by Rebecca Deel
Eli blinked at the absolute conviction in her voice. “Why not?” He studied Brenna’s downcast head. He didn’t know any reason why Dana wouldn’t look great in a two-piece swimsuit. She had a body most women would kill to attain. Curves in all the right places and a body designed to fill such swimwear. Not that he’d spent much time thinking about Dana that way. He’d have to be dead not to notice her beauty, though.
Brenna lifted her gaze to his. “How well do you know my sister? You never answered my question earlier.”
And he didn’t intend to spill everything right now either. If it did turn out that Dana was missing, their relationship might have led to her disappearance. Man, Eli hoped not. More guilt might really send him into a tail spin he couldn’t pull out of. He swallowed around the knot in his throat. “We share a love of the same restaurant.”
“Qdoba.”
“Ah, you know the place.” He smiled. “She took you there?”
A small curving of her lips. “Dana won’t con me into taking her anywhere else. She loves Mexican food. We both do.”
Eli made a mental note of Brenna’s food preference. Might come in handy later. If she didn’t hate his guts when she learned the truth.
“Did you know Dana well, Eli?”
“We’re friends.” He shrugged. “She seemed to need one.”
Brenna sighed. “More than you know.”
“So what’s up with the red bikini? Obviously we aren’t close friends or I would already know.”
“Our mother died when Dana was 16 years old. Ross Harrison, our stepfather, agreed to take custody and help her pay for college.” Her jaw tightened. “Said he loved her like she was his own daughter. I was in college at the time, out of state. When I returned for summer break, I noticed a change in Dana. The bubbly baby sister was gone, replaced by a quiet young woman. A stranger, really.”
Oh, man. Eli’s heart sank. He could guess where this was going and it explained so much about Dana. The reservation in her interaction with him. Smiles but no touching. Never treating their association as anything more than pure friendship, brother and sister stuff. Always meeting him at Qdoba rather than let him pick her up.
A bleak expression grew on Brenna’s face. “I thought the change came because she missed Mom. They grew so close after I left for college. Anyway, even though I probed throughout the summer, Dana never opened up. And, at the end of the summer, I went back to college for my senior year. After I graduated, I got a job at a newspaper as a reporter and never came back home. Dana encouraged me to go out on my own, to do something I loved. Besides, it wasn’t home anymore without Mom.”
“What happened to Dana?” He dreaded hearing the truth, but knew it was necessary. Besides, if Dana lived the experience, Eli could man up and listen to it.
Tears trickled down Brenna’s cheeks. She didn’t seem aware of them. “Mom died from cancer in the summer between my junior and senior years. Dana and I went shopping before I left for school. The swimsuits were on sale. I bought her a red bikini as a gift, a suit she’d been wanting for weeks. After I left, Ross saw Dana laying out by the pool in that red bikini. He decided then he had to have her.”
Eli dragged his hand down his face. Dana deserved better than that. He wanted to track down the sleaze and kill him. “He molested her?” His raspy voice gave only the small hint of the violence simmering in his gut at that moment.
She nodded. “Ross convinced Dana that he controlled all the money Mom had left to us. He said if she told anyone about what was going on, he would cut off all the money for my college education and that she and I would be living on the street. Dana believed him. My sweet baby sister did exactly what Ross the Rat said in order to protect me and keep a roof over our heads.”
Eli fought the urge to throttle somebody, preferably Ross Harrison. Dana had been a kid at the time, vulnerable because of the death of her mother. So susceptible to a predator who should have represented security in a time of chaos and heartbreak. “How were they found out?”
“One of Ross’s friends walked in on them a week before her high school graduation and called the police.” Brenna brushed the tears from her face. “The police called me because Dana was still a minor and told me what had been happening. Eli, Ross made over the red bikini so much that my sister associated the color and suit with him. When Dana’s psychologist helped her realize what Ross had done to her and that it wasn’t her fault, Dana shredded that swimsuit with a pair of scissors. She doesn’t wear anything red and refuses to buy any swimsuit, let alone a bikini.”
