[Indigo Brothers 01.0] Indigo Fire

by Vickie McKeehan

  When she heard mumblings, Anniston continued, “Don’t even ask what I’ve discovered so far because I’ll hold off until the reports are complete. You’ve already given me additional information and reasons to dig further. I will tell you this much. I’ve barely scratched the surface. Second, and this is a big one, I’ll try to get my hands on any and all security surveillance tapes that cover both time frames going back to Labor Day for Ryan and then leading up to the Thursday the family went missing. That will take time. If it turns up a dead end, the Marcelli Agency has a very good reputation with various law enforcement agencies throughout Florida. That also includes the state investigative team. Even though detectives aren’t allowed to share anything from an ongoing case, we have ways around that hitch.” She turned to Jackson. “That covers financial records. So, that’s the game plan. Any questions? If not, I need to head to the Mainsail Lodge and check in.”

  Anniston picked up her briefcase. “Don’t worry, we’ll touch base tomorrow. By the way, how are the searches going?”

  It was Garret who explained that today’s event had a low turnout. “Thanks to Dandridge sending out that email, it sandbagged the whole thing.”

  Anniston’s eyes grew wide. “I’m not sure I’ve ever worked a case where a pastor would do such a thing. Do you have any objections to calling in organizations like Equusearch to get the job done?”

  Garret shook his head. “None at all. In fact, that’s an additional resource.”

  On her way to the front door, Anniston picked up her computer bag. “Good. In the meantime I think your family and friends need to get out there tomorrow and make every effort to continue on your own.”

  Mitch stuck his hands in his pockets. “We’ll go out every day, even if it’s just the six of us scouring the neighborhoods.” He took a step closer so his mother wouldn’t overhear. “My crew and salvage boat’s due in tomorrow. At some point over the next few days we’ll make plans to take The Black Rum out. We’ll use divers and utilize side scan sonar to cover the bay, the ocean, the surrounding lakes, and any water between here and Tampa Bay where the van was found. You understand what that means, right?”

  Anniston nodded, knowing they were talking about recovery instead of rescue. She leaned in to whisper, “Even if your mother isn’t ready, it’s a good idea.” For everyone else’s ears, she raised her voice. “I’ll follow up with the investigator in charge of the case, hopefully get some updated info regarding the van.”

  Jackson was impressed with her savvy demeanor and willingness to work fast. But she didn’t know Dack Hawkins. “You think you can get info out of Hawkins? Good luck there.”

  Anniston sent him a wide smile. “I’m persistent. Plus, my daddy knows his daddy. Right now, I have a lot on my plate, so you guys get some rest. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

  Garret followed her out of the house to her SUV, and opened the driver’s side door of the Ford Explorer. “I have to say, you certainly came prepared.”

  Anniston eyed the tall, good-looking man who made his living in riding the next big wave competition. “I read about you. You wouldn’t dream of surfing the Banzai Pipeline without several years of training and preparation. I don’t take on a case without doing the same.”

  “Fair enough. You impressed my family.”

  “And what about you?”

  “Absolutely. I wouldn’t be standing here if you hadn’t. You should be a cop.”

  She frowned. “How do you know I wasn’t?”

  “I guess I need to do my homework on you. But since I thought I was getting your father…you have the advantage. For now, anyway.”

  “I’ll save you the trouble. I was two years out of the academy when my dad had his heart attack. Since then my brother and I, who was also a cop at the time, couldn’t stand to see dad’s business slide into oblivion. So we made a pact to keep it going.”

  “That’s a huge sacrifice.”

  She casually lifted a shoulder. “What can I say? Italian families stick together. Mama spends her days taking care of Daddy while Sebastian and I keep Marcelli Investigations in the black. You must be pretty close to yours or you wouldn’t be here helping your parents through this terrible ordeal.”

  “There are times my dad drives me crazy. But what’re you gonna do? He’s just as hard on Mitch and Jackson as he is on me. So, I have to believe it’s nothing personal. Do you regret giving up your badge, giving up what you worked so hard to achieve?”

