Deadly Intentions

by Leighann Dobbs

  “Do you think it really exploded on its own?” Celeste asked as the two girls headed toward the kitchen where they could take the back stairs upstairs to change.

  Jolene made a face. “I doubt it. Too much of a coincidence.”

  “Well, someone did point out that the neglect might have contributed to it. Maybe conditions were just right and we had bad timing.”

  Jolene didn’t answer. She’d stopped short just inside the kitchen door. On the far side of the room, the door to the basement gaped open … the girls always kept that door firmly closed.

  She glanced quickly at Celeste who was now also staring at the door. She walked slowly over, her heart thudding in her chest as she peered into the dim opening.

  “Meow!”

  A ghostly face appeared from the depths of the stairs and Jolene sucked in a breath, jumping back as Belladonna trotted into the kitchen with Eliza following behind her.

  “Aunt Eliza!”

  Eliza looked as startled to see them as they were to see her.

  “Oh. Hi. I didn’t think anyone else was home.” Eliza glanced nervously at the basement door.

  Celeste narrowed her eyes at Eliza. “What were you doing in the basement?”

  I heard Belladonna crying down there, so I went down to see if she needed help. Thought she might be trapped somewhere.” Eliza’s brows mashed together as her ice-blue eyes took in first Celeste, then Jolene. “Why are you girls all wet?”

  Jolene slid her eyes over to Celeste with a silent warning.

  “A boat blew up down at the cove. We jumped in the water to help out.” Technically, it wasn’t a lie.

  “That was nice of you. I hope no one was hurt.”

  “No, thankfully. Just the boat.”

  “Well, you girls should get out of those wet clothes. I’m headed into town to visit some old friends. Fiona let me borrow her truck.”

  “Anyone we know?” Jolene asked.

  “I’m sure you probably don’t. Just some people I knew way back.” Eliza leaned over to snatch Fiona’s keys off the counter and fumbled them. They clanked loudly on the floor and she retrieved them, then smiled weakly at the girls and headed down the hall.

  “Did she seem nervous to you?” Celeste asked after they’d heard the truck start in the driveway.

  “Yeah.” Jolene pushed the basement door shut. “And who in their right mind would go in that spooky basement alone?”

  “Good question. Our Aunt does seem to have some oddities. Not the least of which is her chosen bedroom.”

  “Yeah, I always thought that room was creepy.”

  “Me, too.” Celeste glanced down at her clothes. “But she is right about one thing. We need to change.”

  “Meet me in the east sitting room when you are done. I have something to show you.”

  Twenty minutes later, Celeste appeared, freshly showered and wearing a white yoga outfit. Jolene was already sitting on the couch in a clean pair of tan capris and navy blue shirt, her laptop open on the coffee table in front of her.

  “I wanted to show you this picture taken the night Mom died.” Jolene swiveled the computer toward Celeste so she could see the screen.

  Celeste bent down and squinted at it. “Is that the cliff?”

  “Yes, the very edge where she stood. Look at the footprints.”

  Celeste’s eyes widened. “That’s a man’s shoe print. But couldn’t that have been there before from another day? Or maybe it was from the police attending the scene.”

  Jolene shrugged. “Maybe. We all know that Overton didn’t do a very good job. I wouldn’t be surprise if he trampled all over the crime scene. But if what Barnes’ ghost told you is true, this could be proof.”

  “Sure, but what does it really give us? We can’t look for someone who wore that shoe. The print could belong to thousands of shoes.”

  “Right. We have to get more evidence before we tell anyone else what we suspect.” Jolene turned the computer back toward her and tapped on the keys.

  “What are you doing?” Celeste sank into the chair opposite her.

  “Just a little cyber detecting,” Jolene said. “We need to find out more about this Barnes guy. Do you remember him at all?”

  Celeste shook her head. “No. But if he disappeared a long time ago, I guess I wouldn’t.”

