaped her lips. “Where’s my sister, Nick? What’s happened to Lauren?”

  He could stand it no longer. He closed the short distance between them and took her into his arms. She stood stiff and unyielding for a long moment and then melted against him as she began to weep in earnest.

  Although his intent was to simply comfort her, he was acutely aware of the press of her breasts against his chest and of the clean, sweet scent of her that filled his head.

  She cried for several minutes. When she finally stopped she didn’t move from his arms, but rather remained in his embrace.

  She slowly raised her head and looked up at him and her trembling lips seemed to beg him to cover them with his own.

  Before he could think, before he could even question his own intent, he lowered his mouth to hers. Hot and sweet, her mouth opened beneath his as he tightened his arms around her.

  A greediness filled Nick as his tongue danced with hers. He wanted more of her than a simple kiss. He wanted to feel the weight of her breasts in his palms, her naked legs wrapped with his.

  These thoughts stunned him. He wasn’t sure who backed away, him or her, but suddenly they stepped back from each other and her gaze held his. In the depth of her bright green eyes he saw a myriad of emotions—shock and embarrassment, but also more than a small flicker of desire.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, breaking the awkward silence that hung heavily in the air.

  “Please, don’t apologize. I wanted you to kiss me.” She broke the eye contact and slid her glasses back in place. “And now I’d like you to take me back to Lauren’s.”

  Whatever had flared inside her to want him to kiss her was obviously gone as she headed toward his truck. Nick followed behind her, trying to figure out what had just happened between them.

  He frowned and forced any thoughts of the kiss out of his head. Instead his thoughts turned to Lauren. He couldn’t help but feel that something bad had happened to her.

  He had the terrible feeling that heartache and grief were in Lexie’s near future and that she was going to need somebody here to lean on. He just had to figure out if he wanted to be her strength or if it was better for the both of them if he completely distanced himself from her.

  THE KISS HAD SHAKEN HER almost as much as talking to Bo. By the time Nick had dropped her off at Lauren’s place, Lexie was a bundle of screaming nerves.

  If she didn’t get an answer about Lauren soon she was going to explode. And if she’d spent another minute in Nick’s company she felt as if she might blow up as well.

  She sank down on the sofa with Zeus at her feet and thought about the man who had just dropped her off. She felt a wild chemistry with him, one that she’d never felt with Michael. It scared her more than just a little bit. She didn’t want to feel that way about any man. Nick Walker had heartbreaker written all over him and she’d do well to remember that.

  Besides, even though Nick had kissed her like he’d meant it, he’d also made it clear that he’d had his one arrow and had no intention of ever falling in love again. She was smart enough to know that a kiss had nothing to do with love. Nick could want her in his bed, but he’d told her that his heart was closed for business.

  Besides, even if he ever changed his mind about loving again, he was the kind of man who would choose a traditional kind of woman, not a woman like Lexie.

  And I’m just here in town until I can find Lauren, she thought. She had a job to return to, an apartment and a life that had nothing to do with Widow Creek.

  Unable to sit still another minute, she got up off the sofa and grabbed her car keys. She couldn’t just sit around here and do nothing. Deciding to go back into town and ask more people about the last time they’d seen Lauren, she left the house.

  The sun was warm as it cast through the autumn-colored leaves of the trees she passed. Both Lexie and Lauren had always loved fall. It had definitely been their favorite season, but now Lexie couldn’t take pleasure in its beauty.

  There was a huge lump in her chest that she knew wouldn’t go away until she found her sister. Surely if she were dead I’d know it, Lexie thought. Surely being identical twins I’d feel it if she were no longer on this earth.

  Or maybe she just wanted to believe that the twin connection was so strong she would know if Lauren had taken her last breath.

  Before Nick had called her that morning she’d once again been on Lauren’s computer, checking her sister’s bank records. There had been no activity since the previous Sunday night when Lauren had paid some bills online.

  Wherever her sister was, she wasn’t tapping into any money source. Lauren didn’t own a credit card. She was one of those smart people who had refused to succumb to the “buy now, pay later” mentality.

  She’d also called the Anna who had left a message on Lauren’s answering machine again. Although Lexie had spoken to the woman once before, she felt the need to check again and see if perhaps Lauren had called her about the missed appointment.

  Anna Cartwell was a nice, elderly woman who had recently bought a poodle puppy. She’d told Lexie that Precious the puppy had already had one session with Lauren but when she’d shown up for her second session the day before, Lauren hadn’t been home. She hadn’t heard from Lauren but promised to call Lexie if she did hear from her.

  And Lexie promised to let Anna know when Lauren would be available to reschedule an appointment for Precious. She just prayed there would be another appointment with Lauren for the poodle pup.

