“Hello, miss. What are you doing out?”
“Going home,” she said.
“You work at the resort?”
“I do.”
“Hate to break it to you, but the water rose over the bridge. It’s not safe to cross. You’ll have to go back.”
“How long until the road’s open?”
The police officer wiped a wet hand down his sodden face. “I can’t exactly say, but not before early morning. The storm isn’t expected to stop before then.”
She looked at the dashboard clock—3:07 a.m.
Darcy wanted to argue. She had to get away. She had to place the body somewhere special. All the same, she knew enough that arguing would arouse suspicion and lead to questions that she wasn’t going to answer.
“Thank you,” she said.
The police officer nodded before walking away.
Putting the car into Reverse, Darcy dropped her foot onto the accelerator. The car shot backward. The body rolled forward in the trunk, hitting the rear seats from behind.
The police officer stopped and turned around. He held up a hand, motioning for Darcy to halt.
Her heartbeat raced. Undoubtedly, the cop had heard the body.
“Run him over,” said the Darkness.
No. There was another police officer next to the cars that still blocked the flooded road. Like a rat, Darcy was trapped.
“Run him over or you’ll be sorry.”
The officer mimicked unrolling a window. Darcy hit the correct button on the second try.
“Yes?” she asked. This time she smiled.
“I think your tire’s flat,” the police officer said. “Give me a second. I’ll take a look.”
“Tell him no.”
“That won’t be necessary,” she said. “The weather’s awful. I don’t want you to get wet.”
“What? Wetter than I am right now?” he asked with a chuckle. He walked slowly around the car, shining the beam from his flashlight on each tire as he passed. “It’s not your tire,” he said. “Pop the trunk. I’m sure I heard something.”
Damn. Darcy should have run him down when she had the chance.
“Oh, that? It’s the spare. My boyfriend got a new one and he hasn’t bolted it down yet.”
“But isn’t this a rental car? There’s a sticker on the rear bumper.”
“It was,” she said. “He bought it used from the rental company.”
The officer nodded, as if considering the information.
“Speaking of my boyfriend,” she said, before the man had time to ask any more questions, “I really should get back to the resort and call him. I don’t want him to worry.”
He hesitated for a moment, then waved her on. “Drive safe.”
Easing her foot on to the accelerator, she maneuvered around on the narrow road. Drawing in a shaking breath, she knew that she’d almost been caught. Good thing that almost didn’t count.
With no choice but to return to the resort, she was trapped. How much time did she have before anyone knew Kevin was missing...much less dead?
A day? Two, if she was lucky?
She shrugged. The nights were cold, and the days were mild. He’d keep in the trunk for another twenty-four hours.
Yet, after she placed his body, she’d have to leave the resort. Once he was found, the police would know that she’d been at the White Wind all along.
Until then, she had things to do—like decide on his final resting place.
It had to be special, just like it had been for all the others.
Then she remembered. Kevin Carpenter had come to the White Wind to golf. Wasn’t there a hole hidden away in the woods? It was the perfect place to leave the body. Then, well, all Darcy had to do was wait. Soon, the road would be open. When that happened, she could leave and truly begin a new life.
Chapter 13
Holly awoke on Thursday morning in the king-size bed. The curtains were drawn, leaving the room dark. Yet sunlight shone through the gap between the two panels.
The muzzy warmth of sleep vanished as several thoughts came to her at once. First, the massive mattress was far too big for a single person. Second, maybe she’d been too hasty in turning away from Liam’s kisses. After all, every time he was around, she felt a pull deep within her, as if she were magnetically drawn to him.
But she couldn’t possibly think about any kind of relationship with Liam, let alone sleeping with him. Not just because he was the father of her student, but if she failed to come up with the money to keep her school, she’d have to face the inevitable reality that she might not even live in Pleasant Pines much longer.
Rolling to her side, she couldn’t help but wonder: Was it wrong to want a lover—albeit a temporary one?
Then again, it had been years since Holly had worried about loving anyone. Or letting anyone love her in return. Rising from the bed, she padded softly into the living room. The light on the house phone blinked with a message. RMJ? Tonya?
The door to Liam’s room was shut tight and she decided not to wake him.
Picking up the receiver, Holly waited for the hotel’s operator to answer.
“Front desk.”
“Hi,” she said, “Good morning. I think I have a message...”
The operator said, “A package was delivered for you this morning. I’ll bring it to your room now.”
A package? “Uh...sure.”
Holly took a few minutes to prepare a cup of coffee. As she poured cream into the cup, she heard a light knocking on the front door. A bellman in the White Wind uniform stood in the corridor. He held a large cardboard box, taped shut. “Are you Holly?”
“I am.”
“Then this is for you.”
She accepted the box. It was heavier than she expected, and the weight pulled her forward. Carrying it across the floor, she sat it on the table next to her coffee. Using a disposable knife that was part of a set of plastic utensils, Holly sliced through the tape and opened the box.