  “Right. Says here that he disappeared three weeks after Mom died.” Jolene looked up at Celeste. “That’s an odd coincidence … and whenever there’s an odd coincidence, I like to follow the money.”

  Her fingers flew over the keys as she used her secret—and not entirely legal—software to access the bank database across town. She lucked out on the second try. Barnes still had an account at the Mariner National Bank.

  “Ahh … that explains it,” she said.

  “Explains what?” Celeste leaned forward, her elbows on her knees.

  “Barnes had auto-pay setup in his bank account, so that’s how his mooring fees were getting paid. Among other things.”

  “For seven years? He must have had a bunch of money in there.”

  Jolene’s face scrunched up. “Yeah. It looks like he deposited a lump sum of twenty thousand dollars a few weeks before he went missing. This is getting more and more suspicious.”

  “Was a big deposit like that unusual?”

  Jolene scrolled back through the account. “Yep, it definitely was.”

  Celeste chewed her bottom lip. “I don’t like it. Something was definitely going on. And I could tell Barnes’ ghost was scared and he didn’t even realize he was dead, which probably means he died suddenly and unexpectedly.”

  Jolene glanced up again. “Like he was murdered.”

  Celeste nodded her head slowly.

  “I don’t see any payments for a mortgage or rent in here which seems odd. I wonder if he still has a house or apartment that we can search. I don’t see any mortgage or rent, but there is a payment here for Birchwood Storage. Isn’t that out on Ledge Road?”

  “Yep. Are you thinking he has a storage unit out there still?”

  Jolene nodded, her eyes still on the screen.

  “You’re not thinking about going there and breaking in, are you?”

  Jolene nodded again.

  “But you don’t have a key. How would you get in?”

  Jolene glanced up at Celeste and cocked her head to the side. “Really? You’re asking me? I am a trained detective, you know, and locks are one of my specialties.”

  Celeste gnawed on her thumbnail. “I don’t like it. This is getting dangerous and I don’t think you should go around investigating it on your own.”

  Jolene felt annoyance bloom in her chest. She hated it when her sisters got all protective of her. She could see why they would have been that way when she was younger, but she was a grown woman now and perfectly capable of taking care of herself … especially with her special gifts. How many times did she have to prove that to them?

  She didn’t voice her annoyance, though. She simply said, “You could come with me if you’re that worried.”

  “I’d love to, but I can’t.” Celeste reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, violet colored bottle. “I managed to save the lavender oil Morgan made for Darlene and I have to drop that off and get to the yoga studio to teach a class by noon.”

  Jolene simply shrugged and closed the laptop.

  “Promise me you won’t do anything dangerous like breaking into the storage unit on your own,” Celeste said as the two girls stood up.

  “I won’t do anything I think is dangerous.” Jolene figured she was safe in saying that. What Celeste considered dangerous and what she considered dangerous were two different things.

  She followed Celeste into the driveway and watched her drive away before starting up her Subaru Brat and taking off in the direction of Birchwood Storage.

  Chapter Ten

  Birchwood Storage was off the beaten path, nestled in a dense, thick stand of pines. A cluster of three birch trees sat out front and
Jolene parked behind them and headed toward the office in the small industrial-looking metal building.

  Inside, a vaguely familiar incense-like smell hit Jolene’s nose. The person behind the desk raised red glassy eyes at her. He had long hair and a ratty t-shirt. Jolene guessed he was still in high school. She smiled to herself. Getting around him would be child’s play

  “Help you?” he asked and then collapsed into a fit of coughing.

  Jolene put on her sweetest face and leaned over the counter.

  “My uncle sent me to get something from his unit, but I forgot the number,” she giggled coquettishly.

  The guy narrowed his eyes at her and tilted his head.

  She held up a small key she’d had at the ready. It was the kind of key one used for padlocks. Of course, it didn’t go to the padlock for Barnes’ storage unit, but the kid didn’t need to know that. “I have his key. I just need the unit.”

