by Kait Carson
“He said he knew you.” The woman’s voice broke. “Gave a description I recognized, and told me he’d bring them by for you.”
“Never mind.” Hayden drew a deep breath and let a wave of tiredness and frustration over her. Great, just peachy. Some strange guy is running around with my cat dishes and credit card and I’m bleeding all over the floor. Yep, just peachy. She bit her tongue, and said, “It’s been that kind of a day. Thanks for your help.”
Hayden picked herself up, and went to get a towel and some antiseptic for her knee. On her way past, she gave Kevin’s buoyancy compensator a vicious kick. “First you hurt me by leaving me, then you hurt me by trying to frame me for murder, and now your damn dive gear hurts me. Are you ever going to get the hell out of my life?”
The cat peeked around her bedroom door. His look implied his owner was over the edge.
Feeling foolish, she walked over to stack the vest with the rest of Kevin’s gear. Stooping to pick it up, the slate attached to a bungee in the pocket fell out. Notes covered the whiteboard. The handwriting wasn’t Kevin’s.
Curious she turned the slate right side up so she could read the words. 22 August, 2330, Cocoplum Beach, 25. She turned the slate to catch the light trying to see if there were more words. It made no sense. Sighing, she muttered, “Well, that’s another mystery.” She tucked the slate back into the dive vest pocket and slid the vest loop over the nitrox tank. Before she made it to the medicine cabinet, someone tapped out shave and a haircut on the front door.
“S’open. Come in,” she called out.
“Think I will.”
She spun around at the sound of Kevin’s voice.
Twenty
“What are you doing here?” The wave of wanting that ripped through her at the sight of him confused her. She hoped it didn’t show on her face.
“Don’t get your hopes up. You murdered my brother. Thanks for the sympathy. I came to bring you your stuff from the Keys Art Co-op and get my gear.”
“They gave it to you? You found my credit card?”
“Don’t thank me. I want my stuff. This seems like a good time to get it.”
She saw him looking at the blood that ran down her leg. “I tripped. No thanks to you. Over your dive gear.” Sanity returned and the wanting gave way to anger. “I’ll be glad to get it the hell out of my house.”
Kevin sat down on the couch. “I’d like a drink. Yes, thank you very much for asking.” She wanted to wipe the self-satisfied smirk from his face, but it would mean getting close to him.
“I’d like you out of my house. Now. Get up. Get your stuff. Get out.”
He picked up the phone and put it back on its cradle. “Or what? You’ll kill me too?”
“I didn’t kill anyone. I’m sorry your brother is dead, but I didn’t kill him. I don’t know why you’re spreading that around. I wish you and what’s her name every happiness. But most of all, I wish you would leave me alone. GET OUT.”
He grinned at her, picked up her handbag, and tucked it next to him.
Adrenaline shot through her. All the times she’d bit her tongue in the past returned. This was her house. He was not going to treat her this way. She ran and tried to get past him for the phone. His hand snaked out and grabbed her thigh throwing her off balance. For the second time that night, she fell to the floor.
“Who you gonna call? The cops? I don’t think so, little bitch. Let me give you a word of advice. Leave me alone. Stop prancing around prying into my life. I’m happy now. Something I never was with you. Get out of my life. Do you understand?”
Sobbing in pain and embarrassed at showing weakness, Hayden said, “Why are you here? I didn’t invite you. Why are you lying to the police? You know I had nothing to do with your brother’s death. I never even met him. Why are you trying to make me into the bad guy here?”
“I told you. I want my gear. You’d never let me in if I called first. You made yourself into the bad guy, not me. You went to the marina. You took my brother out in his own boat. You threw him overboard.”
“You’re crazy. How could I do that?”
“You couldn’t physically toss him over so you tangled him in the anchor line. Then you used the momentum of tossing the anchor to drag him down. You’d love me to believe you never met him. Believe me, when I finish with you, everyone will know what you’re like.”
This was a side of Kevin she’d never seen.
They’d fought when they were together. But he was never this cold and calculating. His tone raised her hackles. Impotence filled her with more rage. How do you defend against a lie? If he believed his story, she needed to prove him wrong. “That makes no sense. Why would I kill him and then find him?”
“Oh, you’re probably telling the truth about not remembering. You do get those migraines. I sat up through enough of them while you barfed your guts up.”
“Why would I do it? Kill someone I don’t even know? Why? You told me your brother lived in Jacksonville. That he’d just moved down here. That’s a lie. He lived in Big Pine.” A muscle worked in his jaw. She continued shouting, enjoying watching her words strike home. “He lived in your parents’ house.”
