The House at Saltwater Point

by Colleen Coble

  “Wh-What? No, of course not. I didn’t do anything to him. He plans to kill me. My blood will be on your hands.”

  “Better your blood than my own.”

  “Where are you from?”

  Her shoulders stiffened. “From Hamhung.” The woman turned and hurried toward the door.

  Mac leaped after her, but the door slammed and the lock snicked before she could reach it. She slammed her palms against the door and groaned. She’d blown it.

  Chapter 28

  You can never afford to let your trades work without supervision. That’s a good way to have to redo plumbing or electrical.

  —HAMMER GIRL BLOG

  Grayson’s eyes ached from staring at the computer screen for so long. All morning he’d been trying to find evidence of the cocaine hitting the streets, and he’d finally found a large uptick in overdose cases in Yakima. It might be the missing cocaine, but if it was, he didn’t like what he was seeing.

  He had no idea how to tell Ellie what he’d learned last night from Lance. He’d let Jason escort her to the Saltwater Point house this morning and had gone to his place to work. If there was a way to link the cocaine to terrorists in North Korea, he wasn’t seeing it.

  His doorbell rang, and he glanced out the window as he got up. Shauna and Zach were on the porch. His leg throbbed and accentuated his limp as he went to open the door. “Good morning.” He glanced at his watch. “I guess it’s almost lunchtime.”

  “We came to take you to lunch,” Shauna said. “Ellie is meeting us at the Yellow Submarine in an hour. You hungry?” She stepped through the doorway with Zach on her heels.

  “Starved.” Grayson patted his stomach.

  “There’s something we want to talk to you about before we go. Got a minute?”

  “Of course. Have a seat.”

  They followed him into the living room and settled on the sofa. He dropped into the chair across from them. Shauna’s eyes sparkled, and she kept breaking out into a smile.

  “Looks like something exciting, whatever it is.”

  “We found Brenna!”

  “Already?” He wasn’t used to one new sister yet, let alone a second one. “How’d you find her?”

  She sent her husband an adoring look. “Zach found the paramedic who helped us after the earthquake.”

  Zach shrugged. “It was a joint effort, actually. Isabelle found a CPS agent who was able to supply the crucial information I needed.”

  Warmth surged in his chest. “She’s a great researcher.”

  Shauna leaned forward. “Grayson, the paramedic took Brenna. That’s why no one knew anything about her. There was no official record. She left the area right after the earthquake so no one would know.”

  “How do you know all this?”

  She glanced at Zach who took out his iPad and handed it to Grayson. “Fourth row, third picture from the left.”

  Grayson scanned down the page, then gasped. “The girl looks just like you.”

  “She does. That’s her senior year in high school.”

  His investigator brain was already running through charges against the woman. Kidnapping, taking a minor across state lines. The woman was in a heap of trouble.

  He handed the iPad back to Zach. “Where’s Brenna now? She’s, what, about twenty-four?”

  Shauna nodded. “Zach isn’t sure where she is. That’s where you come in. You think you can track her down with your investigative connections?”

  “Probably. We know her name and location, plus where she graduated. Should be pretty straightforward. I’ll see what I can find out.”

  He called a friend he’d worked with at the FBI on a joint task force and asked her to track down Brenna, a.k.a. Bailey Fleming, then ended the call. “I should know something within the hour.”

  Grayson wasn’t sure what role Shauna expected him to play in this. He was happy to assist her with a location, but the thought of showing up on this young woman’s doorstep to break her world apart didn’t appeal to him. Would he rather not have known about Shauna? He liked his new sister a lot and felt a sense of connection to her that he couldn’t explain. But there was no denying his life had been turned upside down, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to do the same to Brenna/Bailey.

  “You seem lost in thought,” Zach said. “Anything wrong?”

  “Just thinking about this Bailey and how she’s going to take the news. You realize she won’t know she’s adopted. Well, not adopted. Kidnapped is a better word. I’m sure Olivia never formally adopted her. How could she?”

