“Great.” Dane took a step between the doctor and Aura, stopping her from interloping again without his permission.
“Yes,” Aura said, stepping to his side. “We’ll make sure to take a look.”
She was a nymph. A Mustang. Wild and free. No man or god would ever be her master.
Chapter Eight
Painfully slowly, the purple cell phone flickered to life. The background was a picture of horses running through a meadow, their manes flowing in the wind.
“Is it on?” Aura leaned over the computer that sat bolted over the center console within the patrol car. “Oh. Great. Here, let me take a look.”
“Aura.” He pulled the phone back so she couldn’t see it. “Do I really need to remind you who is the investigating officer?”
She sat back and pushed her arms over her chest. “Okay, investigating officer. Investigate.” She motioned to the phone with a sardonic grin.
Little circles lined up over the screen and above them read Draw pattern to unlock. His cheeks burned. If he was back at the station, one of the IT guys could have shown him how to bypass the pain-in-the-ass lock. Except he wasn’t at the station; instead, here he was locked in the patrol car with a woman who seemed to want to show him what an idiot he could be.
Aura’s smile widened as a knowing sparkle lit up her blue eyes. Why did she have to look at him like that? All he was trying to do was find out who was behind the murders, where Natalie was, and if they had more victims — yet, all Aura seemed to care about was the need to chide him with her sexy little sneer.
He tried a few swipes to unlock the phone then begrudgingly handed it over. “Here.”
She reached over to him and as her fingers wrapped around the phone, she accidently twisted her finger around his. Her hand was warm, too warm — as if she was nervous about being in an enclosed car with him.
Her cheeks flushed a faint pink and she pulled the phone out of his fingers. “Thanks.” She tapped the screen and the main screen opened. “You have to do it like this.” She tapped the precise code in and handed him the phone.
“Thanks.” He took the phone and opened the phone log. “It’s says here that the last call was to you. It looks like it was only fifteen seconds long. Does that sound right?”
“I just heard a woman talking and then the phone line went dead. I tried to call her back, but it went straight to voicemail. So I tracked the phone’s GPS, which led me to Shirley Mountain, but that’s as close as I could get her location.” Aura nodded. “Let’s find that video — maybe we can find more. Or what she was doing up on the mountain.”
“Yeah, the video.” He couldn’t tear his gaze away from her smoldering pink lips, so pink that they silently begged to be kissed. What would it have been like to finish what they had started back on the grass of the Diamond?
He tapped the screen until he found the newest video.
“You son of a bitch, Shawn!” a dark-haired woman yelled.
“Why the hell did you run from me?” a man’s voice answered.
It was hard to see anything as the grainy video bounced around and must have been shuffled around in the owner’s grip.
“You lied to me … to us. And now you want us to do what?” The woman’s voice carried an edge of terror.
Was Shawn the man they were looking for?
The video moved jerkily and for a second, in the background, was a large chestnut-colored bay standing beside a scratched up tree. The horse’s nostrils were flared and its eyes wide. The video jerked down and there was a woman’s shrill scream.
The video stopped.
He couldn’t dismiss the feeling that they had just been witness to the beginnings of a homicide. Hopefully they hadn’t just witnessed Natalie’s murder.
From the little amount of scenery that he’d seen in the video, it looked like the clip had been taken somewhere here in Montana. He stared down at the phone. The date matched when Aura said she’d last talked to her sister. The chills spilled down his spine.
“Was that Natalie’s voice?”
“No … I don’t think so.” Something about Aura’s wide eyes reminded him of the bay in the video — she had the same big eyes, the same flowing hair — and the same look of terror.
He swallowed down the bitter taste that filled his mouth. “Do you know any guys named Shawn?”
“That’s … that’s her ex-husband.” Her face blanched.
“What else haven’t you told me?”
She stared at him for a long minute like she wanted to tell him something, as if something burned inside of her, begging to be released.
“All I know was that she was seeing a new guy. I think his name was Ryan. She hadn’t said anything about Shawn — but I guess it’s possible that he didn’t like the idea of her dating someone new.”
Finally, a suspect. “Do you know where Shawn lives?”
“I don’t know where Shawn’s living now … the last time I saw him was about six months ago in Flagstaff.” Aura reached over and put her hand on his leg. “I know Shawn — I don’t think he would ever do anything like this. He might get angry, but he’d never kill anyone.”
His heart jumpstarted in his chest as her fingers brushed the inside of his thigh. “Aura, you’d be surprised what a man could do when he’s angry.”
She squeezed his leg. “There are very few things that can surprise me.”
“What’s Shawn’s last name?”
“Gunner.”
He typed the name in to the computer as he tried to ignore the fact that her hand was still resting on his thigh. The man’s information popped up on the computer screen, but that was it — no criminal record, no major red flags. From a scan of the man’s background he seemed like any other civilian — he held a standard nine to five job in Flagstaff, owned a house and a silver GMC truck. Nothing that he’d expect to find on a murderer, but then again he’d learned to never trust what that little black screen said. There were plenty of people that had skeletons piled up under their mattresses.
“What about this Ryan? Do you know his last name?”
