Haven of Swans

by Colleen Coble

  The woman sighed. “You’re telling me you can’t even remember the details of acquiring your sister’s child?”

  “Not from personal memory,” Eve said. “But Nick has told me how it happened.”

  “Why isn’t he here?”

  “He said he’d be here,” she said, stealing another glance at her watch. “I’m not sure what happened. Maybe there’s a problem at the jail. He wanted to come, but he’s in charge of finding the serial killer. You heard about the body that showed up last weekend?” Eve wanted him here, but she wasn’t sure she could meet his gaze after hearing what Will had to say.

  The lawyer nodded. “Has your sister provided any support in the last two years?”

  “No. We thought she might be dead.”

  “Do you have any proof of her unfitness to raise the little girl?”

  “Not really. Isn’t the fact she abandoned her enough?”

  Ronja twirled a pencil in her fingers. “It could be. It depends on what she’s been doing since she left. If she’s turned her life around, it might be harder for you. But we’ll see. I’ll dig around and see if she’s been in any trouble, where she’s been all this time.”

  “What should I do? She wants to see Keri. Should I allow it?” More than anything, Eve wanted to grab up her child and protect her. Patti wasn’t a fit mother for Keri. A mother needed to put her child first every time. Not just when she felt like it.

  Was Eve guilty of the same offense? What if Patti was able to show that Eve was unfit?

  “It would look better to the judge if you’re agreeable and reasonable. My gut says to allow her to have supervised visitation. Have her to the house for dinner. Be friendly. See if you can get her to agree to let you adopt Keri. You could allow her to see the little girl occasionally. It’s always better for the child if these things can be resolved in an amicable way.”

  “Okay,” Eve said with great reluctance. “I’ll arrange it.”

  Ronja’s gaze lingered on Eve’s face. “Can you put your differences aside for Keri’s sake?”

  “It’s not that. I just hate to have Keri’s life disrupted. I tried to tell her about Patti last night, but she’s too young to understand.”

  “She calls you Mommy and Daddy?” Ronja’s eyebrows winged up.

  Eve nodded. “It just sort of happened.”

  It felt odd parroting everything Nick had told her. When would she begin to actually have her own memories?

  “She called you Mommy right from the start?”

  Eve ducked her head. “Nick says we knew Patti wouldn’t be back. She abandoned Keri at the day care and left an empty apartment behind. At least that’s what Nick said.”

  “Do you have any other corroboration, since you don’t remember it yourself?”

  “Maybe my parents?” Eve needed to call them too. But what did she say to a faceless couple who would want her to love them when she had no idea about them at all?

  “Check and see. We might need their testimony. What about the father?”

  “Patti never told us who he was, according to Nick. He’s never supported her either.” Eve tried to stuff her panic back into the dark place from where it had arisen. Everything would be all right. It had to be.

  “This is quite a tangle. I really recommend you try to work things out amicably with your sister.”

  “I’ll try, but she seems to be determined to have Keri. I can’t let that happen.” Eve’s voice broke.

  Ronja gave her a sharp look. “I do hope you’re not thinking of doing something foolish. Like running off with Keri.”

  Eve bit her lip so hard she tasted blood. “I’m not giving up my daughter.”

  Ronja sighed. “At least promise me you’ll call me before you make any decisions.”

  Eve didn’t answer. She couldn’t promise anything. Keri’s happiness came first. She stood. “Thanks for your time. Let me know if you find Patti has a record.”

  “I will. And have faith, Eve.”

  Eve nodded. Easy enough for the lawyer to say. Her life wasn’t hanging in the balance.

  She exited the office and walked along Houghton Street. The sidewalks teemed with jostling tourists, and flowers lined the tree lawn. Glancing at her watch, she picked up her pace and headed into the coffee shop. The bell on the door jingled as she pushed it open and inhaled the scent of espresso.

  “Good morning,” she told the barista before ordering a mocha.

  The coffee shop was housed in an old Victorian storefront with high tin ceilings painted blush. Debris was easy to sweep up from the wooden floor, and the bright windows added to the airy feel. She’d quickly fallen in love with the place.

