Brie inhaled sharply and Drew slid a protective arm around her waist. “I’m not a bit surprised.”
She tried to wriggle free, but Drew wouldn’t let her. His grandfather smiled.
“I was. I’m not usually such a bad judge of character. I was wrong about you, girl.”
“Thank you. But I’m afraid the next few installments are going to be late,” she told his grandfather. “Drew got me fired.”
“I would hope so,” Anton sniffed.
“I didn’t realize you liked your job so much,” Drew said, kissing the top of her head just to watch her squirm. “If waiting tables means that much to you, I’m sure I can get them to take you back.”
“Andrew!” his grandfather reprimanded.
But Brie looked up at him, the light of battle shining in her bright green eyes. “Not a bad idea. Maybe I can get them to hire you on as a busboy,” she said tartly. “You know, in case your bid for mayor fails.”
Drew laughed out loud. His grandfather scowled. “You have a perverted sense of humor, young lady.”
“Thank you.”
“We’re going out to grab a bite to eat,” Drew told him. “Would you care to join us?”
“No, thank you. Your father and I have a meeting with some people this afternoon.”
“All right. We’ll see you later, then.”
“I shouldn’t tease your grandfather like that,” Brie said after he disappeared into his office.
“On the contrary. He likes it. He likes you.”
Brie made a face. “How can you tell?”
“Years of experience.”
“Uh-huh. Drew, would you mind if we stop and see Claire?”
“Good idea. We’ll grab something at the diner and head over to her place afterward.”
“The diner?”
“Wouldn’t you like to see what it’s like from the other side of the counter?”
Nancy called down to them from the landing of the highly polished oak staircase. “May I speak with you for a moment?”
“Hi, Nancy. I thought you went back to Boston yesterday.”
“No, I, uh, had a change of plans.” She hurried down to the foyer. “Have you, uh, seen or heard from Carey by any chance? I mean since the wedding?”
It wasn’t like Nancy to hesitate or not meet his eyes. “You’re the second person to ask me that this morning.”
Her head came up sharply. “Who else is looking for him?”
“Cullen Ryan.”
Her features paled. Carey had been taken with Nancy from the start. He should have known his friend would put moves on her. “Don’t tell me you fell for the Eldrich charm, too.”
“It isn’t like that.” She raised her head defiantly. “I’m not naive, Andrew. Carey is fun, intelligent and wasting his life because he lacks focus. But now that he’s stopped trying to measure up to you, he’s changing. He’s got a good job in Boston. One that will challenge him. It will be good for him to be away from his family and their pressure to be more like you.”
“His family’s been holding me up as some sort of model?”
“Surely you knew. But it doesn’t matter. He doesn’t care that his family cut him off. He’s ready to make big changes in his life, but the police are hounding him because of that affair with Ursula. You know he didn’t harm anyone. I’m really worried. I think something’s happened to him.”
“Ryan’s a good cop, Nancy. He’s not going to railroad anyone. The cops just want to know where he got the money to pay off his debts all of a sudden.”
“I loaned him the money. I know what you’re thinking, but he couldn’t go to you. It would have destroyed his pride. I made him a business offer. He was reluctant at first, but when he saw the possibilities, he decided to accept a chance to start over. He was supposed to meet me after the police let him go the other night, but he never came. His tuxedo is missing and no one has seen him since he left the police station.”
Drew’s stomach lurched. “Where have you looked?”
“Everywhere I can think of. Something’s wrong. We were supposed to drive back to Boston together yesterday. He has a meeting tomorrow morning.”
The housekeeper appeared in the library doorway. “Excuse me, Mrs. Pierce. There’s a telephone call for you. Your mother’s doctor?”
It took Brie a second to realize she was the Mrs. Pierce being addressed. “Oh.”
“Take it in the library,” Drew said. “Will you show her, May?”
“Certainly. This way, Mrs. Pierce.”
