The View from Rainshadow Bay

by Colleen Coble

  One passenger sat in the front with her, and two more were in the back. They all wore microphones and sound-canceling headphones to communicate. Guy Rosenthal, head biologist with the EPA, had hired Shauna several times before today. A slim man in his early thirties, he always reminded her of a sleek puma with his light-brown hair and almost golden eyes. He’d asked her out every time they went up, but she refused. She wasn’t ready for romance again. Maybe she never would be.

  She hovered the chopper over a clearing. “What are we looking for?” A sparkling river ran through the area, rushing past wildflowers and gurgling around rocks. It was a pretty place.

  Guy adjusted his mic. “The river below is too shallow in places. Spawning fish can’t reach the head. We’re trying to figure out the best locations to drop boulders or logs. Can you drop us a little lower right there?” He pointed out the area.

  “Want me to land? There’s a flat spot in the clearing.”

  “That would be great.”

  She brought the helicopter down and settled back to check whatever e-mail messages had come in before she lost a signal. They could explore the river to their heart’s content. A couple of e-mails were from possible clients asking for price estimates. She answered those and prayed they decided to book.

  What was she going to do about the bank? Her eyes burned, and she leaned back against the seat. They wanted the loan caught up, and she had no way of doing that unless some miracle happened. The last letter demanded payment immediately.

  She straightened. Wait. Didn’t the house insurance pay for rental of a place to stay? Maybe she could talk to Zach about it, and he’d let her borrow that rent money until she could pay him back. At least it was a sliver of hope to cling to. The thought of asking him for anything made her cringe, but what choice did she have? If she lost her helicopter, she wouldn’t have a way to support Alex. She’d lose the house and everything else.

  She rubbed her eyes and sighed. If only Jack hadn’t died.

  The men returned, and Guy climbed back into his seat. “I think we have our site picked out. Now we’d like to take a gander at the bay.”

  “You bet.” She started the chopper and got it airborne.

  Minutes later they were swooping over Rainshadow Bay. The view from up here always staggered her senses. Waves foamed from the sea and threw themselves against the base of the soaring cliffs. She’d seen this scene on many postcards over the years, but she never tired of viewing it with her own eyes. From the beach you’d never know about the waterfalls or the sea cliffs on the other side.

  She swooped the chopper over the landscape, and Guy snapped pictures through the window at the water below. He asked her to take them to the west, and she changed direction. She saw him stiffen, then realized what had caused his reaction. A large blob of something marred the pristine blue of the water. Exactly like the pictures she’d taken. If anything, it was darker. It had also moved a bit.

  “What do you think that is?” She took the chopper lower, barely skimming the tops of the waves.

  Guy was furiously taking pictures and didn’t answer at first. He straightened and put his camera down. “Not sure. It could be an oil spill or even runoff from a construction project, though none have been approved in this area. I don’t like it. I’ll examine these pictures back at the office. And we’ll need to send a boat out to collect samples. You can take us back now.”

  They weren’t far from the airport, so Shauna nodded and flew the helicopter back to its pad. There was still time to go to the bank. But first she had to talk to the insurance company and Zach so she had a decent plan in place.

  The biologists scurried away to their vehicles, even Guy. He must have finally taken the hint that she wasn’t interested in dating.

  Before she got out of the chopper, she called the insurance agent. He confirmed she’d be given a lump sum of money to start replacing items that had been destroyed as well as money for lodging. The amount of money made her gasp, then smile. And he was meeting her this afternoon to deliver it. Now all she had to do was see if Zach would agree to her plan.

  She slid out of the cockpit and proceeded to the office. Zach was talking to Jermaine, and she waited until the paramedic finished and went to his office.

  She tapped on the window and entered the Quonset hut. “Hey, you got a minute?”

  “Sure. I didn’t expect to see you back so soon. Did you see that blob?”

  Had he always been so tall and good looking? His muscles bulged under his T-shirt, and even from here, she could catch a faint whiff of his cologne. Those dark-blue eyes seemed to look right into her soul.

  She shifted from foot to foot. “We did. The biologists are concerned and are going to check it out.” She shut the door behind her and went to join him at his desk. “They suspect it is some banned chemical making its way into the water.”

  “So those pictures might have something to do with this.”

  “I think it’s too soon to say.” She stood awkwardly on the other side of the desk. How should she even start this conversation?

  He eyed her. “Have a seat and tell me what’s bugging you.”

  “What makes you think anything is bugging me?” She perched on the edge of the chair and clasped her hands in front of her.

  “You keep twirling your hair around your finger and you’re biting your lip hard enough to leave imprints. What’s up?”

  She made herself stop biting her lip. “Um, I’ve got a situation. I’m a little behind on the payments for my helicopter. My mortgage too, for that matter. I got to thinking about the insurance payment. My agent confirmed I am getting funds to pay for temporary housing and to replace the property that was destroyed. The money for the housing will come to you, of course, but I was wondering if I could borrow it from you and pay it back in installments. I could take that money and get caught up.”

  He stared at her. “I wasn’t sure how to bring this up myself.”

  Her heart sank at his words. Was he kicking her out? The thought of being on her own terrified her for Alex’s sake. “You want us to leave?”

