“When’s he coming into town?”
“Fourth of July. We’re going to the parade together.”
“I hope you have fun.” Cassidy smiled at the stars in the woman’s eyes. There was nothing like being in love and all the warm feelings that came with it.
The nurse stepped out of Ty’s room, and her eyes connected with Cassidy’s. “You’re free to go back inside.”
“Thank you,” she told the nurse before turning to the woman beside her. “Nice meeting you, Melissa. I hope everything goes okay.”
Another case of nerves hit Cassidy as she stood. Why was she nervous? Ty was her friend. And that whole admitting he loved her thing? It was just a delirious fluke. The best thing she could do was forget it happened.
Deep inside, Cassidy had to admit that this whole experience had proven her feelings for Ty ran deeper than she realized.
What was she going to do about that? She didn’t know.
The important thing right now was that Ty was okay.
He was sitting up in bed looking a little more bright-eyed than when Cassidy stepped inside earlier.
“You don’t have to stick around, Cassidy,” Ty said, his voice deeper and more gravelly than usual.
“Oh, don’t flatter yourself,” she teased. “I won’t. After all, you were my fake boyfriend for only three days. If I stay here too long, people might start to talk.”
His eyes twinkled for the first time since she’d found him on the floor. “We wouldn’t want that.”
“No, we absolutely wouldn’t.” She lowered herself in the chair beside him and glanced at his hand, tempted to take it again.
Bad idea. Keep your distance, Cassidy, and remember the end goal: Disbanding DH-7. Don’t get distracted.
Ty’s phone buzzed on the table. He glanced at the screen and frowned. “It’s my mom. Would you mind answering? If she hears my voice, she’ll know something is up. Please don’t mention this.”
Cassidy shrugged. “Sure, but this will cost you one freshly grilled fish dinner once you’re feeling better.”
“It’s a deal.”
Cassidy answered. “Hi, Del! How are you feeling?” She honestly wanted to know. She’d been thinking about the woman nonstop.
“I’m hanging in. Just finished my first appointment and I met some of the nicest people at the treatment center.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“How’s that son of mine? I thought he was going to call me this morning.”
Cassidy glanced at Ty and remembered just why he hadn’t called. She hit the speaker button. “He’s doing okay. He’s right here.”
“Hi, Mom,” Ty said.
“Tyson, it’s good to hear your voice.”
“I got distracted this morning. Sorry I didn’t check in.”
“Oh, that’s okay,” Del said. “I’m just giving you a hard time. What are you two lovebirds doing?”
They glanced at each other again. Del might kind of, sort of, think the two of them were dating. Long story.
Finally, Ty said, “We’re just hanging out.”
“Those ordinary moments are the best, aren’t they?” Del’s warm voice filled the room with her wisdom.
“They really are,” Cassidy said. The truth in her words caused a wave of satisfaction to roll over her. That was a lesson she’d been learning more and more lately.
“Okay, I’ll let you go,” Del said. “Check in later!”
Cassidy felt a smile playing across her lips. Del made her feel like a part of the family . . . even if she wasn’t. Cassidy hadn’t even realized how much she loved the feeling of being included, of being a part of a unit. It wasn’t something she had back in Seattle. Not really.
Ty studied her a minute. “So, I didn’t say anything strange when you found me, did I?”
Cassidy straightened, remembering clearly what he had said. I love you. “What do you mean?”
“My mom said when I’m feverish, I spill all my secrets.”
“Is that right?” Cassidy asked.
He shrugged. “I just want to make sure I didn’t tell you any government secrets.”
“Like where terrorists in the Middle East are hiding out? Or what really happened during the Battle of Los Angeles?”
A grin curled his lip. “Yeah, exactly.”
“Well—” Before Cassidy could tease him anymore, the door flew open and someone barged into the room.
Cassidy glanced up but didn’t recognize the blonde standing there with flowers in her hands. But her eyes were big and bright and set solely on Ty.
