by Laura Scott
FIVE
Rafe stared after Charlie Turkow when the guy disappeared in the lower cabin of his boat. What was up with the old man? Most of the fishermen had some respect for the coast guard—after all, they were there if the weather changed or if someone needed help because of an engine breakdown. He’d personally helped perform many search and rescue missions for stranded boaters, most of them successful.
Kayla’s husband was one of the rare exceptions.
Mulling over this recent turn of events, he walked back toward his jeep. Why would Charlie carry a grudge against the coast guard? Because he was involved in the criminal smuggling activities? Or because he knew something about what was going on and was irritated that the coast guard hadn’t been able to stop it?
But then, if Turkow did know something about the criminal smuggling ring, why wouldn’t he cooperate with the coast guard? Why shut them out and refuse to talk at all?
When he reached his car, he gave Luke a call. “I didn’t get very far with Turkow. He wouldn’t talk to me,” he said to his commanding officer. “But I don’t think he knew about Schroeder’s death. The surprise in his eyes when I sprung the news was real.”
“So why wouldn’t he talk?” Luke demanded.
Rafe blew out a breath. “Apparently he doesn’t think very highly of the coast guard. I’m not sure why. Seems odd.”
“Do you think he’s guilty?”
“Maybe. Given the way he turned on me the minute I mentioned I was with the guard is suspicious enough. I realize some of his lengthy boat trips were to visit his daughter in Michigan, but that could also be a convenient cover, too. I don’t think we can take him off our suspect list. The guy is definitely acting strange.”
“Hrmph.” Luke didn’t sound happy. “Dig into Charlie’s background. Maybe he had a bad experience with us in the past. If he’s innocent, there has to be a reason for his hostility toward us.”
“Will do.” Rafe hesitated and then asked, “Any word on Karl Yancy?”
“No. Apparently the guy has been holed up in his yacht for a while now. Evan’s bored.”
Yeah, no kidding. But Rafe didn’t say anything against his partner. Their boss expected them to work together and that’s exactly what he’d do. “I’m sure if he’s part of this, Yancy will move soon. The weather has been cooperating, the temperatures are warmer than usual this time of year. I think the smugglers will make the most of the mild weather while it lasts.”
“Let’s hope so. With Schroeder dead, we don’t have many leads.”
“I know. Schroeder’s murder only tells us the criminals are fighting amongst themselves. Someone killed him because they wanted a bigger piece of the pie.”
“Looks that way,” Luke affirmed. “Greed always wins out over loyalty between crooks.”
That much was true. “There was another break in attempt at Kayla’s B and B. I took off after the intruder, but the guy wore night vision goggles and had a car waiting for him so he got away.” Rafe was still annoyed with himself about losing the suspect. “I’m more convinced than ever that there’s something inside Kayla’s house that is linked to our case.”
“Then find it. And fast,” Luke advised.
“I will. And I’ll check in when I have something to report.” He snapped his phone shut and stared out the window for a minute. Since his interview with Charlie had ended before it had even started, he decided to pay his partner a visit. Charlie’s hostile attitude bothered him. He really hoped Evan hadn’t ignored his request and had approached Charlie before Rafe had arrived. If he found out Evan had in fact messed up his interview, then he’d have no choice but to report Evan to Luke, even though he loathed the idea of ratting out his partner.
He glanced at the clock on the dashboard, figuring there was plenty of time to spare before he’d need to head back to the bed-and-breakfast.
Kayla hadn’t seemed angry with him this morning, so he hoped that was a good sign that she’d changed her mind about allowing him to search through her husband’s things.
He really needed her cooperation in order to jump-start their stalled investigation.
Although if he were truly honest with himself, he’d admit that he liked being close to Kayla for reasons that had absolutely nothing to do with his case.
Kayla pulled out the last box of Christmas decorations from the basement. Finally, they were almost finished. She was only going through all of this for Brianna’s sake. As well as for her mother-in-law’s. She knew Ellen missed Jeremy, too, and the anniversary of his death, so close to Christmas was a difficult reminder for all of them.