  He reared back, and his eyes went wide. “What? No, of course not. I meant I found the letter from the bank. I was going to offer to pay it for you, but I thought you’d be offended so I hadn’t mentioned it. And if you don’t mind me saying this, I’m surprised Jack didn’t plan better for the future.”

  She stared at her clasped hands. “I’ve wondered the same thing. He let his life-insurance policy lapse. It was so unlike him, but he’d been a little distracted the last few months before he died.” She looked up and met his concerned gaze. “But this isn’t your problem. I just want to borrow the insurance money. I don’t want a gift.”

  “I don’t want you to pay me the insurance money. It’s yours.” He opened a desk drawer. “In fact, let me write you a check for what you need now, and you can give it back to me when you see your agent.”

  “He’s bringing me a check this afternoon so there’s no need.” She stood, her face burning as she remembered how harshly she’d treated him. “You’ve been far kinder to me than I deserve, Zach.”

  He rose and slid his hands in his pockets. “I hope we can be friends again, Shauna.”

  “I’d like that.” To her surprise, she found she meant those words.

  Zach listened to Jermaine soothing the ten-year-old with the broken leg. They’d left for Ketchikan at five this morning, and the poor kid had been white with pain. The leg was a compound fracture and broken in multiple places. It would require surgery, but it hadn’t taken long for Jermaine’s funny stories to get the child’s mind off his predicament. His parents were with him in the back of the Learjet and had visibly relaxed once they were airborne.

  Zach’s copilot, Valerie Baer, studied the flight plan. “We should be to Seattle in half an hour. No problems.” In her late thirties, Valerie was a beautiful blonde who was all business. She was married with twelve-year-old twin girls, and she was one of the finest pilots Zach h
ad ever met.

  “Surgical team is waiting?”

  Valerie nodded. “Just received an update a few minutes ago.”

  Zach took the plane below the clouds. A ferry chugged past Sequim just below. Just past the lavender fields he saw the smokestacks of Olympic Paper. It would only take a slight deviation to fly over the area where the mysterious blob showed on the pictures and wouldn’t take any extra time.

  “I’m taking a bit of a detour.” He guided the Lear a bit to the east. “You’ve got the controls, Val.” He grabbed his camera, then snapped off half-a-dozen pictures.

  “What was that all about?” Valerie wore a disapproving frown.

  “I’ve been helping Shauna look into the murders of Clarence and Lucy. We saw some kind of blob in the water on some pictures Clarence gave her.” He stabbed a finger in the direction of Rainshadow Bay. “That blob.”

  “Huh.” She peered through the window at the water for a long moment. “Probably algae. The EPA will figure it out.” She blew her bangs out of her eyes with an exasperated puff. “They sure won’t leave us alone. Always wanting to inspect the apple orchard and poke into what pesticides we’re using. Richard can never seem to catch a break. Even in years where we have a great crop, he gets slammed with new regulations for the next year that eat up any profit he makes. I’ve told him we should sell the orchard. I’ve about had it.”

  “You’ve got a beautiful place.” Their apple orchard produced some of the best fruit he’d ever tasted, and the trees were healthy and vibrant.

  She slid him a sidelong glance full of speculation. “So, what’s up with Shauna and Alex moving in with you? I thought she hated your guts.” The crew was like a big family, poking into one another’s business and offering advice even when it hadn’t been requested.

  “She does. If she’d had any other choice she would have taken it.” He told her about their suspicions and about the way Shauna’s house had been trashed.

  “I bet that makes for uncomfortable evenings. How’s Alex act with you?”

  “He’s great. And she’s warming up. At least she’s not staring daggers at me anymore.”

  Valerie shot him another glance from her too-perceptive blue eyes. “Is it doing anything for that big weight you carry around all day?”

  There was no way he was looking at her. “I’m fine.”

  “You haven’t been fine since Jack died. Your daredevil spirit has gotten downright dangerous. BASE jumping, cave diving. You even went bull riding.”

  “I’ve always liked extreme sports.”

  “You think since you challenged Jack to that climb that it’s your duty to do things even more dangerous until it kills you too.”

  Heat crept up his neck to his cheeks. “What can I say—I’m an adrenaline junkie.”

  “You and Jack always liked to be active, but this is more than that. And you need to stop it. It won’t bring Jack back.”

  “I’m not trying to do that.”

  “Maybe not consciously, but you think you deserve to be punished. Zach, look at me.”

  He couldn’t ignore the command in her voice. Her eyes were filled with tears, not the anger he’d expected. “Hey, don’t cry.”

  She sniffled. “I’ll cry a lot more if I receive a call that you killed yourself. Jack’s death was an accident. Do you think he would want you to flay yourself with guilt like this?”

  His buddy had been a man who caught every moment of happiness and treasured it. He always had a smile and a kind word for everyone. In school, he was the one who noticed the kid sitting alone at lunch and made a point to be friendly. In college, he refused to join a fraternity because he didn’t want to haze anyone.

  Zach tried to be more and more like him, and since Jack’s death, he’d undergone a massive change. “Probably not. He always tried to make people feel better about themselves.”

