Beauty in Hiding

by Robin Patchen

  After some back-and-forth negotiating the day before, the sellers had accepted his offer on the twenty-four-unit complex, and he needed to sign the paperwork. He and Ginny had planned to meet at McNeal’s—his idea. A very bad one, in retrospect.

  He called Ginny and asked if they could meet at her office instead. Because Harper would be at McNeal’s, and he couldn’t see her right now.

  He didn’t want to.

  Or at least, he didn’t want to want to. Which wasn’t exactly the same thing, but nobody was splitting hairs.

  He arrived at the Realtor’s office and was ushered to a large conference room, where he took a seat on the far side of the long table.

  Ginny came in a moment later carrying a thin file. “Congratulations!” She held out her hand, and he shook it.

  “Thanks.”

  By the look on her face, he hadn’t exhibited the enthusiasm she’d anticipated. He tried to muster it up. “I’m looking forward to making it mine.”

  She sat beside him, opened the file, and slid the contract around for him to see. “Trouble in paradise?”

  He looked up. “I’m sorry?”

  She looked at him with raised eyebrows. “You and your whaler girlfriend.” She grinned. “You know. Harpoon. Harper…” She watched his face, and the grin faded. “Sorry. Just kidding.”

  “She’s not my girlfriend.”

  Ginny put back on her professional face. “Right. If you’ll just sign here”—she pointed to a line—“and here.”

  He signed those two and the other places she indicated, then set the pen down. “I really appreciate—”

  “Look, I’m—”

  They’d spoken at the same time, then stopped. He nodded to her.

  She swallowed, took a deep breath. “Your love life is none of my business. I’m trying…” Her voice faded, and then she forced the corners of her mouth up, though nobody would call it a smile. “I haven’t lived in Nutfield very long, and I don’t know very many people.”

  When she trailed off, he said, “I’m sorry. That must be hard.”

  “I moved to Nutfield because my sister lives here. She’s married, has kids. My dad died, and Mom’s not exactly… Well, my sister’s the only family I’ve got. But they’re busy. And I’m just…” She dropped her head into her hands and sighed. Then she looked back up with a plastic smile. “I’m trying to make this work. I’m trying to make friends. That’s all that was—me trying to be friendly. But what I said was inappropriate.”

  Jack was so shocked by Ginny’s gush of honesty that he couldn’t think of a word to say. He considered taking her hand, because he understood loneliness. He understood that deep, aching need to be seen, to be touched. To have contact with another human being, one who cared. He’d lived it. Was living it. The couple of weeks he’d spent with Red and Harper were an aberration in his otherwise solitary life.

  He didn’t take her hand, though. Instead, he patted it, then sat back. Safe, friendly. Nothing else. “You aren’t wrong about Harper and me. At least, I wouldn’t have thought you were wrong yesterday.”

  Her eyes narrowed the tiniest bit as she studied him. “You care for her.”

  “I do. If nothing else, she’s a friend.”

  A look passed over her face, and he realized what he’d said. “You’re a friend, too, Ginny. I’m just a guy, so I don’t talk about my feelings and stuff.” He smiled, shrugged. “But I’d like to think we’re friends.”

  Her face brightened, and if he wasn’t mistaken, he thought he saw tears fill her eyes.

  Sheesh, he had to get out of there.

  Because as pretty as Ginny was—and she was quite attractive—she held nothing on the damaged, lonely, frightened woman who’d stolen his heart.

  And been involved in a man’s murder.

  Ginny composed herself, gathered the papers. “Well. Okay, then.” She stood and held the papers against her chest like a shield. “So, you’ll let me know when you get the inspection scheduled? I’d like to be there.”

  He pushed back his chair and stood as well. “Definitely. And about the other thing—”

  “It’s fine,” she said. “I’ll make friends. These things take time.”

  He left her office with his copies of the contract and considered the odd conversation he’d just had. Ginny was a woman with a college degree and a real estate license. She had coworkers and clients and family. And yet, she was struggling to make her way in a new town.

