Deadly Melody

by Connie Mann

  They checked the bathrooms, asked the two waitresses and the busboy, and Nick used his badge to talk to the staff in the kitchen. Nothing. They went to the shower facilities and asked at the convenience store next door. Still nothing.

  Once they were outside again, Cat thought she’d burst out of her skin. This was taking too long and they weren’t getting anywhere. She saw the tractor trailers lined up in the parking lot and headed in that direction, Nick easily keeping pace.

  “We’ll find her, Cat.”

  She nodded but didn’t slow. Every time she let her guard down the tiniest fraction, images of Joellen and Teddy and Daniel flashed through her mind. The sense that Blaze was out of time grew with every second.

  Once they reached the trailers, Nick showed Blaze’s picture to every driver they could find. With every negative shake of a head, Cat’s hope got a little bit dimmer. She pulled out her phone and dialed Blaze’s number, but with the rumble of so many diesel engines, she knew the chances of hearing it ring were slim to none, especially if Blaze had the phone on silent.

  They worked their way toward the rear of the parking lot, where a row of trailers sat by themselves, no doubt waiting for a rig to come pick them up. Cat glanced at Nick, whose pace had also sped up. It was the perfect hiding place.

  Here, the engine noise wasn’t as loud, so Cat dialed Blaze’s number again. They stood still, straining to hear it ring. “Come on, Blaze. Where are you?”

  Cat waited until it went to voice mail again, still not hearing any ringing from the trailers.

  Defeat had her biting her cheek.

  “Let’s keep walking. Call again,” Nick suggested.

  Cat stabbed the call button, eyes scanning every trailer they passed.

  They were almost to the very last trailer in the lot when Cat froze, looking at Nick. They heard classical music. It stopped abruptly. Cat pushed the call button again. The music started once more, coming from the last trailer.

  They rushed over. Cat was opening her mouth to start shouting for Blaze when Nick took her arm and tucked her behind him. “Slow and quiet. Just in case.”

  She looked over and saw the gun in his hand, held down low by the side of his leg, his expression full-on cop. Gone was Officer Friendly. This was Warrior Nick.

  Impatience clawed at Cat’s skin as they eased around to the back of the trailer, Nick scanning the area with an intensity that both calmed and terrified her.

  Once they reached the padlock, Nick whispered, “Blaze? Are you in here?”

  No answer. Cat dialed again, and they both heard it ring. Blaze’s phone was definitely inside.

  Cat reached for the lock, and it opened when she yanked on it. Surprised, she glanced at Nick, undid the hasp. He motioned her back with his gun, then slowly pulled the door open, scanning the interior.

  “Police. Anyone in here? Blaze? You there?” Nick pierced her with a look. “Stay down while I check inside.”

  Without waiting for a reply, he hopped inside, checking behind the stack of boxes lining one side of the otherwise empty space.

  As Cat watched, her heart sank. Blaze wasn’t here.

  He turned, a cell phone in his hand. “It’s hers.”

  Cat sagged against the trailer in defeat while Nick stepped away and spoke to someone on his cell phone.

  Several minutes later, the young cop Cat remembered from her car accident burst around the side of the trailer, leading with his gun.

  “Easy, JD,” Nick said when he appeared. “She’s not here. But I need you to dust for prints and any other evidence you can find.” He held up the phone. “She clearly was here.”

  JD’s eyes were as big as saucers. “You think she’s been kidnapped, Nick? Should we call the FBI?”

  “Not yet,” another voice said, and Cat spun to see Chief Monroe walk around the side of the trailer. “Let’s make sure we haven’t missed anything ourselves. What do we know so far, Stanton?” he said.

  Cat half listened as Nick went over the timeline, her thoughts racing. Where would Garcia have taken her? She would have to find a way to call her uncle, see what he knew.

  But terror grew as she paced. Hang on, Blaze. I’ll find you.

  Nick kept an eye on Cat as Monroe gave orders and generally took over. He let his irritation with the chief go, for now. Cat’s behavior puzzled him. She was scared, yes. But there was anger there, too.

