Should he tell her?
His heart ached as a terrible thought occurred to him.
Maybe her life would be easier without him in it.
Regardless of what the future held for he and Kelly, he was glad she was safe.
He wondered what Doc could have possibly left her that anyone would be interested in, besides two million dollars.
As he finished his chocolate milk his eyes fell on the picture of his parents, staring back at him from the middle of the dining room table.
Mason's heart caught in his chest as realization hit him.
If Doc had something to hide, there was probably a better candidate than with his daughter.
He grabbed the picture and turned it over in his hands. He carefully worked the cardboard backing away from the frame.
Nothing looked out of the ordinary, until his finger felt the hardness along the edge of the cardboard.
He pulled out a single key, carefully shoved in the cardboard backing. The number eighteen was written on it with a marker.
Mason's jaw dropped as he examined it.
“What have you gotten me in to, Doc?”
Chapter 21
Kelly stepped into her living room and turned off the alarm next to the door. She collapsed on the couch and covered her eyes with her arm. She had the makings of a headache coming on. She was hungry and tired, but couldn't find it in herself to make food or sleep.
At least her shakes were finally gone.
She couldn't understand how she went from going to the mall to shop for Mason to sitting in a police station all night.
She thought about him, with her every step of the way. Watching out for her, protecting her.
Even in the dressing room.
Her face grew hot as she shifted on the couch. It was a terrible idea to shop for lingerie. She knew as soon as she even entertained the thought of Mason possibly seeing her in it, something would go wrong.
And what a jinx it was.
She thought about the men pursuing her. What could they possibly want? Were they the same men that broke into her home?
She sighed and rose from the couch. She stripped her clothes off as she walked upstairs to the bathroom. Her clothes lay where they fell. She didn't even bother to pick them up.
The shower felt great. Her muscles loosened and her nerves finally unwound.
She was still angry with Mason. She knew he had secrets, and he was holding out on her about the men at the mall.
She also knew he was a good man, and watched out for her.
She dressed in sweatpants and a white sleeveless shirt. She was in the middle of brushing her hair when there was a knock at the front door.
She let out an irritated sigh and stared at her tired reflection in the mirror. Company could stay away for the next week or so.
“Just a minute!”
She walked downstairs and grabbed her pepper spray from her purse. She looked through the hole in the door to see it was Mason.
He flashed a tiny smile when she opened the door.
“Hi.”
She looked him up and down. “Mason, I could really use some space right now.”
He nodded awkwardly, his face turning red and his gaze lowering.
He was so cute.
“I know. I'm sorry. Just five minutes, and I'm gone. You never have to see me again.”
She rolled her eyes and stepped aside. “Stop with the drama. I'm just upset, not homicidal.”
He stepped into her house, noticing the clothes on the steps.
“You look nice. White's not my favorite color, but you pull it off.”
Kelly realized something that bothered her as she walked into the kitchen.
She couldn't stay mad at him long.
“Thank you. You want something to eat? Drink?”
He shook his head. “No, but thank you for the CD. I'm not used to getting presents.”
She gave him a smile before forcing it away. “You're welcome. Now, do you want to talk about what happened last night?”
He laughed nervously. “Which part?”
She grabbed a soda from the refrigerator. “Let's talk about the people chasing me with guns.”
“Brian called me, told me his guys spotted a car outside your house. They followed you, we followed them.”
“And that's it?”
He hesitated. “Not exactly. I can tell you you're safe now. The...authorities have everything under control.”
Kelly smirked and shook her head. He was holding back, as always, but she was willing to let it go for now. She would definitely be on the phone with the police before the end of the day, demanding answers.
“How did you see me in the dressing room? I know they got cameras all over the place. Is that how you did it?”
He cleared his throat. They needed to move past this.
“None of that's important, Kell. I can't tell you every single detail. I wouldn't even know where to begin. Just know that last night, I was simply looking out for you. You're important to me. I wasn't trying to see you in lingerie in a dressing room.”
She sat across from him. “Well, what did you think?”
He regarded her expression. She was serious.
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly, his confidence returning.
“If we're talking a scale of one to ten, I'd say a twenty. Now, as much as I love having that picture up in my head, I actually need your help on something.”
“What's that?”
He produced the key from his pocket. “Do you know what this is?”
Kelly squinted and took the key from him. When she saw the number eighteen pleasant memories flooded back to her.
“Oh, wow. My father and I used to rent a boat and go fishing on the eastern shore when I was real little. They had a set of lockers you could use while you were out on the water. We always had locker eighteen. I wonder if it still fits. How did you get this?”
“I found it in the cardboard with the picture of my parents. He hid it there.”
“Hmm. I wonder why.”
He took the key back from her. “That's what I'm gonna find out. Could you find the address out for me?”
“You heading out there now?”
He nodded. He had already called Lisa to tell her he wouldn't be able to pick up Dani, and have her feed Lucy.
“I'll go with you.”
He cocked his head to the side. “Really?”