Given a choice, Kayla would have preferred to simply pull the covers over her head and hibernate until Christmas was over. But that was hardly fair to Brianna.
“More houses for the Christmas village?” Brianna asked excitedly when Kayla hauled the box up to the main level.
“The last of them,” Kayla said with a sigh. Brianna loved setting up the various houses, businesses and figurines for the Christmas village. Kayla had started the collection and in the early years of their marriage, Jeremy had always surprised her with a new piece.
She hadn’t added anything new in the two years since he’d died.
“So why exactly is Rafe staying here?” Ellen asked, when Brianna was preoccupied with rearranging her village. “I get the feeling he’s interested in you on a personal level.”
“No, we’re just friends,” Kayla said, glancing over at her daughter who was immersed in her project and not listening to the adults. “Brianna looks up to him, though, and I admit her hero worship of Rafe worries me. She’s at such a vulnerable age right now, and has been preoccupied with the fact that she doesn’t have a father like the other kids at school.”
“So why aren’t you interested in Rafe?” Ellen’s tone was deceptively casual. Kayla glanced at her in surprise. Was her mother-in-law insecure about her place in Kayla and Brianna’s future?
“His job means being gone a lot,” she said, trying to reassure Ellen. “I had enough of that with Jeremy.”
“Jeremy was a good husband and father,” Ellen said, jumping to her son’s defense. “He took care of his family.”
“Yes, he did. When he was home. But those long trips away were hard on me. Remember when Brianna got so sick with her asthma? We were in the emergency department for hours and Jeremy didn’t even know.” Kayla understood this was a touchy subject for Ellen. “I loved Jeremy, but I was really looking forward to him being home more.”
“I know you were,” Ellen said, looking contrite. “I thought maybe you weren’t interested in Rafe because of his religious beliefs. I admit I was surprised when he prayed before breakfast.”
She could have told Ellen that Rafe prayed more than just before meals. They’d already had one conversation regarding his faith and as a result, she’d been curious enough to open the Bible, finding the Book of Psalms that he liked so much. She had to admit, they were comforting to read, not at all what she assumed the Bible would be like. “No, why would his religious beliefs bother me? There aren’t many men who would be confident enough to pray in public.”
“So you are interested in him.” Ellen’s expression was a mixture of appalled satisfaction.
Kayla suppressed a sigh. “I told you, we’re just friends. Rafe is only staying here because of the break-ins. He’s worried about us, that’s all.”
“Worried because he cares for you, Kayla. You can keep lying to yourself, but I can tell by the way he looks at you.” When Kayla opened her mouth to argue, Ellen hurried on, “I can’t believe I slept through the excitement last night. You should have woken me up. Does Rafe have any idea why this guy keeps trying to break-in?”
Kayla dropped the subject of Rafe’s feelings for her, knowing she had to tread lightly on the subject of Rafe’s investigation. Ellen would be even more upset than she’d been, if she discovered how Rafe suspected Jeremy’s partner of being a criminal. “Rafe has a lot of theories, but no proof. H
e’s going to search through the house when he gets back.” She tried to make light of Rafe’s plans. “Who knows, maybe I have some sort of priceless treasure that I don’t even know I have.”
Ellen seemed to accept her flimsy explanation and changed the subject to fill in Kayla on the latest regarding her sister’s broken hip. It sounded as if Irene would be released in a few more days and Ellen was already planning her trip to Arizona to stay with her. Kayla listened with half an ear, her mind whirling. Was Ellen imagining things? Rafe didn’t really look at her as if he were interested in a personal relationship. Did he?
And why did the mere possibility make her heart race?
She took several deep breaths to get her emotions under control. Rafe was only a friend. No matter how she responded to him, she needed to keep her feelings grounded in reality. She didn’t dare allow herself to care about him as anything more than a friend. What if something happened and their relationship ended? Brianna would be terribly hurt. Her daughter had already lost one father, Kayla couldn’t stand the thought of her losing another.