  How could somebody like Harper, somebody with no degree, little work experience, and a felony on her record, ever make it?

  Why was she here?

  That was the question that plagued him. Why would she bring Red, not even a relative, and leave the comfort and familiarity of his Maryland home to barely scrape by living in a shack in New Hampshire?

  It made no sense.

  And when he added the felony conviction to the list of things he knew about her, suddenly her being in New Hampshire felt sinister.

  What was Harper Cloud doing?

  Why was she hiding?

  Who was she hiding from?

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Derrick paced at his gate at the Charlotte, NC, airport. He’d arrived in Eureka Springs the day before, trolled the campground Harper’s family had visited as a child.

  No sign of her. Not at the campground, not at the nearest grocery store, not anywhere.

  People didn’t forget a face like Harper’s. A beautiful woman with an old man? If she’d been there, surely someone would have remembered her. Unless she’d rented a house from a private owner.

  She could be less than a mile away or anywhere in the US.

  Derrick didn’t think she was in Arkansas. Even if she were, he’d never be able to find her on his own. So he was on his way back to Baltimore. His best chance was to go back to Tank and hire him to track her down. And then hope Tank cooperated when he found her. Derrick couldn’t have Gramps’s attorney—or the cops—knowing Derrick had located the two of them.

  Over the loudspeaker, the gate agent began pre-boarding his flight. He was itching to get on the plane. This entire trip had been a waste of time, time Harper’d undoubtedly been using to make herself invisible.

  His cell rang, and he glanced at the screen. He didn’t recognize the number or the area code. “Derrick Burns.”

  “Son? Is that you?”

  He gripped the phone as if it might escape. “Gramps?”

  “Aha! I knew Harper was dialing the wrong number. How are you, son?”

  Derrick took a deep breath. He had to tread very carefully here. “I’m doing well. Missing you guys, though. When do you think you’ll be home?”

  “Not anytime soon, I’m sorry to say. Not that I don’t like it here.”

  “Sure. Of course.” Think, Derrick. What would she have told him? Surely Gramps didn’t know he wasn’t supposed to call. “What’s the name of the town again?”

  “Uh… I don’t remember. Something funny.”

  “Oh. Which state are you in?”

  “We’re up north.”

  That didn’t exactly narrow it down. The gate agent made another announcement, and Derrick paced toward a quieter space on the far side of the corridor.

  “It’s cold here,” Gramps continued. “We went to the coast the other day. Friend of ours drove us. Pretty coastline. Real rugged. Your grandmother would’ve loved it.”

  “A friend? Does Harper know people there?”

  “Don’t think she did ’til we got here.”

  So she’d just chosen some random spot? He doubted that. “Must be hard being all alone. I wish you two would come home. What made you decide to leave?”

  “I thought she told you all this.”

  “She wasn’t really speaking to me.”

  There was a long pause, then, “Hold on a sec. Lemme get somewhere private.”

  Derrick heard the man’s heavy breathing, the rattle of the walker, the slam of a door.

  “Where are you, Gr
amps?”

  “The rec center. I was playing cards with Steve, and he got a call on his cell, and I thought, I’m gonna borrow his phone and try calling Derrick myself. I remembered a long time ago you gave me one of your business cards, and I put it in my wallet. I looked, and there it was.”

  Steve. A rec center. A little house somewhere up north in a town with a funny name. “I’m glad you found it. I’ve been worried about you two. I’ve tried to call, but Harper’s phone always goes to voice mail.”

  “That so? She’s always got it on her. But it doesn’t work real well.”

  “Any chance you know her phone number?”

  “Someone here probably has it. Want me to ask?”

  That didn’t seem like a good idea. Somebody could tip her off. And then she’d run again, taking his grandfather with her. Rage rolled over him like a Las Vegas wind.

  “Anyway.” Gramps lowered his voice. “Some guy roughed her up pretty bad.”