  Shauna pushed her thick, black hair out of her face. “What about a birth certificate for school?”

  “She probably got a forged one or something. I’m sure she found a way around it.” Grayson’s phone rang, and he glanced at it. “There’s our answer already. I didn’t think it would take long.”

  He answered the phone and jotted down everything his friend said. Bailey was living in Rock Harbor, Michigan, and worked as a nurse at an assisted living facility.

  “Thanks so much, my friend.” He ended the call and exhaled, then told Shauna and Zach what he’d found out. “I have her address and phone number. I’m not sure how you want to handle it, though. Having someone show up on your doorstep is a bit of a shock, you know. Or maybe you don’t realize just how topsy-turvy news like this can be.”

  Zach shot a quick look at Shauna. “What do you suggest?” He put his arm around her as if to calm her.

  “Maybe write her an email first. Give her all the information so she can digest it a bit, then let her call you,” Gray said.

  Shauna shrugged off her husband’s embrace and leaned forward. “What if she calls her mother and doesn’t believe us?”

  “Then you go see her. She’ll take one look at you and know it’s true. Better yet, enclose a picture of you in the email.”

  “Of both of us,” Shauna said.

  “I won’t bolster your story much. We don’t look alike.”

  “That reminds me.” Shauna drew a paper out of her purse. “Not that we weren’t already sure, but the official DNA is back. We’re siblings.”

  It wasn’t anything unexpected, but it brought back Grayson’s sense of being lost in a forest. “So I guess you’re going to have to put up with me forever.”

  She smiled. “It’s all I ever wanted.” She handed him the document. “You can tell her how we found you and you didn’t believe it at first either. We can show her the DNA report.”

  He had to admit her plan held merit. “Okay. I have her email. We can do it now if you want.”

  She shook her head. “Let’s go have lunch. I want to think about what to say.”

  And he was happy to put off destroying the young woman’s life. He’d thought his situation was bad, but hers was worse. The woman who’d raised her had actually kidnapped her. That was going to be earthshaking.

  Wang slammed his fist against the wall in Nasser’s office. “I don’t understand why you can’t find the tiles! I need that picture to get the codes. And Grayson Bradshaw is still alive. The mah-jongg tiles have to be somewhere in Ellie’s possession.”

  This last bit of incompetence was intolerable. Nasser had bragged he could manage anything, see anywhere, and do what was needed. His confidence in the man had been severely shaken. He should have done this himself.

  Nasser, relaxed and unperturbed, leaned back in his leather chair at the expansive desk surrounded by books. His dark eyes held more than a trace of contempt. “We’ve searched her house and Mac’s apartment multiple times and can’t find them.”

  He drilled Nasser with a quelling look. “You and your men are incompetent. Do I have to find men worthy of their hire?”

  The picture contained a crucial pass code for detonation, and the clock was running out. He stared out the window at the neighborhood kids painting graffiti on the abandoned building across the street, then turned to look again at Nasser. “Sunday is go time. I must have that picture by then or I’ll have to scrap the
whole plan. And failure will not be tolerated.”

  Nasser reached for his cigar, then lit it and took a puff.

  Wang waved away the stench of the cigar. Nasser offered him one, but he grimaced and shook his head. He planted his palms on Nasser’s desk and leaned forward. “Find that picture. Tonight. Or you’ll be the next one found dead in a basement.”

  “Of course.” Nasser looked sufficiently quelled. “What about Mackenzie?”

  “What about her? You have her safely locked up.”

  “Yes, of course. She is growing antsy, though.”

  “I don’t care how she feels.” He stared at Nasser, then grinned. “You care about her, don’t you?” He hooted with laughter. “I never would have guessed you’d fall for a woman like her.”

  Nasser stiffened. “If I’d cared about her, would I have delivered her to you this way? Would I have let you embroil her in your plot?”