Cassidy glanced back at Ty and saw his mouth had dropped open. His gaze fastened on the woman with recognition and disbelief.
“Renee?” Incredulity stretched through his voice.
“Ty?” she squealed. “You won’t believe how happy I am to see you!”
Renee? The ex-fiancée who’d dumped Ty before he returned from an overseas deployment? The one who’d given his dog away while he was stationed in the Middle East? The one who’d broken his heart?
What in the world was she doing here? And, the even bigger question: why did the woman look so happy?
Chapter 6
Ty Chambers’ heart pounded into his chest, feeling more like a knife that stabbed him repeatedly. His eyes had to be deceiving him.
Why in the world had Jacqueline Renee Lynch shown up here? He hadn’t seen her in three years. Hadn’t heard from her. Hadn’t so much as received an apology or even a Christmas card.
And now she was in Lantern Beach with her wide grin and happy little gait, acting like nothing had happened between them.
Renee rushed toward his bedside—the opposite of Cassidy—and leaned toward him. The first thing he noticed was the ring on her left hand. The engagement ring that Ty had given her.
She was still wearing it? What. In. The. World?
“It looks like I showed up right on time,” Renee purred, her smile bright and overly confident. “What happened, you poor thing?”
He opened his mouth to speak but glanced at Cassidy instead. She stood there with her lips parted and her eyes narrowed. She’d obviously seen the ring also.
Could things get any more awkward? He wanted to explain, but he had no idea what was going on—and that was pretty essential when it came to offering an explanation.
He looked back at Renee, deciding to address her question before focusing on more important matters—matters like why she was wearing that ring. This conversation was like a hot tub—he needed to ease into it.
“It’s nothing. Just a little surgery.” Ty had put it off until he no longer had a choice—he’d exacerbated an old injury from his days as a SEAL.
“Well, it doesn’t look like nothing.” She thrust the flowers at him. “These are for you.”
He took the bouquet and stared at the cheerful yellow daisies, unsure what to do with them. It wasn’t every day someone brought him flowers.
Bullets? Yes. Car parts? Definitely. Maybe even his favorite root beer. But never flowers.
“Thank you.” He tried to edge off the question at the end of the statement.
Renee’s gaze fell on Cassidy, and her smile dimmed. “And who are you? A hospital volunteer?”
Cassidy scowled, the action so slight most people would miss it. But not Ty. He’d spent a lot of time studying those expressions of Cassidy’s, trying to memorize them in an effort to figure the woman out. The task seemed futile then and now.
“I’m Cassidy.” She paused, her tone no-nonsense. “Ty’s neighbor.”
“His neighbor? But you weren’t the woman I saw there.”
“What do you mean?” Cassidy shifted, suspicion in her gaze now.
“Well, I went to your house, Ty, but you didn’t answer,” Renee explained, her face as perfect as a porcelain doll.
No one could deny she was beautiful. But there were more important things than a person’s ability to win a beauty competition. Character truly did count.
“As I walked back
down to my car, I ran into this woman next door,” Renee continued. “She had a pink ice cream truck and told me you were in the hospital.”
Serena, Ty realized. It had to have been Serena.
“I see.” His voice sounded dull, even to his own ears. He’d blame his medicine, but he knew there was more to it. “What a surprise.”
Cassidy stood and cleared her throat beside them. “You know, I should probably run. Give you guys some time to talk. Maybe lecture Serena about sharing personal information with strangers.”
Renee laughed, the sound starting gentle but turning into something that resembled a hyena on speed. Funny how something Ty had once thought cute now sounded worse than Kujo after he stepped on a sand spur.
“You’re so funny.” Renee ran two manicured fingers through the top of her hair, fluffing it like a pro. “I’m not a stranger. I’m Ty Ty’s fiancée.”
“You were my fiancée,” Ty corrected, his heart rate accelerating. Renee being here was not good for his health.
Renee looked unaffected by his words as she flung her hand in the air as if she didn’t have a care in the world. “We should talk, sweetie.”