  The door opened, and a man with short white hair and a white beard entered. The rosy red cheeks above his beard reminded her of Santa Claus, especially with the smile he leveled at her. “You must be Eve. I’ve seen your picture on Nick’s desk for years.” He extended his hand. “Oliver Harding.”

  Eve took his hand. Hard calluses made it feel like grasping a fistful of sand. Nick had mentioned him. “You’re here to re-create our Jane Doe?”

  “I was. A young upstart from Marquette hijacked the project, but he was botching it so badly, I couldn’t stand to watch. I decided to get a trim to escape the pain. Can you suggest a hair establishment?”

  “There’s a barber down the street.” Eyeing his hair, Eve couldn’t see it needed trimming. “How could he take it away from you? Nick says you’re the best in the country.”

  “Bless you, child, for saying that. Nick would have come to my aid, but he’s been relieved of duty.”

  Eve took her mocha from the barista and turned at his words. “What?”

  “You haven’t heard? Internal Affairs has suspended him pending results of an investigation.”

  “Nick is one of the most honorable men I know.” From the moment he reentered her life, she’d known that.

  “I’m sure it will be sorted out soon. Nick won’t let any grass grow under his feet.” Oliver heaved a large sigh. “In the meantime, I believe our Jane is Caucasian, and the young man from Marquette is sure she’s African-American. I don’t believe he has much training. If he hadn’t been so impudent, I might have taken him under my wing. As it is, I will have to redo the bust.

  “But until then, everything is delayed,” Eve said slowly.

  “It is,” Oliver agreed.

  And Gideon was drawing ever closer while they were still in the dark.

  15

  The leaves burst forth with green abandon from the trees that lined Kitchigami Street. Bree sipped the mocha Kade had brought her from the coffee shop. The children walked with them—Davy clinging to her hand and Keri skipping along beside Kade. She found herself looking at every stranger they passed. Was it the man with the hawkish nose or the one who smiled at the children?

  They rounded the corner onto Houghton Street and started toward Anu’s shop. Samson kept running ahead, then stopping to look back as if to say, “Are you coming?” Four squad cars were parked in front of the sheriff’s office and jail. Deputies entered and exited the office with an undercurrent of excitement obvious in their quick movements and intent expressions.

  “What’s going on?” Kade murmured in her ear.

  One of the deputies glanced toward them and frowned. “Should I take the kids and get out of here?” Bree asked.

  “I think it’s okay,” Kade said.

  A deputy motioned to them, and they quickened their pace to join him on the steps to the jail. “Deputy Montgomery needs to talk to you,” he said. About twenty-five, the rookie wore his cockiness like a suit he wasn’t sure quite fit.

  Kade cast a quick glance toward Bree. “I’ll get my wife settled, then stop back.”

  The deputy took Kade by the arm. “He wants to see you now.”

  Kade gave an angry start at the man’s insistence, and Samson growled and took a step toward the deputy. Bree put her hand on the dog’s head. “It’s okay,” she said. “We’ll just
come with you.”

  Kade’s frown didn’t leave, but he nodded. A sense of unease settled around Bree’s middle as Kade pulled his arm from the deputy’s grasp and opened the door for her and the children. She almost thought she saw pity on the deputy’s face.

  Conversation stopped when they stepped inside. Deputy Montgomery’s face creased in a smile that seemed a little too hearty. “Kade, thanks for coming by.” His gaze flickered to Bree. “You’re free to go visit with Anu or whatever you want, Bree.”

  “What’s going on?” Bree asked. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”

  “No, no, nothing like that.” Montgomery’s eyes darted around the room. “If you’ll come back to my office, I’m sure we can get this cleared up.”

  Kade’s eyes narrowed. “Get what cleared up?”

  The other deputies shuffled their feet and looked at the floor. Bree took each of the children by the hand and led them toward the heavyset deputy. “Marty, would you mind keeping an eye on the kids?” His daughter went to school with Davy.

  “Aw, Bree, I’m not a nursemaid,” he muttered.