  “Maybe. I think you wanted her, but she turned her back on you. She’s attractive, I’ll give you that. But don’t let her get inside your head.”

  “Like Hyun got inside yours?”

  Wang clenched his fists. “She’s been a great asset to our work.” He spun on his heel and slammed the door behind him. Stupid, stupid man. Nothing was going to stop this plan from coming to fruition. If Nasser couldn’t handle it, Wang would do it himself.

  Ellie spent Tuesday removing old wallpaper and patching plaster in the House at Saltwater Point. She had hundreds of plaster washers and drywall screws ready, but the plaster was surprisingly sound except for one spot in a wall in the master bedroom and another in the ceiling of the living room. The whine of power saws and drills filled the house as workers began restructuring the place into a big, open space that would appeal to the majority of buyers.

  Clint was arguing politics, as usual, with another worker. She would have to talk to him about working more and arguing less.

  The more she worked in the house, the more determined she was to make it her own.

  Jason poked his head into the living area where she rooted through her tools for a hole saw. “You’re making some good progress.”

  “Yeah, I was about to drill some holes for plumbing in the new kitchen.”

  He grinned. “Don’t trust the plumber, eh?”

  “Not after the one who put the run of cabinets with the sink on the wrong wall in our last house. That set us back several days. I don’t want a repeat. ‘Verify all work’ is my motto now.”

  There were circles under his eyes, and he had a bandage on his left hand, which wasn’t unusual. Jason was a good carpenter but sometimes absentminded. He often had his country music cranked so loud it was no wonder he lost track of what he was doing.

  “Did you get any sleep last night?”

  He shrugged. “More than Grayson did. How’d you sleep?”

  “In fits and starts.” She inserted the end of the hole saw into the drill. “I have to believe I’ll find out the truth of what happened to Mac. And we have to stop whatever is about to happen.”

  “You don’t even know what that is.”

  She heard the note of cynicism in his voice. She tightened the nut. “I know, Jason, but I have to try.”

  “Have you talked to your dad?”

  “I tried to call him, but he’s still in Africa on safari.” She rose. “I’d better get cleaned up. I’m meeting Grayson for dinner.”

  She didn’t wait for his reaction but headed to the garage. The only working bathroom in the place was in the apartment over the garage. Her hands shook as she washed the plaster dust from her arms and face, then headed for her truck. As she stepped outside in the sunshine, a truck slowed, then stopped in front of the house. Isaac Cohen.

  The passenger window ran down, and he leaned over to peer up at her. “How’s it coming in there?”

  “Pretty well. Always slow at this stage, but we’re getting the structure right.”

  “I heard the sheriff found a body. Any word on her identification yet?”

  Her pulse galloped. “I haven’t heard that. Are you sure?”

  He shrugged. “I heard it at the coffee shop a few days ago. You’d think they’d know by now. It’s not like she was wearing something nondescript. I mean, she had on an ugly green sweater according to scuttlebutt. He didn’t ask you to ID her?”

  She realized what he was talking about. “That ended up being a dead deer, not a person at all.”

  “Oh, well, sorry for saying anything then.” He exhaled. “I was hoping for closure for you, for all of us.”

  “Thanks, Isaac. I know you all care about her too. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear something.”

  “Thanks.” His window went up and he pulled away.

  For just a minute she’d hoped that they might at least know what had happened to Mac. The waiting was so hard.

  Chapter 29

  Wood is a wonderful material. It’s almost magical in the number of things you can do with it when you have the proper tools.

  —HAMMER GIRL BLOG

  The town in twilight was almost mystical with lights glowing from the cafés and small businesses that were still open. The old-fashioned streetlights added a fairy-tale touch to the scene. But Grayson knew the town wasn’t as idyllic as it seemed. As he walked to Harvey’s Pier to meet Ellie for dinner, he found himself staring sharply at every person he passed. Were they hiding their true identity behind a smile?