Brie followed the gaunt woman into a room whose dark, richly paneled walls were filled to the ceiling with shelves of books. This was a genuine library, she realized.
“The telephone is at that desk, Mrs. Pierce.”
“Thank you.” She skirted the grand piano and crossed to the ornate writing desk. “Hello? Dr. Thornton?”
There was a momentary pause. The tone came out sharp and stiff. “This is Dr. Manning.”
“Oh. I’m sorry. I assumed—” Flustered, Brie forced herself to calm down. “Dr. Manning, what can I do for you?”
“I called to discuss a schedule so we may begin your mother’s treatments. I assume she still wishes to be a test case?”
Something visceral slithered up her spine. Brie gripped the receiver tightly. “She’s not here right now.”
“We should begin immediately. I agreed to wait until after your wedding, but we really must proceed now if this treatment is to be effective. Each day we delay increases the odds against a successful test case.”
Fear rooted in her mind. A test case. As if her mother wasn’t a human being at all. “I’ll ask her to call you this afternoon as soon as she returns.”
“Do that.”
The click was as abrupt as his tone. Leland Manning was a brilliant geneticist and scientist. But where was the empathy? The concern for his patient? Was she making a horrible mistake to entrust her mother to such a chilling man?
Raised voices came from the hall. Drew and his uncle were at each other again. She hurried out in time to see Geoffrey Pierce storm toward the back of the house. Nancy was gone.
“What happened?”
Drew’s face was surprisingly composed. “I’m not sure. I asked him if he’d seen Carey. He started yelling, telling me to stay out of his business.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
“I know.”
“Where did Nancy go?” she asked as they ran back to the car.
“She had some business to attend to.”
“Do you really mean to go to the diner?”
“Is there a better place in town for gossip?”
“One of the bars?”
“I am not taking you into some dingy bar to be drooled over by a bunch of drunks.”
“Rider and Jake might take umbrage with that description.”
“I doubt it. You’ll notice they have the good sense to come to the diner for food.”
“Point taken.”
IT FELT WEIRD TO HAVE LOIS wait on her inside the familiar diner.
“Fantastic wedding, you two. I had such a good time. What a shame about poor little Claire Cavendish. I’m glad Cullen arrested those two little vandals. I hope he throws away the key.”
“You think Claire was upset because of Razz and Dodie?”
“Well, sure. They upset a lot of people.”
While the diner wasn’t crowded at this hour, several patrons made it a point to stop by their booth to say hello and chat for a few minutes. Brie noticed the people were treating Drew like one of the them. Nancy had been right, marriage to Brie had enhanced Drew’s status on the wharf side of town.
When Drew excused himself to use the rest room, Brie saw Yvette Castor enter the diner. The fortune-teller glanced around and headed straight for her booth. Her gaudy jewelry clanked noisily as she leaned over the table, but it was her anxious expression that captured Brie’s full attention.
“I know you’re a nonbeliever, Brianna, but I
must warn you.”
A breeze swept over her skin.
“The signs are murky and more twisted than normal. There are so many variables, but you must not let down your guard. Someone lurks in the shadows, Brianna.”
Big J. from the tattoo parlor stuck his head in the front door and yelled to Yvette. “Hey, Madam Fleury, you got a customer.” Yvette waved acknowledgement. She touched the crystal earrings Brie wore again this morning. “They won’t be enough.” Looking up as Drew approached, she turned to him. “Don’t let her go anywhere alone.” And Yvette was gone in a swirl of color and a clanking of jewelry.
“What was that all about?” Drew asked.
“I’m not sure. Yvette isn’t usually this strange, but she seems to think I’m in some sort of danger.”
Drew opened his wallet and withdrew several bills. “Let’s go.”
Brie stood immediately. She, too, felt the need for action. “So did we learn anything?”
“Yeah. The diner still makes great pie.”
“Very funny. I meant about Carey.”
“No one has seen him since he left the police station.”
“So where are we going?”
“To look for his car.”
“His car?”