He stood and made a grab for her. She backed away, hot tears flowing down her face. “He had a wife and kids. And a kid on the way.”
“Shut up, you bitch.” He darted for her again.
Sobbing now, she said, “Why did you lie about it? Why didn’t you tell me your parents live in Broward? Kevin, I loved you. I thought you loved me. Why are you doing this to me?”
“Well, you’ve certainly been busy. Aren’t you the fountain of information?” Kevin sneered. He grabbed her wrist and caught her this time. Hayden yelped and he twisted it painfully with his hand. Her heart pounded with fear and she tried to break away for the door.
The phone rang again. The rage drained from Kevin before her eyes. He dropped her wrist as if it burned him. Striding toward the door he detoured and picked up his gear. Without looking at her, he said, “Stay away from my family.” The door closed silently and she heard a car motor start.
Sobbing, Hayden looked at the caller ID on her phone. It was Mallory.
“Hey, girl,” Mallory said. “Thought I’d touch base and see what happened today.”
Hayden’s response was a bubbly sob.
“What’s wrong...are you crying? Is the information that bad?”
“Information? Oh God, Mallory, I forgot about it. Kevin just left. I swear, Mal...” Her voice trembled and broke. “If you hadn’t called he might have killed me.” She took a deep gulping breath. “Thank God you called.”
“Tell me what happened.” Mallory spaced her words carefully. “Are you sure he’s gone?” Her fear came across the line.
Grateful for something concrete to do, Hayden walked on unsteady feet to the window and pulled the lace curtain aside, letting Mallory’s familiar voice comfort her. No cars were in view. “Yeah, I think so. I heard the car. I don’t see anyone now. I put the report from the sheriff in my…” She froze. She had a mental picture of Kevin, tucking the handbag between his body and the arm of the couch. He couldn’t know what the envelope sticking out contained. Could he?
Her handbag was tucked into the crevice between the cushion and the arm. A sob caught in her throat when she saw the envelope that protruded from the open top.
“I’m coming over.”
“No. Don’t. I’ve messed up enough of your day.”
“Talk then. Tell me everything.” Hayden brought her friend up to date, glad she had at least one confidant who didn’t doubt her integrity. “I’ll get the rest of the reports tomorrow. Barring any more drama.” She chuckled. “I’ll call you then.” She stifled a yawn and kicked the living room door shut.
“Oh, God. Tiger Cat’s out.” Panic raised her voice an octave. �
��Kevin left the door open.”
“That’s it, I’m on my way.”
As soon as Hayden pushed the screen open, Tiger Cat streaked past her and jumped on the couch. She tried to call Mallory and let her know, but neither her landline nor cell answered. Hayden heard the scrape of Mallory’s key in the lock and drew Tiger to her to keep the cat from attempting another escape.
Hayden burst out laughing. Mallory wore a pair of purple shorts and a butter yellow tank top. Her entire face sported a green mask. Only her mouth, nostrils, and eyes showed their usual color.
“What’s up with you? I come running over here and you’re not only curled up on the couch with the cat I thought was going to be flat in the road any second, but you’re laughing at me.”
Hayden got up off the couch, took Mallory by the shoulders and walked her face first to the hall mirror. Both women dissolved in giggles.
“I’ll go wash up, provided this stuff comes off, and then, since I’m here, I’d like to look at the police report, if you don’t mind.”
“Oh, you don’t have to dress up for me.” Hayden belly laughed.
Mallory made a face causing cracks to appear in the facial. Tears, this time caused by laughter, ran down Hayden’s cheeks.
She was still chuckling while she made tea.
Mallory came out of the bathroom and gestured at the robe she wore. “Hope you don’t mind, I got my shirt wet washing. I borrowed this.”
Handing her the steaming tea, Hayden said, “Nah, good to be comfortable. The A/C’s kind of low anyway. You’d probably need it.” She fished her free hand into her handbag. “The report. I looked through but there’s a couple of phone calls and some information about my statement. Should I have this? It seems too, I don’t know, detailed and complete.”
Mallory took the envelope and sat at the dining room table. She read the pages in silence and looked up at her friend. “No, this information is yours. It’s unusual to have the detail, but it’s nothing you couldn’t get in discovery. Kevin is a bastard. What did he come here for? Really. Not the story he told you. That’s BS.”
“I don’t know.” She blew on her tea. “His dive gear, I guess. That’s what he kept saying. I’m not sure. I’m not sure of anything anymore. Even stranger, he never goes to Keys Art Co-op. He hates the place, calls it artsy-fartsy. What made him go there today? I can’t deny I left the card and the bowls, but what made him go there?”