  “Not really. I’m happy taking a bigger role in cases, otherwise I’d likely still be a beat cop in South Beach handing out parking tickets.” She tapped his chest. “This way I get to help people like you and your family.”

  “We’re grateful.”

  “I could see that. What else is on your mind?” Anniston saw him swallow hard. She thought she knew the reason.

  Garret looked up at the sky. The stars were just beginning to pop out. “I don’t think this will have the happy ending my mom and dad are hoping for. I need to know you’re aware of that and won’t play games with their emotions. At some point, dancing around reality will get old and become pointless. Because my brothers and I are pretty sure Olivia, Blake, and Ally, maybe even Walker are…you know…not around anymore.”

  “You’re that certain your sister wouldn’t take off?”

  “Positive. She’s the most dependable person I’ve ever known.”

  “Well, I follow the evidence. Period. If the evidence tells me there’s little hope the four are alive, I’m prepared to tell your parents the truth. It goes with the job.”

  “Okay then. That’s all I wanted to hear.”

  After Anniston took off, Tessa helped Jackson and Mitch fix supper, which they’d volunteered to do while Lenore got some rest.

  “What did you think of Anniston?” she asked.

  Jackson stood at the counter dipping pork chops into an egg batter before dusting the meat with flour. “She’s sharp. I like that she’d already done her homework before getting here.”

  Tessa nodded in agreement as she broke up lettuce for a salad. “I think she knows what she’s doing. I feel a little better knowing she’s involved. I like her.”

  Mitch snickered as he peeled his next potato. “So does our baby brother. He even followed her out to the car.

  “I noticed that,” Jackson said. “She’s way too smart to get involved with Garret.”

  Tessa thought otherwise since the private eye seemed just as smitten. But she said nothing and turned her attention to the way Jackson handled himself at the stove. His eyes danced with devilish glints of gold as he showed off his culinary skills. “Where did you guys learn to cook?”

  Jackson somehow managed to arrange all the pieces of meat to fit in the huge fry pan. “Standing right here. My mom worked full-time keeping the books for several businesses. Even though she wasn’t a CPA she used to do tax returns at a bookkeeping service to bring in extra cash. Anyway, Olivia and I used to take turns making supper and having it ready when Mom and Dad got home. We couldn’t have been more than eleven or twelve at the time. We started out with the basics—hot ham and cheese sandwiches, mac and cheese—then progressed to tuna casseroles and chili Frito pies. When we got fed up doing all the cooking, we schooled Mitch and Garret on how to whip together your basic scrambled eggs.”

  “More like tricked,” Mitch quipped. “They initially told us if we beat enough eggs into a bowl we’d get to use them to make batches of sugar cookies.”

  At the stove, Jackson sent a pork chop in the air, neatly flipping it in the skillet. “So gullible.”

  That insult prompted Mitch to pick up the mess of potato peels on the counter and sling them in Jackson’s direction.

  The cook ducked the incoming stream of skins. To retaliate, Jackson picked up the leftover flour and tossed it toward Mitch. The dust hit him full in the face.

  Both men dug into Tessa’s salad bowl. Lettuce flew across the kitchen. Cherry tomatoes sailed through the air. Black olives whizzed past Te
ssa’s ear. Rolling laughter erupted from all three as they tried to dodge and weave the flying food.

  “Stop that!” Lenore shouted from the doorway. “Look what you’ve done to my nice clean kitchen. Honestly, I can’t let you boys out of my sight for a minute. You’d think you were eight years old.”

  Standing behind his wife, Tanner surveyed the damage. “Just blowing off a little steam. They wouldn’t be mine if they didn’t.”

  Hands on her hips, Lenore sent her husband a scowl and shoved him back through the door. “That’s no excuse. Blowing off steam indeed, more like making a mess. You’re grown men. Start cleaning this up right this minute. And don’t let the meat burn while you’re doing it.”

  Dutifully Mitch grabbed a mop from the laundry room.

  Lenore eyed the red stains from the tomatoes on Tessa’s blouse. “Now look what you’ve done to Tessa’s clothes. Take off that top and I’ll toss it into the wash for you.”