  After Monroe left and JD went back to his patrol car to get his crime scene kit, Nick finally approached Cat. “Ready to go?”

  With a quick nod, she marched off toward his SUV. He caught up to her, stopped her with a hand on her arm, made sure he could see her eyes when he asked, “What do you know about this, Cat?”

  He saw the split second of guilt before the shutter dropped over her eyes. Her expression was fierce. “What do you mean? I know as much as you do. Someone trapped her in that hot, dark trailer, and she tried to call me for help.” Now he saw anguish. “And we’re too late. Whoever has her moved her, and now we have no way of finding her.” She swallowed hard, and Nick reached out to pull her into his arms before he realized what he was doing.

  She twitched away and kept walking, faster and faster.

  Biting back his frustration, he caught up, held the door of the SUV open for her. “What aren’t you telling me, Cat?”

  Finally she met his eyes. “I don’t know any more than you do.” She swallowed. “But we have to find her, Nick. Fast.”

  “Agreed.” He walked around to the driver’s side, but his attention was caught by raised voices just behind the restaurant. He turned, surprised to see Eddie Varga and Captain Barry nose to nose. Captain Barry’s face was red, and he jabbed a finger into Eddie’s bony chest as he shouted. Nick eased out of sight and tried to make out what they were saying, but a truck started up nearby, and the rumble of the diesel engine drowned out their words.

  Several minutes later, Eddie spun on his heel and hopped into his 1980s vintage Camaro, tires spinning on the asphalt as he sped away. Nick strode over to Captain Barry and caught up to him just as he climbed into a Cadillac of recent vintage. “Captain Barry. How’s it going?”

  Out of the corner of his eye, Nick caught sight of Cat slipping behind a nearby rig. He refused to look in her direction, hoping Barry wouldn’t notice her.

  “Afternoon, Stanton. What brings you out this way?”

  “I was going to ask you the same question. What’s up with you and Eddie Varga?”

  “We were talking about a fishing charter. I may need him to come along as a mate on my next trip this weekend.”

  “That so? The conversation didn’t appear overly friendly.”

  Barry speared him with a look, ran a hand over his balding pate. “He’s an idiot, but he’s a great first mate. And if he puts his mind to it, he can charm the tourists.”

  “What were you arguing about?”

  Barry froze, then sent him a lopsided grin. “I wouldn’t call it an argument, Officer. More like me stressing the importance of being nice to the tourists.”

  Nick studied him a moment, then nodded. “You haven’t seen Blaze Martinelli today, have you?”

  Nick saw a flash of fear in Barry’s eyes, but it was gone so fast he thought maybe he’d imagined it. “No, sir. I haven’t. Is something wrong?”

  “We’re just making sure she’s OK. She and Teddy Winston were really good friends.” Nick watched Barry’s reaction.

  The older man sighed. “Really a tragedy, that. He was such a nice young man. Have you figured out what he died from yet?”

  “It’s all part of an ongoing investigation. If you hear from Blaze, let me know, all right?”

  “Sure thing. Hope you find her.”

  Nick nodded and turned away, and Cat fell into step beside him.

  “What was he doing with Eddie Varga?” Cat demanded.

  “That’s a very good question. Says he wants him to first mate on a charter and charm the guests.”

  Cat snorted. “And I’m Qu
een Victoria.”

  Nick felt a smile curl up one corner of his mouth. Despite the situation, she made him want to laugh. He realized he hadn’t had that urge in a long time.

  He couldn’t think about that now. He had to find Blaze, and figure out how she connected to Teddy’s death. He started the SUV. “I’ll drop you off at your car. I need to get back to the station.”

  “What? No. We need to keep looking. We have to find her, Nick.”

  He glanced her way, understood her panic. It hummed just under his skin, too. “If we figure out how she’s connected to Teddy’s death, we should be able to figure out who took her. Which brings us one step closer to figuring out where they took her.”

  He glanced over at her in time to see a flash of fear cross her face, a split second before she looked away. “Spill it, Cat. What do you know?”