  He hadn’t been a deputy long enough to summon the authority another officer might have mustered. Bree almost felt sorry for railroading him. “I’ll just be a minute. I have a feeling this isn’t for little ears.” She knew she was right when he looked away and managed to nod. “Stay. Watch Davy,” she told her dog when he started to follow her.

  She walked with Kade and Montgomery down the hallway lined with pictures of past sheriffs and deputies. The deputy led them into the last office. “This is Mason’s office,” she said.

  Montgomery’s cheeks darkened to red. “I’m filling in for him, so I thought I should be where I could access his files.”

  Bree wondered if she should warn Mason that Montgomery was gunning for his job. Her brother-in-law probably knew it though. He was pretty savvy about people. She stepped into the office and looked around. Mason usually kept the place as neat as a windswept beach, but today it looked like a nor’easter had come calling. Manila folders lay heaped on the desk, and she counted four half-full coffee cups.

  Kade stood with his arms folded as Montgomery shuffled around the desk and dropped into the chair. Montgomery moved some papers. “Have a seat.”

  “I’ll stand. We can’t leave the kids for long,” Kade said.

  “What’s this all about, Doug?” Bree’s flight-or-fight response was surging like a Superior storm.

  The man’s fingers tightened on his papers before he finally looked up toward Kade. “We found a shovel, Kade. The handle was engraved with your name.”

  The words were so soft that they didn’t register at first with Bree. Kade’s shovel? So what?

  “Near the body,” Doug continued. “There was a clump of dirt stuck to the metal. A piece of the rotted material from the woman’s blouse was in the dirt.” He cleared his throat. “I’m going to ask you not to leave town until we get this cleared up.”

  Bree took a step toward the deputy. “You can’t be serious. Anyone could have used that shovel.”

  Montgomery kept his gaze on Kade. “There are no other prints on the shovel except yours, Kade. Can you explain it?”

  Kade spread his hands, palms up. “I use the shovel all the time to move plants or cover waste in the park. I don’t know who the woman is or how she got there. I certainly didn’t put her there.”

  Doug finally glanced at Bree. “How did you happen to find the body, Bree? It seems a little suspicious now that we know Kade’s shovel may have been used.”

  “You know the dogs found it,” she said. “It was a fluke.”

  “How did you happen to pick that geocache to go after?”

  How had she picked it? She and Kade had been looking through the entries, and he had pointed it out. No way could she tell Doug that bit of information. He would be sure to misunderstand it. “It was close to where we were going to be training the dogs.”

  “That’s it?”

  Bree nodded. “It’s been a fun hobby until now. We’ve always picked our sites at random.”

  Montgomery still didn’t look convinced.

  Kade took Bree’s hand. “I’m not planning on going anywhere. But you’re wasting time focusing on me, Doug. The real killer is targeting Eve. She got a threatening phone call. The killer told her not to leave town or he would hurt Keri. We’d like some protection assigned to the house.”

  Doug frowned. “Did you hear this conversation?” he asked Bree.

  “No, Eve told me about it. She was packing up to leave town when he called. She thinks he might really hurt Keri if she leaves. You’ve got to find him before he hurts Eve or one of the children.”

  Doug didn’t look at Kade, but Bree could almost sense the direction of his focus. “It’s not Kade,” she said, raising her voice. “Are you going to give us some protection or not?”

  “How well do you know Eve?”

  “Very well. She’s lived with us for three months. You get to know someone pretty well when you live with them. She’s not making this up! Ask her ex-husband—he was there when the guy called her. Where is he, anyway? Isn’t he in charge of the investigation? He wouldn’t let you target Kade.”

  “Captain Andreakos has been relieved of duty.” A smile started on Montgomery’s lips but vanished before it could reach its full wattage.

  Kade and Bree exchanged glances. Bree could see the warning on Kade’s face. They’d have to figure out what was going on without giving the deputy the satisfaction of seeing their shock.

  THE SUN STILL SHONE BRIGHTLY WHEN EVE EXITED the coffee shop and glanced at her watch. A little after five. She stopped at a pay phone and called Bree’s phone. Bree’s voice was a little tense, but she assured Eve that Keri was all right.