  Not as badly as Derrick would once he got ahold of her. His ribs still throbbed after his meeting with Quentin. Her fault. All her fault. “I knew about the bruises. But why did that make her want to leave?”

  “She was afraid whoever did it would come back, finish her off. And I didn’t want her to be all alone.”

  He’d never known Harper to be a liar, but she’d worked that one out pretty fast.

  “There was something else, too,” Gramps said. “Something… But I don’t remember exactly. Something bad.”

  What? When Derrick had left her that night at Gramps’s house, he’d had no reason to believe she’d run away. And then, they’d been gone. Why? What had changed?

  A memory filtered back. Quentin’s remark about the goons who’d beat Harper up going missing. Derrick had suggested that maybe she’d done something to them, but that had only been a defense mechanism. He’d never considered it could have been true. Sweet Harper couldn’t hurt anyone. But now… What if she’d killed them?

  How could she have? Keith wouldn’t have shown his face. Probably neither had the other guy. She wouldn’t have known how to find them, even if she did have it in her to kill somebody. Which she didn’t, he was sure, despite the felony conviction.

  Maybe Keith and the other goon had gone to the house.

  When he’d been there Monday, had anything been out of place?

  He thought back. He’d been so focused on talking to her, but he hadn’t seen anything that raised alarms.

  Except… The deadbolt on the back door had been unlocked. Odd, but not too much so. He hadn’t worried they’d been kidnapped, not with the cars gone. He’d thought it an oversight.

  “You still there, son?” Gramps asked.

  “She must have been terrified to take off the way she did.”

  “She was,” Gramps said. “I had to come with her. You understand, right? You don’t come around very much, so I figured you wouldn’t miss me—”

  “I do miss you, though. I miss you a lot.”

  “That’s mighty kind of you to say, son. I miss you, too.”

  Derrick remembered his plan from earlier that week. Mend fences with Gramps. Get in his good graces again. He forced himself to add, “And I’m sorry about what happened this summer. About the investment and… all that.”

  After a moment, Gramps said, “I’m proud of you for saying that. And of course I forgive you.”

  Derrick barely kept himself from scoffing. Forgiveness. If Gramps cared a whit about him, he’d have given him the money, and they wouldn’t be in this situation now. “Thank you. That means a lot.”

  “You get all that mess worked out?” Gramps asked.

  Right. Like two hundred grand had just dropped into his lap. “Yeah. Thanks for asking.”

  “Good. Good to hear it.” He didn’t sound convinced, but at least he didn’t push it. “And anyway, I don’t blame you for not coming around more. You’ve got a life. Friends and work. Harper… She hasn’t got anybody. I didn’t want her to be alone. So I offered to come with her until all this stuff was cleared up.”

  “How’s that going?”

  Gramps was quiet. Derrick paced to the windows and stared out at the airplanes on the tarmac, forcing himself not to speak. Finally, Gramps huffed out a breath. “She’s always on that danged phone looking at websites. But I don’t know exactly what she’s looking for. Whatever it is, I don’t think she’s found it.”

  What could she possibly have been hoping to find? “I miss you guys. I’d like to come see you.”

  “I’m not giving you any money, son.”

  “I know.” Derrick forced a smile into his voice. “I don’t need it. I just want to make sure you two are okay.”

  “I guess that’d be all right.”

  “But I need to know where you are exactly, and I don’t have Harper’s phone number. Do you think you could get your address for me and call me back?”

  “Sure. Of course.”

  But then he’d have to wait, and who knew when—or if—Gramps would call back. And of course he’d tell Harper they’d talked.

  “Better yet,” he said, “can I ask a favor?”

  Another long pause. Derrick interrupted this one with, “I promise, I’m not asking for money.”

  “What is it then?”

  “Are you on an iPhone?”

  “How in the blazes should I know?”

  Derrick took a deep breath. “Can you put me on speaker? Look at the phone. And press the button that says speaker.”

  Seconds ticked by while Gramps muttered. A moment later, he said, “Did it.”