  Tessa shook her head. “That’s not necessary. I’ve got to be going anyway. Raine Manning invited me to stay with her and it’s almost time to meet her there.”

  Mitch couldn’t believe his ears. He whirled around from the mess on the floor. “You’re staying with Raine?”

  “I met her today at lunch. Her invitation comes at a time when I could really use a place to crash.”

  With a fork, Jackson stabbed a piece of sizzling pork in the pan before it turned black. “I thought you were staying for dinner.”

  Tessa glanced over at Jackson and the meat getting browner by the minute and grinned. “I’ll sample your cooking another time. Right now, I’d like to get settled in at Raine’s before it gets any later. Plus, I’m really tired. The meeting took a lot out of me. And trying to sleep in my car the last couple of nights really wasn’t the smartest thing I’ve ever done.”

  “You should’ve said something,” Jackson pointed out.

  “I should have. I’m sorry for not trusting you.”

  “Well, there’s no denying she doesn’t trust your cooking,” Mitch cracked.

  Tessa smiled at that but tried to change the subject. “Make sure to count me in for the search tomorrow. And I’m sure when I let Raine know, she’ll be there, too.”

  Mitch’s pulse picked up. “I doubt she’ll show.”

  Tessa tilted her head to study Mitch. “Why do you say that?”

  “She wasn’t there Sunday or Monday, now was she?”

  “Maybe she had to work.”

  “Not Sunday morning she didn’t.”

  Tessa decided this thing between Raine and Mitch was an obstacle course with too many years of hurt feelings for her to try to navigate. When Jackson offered to walk her to the car, she got out of there in a hurry.

  They said their goodbyes standing at the curb. But it was the tender way Jackson explained Mitch’s testy reaction to Raine that touched her heart.

  “I’m not sure what happened between those two. I was busy finishing up my second year at Columbia, trying to bring up my grades, and contemplating how I could get a jump on summer classes. But Livvy, bless her heart, always tried to keep me in the loop with all the family gossip. She told me Mitch had acted like an ass. That could cover quite a bit. So, I’m guessing after all this time Raine still carries a grudge about something. To my brother’s credit, I think he’s attempted to make amends several times. But maybe some actions can never be forgiven.”

  “It’s admirable the way you see both sides. You’re big on family loyalty. I like that.”

  He stepped closer, slipped his hand around the back of her neck. She anticipated the moment when he pulled her in, when their lips met. The ugly world they’d been dealing with fell away, replaced by familiar urges between man and woman. The kiss started slow, a little pop for pleasure before building the heat, fire for fire.

  She yielded to the sensations and the playful way he used his tongue. His mouth left her breathless and wanting more. She pulled back. “I have to go, Raine’s expecting me.”

  “Soon we’ll have to finish this. You want to as much as I do.”

  She grinned. “I do. But timing is everything. And so far, ours has been lousy.”

  “That’ll change. I’ll see to it.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Tessa swung her Toyota into the designated marina parking area very near where the Indigos had held their press conference on Sunday.

  Raine’s home turned out to be a twelve-hundred-square-foot, two-bedroom, one bath houseboat located right on Sugar Bay within walking distance of a dozen boutiques, shops, and restaurants.

  Tessa immediately spotted the blonde standing outside a boathouse waiting for her. Shoving out of the car, she sent Raine a wave. “What a beautiful spot!”

  “Thanks. I love it here.”

  “I just came from the Indigo house and an intense session with a woman who says she’s gonna get to the bottom of this whole thing.”

  “That’s a pretty big promise. Maybe she’s a scam artist. Some of those private detectives just take your money and do nothing.”

  “I don’t think so. You’ve got to meet her. She’s…a go-getter.” Tessa went around to unlock the trunk where she’d stowed her stuff. “I’ll unload my crap out of the car and then tell you everything. How’s that sound?”

  “Here, I’ll give you a hand,” Raine offered, running down the dock in bare feet.