She tossed the postcard across the table. “My sister did not write those messages. Something has happened to her.”
CHAPTER THREE
Rage boiled inside Eli. If Ross Harrison had been in the room at the moment, he would gladly help the man on to his eternal judgment. “When you were here earlier, did you take time to look around?”
Brenna shook her head. “After I realized she wasn’t here, I called her office. I thought maybe she forgot I was coming today. The receptionist told me she was on vacation, just like Tim claims.”
Eli rose from the table. “I need to talk with Dana’s neighbor again. Why don’t you look around, see if anything else seems out of place or weird. Check her closet and dresser drawers. If she did leave on vacation, she would have taken her suitcases, clothes, shoes, makeup.” He smiled. “Dana never appears in public without every hair in place, clothes wrinkle free, and matching shoes.”
Brenna appeared pleased to have a job with a purpose. “I’ll let you know what I find when you return.”
He crossed the hall and knocked on Tim’s door. Within seconds, the slender blond neighbor opened the door. “Got a few minutes, Tim? I have questions I need answered.”
Tim peered past Eli’s shoulder. “Where’s Brenna? Is she with Dana?”
“Dana’s not home yet.” And if his suspicions were correct, she wouldn’t be unless he and Jon found her soon. His gut clenched at the thought they might already be too late to help her. He pushed through the doorway into Tim’s living room and waited for him to close the door.
The other man waved him in the direction of the kitchen. “I was just making myself lunch. We can talk in the kitchen.”
Eli trailed the neighbor, took advantage of the opportunity to glance around. The living room was filled with Miami Dolphin memorabilia. Their dolphin symbol covered every available surface including pillows and a framed Dan Marino jersey hanging on the wall over the couch.
“You’re a Dolphins fan.”
Tim chuckled. “You noticed, huh? Dana complains about all the football stuff.”
After the story he just heard from Brenna, he doubted Dana had spent much time in Old Tim’s place. “You from Miami?”
“Tallahassee. I’ve been in Nashville for the last ten years, but never learned to like the Titans. What about you? Any particular team you favor?”
“New Orleans Saints. It’s almost 5 o’clock. Kind of late for lunch, isn’t it?”
Tim opened a package of hoagie bread. “I manage The Watering Hole so I eat dinner around 11:00.” He waved some bread at Eli. “You want one? I’ve got ham and white Vermont cheddar cheese.”
“No, thanks.” Eli sat on a bar stool. So Tim managed The Watering Hole on Old Hickory Boulevard. Interesting coincidence. “When did you last see Dana?”
“Couple weeks ago.” Tim piled ham on his bread.
“Can you be more specific? What day? What time?”
Tim scowled. “What difference does it make? She’s on vacation.”
“I don’t know about that, Tim. Brenna thinks something happened to Dana. I’m afraid she’s right.”
“You just want a paycheck.”
Heat burned Eli’s cheeks. “This isn’t about money. Dana’s a friend.”
Tim gave him a sharp look, suspicion brimming in his eyes. “She never mentioned you to me, Wolfe. And Dana and I are close. Very close.”
He doubted the nightclub manager
had as much of a claim on Dana as he insinuated. Given her history, Eli doubted she trusted men much beyond friendship. Explained why she kept both him and Jon at a distance, much to his partner’s dismay. Although, thinking back on their interactions, her attention mostly centered on Jon. Could his partner have missed the signs? “If you care about Dana as much as you say, you should be concerned that she’s disappeared on a spur-of-the-moment vacation without telling anyone and without planning. That’s not like her and Brenna’s worried. What’s the harm in giving her peace of mind until I find her sister getting a tan on some cruise ship?”
“Yeah, okay.” Tim slathered on mayonnaise and deli mustard. “So, Dana and I had a date Wednesday night two weeks ago. I left her at her door around midnight.”
A date? Fat chance. Wishful thinking on Tim’s part. “Did you talk to her that Thursday?”
“Nope.” Tim took a big bite from his sandwich and chewed. “I don’t see Dana or talk to her until she comes home from work. I get home around 4 or 5 in the morning and sleep until about 1:00 in the afternoon.”
