He parked in front of the courthouse. “Let’s worry about that if it comes.”
None of the businesses were open yet, but the town offices opened at eight. The ice-cream store across the street wouldn’t hang their sign out until eleven. The no-parking zone in front of the town office had been freshly painted a gleaming yellow, and he pulled into the small parking lot instead. The nurse’s office was in the basement of the big stone building with a green door. She dispensed immunizations, and Tom had told Curtis that she could collect a court-approved saliva sample.
He got out and unbuckled Raine. “Why don’t you go talk to Tom while I have the nurse collect the sample?”
Amy hopped out and looked doubtfully at Raine. “Will it hurt her?”
“It’s just a cotton swab. I’ll meet you there in a few minutes.”
Curtis was glad to escape into the cool confines of the basement. Amy’s warning still reverberated in his heart. Maybe they needed to go their separate ways. Someone was going to get hurt.
TWENTY-EIGHT
Tom leaned back in the chair with his feet on his desk. He had a cup of coffee in his hand when Amy stepped into the sheriff’s office. There was one bulb out in the overhead fixture. The dimness of the lighting made her think of an old-time movie where the heroine was in a private detective’s dingy office building. The only part of this scene that didn’t match was the female deputy filing paperwork in a shiny gray cabinet.
Amy had forgotten Mindy worked here. “Mindy, your ankles look a little swollen. Can you do some of that work at your desk with your feet up?”
Mindy turned with a smile. “I’m nearly done here, and then I’ll rest. I haven’t been working too hard.”
Tom’s feet hit the floor. “Amy. I was going to call you today.” He perched his cup precariously on a stack of papers and reached for a manila folder on his right. “Got an interesting report back from the shark expert. Coffee?”
The coffee smelled stale from here, and the concoction in the pot behind him looked as thick as tar. “No coffee for me, thanks.” She took the folder he extended. “Interesting in what way?” Without waiting for his answer, she flipped open the folder and glanced at the paper. “‘Not consistent with any known species of shark.’ What does that mean?”
His expression perplexed, he leaned back. “It means the bite marks on Ben’s board weren’t made by a shark.”
“What made them, then?” She eyed the picture that came with the report. “They are clearly teeth marks.”
Tom raised his brows. “If you read the second page, you’ll see my expert thinks they were man-made to mimic a shark.”
“Mimic a shark? That’s just plain weird. Unless the murderer was trying to make sure no one went looking for Ben’s body and found a bullet hole in it.”
“You might be right.”
A lump formed in her throat. It was one thing to suspect someone murdered Ben and quite another to be faced with this reality. Who could hate him enough to want him dead?
“So this adds weight to the murder hypothesis,” Tom said, his tone heavy. He poured more of the black mud coffee into his cup, then took a swig and exhaled. “That’s good stuff.”
She swallowed past the constriction in her throat. “What about his wallet? Did it tell you anything?”
“No fingerprints except for Ben’s.” Tom’s gaze lingered on her face. “I gotta tell you, Amy, we saw signs of a struggle in the clearing where you found the wallet. I think he might have been killed there, then dumped in the Atlantic. And another thing—his cell phone records are missing. All those things seem to point to foul play of some kind.”
The strength went out of her legs, and she grabbed the back of the chair, then sank onto the seat. “But what about Ned? He saw Ben surfing. Is he a suspect?”
“Let’s say he’s a person of interest. Right now he claims he didn’t see Ben for several hours and finally called the Coasties. It’s possible Ben got out and Ned didn’t see him. Ben could have headed back to the cottage for something, been accosted there, and then disposed of when Ned wasn’t watching. But I could be wrong about Ned.”
She shook her head. The door opened behind her, but the noise barely penetrated Amy’s daze. “What motive would Ned have for killing Ben though? I like him. He doesn’t seem like the murderous sort. I don’t suspect him, not really.”
Curtis spoke behind her. “What’s going on? Amy, are you okay?” His hand touched her shoulder and settled there.