No, she simply couldn’t risk it.
She busied herself with making plans for dinner that evening, planning a nice hearty beef stew. But being grounded in reality didn’t prevent her from keeping a watchful eye on the clock, wondering when Rafe would return.
So where was Evan? His partner wasn’t at the abandoned boathouse where they set up their surveillance of Pelican Point. The boathouse afforded them the ability to closely monitor the lakefront activities. Since Karl Yancy’s yacht was still docked at shore, he figured Evan must have taken off again, so Rafe drove all the way back to the coast guard home port substation, and then to Evan’s small apartment. He didn’t find his partner at either place.
And of course, he wasn’t answering his cell phone. Rafe tried several times, before hanging up in irritation. He climbed back into his jeep and went back to Pelican Point, just in time to see Yancy’s yacht gliding through the water, heading due north.
After days of sitting around and doing nothing, Yancy was finally on the move.
Rafe ground his teeth together in pent-up frustration as he pulled out a pair of high-powered binoculars and swept his gaze over the area. What was his partner thinking? Evan should be following Yancy right now!
Thinking he’d have to head back to get a craft to follow Yancy himself, he suddenly spotted a small boat way out in the distance in the middle of the lake. He magnified the lenses even more and relaxed a bit when he identified the boat as one of theirs.
Evan was out there, after all. He must have gotten sick of sitting around in the boathouse and had decided to take the cutter out on the water in hopes that Yancy would take the boat out.
Evan got lucky. This time.
Rafe pulled the binoculars away from his eyes and drew out his phone. So if his partner was out on the water, why hadn’t Evan answered his phone calls? Because he’d been annoyed to have Rafe checking up on him?
Maybe, but too bad. Evan was young and new to the area. He’d eventually realize that not all investigative operations were a flurry of constant activity. Patience was a virtue.
He put the binoculars away, and called Evan one last time, leaving a terse message: “Call me when Yancy reaches his destination.” What he really wanted was for Evan to call so that he could find out if his partner had spoken to Charlie Turkow before Rafe had gotten there.
Rafe climbed back into his jeep. He headed to the highway, taking the shortest and fastest route back to Kayla’s.
When he pulled up to the house, darkness had already fallen and the lights of the Christmas tree glowed brightly through the large picture window. The welcoming sight stopped him cold.
Angela would have loved this house. And his unborn child would have loved to play in the woods, too, happily chasing the dog. But his family was gone. Forever. They were in a much better place, but he still missed them.
A different family waited inside, but he couldn’t allow himself to get too close.
Swallowing hard, he momentarily closed his eyes and prayed.
Lord, I want to follow the path You’ve chosen for me. Please give me the strength to protect Kayla and Brianna. Give me the knowledge and wisdom to do right by them. Amen.
Feeling calmer, Rafe climbed out of his jeep and walked up to the front door. He knocked, and instantly Clyde started barking. He waited for Kayla to disarm the security system before opening the door.
“Hi, Rafe,” she greeted him, her smile slightly strained. The dog jumped on his legs, seeking attention. He gave Clyde an absent pat on the head. “We were getting worried about you.”
“I’m sorry,” he murmured, coming inside and closing the door behind him. He watched Kayla activate the alarm, glad she was taking her and her family’s safety so seriously. “Everything all right here?”
“Sure. It’s been quiet. No problems.” She headed back toward the kitchen. “Dinner will be ready in an hour.”
He followed her, trying to gauge her mood. “You don’t have to cook for me,” he protested softly.
She glanced up in surprise. “Why not? I have to cook for myself, Brianna and Ellen so it’s no hardship to make more plate for you. It’s nothing fancy, just beef stew.”
“Beef stew sounds like heaven to me,” he told her. “I’m not used to home-cooked meals.” Usually he ate on the go at whichever fast-food joint struck him as palatable at the time. “Have you considered my request to go through your husband’s things?” he asked hesitantly.