“What about the Thursday she disappeared? Where were you?”
“Asleep until 1:00. I expected Dana to arrive home about 6:00. I planned to take her to dinner, but she never came home from work before I had to leave. Figured her boss gave her a late assignment or something which delayed her.”
“So you worked at the bar that night.”
“Yep and about 250 people can verify my presence behind the bar. Our bartender quit just as the evening rush began.” He grinned.
“Do you know anyone who would want to hurt Dana?”
That chased the smile off his mug. “You think I hurt her?” Outrage filled Tim’s voice.
“Did I say that?”
“I would never do anything to hurt Dana. You better not be spreading lies about me, Wolfe. I’ll sue you into oblivion. I have friends with powerful lawyers.”
“If I find out you had anything to do with Dana’s disappearance, lawyers won’t be able to help you.”
“You threatening me?”
“Nope. It’s a promise.” Eli stood. “Thanks for your help, Tim. I’ll see myself out.”
Tim Russell swallowed the last bite of his hoagie and swigged half a bottle of Bud Light to wash it down. Stupid private eye. Who did he think he was? He dropped his plate in the dishwasher and snatched up the phone. When a voice answered, Tim said, “A private investigator just left my place. He’s looking for Dana.”
“What’s the investigator’s name?”
“Wolfe.”
“Eli Wolfe?”
“You know him?”
“Unfortunately, I know a lot about Mr. Wolfe. None of it good for our business. What did you tell him?”
“Exactly what we agreed to tell the cops if they asked, that she’s on vacation. Even showed Wolfe the postcards.”
“Did he buy the explanation?”
Tim leaned back against the counter, a knot forming in his stomach. “Not really.” The silence on the phone grew to an uncomfortable length. “It’s Brenna’s fault. I did what I was supposed to do.”
“Brenna? Do you mean Brenna Mason?”
“Yeah, Dana’s sister.” His speech gained speed as he hastened to extricate himself from a very dangerous conversation without accepting any blame. In this business, being blamed for something was a death sentence. “She didn’t believe the story about the cruise and insists something happened to Dana. She’s the one who hired Wolfe.”
A sigh echoed across the phone line. “I am very unhappy with your performance, Tim.”
A chill seeped into his bones. Beads of sweat rolled down his temple. “I’ll take care of it. I swear.”
“You will do nothing. If Wolfe continues to probe into Dana’s disappearance, I’ll take care of him and the sister permanently.”
A dial tone buzzed in his ear. Tim threw the phone onto the white counter and rubbed the knotted muscle in his neck. A wave of hatred rolled through him. This was all Dana’s fault. If she had minded her own business, he wouldn’t be in this mess. The gig was too good, a lot of money flowing into his Cayman bank account. He wasn’t giving it up without a fight, no matter what it cost Dana.
Dana opened her eyes to a dark room with lousy peeling paint and the rank scent of mold and mildew assaulting her nose. Using a sliver of light glowing from under the locked door, she glanced around the walls of cement block, prayed this time to spot an avenue of escape. Same 10 x 10 cell. Same cot with a thin green scratchy blanket tossed over her body.
She ran her tongue over her dry lips. Dana grimaced. She needed to drink more water today. Still didn’t want to. Hated to use the facilities in front of Ape man, a leering grin plastered on his face. He never turned his back, no matter how hard she pleaded for just one minute of privacy.
Dana rolled to her side and eased to a sitting position, experience having taught her fast that nausea awaited if she rose too quick. The room still swam in her vision as if she’d stepped off the merry-go-round at the park. Another minute and the feeling passed. She breathed a sigh of relief. Dana stood, hugged the wall until slimy wetness registered under her fingers. She shuddered. Yuck.
Leaky roof on top of high-level stink. She shuffled to the door and turned the knob. Still locked from the other side. Dana leaned against the door, her strength already gone. What was she going to do? She had lost count of how many days Ape man kept her a prisoner in this cold, dank dungeon. With no windows, she had no way of knowing if it was daylight or dark outside. The days and nights ran together in an undistinguished circle.