  Laughing patrons spilled out of Harvey’s Pier, and he eyed all the diners as he walked in the door. He spotted Ellie sitting at a small corner booth by herself. She stared into her plate like it was a foreign object, and he knew she was lost in thought.

  He let his gaze linger on the way the overhead light glimmered on her burnished hair. She took off her glasses and put them beside her plate before picking up her fork and eating a bite of salad. She sure was pretty.

  He veered around another group exiting the place and stepped into the restaurant. A country tune he didn’t recognize blared from the jukebox and mingled with the laughter from the patrons. There didn’t seem to be anyone watching her. He threaded through the tables to where Ellie sat.

  “You got here a little early.” He dropped into the chair opposite her.

  She reached for her glasses and stuck them on her nose. “I didn’t get a chance to ask you this morning if you talked to the FBI agent who might be able to tell you what was going on.”

  Great. Telling her wouldn’t be easy. Maybe he should hold back some of it. He signaled to the server and ordered iced tea and a hamburger with fries. “Yeah, I got him last night.”

  Her gaze sharpened. “What’d he say?”

  “They believe a major terrorist attack is coming this weekend, something joint between North Korea and ISIS.”

  Her glass stopped on its way to her lips, and she set it back on the table. “And what about Mac?”

  How did he tell her that her sister had decided to be a confidential informant for the FBI? “This isn’t easy to hear, honey.”

  “Tell me.”

  So he did. Her eyes got bigger when she heard the FBI had helped Mac steal the cocaine so she could infiltrate the terrorist cell. “They killed her, didn’t they?”

  “They think so, but her body still hasn’t been recovered.”

  Tears filled her eyes. “What’s next?”

  “I’m trying to find some clue that will lead us to who is behind this attack and stop it in time. The bad thing is we don’t even know where it’s hitting. Here? Seattle? Yakima? No one really knows.”

  “Did you find out anything about the tall ship organizer, Gun Moon?”

  “I looked him up. He escaped North Korea ten years ago and has lived here ever since. He became a citizen last year. Nothing points to anything wonky with him.”

  She drummed her fingers on the table. “When I was tossing and turning last night, I realized that if Mac was going to hide some kind of evidence, it might be on the ship. She spent so much time there.”
/>   “That’s a great idea. We can start searching tonight.”

  He fell silent as the server brought their food, then he bit into his burger. The spicy jalapeños on his burger hit his tongue in a perfect combo with avocado and cheese. This place was good, but he couldn’t wait to get to the ship and do a thorough search.

  The clock was ticking down to Sunday.

  Ellie’s glasses steamed so badly she had trouble seeing. She paused and wiped them on her sweaty T-shirt. “It’s hot down here without a breeze. Mac said the generator couldn’t handle air-conditioning. It’s going to be hot sleeping down here tonight.”

  Gray looked up from his knees in front of the storage space under a bench seat lining the wall of the salon. “I’ll be on deck standing guard anyway. You could take a mattress to the deck and sleep up there if it gets too hot.”

  “Okay.” She averted her gaze from the magnificent sight of him in gym shorts and a tank top. “Find anything?”

  He dropped the bench seat back into place. “Not yet. A few specks of sand.”

  “There’s a storage area in a bench in the smallest room in the bow. I’ll check there.” Ducking her head as the ceiling dropped, she squeezed into the tiny room that held only a single cot on one wall and a bench on the other. She lifted the lid and found a file folder. “Found something,” she called as she carried it under a dim light and opened the cover.

  Gray’s bare feet slapped on the wooden boards as he rushed to join her. “What is it?”

  “Looks like it’s a manifest of all the tall ships in the upcoming event.”

  “Let’s take it to the salon where the lighting is better.” He held the door open for her.

  She squeezed past him, and they pulled out chairs at the wooden table under the light. She slid the folder over to him. “Let’s look at what countries are represented.”

  Gray slid his chair over close enough that his arm brushed hers. “I’m glad you found this. I wanted to request it, but I knew I’d be found out immediately. I don’t like having my hands tied.”