  “Great. Now, I want you to go to the messages app. It looks like a little dialog balloon. You know what I mean? Like in comics?”

  “I’m not that old,” Gramps said. “Done.”

  “Start a new text to me.” Derrick recited his phone number as he walked the corridor to the bank of screens that displayed departures and arrivals.

  “Done,” Gramps said.

  Derrick led his grandfather through the process of sending his current location. It took forever, lots of starts and stops, but finally, it worked.

  Derrick studied the map on the cell phone. They were in Nutfield, New Hampshire.

  “Got it.” He looked up at the screens with all the flight information. And there it was. A direct flight to Manchester. He could be there in a few hours.

  He looked around, spotted an airline service counter, and started in that direction.

  Derrick’s heart pounded. He had her. Now, he had to make sure she wouldn’t get away before he could get there. “One more thing. Please, don’t tell Harper we talked. I want to surprise her. And… Well, I think you know this already. I’m in love with her, Gramps, but I blew it.”

  Gramps harrumphed like only an old man could. “I’m sorry to say, son, but I think you did.” He was quiet again. The man was never in a hurry. Must be nice. Derrick made eye contact with the woman behind the counter. She stood waiting for him, so he gestured to his phone, rolled his eyes, and mouthed an apology. Never hurt to be charming.

  “I almost lost your grandmother once,” Gramps said. “We were dating, and I acted like a jerk. She swore she was finished with me. But I wooed her back. Brought my old guitar and sat outside her folks’ house and serenaded her.” His laugh was somehow both happy and sad. “Sang Earth Angel at her window until she opened it up.”

  “I didn’t know you could sing.”

  He chuckled. “Can’t sing, and I was terrible on that guitar. I always wondered if she just came outside to shut me up before the neighbors started throwing stuff.”

  Derrick couldn’t imagine his grandparents young and in love, though they’d definitely been old and in love until Gram died.

  “I want to do something like that. I want to surprise her with a big, romantic gesture.”

  “Then I won’t warn her you’re coming. But on winning her back…you might have some competition.”

  Derrick’s heart pounded a war beat. “What do you mean?”r />
  “She’s got a fellow up here. Not sure they’re an item yet, but they seem to like each other.”

  Derrick swallowed his anger and said, “Uh-oh. What his name?”

  “Jack.”

  Jack. Derrick would remember that. “Well then,” he said, “I guess I’d better bring my A-game.”

  He ended the call, approached the counter, and smiled at the woman behind it. “My grandfather. Never in a hurry.”

  “I got one just like that,” she said. “What can I do for you?”

  “I have to change my flight. I was headed to Baltimore, but there’s a family emergency, and I need to get to Manchester right away.”

  She clicked away on her keyboard, looked up, and smiled. “That flight leaves in forty-five minutes, and there are seats available. Seems like it’s your lucky day.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Harper hadn’t spoken to Jack all day Thursday.

  She kept waiting for him to come by, kept thinking she’d run into him at McNeal’s, but he’d kept his distance.

  What did that mean? Had he lost interest in her? Or was he trying to learn more about her past?

  She thought of little else all day Thursday and into Friday. It was nearly noon when Harper saw the two uniformed police officers on the sidewalk outside the window at work. Cops came into McNeal’s all the time. She’d gotten used to them. But after Wednesday night, after the conversation with Jack… She was a fool for still being here. Red had told Jack too much. And her behavior could only have fueled his suspicions. Jack would do some research on her, and then he’d know just enough to think she was up to no good.

  The police officers came in. One made eye contact with her. She’d never seen this one before. Not a regular. He was here for her. He recognized her. Why else would he be watching her so closely? He smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. What did that mean? Happy he’d found her? Big collar for the day?

  His smile faded, and his eyes narrowed.

  Bonnie walked past her, brushing her shoulder and whispering a vehement, “Get to work.” Then, she focused on the men at the door. “Sit anywhere, guys. The usual?”