“Sure. It's a three hour drive. We can split it up. Get some lunch. It'll be fun. It'll be like a treasure hunt. We'll drive back before the end of the night. I wouldn't mind seeing the old place again.”
Mason wondered how she'd feel if she knew the treasure was sought out by a killer behind bars.
Kelly left Mason alone in the living room while she went down to the basement to change clothes. It was shaping up to be warm day. She instinctively reached for jeans, but changed her mind with a smile. She grabbed a pair of baggy black shorts and kept her white sleeveless shirt.
She caught him looking at her as she locked up the house.
*****
They took Mason's Jeep. It was a pleasant drive with the soft-top folded down. She offered to drive when they reached the halfway point, but he declined. They had to make one stop before they hit the highway, as the sun overhead quickly wrecked havoc on Kelly's skin. She could almost feel herself sizzling in the passenger's seat. She had to buy sunblock only twenty minutes into their trip.
It was a quiet drive for the most part. It was hard to talk over the roar of the wind around the Jeep. She had to lean in close to Mason to say something. She liked the closeness, but didn't want to talk in his ear the whole trip.
Good memories of her father rushed back on the familiar drive. Fishing was one of the things she loved to do with him, before he became engrossed in his work.
They stopped for lunch. Kelly relished the break from the drive. She could only imagine what her hair looked like. She pulled a brush out of her purse a
s Mason parked outside a diner.
Mason watched her as she fixed her hair. Earlier in the day he thought about distancing himself from her, for her own sake. He didn't know if he could even do that now.
Kelly talked about her father as they ate sandwiches. She told Mason about their last few fishing trips out on the water. She was always disgusted by the thought of putting a worm on a hook, so he did it for her. Sometimes she wasn't strong enough to reel the fish all the way in, so he would give her a hand.
Mason listened with a smile.
“I've never been fishing.”
“Really? We'll have to go sometime.”
He nodded. “I'd like that.”
She pushed her plate away and met his eyes. “So what do you have planned for our date?”
He laughed nervously. “All I could come up with was dinner and a movie, and shooting some pool.”
“That sounds like fun. We'll do a movie on the first date. Second date we'll hit a pool hall.”
He smiled. Kelly planning out a second date ahead of time could only be a good sign.
“I'm sorry about last night,” he said. “I definitely didn't mean to scare you.”
She shrugged. “I've been scared before. Much worse.” She reached her hand across the table and let the tips of her fingers touch his. “I wish you would have been on the phone with me when I was sixteen.”
“Yeah, me too.”
Memories of that basement tried to push in, but Kelly shoved them aside. She wouldn't dwell on those terrible two days while she was with Mason.
“You ready to get going?” she asked. “You sure you don't want me to drive?”
“Nah, that's fine. You're behind on sleep, remember?” he said with a smile. “Take a nap.”
“I might do that.”
They crossed the parking lot and was halfway to the Jeep when he gently grabbed her by the shoulder. She turned to look at him. Butterflies danced in her stomach as he reached out to touch her face.
“Got any sunblock left? Your face is a little pink.”
She leaned against the side of the Jeep and opened her purse. She pulled out the sunblock, but Mason grabbed it before she could open it.
He carefully applied the sunblock to her face. He gently rubbed her forehead, her cheeks, the bridge of her nose.
He tried not to laugh. He could see why she complained about her skin. Hopefully she wasn't burned too bad before the end of the day.
It was a simple gesture, but Kelly liked the attention. She liked his hands on her.
She felt tingly as he gently massaged her ears, his hands brushing her hair.
“There,” he said. “Hopefully you won't roast now.”
“Thank you.” She circled around the Jeep. “I think I missed some spots on my legs, if you're interested.”
His hand froze on the door handle. “Say that again?”
She laughed. “I was kidding.”
Mason shook his head as he started the Jeep. Images drifted through his mind of rubbing Kelly's legs with lotion.
“Thanks, Kell,” he muttered.
“What?”
“Nothing, nothing. Away we go.”
Ten minutes after leaving the diner Kelly fell asleep.
Mason smiled as she quietly snored. She reclined back in the seat, sunglasses over her eyes. Her red hair bounced wildly in the breeze. He had never seen a more beautiful woman.
He had to convince her to wear shorts on their date.
His thoughts started to wander as he drove. What waited for them in locker eighteen?
He nudged her shoulder as he saw a sign for the eastern shore. She propped her sunglasses on her head and rubbed her eyes.
Kelly could smell the saltwater in the air. “We're there already?”
“Yeah. You've been sleeping for over an hour.”
“Wow. I haven't been here in forever. Take the next exit coming up.”
Kelly helped him navigate the streets to get to the docks. They weren't far from the beach. Mason would love to claim whatever was in locker eighteen, then enjoy some time in the sand with Kelly.
He studied his surroundings as Kelly guided him into a parking lot. There was a long pier where people fished off the side. A dock was backed up with trucks waiting to launch their boats. There was a building that had bathrooms and vending machines.
Next to the vending machines was a row of lockers.
“Dad would rent a boat. We'd spend hours out on the water.”