Aura nibbled at her lip. “I think it’s Patrick.”
Dane scanned down, Ryan popped up. He clicked on the contact. “Patrick. Ryan Patrick. Here it says he lives in Somers.” His gut clenched with excitement at their first truly strong lead. They could have someone that would know more about Natalie’s disappearance.
He punched the name into his computer that rested between the two front seats of the patrol car. Ryan’s name and last known address popped up onto the screen. Dane’s stomach dropped as he read the familiar address — of the Diamond.
“Is Ryan a ranch hand for Zeb?”
Aura’s hand clenched tight on his thigh. “I don’t know — I guess it’s possible. She never really talked about what he did besides bronc riding. They’d only met a few times and then talked online.”
“Your sister dates men she meets online?” His internal alarm squealed.
“It’s nothing like that. She met him at a rodeo a few years back, when she was married and he was only a friend. They’d kept in touch. He’s moved around a bit until he found his way up here to Montana. I knew he worked as a cattle hand, but I didn’t know he worked for your brother.”
He dropped his hand to Aura’s and wrapped his fingers around hers. The warmth of her skin seeped into him, warming the layer of ice that had formed around his heart at the time of his divorce and had only thickened since. “We’ll find Natalie. We’ll get whoever is going after these women.”
“Promise me.” Aura leaned close to him and the scent of her floral perfume wafted from the soft-looking skin of her neck.
“What?” He stared at the little hole at the base of her throat.
“Promise me that you will do everything in your power to f
ind my sister.” She moved closer and her lips stopped next to his.
“I’ll never let anything happen to you.” He took in a long breath, breathing in her essence. “I’ll do anything to protect you.”
He couldn’t stop himself. He had to possess those lips that were so close to his. He took her lips with his, tasting the sweetness of her lipstick as he ran his tongue against her full bottom lip. Blood raced through him making his body quiver to life. She took control of the kiss, pulling and sucking on his flesh. Desire flooded him. He needed to feel her against him.
“Dane … ” she said, her moist breath caressing his lips. “I … we … need to go. Natalie.”
He closed his eyes. She was right. They couldn’t be doing this. He needed to keep his objectivity. There was a case to be solved.
He followed Aura back to Somers, keeping a comfortable distance between the patrol car and her truck. If only he could keep this kind of distance between them all the time, there would be none of the questions that seemed to be on a constant roll through his mind. There was no way he could have a relationship with her. There were too many speed bumps — she was no longer a suspect, but she was still a vital part of the investigation. If something happened — something more than what had already transpired — the investigation would be compromised. That wasn’t a risk that he could take. There were possible lives at stake.
Two and a half hours later and arriving back at Somers, he rolled up next to her at the only stop light in town. He motioned for her to roll down her window.
“Let’s go to the Diamond.”
She nodded and slid her window shut. Dane followed her down the snow-covered road that led to the ranch.
The patrol car bounced down the long winding driveway until he pulled up to the white house where Zeb’s truck was parked. The porch stood unoccupied — at least this time they weren’t met with his brother toting a firearm. Hopefully he would be as welcoming when it came to them asking for access to the Forest Service land.
He threw the car into park and stepped up on the porch stair to wait for Aura. The dogs barked from the backyard and in the pasture to the left of the house, a few cows lazily nosed through the snow to get to whatever grass remained. It seemed quiet for the ranch — a little too quiet.
“Where’s Zeb?” Aura asked.
Dane shrugged and turning, sprinted up the steps to the front door and banged on the lion-shaped knocker. Silence. No footsteps, no television, nothing. He pressed his face to the glass and peered inside. The lights were off. He tried to ignore the concern that crept into his psyche. Zeb was fine. He was probably out in his office, or out talking to Pat about what needed to be done next. There were more than enough reasons that he wouldn’t be home in the middle of the day.
“Let’s head to the barn, maybe he’s over there,” Aura said.
She climbed in the patrol car and they drove the half mile to the barn. A red and white truck was parked outside the double doors.
“Whose truck is that?” Aura asked.
Dane shrugged. He’d seen it around town, but he’d never paid it much notice. With as many tourists and seasonal residents that lived in Somers it was hard to keep track of all the comings and goings.
His instincts took control and he put his hand to his sidearm as he pushed open the red door of the barn. Aura stepped behind him and the cover of the second door. “Is anyone in here?” he yelled.
The sound of metal banging against metal echoed out into the barnyard. Someone was inside. “Zeb?” he yelled again, as he moved to look inside the door.
A man stood behind a huge metal vise, a sledgehammer in his hand, and green hearing protectors over his ears. “Hey!” Dane yelled, trying to get the man’s attention.
The man looked up. “Hello?” He sat the sledgehammer down and pulled the protectors off. “What’s up?” He gave them a puzzled look.
“Hey, I’m Deputy Burke.” Dane dropped his hand from his sidearm. “We’re looking for Zeb, you seen him?”
“Hey, I’m Pat’s son, Ryan.”
The weighted silence hung in the air. “You’re Ryan … Ryan Patrick?” Dane said.