A note, written in cramped handwriting, lay atop a pile of books and papers: This is everything we have in the D.O. case from her childhood. Let me know if you find anything interesting. The yearbooks were taken from her house. Wyatt.
First was a yearbook from the middle school that Darcy had attended, Slipper Rock Middle School. Holly flipped through the pages, finding Darcy’s sixth-grade class picture. She wore her blond hair in twin braids and looked younger than her actual age—eleven or twelve.
There was a smile on her face, but her eyes were already hard. Was this the first glimpse of the change taking place within her? Had the future killer already witnessed too much?
There were no signatures on the pages. No notes in the margins. One of the pages was bent at the corner, as if dog-eared and then flattened.
Coincidence?
Or was there something special about this page?
It was filled with individual pictures of the seventh-grade class.
Nothing.
And yet, maybe...
Holly moved to the window and early morning sunshine shone through the glass. In the bright light, she saw it and gasped.
“Morning,” said Liam. He stood across the room and ran a hand through his tousled hair. He wore flannel sleep pants and a tight-fitting T-shirt. Her mouth went dry. Immediately, Holly dropped her gaze to the book. Liam continued, “I called Tonya this morning and she didn’t answer the phone. Do you think something’s wrong?”
It was a little odd that Tonya hadn’t answered. After all, she knew how nervous parents could get. Still, Holly would vouch for her no matter what. She trusted Tonya. “I’m sure if there was a problem, she would have called already. Besides, mornings can get busy. She might’ve just missed your call.”
“I guess,” said Liam. He gestured to the yearbook she held. �
��What’s that?”
“I think I found something,” she said.
“What is it?” he asked, moving to her side.
“Your team sent this up to the room. It’s some of Darcy’s things—from when she was growing up. See this page?”
“Yeah,” said Liam. “What am I looking for?”
Holly tapped her finger under the picture of a dark-haired boy named Bobby Carpenter. “It’s faint, but there’s an outline of a heart around his face. Like she traced it but didn’t want anything to show.”
“A teenage crush? Why would that be important? Don’t girls get crushes all the time?”
“If we are assuming that Darcy was being abused by her father, then the abuse was so pervasive that it helped to turn her into a killer. But to answer your questions—a teenage crush is completely normal. Considering the abuse, we know one thing for certain, Darcy’s childhood was anything but typical.”
“So, this guy is important?”
“He could be,” she said.
“Can I see the book?” Liam asked, reaching out.
Holly was careful not to let their fingers touch as she passed it over.
Liam stared at the picture. He seemed to hum with pent-up energy.
“What is it?” she asked, moving closer and trying to see what he saw.
“It’s him. I’m positive.”
“Who’s him?”
“This kid, Bobby. He’s grown up now, obviously, and he works here. In fact, he checked us in.” He looked at her. “Holly, he’s the front desk manager.”
“Are you sure?”
“There’s only one way to find out.”
Holly and Liam changed quickly and walked down to the lobby. The desk clerk was a young woman—and certainly not Bobby. “May I help you?” she asked.
“Can we speak to the front desk manager? He checked us in yesterday morning.” Liam continued, asking, “What’s his name again?”
“Robert Carpenter, you mean? He’s not in right now,” said the clerk, clearly worried. “Is something the matter?”
Robert Carpenter. Bingo.
“Will he be in later today?”
With a shake of her head, she said, “He called in. His son’s sick and he stayed home.” She paused and added, “Bobby Junior has the stomach bug.”
“What’s his normal schedule?” Liam asked. “Nine to five, Monday through Friday?”
Holly knew what he was asking and why. Could Robert Carpenter have answered the phone when Darcy called?
“He usually works during the day, but he’s here Tuesday through Saturday. I mean, this week he was here on Monday.”
“Really?” said Holly. “All day?”
“No, just when...” The clerk’s cheeks reddened with a blush. Holly could well imagine the woman about to admit that on Monday the resort had been crawling with police, who were looking for a connection to a serial killer. That kind of news would be bad for business. “He came in to cover an emergency, I think. But I don’t usually work the overnight shift, so I’m gone before he arrives. Is there a problem?”
“Do you have a picture of him?” Liam asked.
The clerk’s eyes darted right and left. Unconsciously, she was looking for a way to escape as she slowly realized that Holly and Liam were after something other than a moment with the manager. “I can take a message for him?” she asked.
“No,” said Liam. “You’ve been more than helpful.”
Holly couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. It was more than the fact that a classmate who Darcy had been attracted to also worked at the White Wind. It was... Well, something they’d missed. Something they had to uncover. Quickly.
Holding on to Holly’s elbow, Liam led her to the bank of elevators. “I’m going to speak to the team from RMJ. It looks like Robert Carpenter is someone who should be investigated. You go back to the room and I’ll be up shortly.”
The elevator doors opened, and Holly stepped into the car. Her cell began to ring, and she took the phone from her pocket. It was Tonya.
“Hey,” she said. “What’s up? How did Sophie do last night? I’m sure Liam will want to speak to her.”