She nodded as she picked up the spoon and stirred the stew. “Yes. I’ll allow you to search through Jeremy’s things if you let me help. I want to be there if you find something. Since it’s so late, I thought we’d wait until after dinner.”
“That would be great, Kayla. Thank you.” He might have preferred to keep Kayla out of it, but he understood her need to be involved. “Anything I can do to help?”
“No, I’m just waiting for the bread to finish baking.”
“Smells delicious.” Angela wasn’t much for baking the way Kayla seemed to be.
“Mr. Rafe!” Brianna bounded into the room. “Come see our village. Please?”
“Ah, sure.” He glanced helplessly at Kayla before allowing Brianna to draw him into the great room. Beneath the tree, she’d created an entire tiny village, complete with movie theater, bookstore, ski chalet and an ice-skating rink. There were tiny figurines and cars set in various locations, too. “Wow, Brianna. This is amazing.”
“I know. My mom’s been collecting them since she was a girl,” Brianna announced. “But she told me I’ll get it one day.”
“That’s nice.” Telling himself not to get too close to Kayla and Brianna was one thing, actually keeping his distance was another. Everywhere he looked were reminders of home and family. The pine scent surrounding the tree brought back memories of his and Angela’s first Christmas together.
Blocking out the past wasn’t easy. He made a fire in the fireplace as Brianna chatted about their day and then made an excuse to escape to his room, using the time to begin his search on Charlie Turkow and potential links to the coast guard.
Kayla called him down to dinner less than an hour later. He bowed his head to pray, noticing that everyone else waited for him to finish before starting to eat. Next time, he’d ask them to join him in prayer.
The beef stew and the homemade bread were delicious, but he didn’t linger over the meal, anxious to finish so they could begin their search.
Kayla cleared the table, and he jumped up to help, figuring two could get the job done faster than one. Ellen took over, shooing them out of the way.
“I’ll do the dishes. Brianna can help.”
“Aw, Grandma,” Brianna whined. “I don’t wanna help.”
“Why not? I thought you liked helping your grandma?” For a moment Ellen looked hurt by Brianna’s refusal.
“I do,” Brianna agreed. “I’ll help.” Then she brightened. “Can we go Christmas shop
ping tomorrow?”
“Sure.”
Rafe went into the great room, waiting for Kayla to join him.
“Where would you like to start?” she asked.
“Does Jeremy have anything here related to the charter fishing business?” he asked, hoping Kayla hadn’t tossed anything out.
“There are a couple of boxes in the attic, I think,” she said. “But I don’t know if they’ll be much help.”
“It’s worth a try.” Rafe hung back, letting her walk up the stairs leading to the second floor. “Where is the access to the attic?”
“Actually, it’s hidden in the closet of your guest room,” Kayla said heading for the doorway leading into his room.
“My room?” Surprised, he followed her in, glad that years of living on a boat meant that he kept his things neatly tucked away. The fact that the attic access happened to be in the room where the break-ins were focused only reaffirmed his suspicions. “Was this the same room Greg Landrum used?”
“No, he was two rooms over,” Kayla said, as she opened the closet door and pulled on a thin cord that hung down from the ceiling. A trap door in the ceiling fell open and she unfolded a narrow ladder that was tucked inside. “Brr, it’s cold up there. And dark. We’ll need a flashlight.”
“I have one right here.” Always prepared, Rafe had already pulled out the flashlight from the back of his jeep. He flicked it on and put a hand on Kayla’s slim shoulder, preventing her from climbing up the ladder. “Would you mind waiting? I’d like to check things out first.”
She hesitated and then moved aside. Rafe gingerly stepped on the ladder, testing it to make sure it would hold his weight.
“Jeremy went up there all the time. I’m sure it’s fine,” Kayla said.
“All right.” He climbed the ladder, holding the flashlight in one hand. Kayla was right, the air was much cooler up here.
At the top, he poked his head through the opening and then cast the flashlight around the area. His pulse jumped when he noticed the boxes Kayla mentioned. They stood open, the contents strewn messily around the room.