  Her head snapped around, her expression fierce. “I know she’s missing. I know we don’t have any idea where she’s been taken or what her captors may do to her.”

  What she hadn’t said clicked. “But you know who took her. Or think you do.”

  She tried to hide her reaction, but he saw the telltale jerk of a muscle in her cheek as she bit the inside of her mouth. She went still, arms folded over her chest. “Do you think I’d be sitting here with a cop if I could figure this out on my own?”

  A good point, Nick thought, but there was more to it than that. He pulled up in front of his little house so she could get her car. “You keep checking with her friends. I’ll do some digging online, see what I can find out from that end.”

  She was about to say something else when her phone rang. “Have you found her?”

  Nick watched all the color drain out of her face.

  She scrambled out of his SUV. “I’ll be right there.”

  Nick followed her, stepped close as she climbed into her beat-up little car. “I need to go.”

  “Did they find Blaze?”

  She looked startled by the question. “No. But I need to get home.” She started the car.

  “And I need your new phone number, Cat.”

  She began inching the car forward, forcing him to step back or get his feet run over. “Later. Gotta go.”

  He watched her speed away, all his instincts screaming. He didn’t think she’d lied about finding Blaze. But there was a world of other things she’d left out.

  Chapter 20

  Cat kept her car right at the speed limit on the way to the marina, but it took a white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel to pull it off. Every instinct wanted to race to get there, but she couldn’t afford another encounter with Safe Harbor’s finest. Still, she had to get home fast.

  Funny that the marina she’d hated as a teen now felt like home, a safe haven. This was where her family was, and they were being threatened. Because of her.

  She had to do something.

  They were waiting on the porch when she sped down the drive, stirring up a cloud of dust. Mama Rosa, Sasha, Jesse. Even Pop.

  She hurried up the steps, leaning over to kiss Mama’s cheek where she sat in her rocking chair, her knitting in her lap. “Hello, Mama.”

  Mama gripped her hand, eyes filled with fear. “Did you find her?”

  “Not yet. But we will. Promise.” She glanced over, saw the worry in Pop’s eyes as he stood behind Mama’s chair, a hand on her shoulder.

  “What does Nicky say?” Mama asked.

  Cat didn’t want to talk about Nick. Couldn’t think about him right now, either, the way he made her feel safe and then tempted her to say all kinds of things that must be left unsaid, for the safety of her family. “He’s working on it, and he won’t stop until he finds her.” That part she could say with certainty. The man was a bulldog and wouldn’t stop until he got the answers he needed. She shivered despite the heat.

  Jesse stepped forward, made a small motion to indicate she should follow him.

  “He’s a good man and a good cop,” Pop said, patting Mama’s shoulder. “He’ll find our girl.”

  Cat believed that, too. It was all the other secrets he might uncover along the way that terrified her.

  “I got that new part for your car, Cat. It’s in the workshop,” Jesse said.

  “Thanks. Can I see?” It was a flimsy getaway excuse, at best, but how else to escape from under Mama’s and Pop’s watchful eyes?

  Sasha stood, too, a protective hand over her baby bump, and Cat had to look away as Sasha followed them down the porch steps. That baby would grow up safe, without a shadow of fear. Cat would figure out a way to make that happen. Or die trying.

  No one said a word until they were inside the workshop with the door closed. “What’s going on? Why the urgency? Did you find something?” Cat demanded.

  Jesse folded his arms over his broad chest, eyes narrowed. “Who is following you, Cat? And why?”

  She froze. “What are you talking about?”

  “There’s a guy. Showed up this morning with fishing gear he clearly doesn’t know how to use, wearing clothes so stiff and new the tags might as well still be attached. He’s been out at the end of the dock pretending to fish for hours. Who is he and why is he watching the marina? And what does he have to do with Blaze’s disappearance?”

  Cat looked from one to the other. Both Jesse and Sasha wore implacable expressions. They deserved answers, she just didn’t have any to give them. Not ones that wouldn’t make things worse, anyway.