  That seemed to satisfy him. He slid the keyboard closer. “What’s the name?”

  “Gerald Barnes.”

  He tapped on some keys, squinted at the screen, then looked back at her. “Number three-seventeen. It’s all the way in the back.”

  “Thanks!” Jolene was already out the door and in her car before he could say ‘you’re welcome’.

  Unit three-seventeen was in the last row facing the dense woods. Jolene pulled up in front of it, glad there were no other cars around. She didn’t want anyone to see her picking the lock.

  She pulled her lock-picking tools out of her purse and got to work. The silence was broken only by the soft click of the metal tools, the chirp of birds and the rustle of squirrels in the woods behind her. The padlock wasn’t anything fancy and it only took about five minutes before she had it open and was struggling to push up the rusty metal door, wincing at its screech of protest.

  She pushed the stubborn door up only halfway, then ducked under and slipped inside. Daylight filtered in from the partially open door. Specks of dusted floated in the beam of light as Jolene looked around, letting her eyes adjust.

  Barnes hadn’t kept much in there. A few fishing poles, a pile of lobstering traps, various parts from an old boat. Jolene sighed in disappointment. She was sure there would be a clue in here, but all she could see was old fishing stuff and broken down furniture.

  She crossed over to an old empire-style bureau. Its veneer was partially peeled off and it was missing one drawer. Her disappointing search of the other drawers turned up old t-shirts and a bunch of junk drawer stuff.

  She puffed out her cheeks and looked around the unit.

  Come on clues, where are you?

  Suddenly, she remembered an old trick she’d seen on television. She walked to the bureau and started pulling out the drawers, looking on the underside.

  She found it under the third drawer. A plain white envelope, yellowed on the edges. She pushed the glue-caked flap open to reveal one photograph inside.

  Her heart twisted when she saw her mother’s face, the familiar pink silk scarf wrapped around her neck. Johanna looked alarmed and with good reason. The photo showed her being held back (or pushed forward?) by two beefy men. Jolene couldn’t make out their faces as they were obscured by the angle of the picture and Johanna being in front. One man had a thick black beard, the other frizzy brown hair. They both had scowls on the parts of their faces she could see. A wide, hairy forearm obscured the foreground of the picture.

  The picture had been taken at dusk and she couldn’t make out many of the details, but what she could make out froze her blood. From the angle, she could tell it had been taken from the waters below her home with her mother and the men standing on the cliff … the very spot Johanna had supposedly jumped from.

  Jolene’s heart raced. This was the proof she’d been looking for.

  She backed out of the storage unit, her attention still focused on the picture in her hand. As she started to turn, she felt a prickle at the back of her neck. Her stomach tightened. She ripped her attention from the picture and spun around.

  Two dark figures came toward her and she focused on her internal energy, trying to bring it forward to fight them off.

  Why couldn’t she see their faces? she thought just before she started to feel incredibly sleepy. One of the figures was holding something out toward her—she couldn’t quite make out what it was, but she thought it looked like a geode of some sort.

  The intense feeling of tiredness overwhelmed her. It felt like someone had pulled a plug and all the energy was draining out of her.

  She slumped into a pile on the ground, the picture falling from her fingertips. Her heart sank. She had no idea what these guys were planning, but she was weak as a baby, unable to open her eyes more than a small slit, much less defend herself.

  What happened next was a hazy blur. She remembered a lot of shouting and then strong arms picking her up. A faint memory of a familiar face. Mateo. The man she thought she’d seen following her in town.

  Then she woke up, the hard, pebble-strewn ground outside the storage unit jabbing painfully into her side and the faint image of Mateo’s velvety brown eyes fresh in her memory. He’d saved her once before in a similar situation. Maybe he’d saved her again today. But if so, where was he now?

  She shook her head and pushed herself up to a sitting position, scanning the area for enemies.

  No one was there.

  Did all of that really happen?