Drew smiled wryly. “He brought mine back right before the wedding.”
“Oh. Well, surely you don’t think something happened to him at a police station?”
Drew pointed to a cherry-red sports car parked in the lot behind the newspaper building two doors down from the police station. “Now I do. That’s Carey’s car.”
DETECTIVE RYAN WASN’T THERE when they went to let him know about the discovery, but Chief Redfern himself bustled over to take the information. Drew kept his dislike well concealed.
Their moods were as dark as the sky overhead when they drove to Claire’s house. Luck wasn’t with them there, either. Claire and Rebecca Smith had gone off together and Claire’s brother had no idea when they’d be back.
“I’d say it’s a good sign if she’s out doing things with Becca,” Drew said. Brie nodded, but he could tell she was still worried.
The wind picked up, making the rain seem heavier than before. The air was decidedly unpleasant. Drew wondered if Brie might be right about the storm. At the compound, they discovered Pamela had returned to the guest cottage due to a vicious headache.
“Let me call Dr. Thornton, Mom.”
“I already did. He’s going to stop by in a little while.”
“Oh. Well how about if we take Nicole with us so you can lie down?”
“That would be nice.”
Brie cast him a worried look. Drew shared her concern. Pamela didn’t look well at all.
“We’ll keep Nicole and the cats with us tonight. Do you want me to take Fitzwiggy as well?”
“No, dear. Fitz is good company.”
“All right. We’ll lock up when we leave.”
Drew helped gather up litter pans, cat toys and scratching posts while Brie and Nicole packed her toys and clothing and loaded them into the car Drew had given her.
Until today, when Nancy had explained why Carey hadn’t come to him for a loan, Drew hadn’t understood what it cost Brie’s pride to accept his gift of the car, but she hadn’t even argued over the substantial checking account he had opened in her name because she needed the money to pay for her mother’s treatments. But was that the only reason she’d married him? The idea lay bitter in his mind.
The telephone was ringing when he carried the last item inside. The voice on the other end sounded muffled, as if the person were covering the mouthpiece.
“Carey Eldrich is in danger.”
“Who is this?”
“If you want to help, be at the wharf at seven-thirty. Come alone.”
A click ended the call.
“Who was that?”
Drew repeated the conversation.
“Call Cullen,” she demanded.
“The voice said to come alone.”
“You aren’t—”
“Of course not, but Ryan wasn’t in the office, remember?”
“I have their home number.”
Drew shook his head. “I’m not leaving you and Nicole here alone.” The fortune-teller’s warning suddenly loomed in his head. “Not even for Carey. What if it was a ruse to get me away so someone could get at you?”
“What if it was a ruse to get you alone?” She reached for the telephone. “I’m calling Elizabeth. I wanted to talk to her anyhow.”
The phone rang four times. Brie was about to hang up when Elizabeth answered breathlessly. Brie knew immediately that her friend was distracted and excited over something. She’d probably caught her in the middle of an experiment.
“Elizabeth, it’s Brie. I’m sorry to bother you, but we need your help.” She could almost see her friend shifting priorities. “Is Cullen there?”
“No, but I’m expecting him home any minute.”
“Would you mind if we came over for a few minutes? Drew just got an anonymous call about Carey. We think it may be a trap.”
“Come over. We’ll be here waiting.”
“Thanks Elizabeth.” She hung up and looked at Drew. “Okay?”
“Let’s go.”
But it wasn’t quite that simple. Nicole refused to leave Little Imp. Even Max acted agitated as he butted against Brie’s legs.
“What’s gotten into him? Maybe it’s all this moving around. I’ll give them a treat while you put Nicole in her car seat.”
“Sure. You get the easy job.” But Drew smiled and lifted his daughter. “We’re going see Elizabeth, Nicole. We can’t take the cats over there, but we’re coming right back.”
Nicole was not pacified. Brie had never seen her daughter throw such a tantrum. And the cats wouldn’t come near the offered treat. The minute Drew opened the front door, Max tried to escape. In the end, they loaded the cats back into carriers and took them, as well.