  “He would be horrified if he saw the way you risk your life. I want you to cancel that volcano-surfing trip you have planned to Nicaragua next month. I haven’t been able to sleep since you told me about it.”

  He flashed her a reassuring grin. “It’s not that dangerous. I’m great at skiing. Piece of cake.”

  A tear ran down her cheek, and she swiped it away. “I’ve had a terrible foreboding about it, Zach. Please, just call it off.”

  “I’ll think about it.” What else could he say when someone he respected as much as he did Valerie said that to him? But thinking about it was as far as he was willing to promise. By the time his trip rolled around, he might need the distraction to clear his mind of Shauna’s face.

  Her smile was watery but genuine. “You’ve always liked Shauna. Surely she won’t be able to resist your charm.”

  He scowled. “What do you mean by that? I never tried to steal her away from Jack. He saw her first.”

  Her mouth dropped open, and she snapped it shut. “A little defensive, aren’t we?” Her gaze sharpened, and a frown crouched between her eyes. “You’re attracted to her, aren’t you?”

  “Oh, come on. That’s going too far, Valerie. She’s been a friend from the moment Jack introduced us. I care about her like a sister.”

  “Liar, liar, pants on fire,” she chanted. “You can’t hide anything from me. I can’t think of anything better for you than falling in love with her. Alex already adores you, and he needs a new daddy.”

  “He has Jack! I wouldn’t want anyone to take his place.”

  “You’d rather Alex was lonely and pining for a father figure?”

  Zach focused on flying the plane. “The airport is just ahead.”

  “That’s the real problem, isn’t it? You’ll fight any attraction to Shauna with every bit of fortitude you have because you think it would be wrong for her to love again too. Just like you think Alex shouldn’t have another dad. Life goes on, Zach. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. Jack would want them to be happy.”

  “Look, just drop it, okay? I’m not taking Jack’s place.” He clammed up and concentrated on landing the plane. Valerie couldn’t be right, could she?

  Chapter 13

  This street had neighborhood watch, and even parking in front of Bannister’s house had brought several biddies to their windows this morning when he first cased the place. He parked down the street in the dark and walked toward the house. The street was quiet at this hour, and none of the houses had lights on.

  But there were way too many streetlights here, and their glow cast light into the yards. How was he going to enter the house to look around? He couldn’t jimmy the door and slip in with the porch light on either.

  She had to have brought it with her. And he had to get it back.

  He cut through Bannister’s yard, brushing past a big pine that released its aroma. A motion sensor triggered a light on the corner of the house, and he darted for the darkness under the branches of a maple tree. His heart pounded at the sudden light. Now what? Even if he could get inside, Bannister was home. So was Shauna, because both trucks were in the drive.

  There’d been no response from inside so maybe everyone was asleep. He eyed the front door again. Not a good option, but maybe the back would offer more seclusion.

  He skirted the side of the house, but his movements triggered more lights. It was bright enough to read out here. The guy must have had professional security installed.

  What if Bannister was a light sleeper? The illumination out here might bring him to investigate. He cursed under his breath and scurried for the backyard, but more lights came on. The backyard was surrounded by a six-foot fence. He could scale it, but it wouldn’t gain him much. He wasn’t breaking in here undiscovered. If he chose to do it when Bannister was home, he had to be prepared to take the big man down instantly.

  He patted his back pocket and its reassuring bulge. Bannister shouldn’t be a problem, not with the gun and silencer. Better to move now than when Bannister was on his guard.

  He stood poised outside the fence, then jumped and grabbed the top with his gloved ha
nds and hoisted his foot up. He balanced precariously, then slung himself down inside the backyard. The space was large, probably half an acre, with steps leading down to the bay. He could have saved himself some trouble by walking to the back.

  Jeez-Louise, the place was lit up like Fort Knox. The bright lights illuminated a barbecue and outdoor kitchen with a fire pit in the middle of the yard. Flowers and shrubs were everywhere. It was like a little garden paradise back here.

  He moved to the partial darkness cast by a big tree and considered his options. A light came on inside, and he grinned as adrenaline surged. He shrank farther into the shadows. Maybe he should hightail it down the slope to the water. Before he could decide what to do, the back deck light came on, and the door opened.

  Bannister flipped off the light and stepped into deeper shadows. “Who’s there?” Dogs barked and snarled as they sprang forward, eager to get outside.

  He squinted. Was that a gun in Bannister’s hand? He turned and bolted toward the back fence. The dogs were on his heels by the time he climbed over. Bannister shouted after him, and he thought he heard feet thunder down the deck steps.

  A smile stretched across his face as he ran down the slope toward the water. Bannister was making the night interesting. He ran until his chest burned and his head pounded. He fell a couple of times on the shale but sprang back up and continued to rush away.

  When he reached the rocky shore, he paused and slanted a glance back up the hillside. Bannister was hot on his trail, but he’d left the dogs behind. Maybe he should just kill the man now and be done with it. Clear out here, the surf would muffle any sound from the silencer. Then he could go back to the house and force McDade to turn over the box. He curled his hands into fists and grinned. This kind of adventure made life exciting.