She covered his hand with hers and turned to face him. Raine smiled and reached for her, and she cuddled the baby close, relishing the bit of Ben she had left in that moment. “We have more evidence that Ben was murdered.” She handed him the report and explained what it meant.
He exhaled and went white, then looked at Tom. “What about Gina? Any progress on finding the person who struck her? Because if Ben was murdered . . .”
“Then there is likely more to Gina’s death too.”
Tom shook his head. “I pursued every lead when she died, but that ski boat never surfaced. You said it had blue lettering, but all you could make out was an S and a Y. There wasn’t much to go on.”
“It was too far away to see well.” His gaze was intent. “And what about the condo? Anything turn up when you had forensics go over it?”
“One interesting fact. There was a trace of cocaine on the bedroom shelf.”
Amy gasped, and Curtis took a step forward. “The same stuff as we found?”
Tom shrugged. “We don’t know that yet. It’s still in the lab.”
If Gina was selling drugs, did that mean Ben was involved? Amy saw where this was heading, and she didn’t want to believe it any more than Curtis wanted to believe it of his sister.
She turned to stare into his face. Raine was asleep on her shoulder. “Could you see who was driving, whether it was a male or female?”
He sat down and put his hands on his thighs. “No, nothing. I was too focused on trying to save Gina and didn’t grab my binoculars.” His voice was flat and controlled, but his fingers tightened convulsively on his pant leg. “I was too late.”
“It’s just horrible,” Amy whispered. “Why would someone want them both dead? There has to be a connection we’re missing.”
Curtis looked at the report in his hands again. “Any lead on the money I told you about in both their accounts?”
The sheriff shook his head. “Not yet. We haven’t even figured out what bank the money is in. Once we do, I can get a court order to track where it came from.”
As they said their good-byes to Tom, Mindy finished her filing and moved toward her desk. When she turned around, Amy noticed her face was swollen and red now too. The long pants she wore strained at the seams, and they weren’t long enough to hide the way her ankles dripped over her shoes. She passed Raine to Curtis and moved to intercept Mindy.
“Are you feeling all right?” She took Mindy’s hand, then pushed her thumb against the woman’s swollen wrist. When she released her thumb, there was a remaining indentation in Mindy’s skin.
Mindy put her hand to her forehead. “I—I don’t feel very well. My vision is a little blurry, and I think I might have the flu.”
Amy guided her to a chair. “Feel like you’re going to vomit?”
The deputy nodded. “And my head is pounding.” Her skin was white with a greenish tint.
“I think you have preeclampsia.” Amy glanced at the sheriff. “She needs to go home and get straight into bed. I’ll get my ultrasound and pressure cuff to check her out. She might need to go to the hospital.”
Looking concerned, Tom got up and came around the end of his desk. “Can she drive? I can run her home.”
“I’d rather she didn’t. We’ll take her home.” She looked to Curtis for agreement and he nodded. “When did you have your last checkup with the doctor?”
Mindy licked her lips. “Two weeks ago. I was fine on Monday when I saw you. Is this serious?” Her brown eyes were scared. “
Is my baby all right?”
“I need to get your blood pressure, and we’ll assess what needs to be done. For now, you need to get into bed on your left side so the baby is off your organs. No salt either. And you’re going to need to eat more protein and get more water in you.”
“But the baby?”
Amy patted her shoulder. “The baby is fine. Now let’s get you home.”
At least she knew what to do for Mindy. Amy had no idea how to bring justice to her brother.
Curtis’s call to Edith went directly to voice mail. She was probably surfing. He’d told her she had the morning to do what she wanted, but he hadn’t expected an emergency to pop up. Amy was too tense for this preeclampsia thing to be minor. He had no choice but to bring Raine along with them to Mindy’s house. At least the little one was sleeping and wouldn’t pick up on the seriousness of the situation.
They exited into bright sunlight and the smell of exhaust from a passing truck. The putt-putt of a fishing rig going out to sea came over the noise of a couple of bicycles going past, and several fishermen called out their catches at the pier.