Sweetie? She had a lot of nerve. But Ty would be a gentleman and hold his tongue. For now.
Cassidy pointed at the door with her thumb. “I’ll go. But I’ll check on you later, Ty Ty.”
“Oh, you don’t need to do that,” Renee said. “I’ll take good care of him. I promise. I went to nursing school for three months.”
The thing was, Ty didn’t want Renee to take care of him. But he did want an explanation as to why she was here.
Cassidy gave him one last look before stepping out the door. It was a look full of questions and amusement. But he couldn’t mistake the touch of hurt there also.
And that look was enough to shatter his nerves.
Renee had shown up.
Renee.
Cassidy couldn’t stop replaying the encounter at the clinic.
The fair-weather fiancée had returned. Not only that, but she was wearing an engagement ring. Was it the one Ty had given her? Cassidy had never thought to ask about whether or not she’d given it back. She’d just assumed that Renee had—like any normal woman would.
Cassidy sat in her car outside the clinic and absorbed that information for a minute.
Renee was nothing like Cassidy had envisioned her. In fact, Ty had told Cassidy that his type was the quiet brunette. Renee was neither of those things.
Cassidy’s thoughts zoomed ahead in time. What if Ty welcomed Renee back? What if he was gone from Cassidy’s life just as quickly as he’d appeared?
She’d like to think it couldn’t happen, but she’d seen men act like pigs one too many times. Some men liked their women pretty and shallow. She’d never taken Ty as one of those guys . . . but maybe he was. And maybe it was better if he was. After all, Cassidy had no plans of staying here forever. She had to keep reminding herself of the fact.
Move on, and let Ty live his life. You’re just passing through this place, and life with the people here was never supposed to be permanent.
Cassidy’s heart ached just a little—no, make that a lot—at the thought. That sentiment was easier in theory than it would be lived out.
She couldn’t deny that her heart was unsettled as she went back to her house, ready to get started with her ice cream route. From what everyone had told her, July was the busiest time of year. Cassidy had found it surprisingly fun to talk to vacationers and watch families enjoying each other.
To her surprise, Serena was sitting by the ice cream truck when Cassidy arrived. She fanned her face with what appeared to be a bag and ate a Bomb Pop.
“Serena.” Cassidy slammed her car door. “I thought you had a story to cover.”
She frowned, pausing from her frantic fanning. “I need your help.”
“What’s going on?” Cassidy paused and leaned against her car. She had no idea where this was going, but Serena had her full attention. And that meant a lot considering the searing heat and everything that had happened already today.
“I was headed down the street when the tow truck pulled out with the raft on it,” Serena said. “Something fell off the back as they were on the highway. No one seemed to notice it. No one but me. So I stopped and picked it up, figuring it was probably nothing. Maybe it was something I could use for a newspaper article.”
“That’s what you picked up.” Cassidy nodded at the bag in her hands.
Serena nodded, raising the object into the air in confirmation. “It is. It was . . . it was more than I anticipated.”
“Can I see it?” She stretched out an arm.
Serena handed it to her, an unusual heaviness surrounding her. Whatever was in the bag had shaken her.
Gone was the Serena who tried on different personalities to see what fit. No, this was Serena in her true form. This was Serena scared, shaken, unable to do anything but be herself. It was funny how circumstances could strip people from the airs they tried to put on or the personas they’d been taught to wear. No one knew that better than Cassidy.
Carefully, Cassidy opened the zip-lock bag. Inside, were scraps of paper, it appeared. Actually, it was cardboard and there were two pieces. Three names were scrawled there, each with numbers beneath them.
Social Security numbers, most likely.
Were these the names of the people onboard? If so, these weren’t Cuban refugees. No, Cuban refugees wouldn’t have Social Security numbers.
Her heart thumped harder as she looked at the next piece.
She realized the cardboard was actually a cereal box that had been ripped apart. And on the back was a message written in what appeared to be lipstick.