Voices on the other side of the door caught her attention.
“How long do we have to keep her here? Did the boss say?”
Dana shuddered, recognizing Ape man’s slimy tone.
“Until we’re told to do something different. The boss has something special in mind for the Cole woman, but all the details haven’t been worked out yet.”
Dana pressed her ear closer to the crack between the door and the frame. Something special? What did that mean? And did she really want to know?
“She’s a looker, that one.” Ape man’s laugh sent a shiver of disgust racing down Dana’s spine. “Wouldn’t mind some time with her, one-on-one. Maybe I’ll ask for that privilege.”
Bile rushed up Dana’s throat, gagging her. She clamped a hand over her mouth. No, not again. Just thinking of that lecherous thug laying his hands on her made her want to puke.
“Forget it. No one touches her. The boss wants the woman to arrive untouched.”
Arrive? Blood drained from Dana’s face. They were sending her someplace else? She quelled the panic which threatened to swamp her hard-won composure. If the boss sent her somewhere else, how would she get back home? For that matter, where was she? For all Dana knew, she might be in the heart of Africa instead of the sweltering heat of Tennessee.
The sound of a key in the lock vaulted her into movement away from the door. She put as much room between herself and the door as she could before Ape man shoved the door open.
“You’re awake.” The grin appearing on his mouth did nothing to soothe her uneasiness. “Good. The boss will be pleased.”
Dana blinked at the bright light pouring in from the hall. More bland paint and cinder block walls. Reinforced the dungeon persona. Her gaze jumped from Ape man’s broad face to the skyscraper tall man dressed all in black behind him. Was he the boss? The glare kept most of his features in a haze of light, but highlighted the tray in his hands.
She focused on the bottle of water. Dana could almost taste the clear, life-giving liquid. Although she hadn’t paid attention to the food, her stomach had because when the smell of quesadillas reached her nose, the emptiness took precedence over everything else.
Weakness caught up with her. Dana stiffened her knees, determined not to lean against the wall for support until these bozos were out of sight.
She eyed the tray once more. The food looked so good. An unpleasant though
t occurred to her. What if the food was drugged? Dana almost snorted. So what if it was? Couldn’t be any worse than what she’d already suffered. She had to keep up her strength. That meant eating when possible and drinking fluids. The possibility of being weak and helpless because she’d refused food and water almost brought on a panic attack. Never again. Not if it was in her power to prevent. She wasn’t that scared 16-year-old kid anymore. She was stronger than that now. And these cretins weren’t Ross Harrison, her own personal nightmare.
Skyscraper placed the tray on the cot and backed away, watching her. “I’ll return for the tray later, Miss Cole. You must eat. If you don’t we’ll have to resort to other less pleasant methods of giving you nutrients. It’s up to you, of course. Intravenous or forced feeding are options, though not preferable.”
Dana blinked.. Miss Cole? A thug with manners? She remained silent, not trusting her voice to come out anything but a frog’s croak since her throat was so dry.
Ape man leered at her, slowly allowed his gaze to drift down her body. Dana hid trembling hands in the pockets of her black pants. She prayed Skyscraper didn’t go far. And wasn’t that a laugh. He was as much her captor as Ape man, but he gave no indication he saw her as anything other than a prisoner. Small comfort.
Finished with his disgusting perusal, Ape man closed the door with a thud and slid the lock home.
As soon as the two men’s footsteps faded, Dana hurried to the cot and scooped up a wedge of quesadilla. Cheese oozed into her mouth, the salty cheddar flavor exploding on her tongue. Whether it was drugged or not, it tasted amazing. While she chewed and swallowed, Dana twisted the bottle cap. She drank, savored the liquid.
Minutes later, the key rattled in the lock and the door swung open. Skyscraper’s gaze swept the empty tray. He nodded. “Very good, Miss Cole. Reggie speculated that you wouldn’t eat again. I’m pleased to see he was wrong. Wouldn’t want you to lose weight. The boss would not be happy about that. Please, come with me.”