He thought about all the nausea he'd dealt with over his lifetime, mostly from mind slides and thunderstorms.
“What's fishing out on a boat like?” he asked as they approached the lockers. “Do you get sick at all?”
They stopped as they reached the shade under the roof. Kelly had the hint of a smile.
“Do you have any plans tomorrow? I mean, you're not working on any cases right now?”
“Nope, no plans.”
“Let's stay here tonight. We can get a hotel room. Don't worry, no moves,” she said, knowing she was probably lying to both of them. “Separate beds, or even separate rooms. Tomorrow we can go fishing.”
“We didn't bring any extra clothes.”
She shrugged. “We'll just buy some.”
It sounded like fun. Doing anything with Kelly was fun. The only important chores on his plate were feeding Lucy and picking up Dani from school tomorrow. He knew a phone call to Lisa would solve both issues.
No doubt Brian and Lisa would love the idea of Mason and Kelly spending a night together.
Mason wrinkled his face. There was one small problem.
“Aww, come on,” Kelly said innocently. She took his hand and cocked her head to the side, looking up at him. Whether she realized it or not, she could definitely flirt. “We'll have fun. We can rent a movie, order out some food.”
“There's, uh, a chance of thunderstorms tonight.”
“Oh. Well, didn't I get you through that last time?”
He nodded. “Yeah. It still doesn't stop me from feeling two inches tall.”
“Hey.” She took a step closer and squeezed his hand. She dropped the flirtatiousness and grew serious. “I'll take care of you, okay? I owe you from last night anyway. We'll watch out for each other.”
Mason smiled. There was no subtlety in her actions. She really cared for him. He still had trouble wrapping his head around it.
Despite his terror during the last thunderstorm, having Kelly pressed up against him was a pleasant memory.
He smiled. “Sounds like fun.”
He looked toward the lockers and pulled the key from his pocket.
What could Doc have possibly hidden that a failed mind slide experiment subject would want?
“Shall we?” he asked.
“Yes. Let's finish up our treasure hunt.”
The lockers were half-sized, stacked on top of one another. The odd lockers were on the top row, even on the bottom. Mason looked around before kneeling in front of number eighteen. It would be awkward if he opened it up to see someone else's personal things.
The key fit and turned easily.
Mason opened the locker to find it completely empty.
“Wow,” Kelly said. “So much for treasure.”
He nearly closed the door when he noticed something odd.
There was a hole about the size of a finger drilled into the bottom near the back.
He pushed his finger through the hole and wiggled it around, feeling pebbles and dirt.
The bottom of the locker moved.
“Is your finger stuck?” Kelly asked.
He pulled slightly harder. The entire bottom of the locker lifted up. It wasn't held in place at all. Kelly gasped next to him.
Mason pulled the false bottom out of the locker completely. Sitting in the rocks and grass was a USB flash drive, carefully sealed in two zip-lock bags.
They both were quiet. Kelly felt a sense of foreboding.
“That's it?” she asked. “That's why those
guys broke into my house and followed me at the mall? They thought I had that?”
Not exactly the right details, but Mason nodded anyway. He grabbed the flash drive and wiped dirt off the plastic bag.
“Dad was just a doctor, a psychiatrist,” she said. “What could possibly be on it?”
She didn't know her father like Mason did. Mason was almost afraid to think of what was on it. Whatever it was grabbed the interest of a serial killer with a unique mental power.
He was definitely curious.
Chapter 22
It was the middle of the afternoon when Mason and Kelly walked into a clothes store. She gave the store a quick look over as she tried to find the women's section. She spotted the sign on the far side of the store.
“I'm over there,” she said. “Meet me at the register in a half hour?”
He nodded. She noticed Mason was distracted ever since the docks. She had no doubt he was as curious as she was about the flash drive. But clothes first, hotel second. There was a Best Buy across the street she already planned on buying a cheap laptop from.
“Yeah,” he said. “I'm just gonna grab a change of clothes, maybe something to sleep in.”
She looked up at the ceiling. “You can't see through these cameras, can you?”
He laughed. “Nah, not these.”
“Good. Don't go peeking in my dressing room either.”
“You just sucked the fun out of my day.”
She flashed a sexy smile over her shoulder as they went their separate ways.
Kelly picked out some essentials. Panties, socks, some light shorts and shirt to sleep in. She picked out a change of clothes for tomorrow.
She passed by the lingerie section. She was tempted, but wasn't sure when the opportunity would come to show it off. She planned on making some kind of move, soon. But they needed to start slow. Lingerie wasn't exactly slow.
Not to mention her last experience browsing lingerie was odd, to say the least.
She watched from across the store as Mason stared at a pair of shorts. She'd dated men over the years, but none like Mason. She had to remind herself they weren't even dating. They hadn't even kissed yet.
It was only a matter of time.
Other men she dated always had some issue with her. Some of those issues she understood completely. She knew it wasn't normal to triple check the locks before going to bed at night, or not be able to take her eyes off any dark van that passed by.
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