  By the time Lexie parked on Main Street her heart was racing with the need to find something, anything that would lead to her sister.

  She got out of her car and decided to once again hit all the stores and talk to the shopkeepers. Maybe there would be different people working than when she and Nick had last asked questions.

  She started at one end of the block and it didn’t take her long to work her way through all the businesses on that side of the street as she saw the same familiar faces in each place and knew they’d have nothing to give her.

  In the feed store
across the street an unfamiliar face greeted her as she walked through the door. Before when she and Nick had been here they had spoken to a teenage boy behind the counter.

  “Can I help you?” the older woman wearing a Fred’s Feed shop apron asked.

  “I hope so,” Lexie replied. “I’m trying to find out when the last time my sister was seen in town. Lauren Forbes?”

  “Ah, I see the resemblance,” the woman replied with a smile. “Lauren’s a regular customer. Let’s see, the last time she was in was last Wednesday, she picked up some doggy vitamins she’d ordered.”

  “Are you sure it was Wednesday?” Lexie asked in surprise.

  “Had to be. I didn’t work Tuesday or Thursday of last week and if I remember right she came in just before noon.”

  “Did she say anything about going out of town or anything like that?”

  The woman shook her head. “No, she just picked up what she’d ordered and then left.”

  Lexie thanked the woman and as she left the store she realized that if Bo had been telling the truth about leaving town on Tuesday night then this news was confirmation that Lauren had been alive and well when he’d left.

  So, what had happened to Lauren after she’d left the feed store? She’d apparently made it back home, parked her car in the garage and then what? Had somebody been waiting in the garage for her?

  Lexie stood just outside the store on the sidewalk and looked around, but there was nothing in sight to give her a clue as to what might have happened when her sister had left Fred’s Feed.

  She hadn’t heard from Gary Wendall, so she headed toward the police station. She’d almost reached the building when she felt the strange sensation of somebody watching her.

  Glancing over her shoulder she saw a tall, dark-haired man leaning against one of the vacant storefronts across the street. Even from the distance between them she could see a livid scar that raked down the left side of his face.

  His intent gaze seemed to reach across the distance and the hair on the nape of her neck rose in response. Who was he and why was he staring at her so strangely? It was definitely creeping her out.

  She quickened her steps and breathed a sigh of relief as she entered the police station. The receptionist ushered her into the office where Gary sat behind his desk.

  “Ms. Forbes,” he said as he rose from his chair to greet her.

  “Chief Wendall, I was wondering if you had any news for me about my sister.”

  “Please, have a seat, and call me Gary,” he said.

  Lexie sank down in the chair opposite his desk and nodded. “And you can call me Lexie,” she replied. “Now, about my sister’s case…”

  “Unfortunately, so far I have nothing to offer you,” Gary said as he sat back at his desk. “I’ve contacted the hospital and checked with the morgue and thankfully she isn’t in either of those places. I’ve got a couple of my men asking questions around town but so far we’ve come up empty. I figured we’d give it until the end of today and then launch a full-blown investigation.”

  “Why wait?” Lexie countered. She felt as if every minute was of the essence. In another couple of days it would be a full week that Lauren had been gone.

  “If this was a child or a minor missing I’d have my men all over it, but this is a grown woman and there is absolutely no sign of foul play.”

  “How do you know that?” she asked, trying to keep the edge out of her voice. “You haven’t even come out to the house to look around.” Lexie was aware that despite her efforts her voice was filled with her frustration. The man was an ass, an incompetent ass at that.

  “You told me you were staying out at Lauren’s place. I figured if something looked odd there you’d have told me by now. I was planning on bringing a couple of men out later today to take a look around. Will you be there around four this afternoon?”

  “I’ll make it a point to be there,” she replied and stood. There was nothing more here for her. She could only hope that maybe Gary and his men might see something she’d missed at the house, something that would provide some answers. “I’ll see you around four at Lauren’s,” she said.

  As she left the office she told herself that Gary was probably doing what any law enforcement man would do in this situation. Just because he hadn’t come up with any answers yet didn’t mean he was an incompetent ass.

  She just wanted somebody beating the bushes, turning over rocks and doing a house-to-house search. She just wanted somebody to find her sister.

  As she left the police station she saw the dark-haired man just across the street, and once again he stared at her in a way that made her distinctly uncomfortable.

  Who was he? And why did he appear to be watching her? Had he waited for her to come out of the police station? What could he possibly want, and if he wanted something then why didn’t he approach her?

  She got into her car and pulled away as she checked her rearview mirror. To her surprise she saw the man get into a big, black pickup and follow after her.