“The score is daughter and cats one, parents zip. I hope this isn’t an omen,” Drew said.
“Very funny. Do you know where we’re going?”
“I’ll follow you. Drive carefully. With all this rain we’re bound to see flash flooding pretty soon.”
Brie nodded. Max and Imp loudly protested their confinement and her normally happy daughter was in a mood nearly as bad. It was not a happy group that landed on Elizabeth and Cullen’s doorstep a few minutes later. Brie was thankful to see Elizabeth’s brother, Brandon, was visiting, which immediately improved her daughter’s mood.
While the men talked, the women got the children settled in front of the television with pizza and a movie.
“We’re interrupting your dinner,” Brie said apologetically.
“No, you aren’t. I have to teach a class at seven-thirty. I was just feeding Brandon before I ran him home. We’ll eat later. Would you like something?”
“No, thanks.”
“Tell me what’s going on.”
Brie heard Cullen on the phone in the other room. Quickly she summarized what she knew. “Drew didn’t want me to stay alone, but as soon as the men leave, I’ll head back to the compound.”
“You’re welcome to wait here, though the Pierce estate is like a fortress.”
“One made of Swiss cheese, maybe.”
“Dodie and Razz got inside, but Security caught them.”
“They didn’t catch David Bryson. He was in the woods the other day and he even came to the wedding.”
“You’re kidding! Really?”
“Oh, my God, Elizabeth. I just realized. David was there when Security was chasing Razz and Dodie. What if he’s the one Claire was looking at when she had her breakdown?”
“Who was Claire looking at?” Cullen asked, striding into the room.
Brie stared at the men. “David Bryson. I just remembered he was watching Security chase Razz and Dodie.”
“Bryson was at our wedding?”
Brie nodded, breathing as if she’d just run a
mile. “I forgot in all the commotion.”
Drew exchanged dark looks with Cullen. He turned to her with a fierce expression. “You stay with Elizabeth until we get back, do you understand?”
“Drew’s right,” Cullen interjected. “We’ll be back as soon as we can.” He gave his wife a quick kiss on the lips. “Stay out of trouble, all right?”
“You know me.”
“That’s the problem. Come on, Drew.”
Drew made no move to kiss her as Cullen had done with Elizabeth. Brie pushed her hurt aside as he strode ahead of Cullen and out the door. Drew had a right to be upset. He considered David his enemy and she hadn’t told him how David had been spying on him. She swallowed hard. Her friend laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.
“Brie, I can’t cancel class at this hour. I’m afraid you and Nicole will have to come and sit in.”
“No offense, but I don’t think so.”
“But you promised Drew.”
“No, he gave me an order. I didn’t agree to obey. He forgot I’ve got the cats in the car. But before I go I wanted to talk to you about something.”
Brie told Elizabeth about Leland Manning’s experimental procedure and her second thoughts about the whole thing.
“So am I putting my mother at risk in your opinion?”
“Yes! Under no circumstances let your mother go to Manning. My God, what you’ve told me—it’s all starting to fit! Come on back to my lab.”
“You have a lab?”
“Actually, it’s a spare bedroom Cullen converted for me when we rented this house. He thinks I’ve been wasting my time, but I’ve been doing some research into the recent serial killings here in Moriah’s Landing.”
“Do you mean the women whose bodies were left for you to find? But, Cullen caught the killer.”
“But it bothered me that he could never find a substantial connection among any of the women. Not this time, and not twenty years ago when there was a whole other set of serial killings. No one was ever caught for those old crimes and I got to wondering if there could be a connection.”
“You found something, didn’t you?”
“This afternoon, as a matter of fact.” Elizabeth’s excitement was contagious. “I made a breakthrough when I started looking at their genes. All the girls share one common gene.”
“I don’t understand. How would Ernie McDougal know something like that? He ran the bait shop.”
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