Mindy winced and stopped at the curb. “The light hurts my head.” She doubled over by the storm sewer grate. “I’m going to throw up!”
Amy shot an alarmed glance at Curtis. She went to Mindy’s side and soothed her as the woman vomited into the street. “Better?”
Mindy nodded and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “I need to lie down.” Her voice was a whisper.
“Yes, you do.” She maneuvered Mindy into the backseat of Curtis’s Jeep, then stepped out to his side. “I think she might need to be taken to the hospital. This seems to have escalated into eclampsia. I’ll stabilize her while you get the Coasties chopper readied.”
“You can’t help her?”
Amy shook her head. “If she has full-blown eclampsia, she’ll need to deliver right away. And it can be dangerous for her and the baby, so she needs a doctor. It will likely take a C-section.”
“How can you tell if it’s the full-blown kind?”
“There are certain signs—” Amy’s eyes widened as she looked at the vehicle again. “Oh no!”
Was Mindy thrashing around or asking for help? Her arms were jerking in the air.
Amy jerked open the back door. “She’s convulsing! Call for a chopper. We’ve got to get her to a hospital!”
He yanked out his cell phone and called headquarters. The Coast Guard helicopter could lift her to the hospital in Nags Head. Once they were readying the chopper, he tried Edith again but still didn’t reach her. What was he going to do with Raine? She awakened and smiled at him. He had to find someone to take her, or he’d have to ask the Coast Guard to find a substitute for him.
He saw a familiar figure across the street, and relief coursed through him. “Heather!” Waving her over, he went to meet her at the edge of the walk.
She wore a cover-up over her bathing suit and flip-flops. A red, white, and yellow beach bag was slung over one shoulder. “Hi, Curtis. Is everything okay? You look upset. I decided to make it a beach day today. It’s way too nice to be inside.”
He didn’t try to hide his urgency. “Are you busy? I’m in a bit of a bind. We need to fly a patient to the hospital, and I can’t get hold of Edith.”
Her eyes brightened, and she dropped her beach bag onto the sidewalk. “So you need me to take Raine for you? I’d be glad to.” She reached for his niece, and he handed her over.
“Would you mind? Edith should be back home in an hour. Here.” He pulled forty dollars from his wallet. “This should cover it.”
She pushed away the bills. “Whoa, I won’t take money for helping out a friend. Does she have a diaper bag?” Shifting Raine to one shoulder, she dropped a kiss on her hair.
He ran to the Jeep and extracted the diaper bag, then carried it back to where Heather stood with Raine. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this. You’re a real lifesaver.”
She kissed Raine again. “I’m glad to help. Really. I’ve been wanting to watch her for ages.”
He took several steps back toward his vehicle. “You can wait at my house for Edith. Raine’s room is upstairs. You can’t miss the baby bed.” He grinned, relieved he’d found a solution to his problem. “The house is unlocked. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen. I think Edith was making guacamole. The chips are in the corner cupboard.”
Heather smiled. “Don’t worry. I have it all under control. Go save whoever you have to.”
He watched her carry Raine down the street in the direction of his house. A vague disquiet disturbed him, and he pushed it away. There wasn’t anything wrong with asking for help.
He retraced his steps to the Jeep and slid behind the wheel. “The chopper is waiting. Let’s get her loaded. How is she?” Amy had gotten Mindy on the seat with her feet elevated by the car seat.
“A little more stable. She’s not convulsing at the moment.” She frowned. “Where’s Raine?”
“I couldn’t reach Edith on the cell. Then I saw Heather and asked her to take her to my house to wait for Edith. It shouldn’t be longer than an hour or so.”
She bit her lips. “Oh, Curtis, I wish you hadn’t done that. She’s not very forthcoming about her past, and I’m sure you never checked her references, did you?”
His unease deepened, and he shook his head. “I never intended to hire her so I didn’t bother. I’m sure it’s fine. It’s only an hour.” He slammed his door, then jammed the key into the ignition and started the car.