“The one and only.” Ryan walked over to him and stuck out his gloved hand. Dane gave it a strong shake. The young man seemed centered, put together, and completely oblivious as to why a Deputy Sheriff would be standing with him in a barn.
Aura pushed through the door behind him. “Ryan?” she said with an edge of desperation in her voice. “I’m Aura … Natalie’s sister. I tried to call you.”
“Aura … ” Ryan smiled too warmly, making Dane’s hackles rise. “Natalie’s talked so much about you.” He reached over and wrapped his arms around her.
“Hey now,” Dane said, grabbing the man’s shoulder in warning. The man could be a killer — he had no business touching her. “Step back.”
Aura’s cheek turned the color of an over-ripened apple and he dropped his hand from the man.
“Dane.” She wiggled free of the man’s arms.
The young kid glanced over, his smile never wavering. “It’s alright. If someone I didn’t know was touching Natalie, I’d do the same thing.”
“Ryan, have you seen her?”
“Well … ” He stared down at his feet. “She and I had a fight a few days ago. I haven’t heard from her since. I thought she’d gone back down south.”
“What did you two fight about?” Dane lost the edge of civility in his voice, only to be replaced with the authority of his many days on the force.
The young man’s smile disappeared. “Are you really going to pull bad cop on me, Deputy? My old man told me all about you and your brother.”
“Stop. Right. There.” Dane growled. “We’re not here to talk about me. We’re here to find out where your ex is — and if you had anything to do with her disappearance.”
“If you’re implying that I had something to do with her going missing you’re dead wrong. I love Natalie … ” The man stabbed his boot into the hay-covered dirt of the barn floor.
“That’s what most suspects say when a girl goes missing.”
“Do they all ask the girl to marry them too?” Ryan threw his gloves on the floor. “This is bullshit. I had nothing to do with her disappearance. Goddamn it, I didn’t even know she was missing!” One of the horses from the back stalls whinnied nervously as the man raised his voice.
“He’s telling the truth,” Aura said, as she stared off in the direction of the horse. “He loved her.”
The way she said the word “loved” made it sound like it belonged down in the muck of the barn floor. What did she have against love? Or was it something else she had a problem with — him? He stopped. He was being overly sensitive and far too emotional. Letting his emotions boil to the surface was out-of-line, especially when he was dealing with a potential suspect.
“Do you know of anyone else who would have had cause to harm Natalie? Anyone who was upset with her?” He tried to regain his objectivity.
Ryan knelt down and picked up his gloves. “Look, all I know was that I told her that I loved her. That I wanted to marry her. Then she up and ran off. I tried to go after her, but she’d already taken all of her stuff out of my house and hit the road. Or so I thought.”
“Where’s your house, Ryan?”
“I’m staying up with my old man. Up on Twin Lakes Road.” He pointed north.
Twin Lakes Road was only two miles from where they’d found the women’s bodies. Had the kid killed the women after he’d been rejected by Natalie? Had he murdered in a fit of rage?
“What did you do after Natalie left?”
Aura looked over at him and frowned, as if chastising him for asking more questions. He had to ignore her — and the way her eyes seemed to grow brighter when she was angry, almost as if he’d lit a fire behind them.
Ryan turned on his heel and moved to a bin of grain that sat next to the long work bench that was built into the front of the barn. “I was pissed. I admit it. At first I wanted to chase after her. Run her down. Find her. Make her come back.” He sat his gloves down and perched on the edge of the bin. He looked haggard — like a man after a break-up and too many nights alone. “Aura, you know Natalie. Once she makes her mind up, there’s no changing it. So after she left, I stayed here. Worked on fences for a while, then headed down to Del’s for a beer.”
The kid seemed to hunch so low that it looked like he was shrinking. It was easy to see that he told the truth. The kid was heartbroken — that was a feeling Dane knew and could recognize all too well.
“Why did she say she wouldn’t marry you?” He should have left the kid alone, and let Ryan’s wounds heal, but that wasn’t his job. He needed to know the whole truth in order to find answers.
“She said we were too different.” Ryan picked at the edge of the plywood box. “Whatever the hell that means.”
“Don’t beat yourself up, Ryan.” Aura stepped over beside him and sat her hand on his shoulder. “Natalie has a tendency to do things like this. It has nothing to do with you. I know she thought a lot of you … that’s probably why she — ” She stopped.
“Why she what?” Dane asked.
“Nothing. She’s just flighty, that’s all.” Aura’s cheeks tinged with pink. “It’s the Bohemian in her. She never stays in one place or with one man for long.”
Dane tried to hold back, but his emotions formed words and poured out of his mouth before he could stop them. “Are you like your sister?”
Her pink cheeks turned crimson. “Now isn’t the time, Dane.”
She was right. Why hadn’t he kept his damn mouth shut?
He turned back to Ryan. “We have a video, if you don’t mind taking a look.” He pulled Natalie’s phone from his pocket and opened the clip.
The man stared at the phone as the scene unfolded.
“I know this place … It’s not far from here. Look here.” Ryan paused the video and pointed to a tree behind the startled horse. “See that pine? That’s a bear rubbing tree.”
The Nymph's Curse: The Collection Page 27