  The kid in the office was probably too out of it to notice, but did the office have cameras on the units? A quick survey of the corners of the building told her they didn’t. No witnesses and nothing recorded on camera. The only evidence Jolene had that something had happened was a stiff neck and aching muscles.

  Slowly, she felt her energy return. She stood and brushed herself off. Closing the storage unit, she replaced the padlock and then slid into her car.

  It wasn’t until she was out of the gate that she realized she no longer had the picture of her mother.

  Chapter Eleven

  Jolene trudged up the steps to her office, tired and drained. She probably should have gone home to take a nap. Male voices filtered down the stairs from the open office door and she froze in her tracks. Jake and Luke. The last two people she wanted to see.

  Jake was supposed to be out in the field and she’d planned to sneak in and get some of her files without having to face him. Luke being with him was even worse. She’d already decided in the car not to tell anyone about the strange incident that seemed more like a dream than reality now, but the two of them had good detecting skills and were bound to figure out something was wrong with her.

  She chewed her lip in indecision, then slowly turned, backtracking down to the next step which, unfortunately, chose this time to creak loudly.

  “Jolene? Is that you?” Luke poked his head out the door and she was caught. No choice now but to go into the office and pretend like nothing was wrong.

  “Hey, Luke. What brings you here?” Jolene asked. “Jake said something the other day about you having another job for us?”

  Well, sort of.” Luke and Jake exchanged a glance that made Jolene feel uneasy.

  She tossed her bag on her desk and then sat on it herself, her legs dangling in front. “Oh?”

  “Are you okay?” Jake asked.

  “Yeah. Just tired. I didn’t sleep well last night.” Jolene’s stomach turned at the lie. She didn’t like being dishonest, especially to Jake, but sometimes you had to do what you had to do.

  “Oh?” Jake’s narrow-eyed study of her told her he didn’t fully believe her and she squirmed uncomfortably.

  “Anyway,” Luke cut in, “my boss has sent a warning. Something’s up and you and your sisters are in the middle of it.”

  Jolene mashed her brows together. “What do you mean by something? I thought your company located lost treasure. Why are they interested in four sisters?”

  Luke shrugged. Leaning against the wall, he crossed his arms across his muscular chest. “I think
they figure you girls are their ace in the hole, what with your gifts and all. They don’t want you to get hurt. They need you.”

  Uneasiness crept into Jolene’s gut. She wondered if what Luke was talking about had anything to do with what had happened out at the Birchwood Storage.

  Should she tell them?

  Even though telling them was probably the smart thing to do, she kept quiet. Jolene was fiercely independent and if word got out that she’d been attacked, Luke, Jake and her sisters would start getting overprotective. She didn’t need anyone following her every move or restricting her freedom, at least not until she found out the truth about her mother.

  “Well, what do they think is going on? Was there some kind of threat? Or does it have something to do with my ancestors’ treasure? Are pirates going to descend on us again?” Jolene referred to the incident that brought Luke back to Noquitt in the first place.

  Luke had left Noquitt when he was young to join the military. After retiring, he’d taken a job with his current employer, which was a perfect fit for his skills. One of the jobs had led him back here to protect Jolene and her sisters from modern day pirates fixing to steal a treasure her sailing merchant great-great-great-great-grandfather had hidden.

  “She didn’t say, just that I should protect you guys.”

  “Protect us?” Jolene snorted. “You’ve seen us in action—do we need protecting?

  Luke’s deep green eyes bored into hers. “I can’t deny that you guys have the ability to put up a good fight. But have you all been practicing and honing your skills? It seems to me like your gifts are still raw … if there is a coordinated effort against you, you might not be able to defend yourselves like you think.”

  Jolene bristled. “We have more control over our gifts now and we have been practicing.”

  It was mostly true. They did practice a little. Okay, maybe not as much as they should, but their paranormal use of energy always seemed to kick in at the right time and had allowed them to escape from danger in the past.