  “Luckily, I didn’t bring all that much. It never occurred to me that I’d be here this long.” Tessa set out two pieces of luggage and reached to close the trunk.

  “Travel light. I like that,” Raine said as she hefted one of the bags and led the way into the house.

  “I thought by this time I would’ve already located Ryan and been back living my normal life.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Raine reiterated as she made her way into the living room.

  Tessa took in the décor—the tongue and groove pine floor and the sunny paint on the walls. The shabby chic furniture told her that Raine had a Bohemian side to her. “You never mentioned your house floated.”

  “Didn’t I? Will that be a problem?” Raine said, heaving the bag on top of a full-sized bed and plopping down next to it.

  “Not for me. It’s roomier than it looks from the outside.” Tessa stood back admiring the pale turquoise paint Raine had slapped on the walls. “This is so cute.” In that moment, she decided she had a lot in common with her new roomie. Maybe it was her love for all things do-it-yourself that made her appreciate another’s flashy expression of color, but she felt an immediate connection to her hostess and her generous spirit.

  The mismatched furniture—a bed painted bluish green and a yellow French country dresser—only endeared her more to the obvious beachy theme that prevailed. Sitting next to the bed was a smallish nightstand with a tabletop that had been coated with decoupage cleverly using a map of the Florida Keys. The shelves on the wall held a library of paperback romance novels. Any other time she would’ve loved to delve into each one.

  Raine tilted her head to study her guest. “So you’re okay with staying here now?”

  “I’m grateful, very appreciative. I’m sorry if it seemed like I had a problem with it earlier.”

  “Don’t worry about it. But I did see that proud look on your face and wondered if you’d even bother showing up tonight.”

  “To tell you the truth, I think I’ll enjoy staying here and bouncing ideas off another female.”

  “Feel free.” Raine jumped up and started out. “Let me show you the rest of the place. The bathroom’s in the middle of the hallway so we’ll have to share. A heads up, though, it only has a shower, no tub.”

  “That’s fine. But you have to let me pay. I can’t just move in here and…”

  Raine waved her off. “When you can, you’ll contribute. You’re paying rent on an apartment back home. That has to strain the budget. Plus, I’m not desperate for rent money. This houseboat belonged to Danny. It’s paid for. He left it to me. I have a good job at the taco
shack because my mom owns the place. One day, it’ll be mine outright. And last summer, the business had a really good run. Tourists love a cheap taco. And like I said earlier, I understand these are extraordinary circumstances beyond your control. You came to town looking for your brother. I know how I’d feel if the same thing happened to me and I was desperate to find someone I cared about, but strapped for cash. I’d give anything if Danny were still around so that I could go look for him if he ever went missing. Maybe that doesn’t make sense to you but…”

  “No, it does. It makes perfect sense.”

  Raine led the way into another small bedroom where she’d been just as generous with color but incorporated much softer shades. Pale greens complemented the pop of peach and the wave of dockside teal. The tones gave the room a definite feminine feel while still keeping with the coastal, nautical theme.

  “If you want, you can unpack and settle in while I change my clothes. Around this time of day, I have to get out of these jeans and top and put on something that doesn’t smell like grease and fish, the downside of working around food all day. Then we’ll have a glass of wine and I’ll start dinner.”

  “I’m happy to help with supper,” Tessa offered as she walked back to her own room. “I’m handy in the kitchen.”

  “Good to know.”

  Inside her space, Tessa opened a suitcase and began tossing her things into drawers. She took her toiletries and arranged them on top of the dresser so they wouldn’t take up space in Raine’s tiny bathroom.

  It took her all of twenty minutes to pull everything out of her luggage and get her second wind. When she heard Raine rummaging in the kitchen getting out pots and pans, she headed that way.

  Forty-five minutes later the two had abandoned the idea of cabernet and were laughing over margaritas that Raine had thrown together in the blender. They sat on the deck under the stars nibbling on nachos and popcorn.

  Raine briefly put down her glass and sat back in wonder. “So you helped Jackson and Mitch with dinner prep? That had to be a sight to see.”