  She ended the call with Bree and started to walk away. She still hadn’t heard from Nick. His suspension would have upset him. That was probably what had caused him to miss the attorney appointment. She called his number then listened to the phone ring before being dumped into voice mail. Even listening to the deep tones of his greeting soaked into her soul like rain into soil at the end of a drought.

  How could she love another man when Nick made her feel like this? What kind of woman was she that she could sleep with a man she didn’t love? She had no doubt she didn’t love Will and never had.

  A voice called her name, and she turned to look at a black Cadillac that pulled to the curb.

  The passenger door flew open, and a short, buxom brunette in her fifties hurried from the car. “Eve!”

  Eve found herself enveloped in a hug that felt like coming home. The woman’s skin lotion, a concoction of jasmine and other essences, filled her senses. Her arms went around the woman and clung, even though she had no idea whom she held on to.

  When the woman finally pulled away, her eyes were misty. “I’ve missed you, koukla.”

  Eve didn’t trust herself to speak yet. The unconditional love she felt coming off this woman in waves was like balm. “Who—who are you?”

  “I’m Rhea. Nick’s mother. You poor child.” Rhea hugged her again. “You remember nothing?”

  Eve shook her head. “Nothing.” For a minute, Eve had hoped this was her own mother. Why hadn’t she heard from her mom? Studying the other woman’s face, she wondered now how she could have missed the resemblance. Nick had Rhea’s mouth.

  Rhea’s pity disappeared. She grasped Eve’s shoulders and gave her a shaking. “Where is my granddaughter? Why didn’t you seek to find out who you were? I don’t understand.” She turned to her husband as he exited the car. “Tell her, Cyril.”

  “Leave her alone, Rhea. Can’t you tell she’s suffered?” Cyril grabbed her up and hugged her. “But Rhea is right for a change. You could have come to us.”

  As if she even knew who they were at that point? Cyril was a big man, and Eve could see her ex-husband would look just like him in thirty years. Hadn’t Nick said his dad was a cop too?

  Eve extricated herse
lf from his arms. “I couldn’t,” she said. “I didn’t know where you lived. I have amnesia. I can’t even remember where our house is.”

  Cyril studied her face. “You really don’t remember anything?”

  She shook her head.

  He shook his head and took her hand. “Spotty cell coverage all the way up here. Where is Keri?”

  “She’s with my friend Bree. I’ll take you to her.”

  They got back into the car, and Eve slid into the backseat.

  Rhea kept up a steady patter of conversation as Eve directed them through town to the lighthouse. Cyril parked the car in the driveway, and Rhea and Cyril spilled out and hurried to the door.

  Noting their eagerness to see Keri, Eve wanted to run. The past was here in the present, and she had no idea how to meet the challenges. She went slowly up the steps and entered the house.

  Keri was in Rhea’s arms as the older woman talked with Bree. Cyril and Kade stood talking in low voices. Having Cyril here made her feel safe. Maybe it was his resemblance to Nick.

  She went to stand beside him, and he put his arm around her and pulled her against his bulk. “You need a new sweater,” she said, wrinkling her nose at the pilled fabric.

  “Hey, it’s a relic. Just like me.”

  It felt natural to return his hug before stepping away. “What’s going on with Nick’s suspension?”

  “Oh, you’ve heard?” Kade asked.

  “Oliver told me. He’s Nick’s forensic sculptor friend.” She told the men about Oliver’s fear that the skull’s identification was being mishandled. “Can you fix this for Nick, Cyril?”

  “I’ve tried. Someone higher up is ticked and wants to see it go through channels.”

  “What is Nick accused of?” Kade asked.

  “Unnecessary force.” Cyril’s frown pinched his mouth. “He was investigating a survivalist group, thought Gideon might be part of it. They had a compound outside Indian River. He found a woman hiker they’d kidnapped up near Stoney Creek. There was a scuffle getting her out of there, and the leader, Moses Bechtol, was killed.”