“My husband’s sick,” said the other woman, sounding worried. “He’s got a stomach flu and a fever.”
Holly groaned inwardly. “I heard it was going around.”
“I don’t want to leave him alone and I can’t bring Sophie back to my house. She’d get sick, too. I’m on my way to bring her to you. I’ll be there in an hour.”
The elevator door slid open and Holly stepped into the corridor, wondering what the hell she should do. Should she really let Tonya bring the child to the resort? Although, Liam’s job was to gather intel...not to find or catch the killer. And if that were the case, then Holly could take care of Sophie while Liam did, well, whatever else he needed to do. And if Liam didn’t want Sophie at the resort, Holly could always take the child back to Pleasant Pines.
What other options did they have?
* * *
The sky was bright and clear, yet Liam guessed that the temperature hovered just below freezing. Hands in pockets, he hustled across the parking lot, his breath turning to steam. He was still upset at himself for last night’s boneheaded move. He never should have left the thumb drive in the security office. He’d learned from the past that it was the little mistakes that had the biggest consequences.
Instinctively, Charlie’s face came to mind. This time, he was a grown man, in his Marine Corps dress uniform. Liam, still in high school, wore a tux and stood at Charlie’s elbow. The wedding march began. And Charlie had leaned toward Liam, his voice barely a whisper—This is it, buddy boy.
The florist’s van seemed to materialize out of nowhere, despite the fact that it had been his destination all along. It was still parked at the far corner of the employee lot.
As he drew close, Wyatt opened the door. Liam climbed in and closed the door behind him, taking in the smell of stale fast food grease and two worried agents stuck in close quarters overnight.
“I messed up,” he said, taking a seat in front of a computer monitor. “I could see that the security guard was coming, and as soon as the download was complete, I bolted.”
“First, we’ll have to get the thumb drive back. Eventually, someone’s going to find it and then there’s going to be questions asked that we don’t want to answer,” said Marcus. “You’ll have to go back tonight.”
Liam ran his thumb across the table. “I figured.”
Wyatt added, “But don’t beat yourself up too badly. It would’ve been worse if you’d been seen. So, you were right to leave when you did. And the program works perfectly. We have access to all calls being made to and from the resort. If Darcy makes contact, we’ll know.”
“I’m glad it worked out. And I have some news of my own,” said Liam. He explained what Holly had found in the yearbook and what they had learned at the front desk, adding that Robert Carpenter wasn’t in today, either.
“It’s something to look into,” said Wyatt, scribbling down the information. “I’ll run a check on him now.”
“What about the video of the woman in the SUV?” Liam asked. “The one from Reno.”
“The cops pulled the guy over, but the woman was gone. He said he met her in a casino and she asked for a ride home.”
“Let me guess,” said Liam. “She hasn’t been located.”
“Your guess is right,” said Marcus. “But at least the police are looking.”
“Anything else?” Liam asked.
“Take as many pictures as you can,” said Marcus. “As soon as you get the thumb drive tonight, we’ll leave.”
He nodded and stood, crouching in the tight space. Then again, there was more to be said. “What about Holly?”
“She did good in finding the connection to the front desk ma
nager.”
“What about her payment?”
“Like I said before,” said Marcus. “The consultant’s fee is a thousand dollars a day. She’ll be here for almost three full days, so that’s what she’s getting.”
Liam asked, “What about the twenty thousand we discussed?”
“That’s only if we find a direct connection to Darcy Owens,” said Marcus. He continued, “If the lead on the manager pays off, she’ll get the full fee.”
Liam wanted to argue. Then again, he knew it wouldn’t do any good. With a nod, he opened the door and stepped outside. He paused and turned back. “What about you guys? Do you need anything? Food? Coffee? Deodorant?”
“It’s pretty ripe in here, huh?” said Marcus with a wry laugh. He reached for the door’s interior handle. “We picked up breakfast on our way. The shower’s going to have to wait until we get back to Pleasant Pines. But thanks.”
Then he shut the door and Liam turned back to the resort. He hated that he’d failed Holly again. Really, he hoped he’d be able to help her earn the cash she needed. More than anything, he realized he was hoping to at least have a little more time with her.
Though what good would more time do if she was leaving Pleasant Pines anyway?
* * *
With no other options, Darcy had returned to the resort and spent the night in Kevin Carpenter’s rental car. She was worried that someone—somehow—would discover the body in the trunk. That they’d find her. She’d be arrested and would go to jail—a fate worse than death. She’d also decided that she hated her roommates, and if she’d gone back to the apartment, she’d have killed them, too. And sleeping so near to a body, to someone whose life she’d just taken, was a delicious secret.
Running her fingers through her short hair, she sat up.
There, at the far edge of the employee lot, was a white florist’s van. It meant nothing to her, and she began to look away. But then she spotted the man who was walking away from the van heading toward the resort.
The same man she’d seen the day before in the hallway of the staff’s apartment building.
Who was he? And what did he want?
Agent’s Mountain Rescue Page 14