If we die, it’s the Cobra’s fault.
The words felt like a nuclear blast inside her. This was so much bigger than Bozeman had assumed. Whoever had been on this raft were victims.
“Serena, we’ve got to get this to the police,” Cassidy said. “This is much worse than I imagined.”
Chapter 7
“I can’t go to the police.” Serena’s face grew paler as her eyes reddened. The girl was about to cry.
“Why not?” Cassidy asked, desperately trying to understand the emotions at work here.
She drew in a shaky breath. “What if they arrest me?”
“Just tell them what happened. They have no cause to arrest you.”
She shook her head, her motions stiff with fear and panic. She drew her arms across her chest, making it clear she wasn’t moving. “I can’t.”
Cassidy tried not to sound annoyed. “You have to turn this in.”
“Please, Cassidy.” Her voice quivered.
Cassidy let out a sigh, knowing she needed to choose her battles wisely. Some battles are not worth fighting. Choose peace instead.
Another quote from her Day at a Glance, Lucy’s way of speaking to her from the grave, it seemed sometimes. Her friend had always been wise beyond her years.
“You know what?” Cassidy said. “I’ll take it in.”
“Are you going to mention my name?” Serena’s voice cracked as it rose in pitch.
“I’ll try not to.”
Serena broke from her cocoon of panic, lunged forward, and threw her arms around Cassidy. “Thank you, Cassidy.”
“Don’t thank me yet.” If the police pushed, Cassidy would tell them the truth.
Serena grabbed her car keys from her purse and jangled them in the air. “I’ve got to get to my interview. You’re a lifesaver.”
Why did Cassidy have the feeling she’d just been played? Probably because she had.
But that was okay. Because Cassidy wanted some time to examine what Serena had found.
She climbed into Elsa and put the bag in her lap. Carefully, she pulled out the papers inside again, certain not to smudge any potential fingerprints. She took pictures of each with her phone.
Afterward, she went to the police station, as she’d promised.
The chie
f wasn’t in, but Quinton was. Cassidy had met with the officer several times already, and he was pretty consistent with leaking information to her. All it took was a little flattery and girlish charm.
“Well, if it isn’t Charity,” he said, leaning against his cluttered desk in the little office he shared with his colleague.
Cassidy scowled but quickly morphed the expression into a flirty one and twirled her blonde hair between her fingers. Every time she employed this tactic, she hated herself for it. Yet, sadly, it usually worked. “It’s Cassidy.”
“That’s right. Cassidy.” He nodded like a puppy who’d received a pat on the head. “How could I forget such a pretty name?”
“That’s a great question.” She kept her voice light and airy, utilizing the acting skills she’d been fine-tuning over the past four months. “Look, I know you guys found that boat earlier. But I think this must have fallen out when you hauled it away.”
She handed him the packet, but her fingers took on a mind of their own and refused to let go. Quinton had to pull a little harder than necessary to take the bag from her.
He cast her a strange look, but Cassidy smiled sweetly—as if nothing had happened—and he seemed to forget how odd her iron-clad grip was.
“What is it?” He turned the bag over, acting as if he’d expected a CliffsNotes explanation on the back.
She bit back a smart remark. “I assumed it was trash. But there is a strange little message in it—and some names. Hope it wasn’t a bad thing I looked.”
“I’m sure you’re fine. The raft is pretty much a closed case. Why waste our time when there’s no crime? That’s what the chief always says.”
“Really? Aren’t you curious about what happened with that raft?”
“Of course I’m curious. But we have other things to worry about around here.”
“I’m sure things are just hopping in Lantern Beach.” It killed Cassidy to say the words. The crime on this island was nothing compared to what she’d seen in Seattle. In fact, the murder that occurred when she’d first arrived here was Lantern Beach’s first in thirty years.
“You’ll look into that, though?” She nodded at the papers. “Just in case. I mean, you seem so thorough.”
Lantern Beach Mysteries Box Set Page 40