  “I’ll go find out,” she said and started for the door.

  Sasha stepped forward and blocked her path. “Talk, Cat. What’s this about?”

  Cat looked her sister in the eyes, saw the worry there, and gave her as much of the truth as she could. “I’m not exactly sure yet, but I will find out. I promise you that.”

  They stared at each other for a long moment, then Sasha stepped away. But not before Cat saw the disgust in her sister’s eyes. Cat had let them down. Again.

  She absorbed the knowledge like a blow. Then pushed it aside. She had to know if it was one of her uncle’s men or one of Garcia’s outside.

  The first option scared her. The second brought terror, for Blaze’s sake.

  Nick shoved his chair away from his desk, ran his hands through his hair, and massaged the back of his neck. His facial recognition search had returned results while he and Cat had been at the truck stop. And with every new bit of information he found, the more he realized Cat was involved. How far involved was the question.

  He hadn’t been able to see inside the black SUV to get a picture of whomever Cat had met with, but he’d gotten several good shots of the driver. Phillip Chen didn’t have a record, but he’d lived in Miami for many years. It was who he worked for that had all of Nick’s alarm bells clanging.

  Richard Wang. He was well known to Miami’s law enforcement community. His business was ostensibly import/export, but everything Nick dug up said his main product was drugs. Various kinds. And women. DEA, Miami PD, every law enforcement agency in the state had tried to get a conviction, but every time they thought they had an airtight case against the man, a key witness would disappear or die a mysterious death.

  He’d also run Cat’s picture through facial recognition. He got a hit, but it wasn’t her. It was a woman who looked so much like Cat, he concluded she had to be her mother. A bit more digging turned up her name and the date of her death.

  Once he ran her mother’s name, he found out where Cat had gotten her musical talent. Her parents had been classical musicians, as she’d said. He remembered her saying they’d loved her but didn’t always have time for her.

  He drummed his fingers on the desk as he scrolled through more articles. He found an old picture of the three of them outside a concert hall in Cincinnati, when Cat was about ten. Then he found their names mentioned in the train crash that killed them when Cat was fourteen.

  Her real name was Catharine Wang, Richard Wang’s niece.

  What was a major player in the drug world doing in Safe Harbor? Right af
ter his niece showed up after a ten-year absence, and within days of a local teen dying from a drug overdose, from one of the nastiest drugs out there?

  Was Cat working with her uncle? Were they trying to bring scopolamine to Safe Harbor? Though, considering Teddy’s death, it was already here.

  His desk phone rang, and he snatched up the receiver. “Stanton.”

  “Hi, Nick, this is Bev at the crime lab. We didn’t find any prints on the water bottle you sent, but we did find a hair stuck under the label. We’re really backed up, but I know you’re trying to find answers for that boy’s family, so I, ah, may have moved them to the front of the line and run the tests on my lunch hour. I’m sending the DNA results for the hair, the cigarette butt, and the prints and DNA I found on the beer bottle.”

  “Bev, you’re amazing. Thank you. I owe you, big time.”

  “You don’t owe me anything, Officer. Just find out who hurt that sweet young man.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I will. Thank you again.”

  He hung up and waited for his email to show incoming mail. He opened the DNA results, then went into the system and compared them to Eddie Varga’s DNA, sure he’d get a match.

  Except he didn’t. The results weren’t even close.

  Frustrated, he stood up and started pacing. It wasn’t Eddie Varga who gave Teddy the scopolamine. At least not that Nick could prove. So who was it?

  He entered the information into CODIS and did a comparison check, not surprised when it turned up nothing. No DNA in the criminal database matched that water bottle.

  He was back to square one.

  Cat took a deep breath to corral her anger and marched onto the dock. As her footsteps pounded the weathered boards, the figure standing alone at the end of the dock glanced her way. Even with the hat, she knew.

  Phillip.

  “What are you doing here?” she demanded.

  He glanced out at the Gulf, then back at her, voice expressionless. “My job. Just like always.”