  As she headed toward Lauren’s place she divided her attention between the road and her rearview mirror and the truck behind her. He didn’t drive too close to her, but the fact that he was there at all caused a rivulet of anxiety to dredge through her.

  Was he the person who had been outside of Lauren’s house in the middle of the night? Why had he been staring at her? What did he want from her? His presence felt threatening.

  The fear spiked as she drew closer to Lauren’s place. She didn’t want to go there where she would be all alone and he might follow her into the driveway.

  Instead when she reached Nick’s driveway she pulled in, hoping that he was home. As she made the turn a glance in her mirror let her know the pickup had zoomed on. She parked in front of the attractive two-story house and breathed a deep sigh of relief as Nick stepped out on his front porch.

  She got out of the car, surprised to feel her legs slightly shaky beneath her. “Sorry to bother you,” she said as she approached where he stood on the porch. She gave a quick glance back at the road and then looked back at him.

  “Problems?” he asked.

  “A guy in town kind of freaked me out and when I got into my car to drive home, he followed me. I decided to pull in here instead of going on to Lauren’s.” She was surprised by how shaky she felt about the whole situation. Although the man hadn’t really done anything bad, she’d definitely felt threatened.

  “Come on in,” he opened the front door and she swept past him and into the foyer of the home.

  Almost immediately her feet were attacked by a little black ball of fur. “Taz, no!” Nick said.

  “What have we here?” Lexie leaned down and picked up the puppy who then attempted to lavish her face with kisses. Lexie laughed, the fear that had gripped her momentarily impossible to maintain with the wiggling warmth of the affectionate dog in her arms.

  “That is the dog from hell,” Nick said, but his affection for the little pooch was evident in his voice. “Come on into the kitchen.”

  She placed the dog on the floor and then followed him through a large living room. Her first impression was of a room rarely used. The furniture was over-stuffed and looked comfortable, but there was nothing to give the room a real sense of home.

  She followed Nick into a large, airy kitchen, and it was in here she felt his presence. A coffee mug sat on the table along with the morning paper. A handful of pocket change and his keys were on the counter along with several dog treats.

  “Have a seat,” he said. “Want something to drink?”

  She shook her head. “No, I’m fine.” She sat at the table and Taz collapsed at her feet, as if he’d completely exhausted himself in his exuberant greeting of her.

  Nick sat across from her, his gray eyes narrowed slightly. “So, tell me what happened.”

  “I think maybe I overreacted,” she said, suddenly feeling rather foolish. “I went back into town to see if there was anyone working in the stores who we didn’t que
stion before. I found a woman in the feed store that told me Lauren had been in on Wednesday to pick up some supplies.”

  Nick leaned back in his chair. “So, she was okay after Bo left town on Tuesday night.”

  “Apparently,” Lexie agreed. “Anyway, when I left the feed store I noticed a man standing across the street who seemed to be staring at me.”

  She felt the hairs at the nape of her neck lift as she remembered him. “Even though it made me uncomfortable, I walked down the street to the sheriff’s office because I wanted an update from him on the case. When I came out the same man had moved to stand across the street from the police station and he was staring at me once again. When I got in my car to go back to Lauren’s, he jumped in his truck and followed me. I got freaked out and so I pulled in here instead of going home.”

  There was no way she could explain that for a moment what she’d felt wafting off the man had been something bad…something evil.

  A frown had swept over Nick’s features and had deepened with each word that she said. “This guy, what did he look like?”

  “Tall with big shoulders and dark hair, and he had a scar down one cheek.”

  “Clay Cole,” Nick announced. “He’s my age, not married and a pseudo-rancher who lives on the north side of town.”

  “A pseudo-rancher? What does that mean?” she asked curiously.

  “He says he’s a rancher and he’s got a big spread, but he spends more time in the local bars than he does working his land. That’s how he got that scar on his face, in a bar brawl. He got cut up with a broken beer bottle.”

  “Why would he be staring at me so intently? Why would he follow me?”

  Nick shoved back from the table and stood. “Why don’t we go ask him?”

  Lexie stared up at him in surprise. “You mean go to his house?”

  “Why not? I figure if you want answers, go directly to the horse’s mouth, so to speak. Clay occasionally gets a snootful of booze and picks fights, but when he’s sober he’s always been an okay kind of guy.”

  Lexie got up from the table and once again her legs felt slightly shaky. She’d like to get some answers from Clay Cole, but the idea of confronting him face-to-face sent a small shiver of apprehension through her. She couldn’t help feeling that somehow she and Nick were getting deeper into something dangerous…she just wasn’t sure what it was.