They were both being unduly nervous about a perfectly innocent request for neighborly help. But the more he argued with himself, the more he wanted to wheel the vehicle around and go retrieve Raine. He had no choice though. Mindy and her baby could die if they didn’t get help.
By the time he reached the Coast Guard headquarters, the rest of the team had assembled at the pad. Sara and Josh helped get Mindy aboard. Sara administered magnesium sulfate to make sure Mindy didn’t have another seizure on the way.
He started to help Amy aboard, but she stepped back and shook her head. “She’ll be safely in the ER in minutes, but I want to go check on Raine. You have Sara. She’s well trained in things like this.”
“You think there’s really something to worry about?” He glanced at the helicopter. “They can go without me. We aren’t doing a water rescue.”
Her smile looked forced. “I can’t even put my finger on why I’m worried, but I am. I’ll feel better when I get to your house and see the baby is safe.”
Sara beckoned from the helicopter door. “Curtis, come on!”
“Go. It will be fine. I’m sure I’m just being cautious for no good reason.”
He gripped her shoulders and brushed a kiss across her lips. “You’re a good woman, Amy Lang. Text me when you get to the house, okay?”
She nodded. “And let me know when Mindy is safely delivered to the hospital. I’ll be at your house when you get back.”
Reluctantly, he released her and headed for his chopper. The ten-minute ride was going to be an eternity. There wasn’t anything he could do but pray, and really, wasn’t that the best thing anyway? He was worrying for no reason.
TWENTY-NINE
Heather smiled as she stood on the remote beach watching for a boat. The sea breeze ruffled her hair, and Raine’s baby girl scent filled her head with success. It had all been so easy. She’d been making plans to enter the house when no one was looking and snatch the baby away, and here fate had just handed her the answer. She wasn’t about to refuse a sweet gift like this. She hugged Raine to her. Cute little mite was about to bring her everything she’d ever wanted.
Grant had been elated when she’d called with the news. Her reward had been in hearing him praise her. She shielded her eyes from the glaring sun and looked out to sea. Where was the boat? They had to hurry. No telling how long Curtis would be gone. And he might call Edith to check on Raine. When he found out neither of them was at the house, he’d call
the sheriff. No way did Heather want to have her fingerprints taken.
Raine stirred against Heather’s shoulder. One small hand curled around a lock of Heather’s hair. Heather smiled and touched the tiny fingers. Such a sweetheart. She wished she didn’t have to make Curtis and Amy so unhappy. They were going to be really upset when they got to the house and realized Raine was missing.
Her smile faded. They’d know who had taken her too, unless Grant had a good cover idea. She could only hope he had their tracks covered in some way. Otherwise, her picture would be plastered all over the news. She chewed her lip and considered her options. There weren’t many, but she was too elated over her success to think it through. But Grant would know.
The sound of a motor carried over the water. Heather shaded her eyes again and squinted through the glare of the sun on the sea. The white-and-blue boat drew nearer, and she recognized one of Grant’s employees at the helm. She thought his name was Vince, but people just called him Bossman. She’d thought Grant would come get her himself. But he was a busy man. An important man, so she needed to realize he couldn’t always do what he wanted. And once she was taken to him, they could go away on that vacation he’d promised.
She imagined a white-sand beach and turquoise water. A grass-thatched hut where they had a couples massage while they drank piña coladas. Grant would be blown away when he saw her in the new bikini she planned to buy. He’d think she was hot, hot, hot. Life was about to get very fun.
She waved, and the boat veered toward her. She gave Bossman a big smile. “I got her.”
He merely grunted and tossed the anchor overboard, then motioned for her to board. No words of praise from him. But she didn’t care. Not when Grant was waiting.
She shuffled the baby higher in her arms. “Hold my neck, honey. We’re going into the water.”
Raine clutched at her and pointed, jabbering something. Wading into the water, Heather made her way toward the craft, a big Sea Ray, as it floated about ten feet offshore. The name on the side read Sea Nymph. By the time she reached the boat, she was soaked to her bra line. Raine squealed and reached for the water as if she wanted down.
Rosemary Cottage Page 19