“I think he believes you killed his brother.” Mallory’s hand snaked across the table and covered Hayden’s. “He made a convincing argument to the police. He paints you as a maniac who would do anything to get him back from his new lady love. Even throw his family into turmoil, hoping it will drive him back to your arms for comfort.”
“I told him—damn, I told him.”
“What?”
“That I knew his brother lived locally, and had a wife, kids, and—oh damn—one on the way.” Bile rose in her throat. She might as well have told him she was investigating him. If he had any doubts, he’d know she intended fighting him. It infuriated her that she’d given away part of her plan.
“Hayden, Hayden, listen to me. He probably knew. That’s what he’s doing. He’s trying to cover his tracks with his lies. He’s trying to make you the bad guy here.” Mallory paused a beat. “You become a credible suspect if he can prove that you’re irrational. The question is: why does he want to do that? His brother’s death is nothing more than a tragic accident. Why is he muddying the waters? Trying to make it into a murder investigation, with you as the suspect?”
The teacup fell from Hayden’s nerveless hands. Everything fell into place. The Keys Art Co-op, the car break-in, it all made sense.
“He’s stalking me.”
Twenty-One
By the time Mallory left, Hayden knew sleep would elude her. She sat at the kitchen table and wrote her own summation of the events of the weekend, hoping the physical action would jar more information loose. Nothing new came and she wanted a fresh viewpoint. Tiger Cat jumped up on her lap and rubbed his face against the hand that held the pen.
“Okay, chum, I get the message.” She stood and walked to the cabinet where she kept his treats. “Treats for you, a brandy for me.” Filling a small bowl, she put it on the floor for her cat. Then she moved to the antique cart that served as her bar, took a snifter, and poured a healthy shot of brandy. The smell of the liquor brought her boss to mind. Every time they’d gone to dinner together, he had ended with a brandy. So far, the attraction had eluded her.
“That’s who I need to talk to. I want Grant’s perspective on all of this.” The grandfather clock in Hayden’s house chimed nine at the same time the doorbell sounded.
Hayden pulled the curtain aside in the living room and saw Grant standing on the front porch. She swung the door open, forgetting that she set the alarm on instant when Mallory left. The alarm wailed.
She froze in place. Grant grabbed her arm and guided her back into the room. Wordlessly, she handed him her brandy glass. “What’s the code?” He shouted over the din. When Hayden continued to stand mute, he gave her arm a little shake. The sound of the ringing telephone joined the noise. The ringing of the phone seemed to break her trance. Her eyes cleared and she stepped around Grant to the keypad on the hall wall, punched in some numbers, and silenced the alarm. Grant grabbed the phone and handed it to her, clearly listening while she gave the code word.
“Sorry, Grant. I didn’t mean to act like a dork. I was just thinking about you. For a minute, I thought I conjured you up.”
They walked to the couch and Hayden took back the brandy snifter and tipped it in his direction. “I only had a sip. How do you drink this? It’s as bad as scotch.”
He took the glass from her hand and rolled it between his palms. “Easy, it’s like mother’s milk to me.” He smiled and took a sip. “Too much soda, mind if I add more brandy? He walked to the liquor cabinet, grabbed the bottle, and poured about an ounce into the glass. Hayden went to the kitchen and came back with a glass of red wine.
“Malbec, my current favorite red.” She took a deep sip and sat in the recliner across from him. “Is something wrong, Grant?”
“I got the transcript of the questioning. I thought you would like to see it.”
“Is it accurate?”
He studied her face before he answered. “It hasn’t been embellished and nothing has been omitted that I saw.” He lay the papers down on the coffee table in front of him. “I’d like it if you reviewed it too. Just to be sure you said what you wanted to say.”
“It looks bad, doesn’t it?”
Grant took a sip of his brandy. Hayden thought he was stalling to buy time while he figured out how to phrase his response. “No, Hayden.” Grant looked down at the snifter in his hand. “But I am confused.”
Hayden got up and went to the kitchen. She came back into the living room with a full glass of wine and the bottle.
“You plan to drink that tonight?” he asked.
“You’re right. This won’t solve anything. Do you want some tea?”
He shook his head and waited while she went back to the kitchen. She wasn’t sure if she was looking for tea or courage. Whichever, she needed something to face the contents of the report.
This time she returned with a steaming cup in her hand and set it on the gate leg table next to the recliner. “Okay, what’s so confusing?”
He pulled more papers from his jacket and handed them to her. “Have you gotten the police reports yet?”
A blush rose from her neck to her hairline. “Mallory yelled at me for the same thing. I went to Monroe County today, then the day went to hell in a hand basket.” She gave Grant a quick rundown of the day’s events that prevented her from seeing either the Coast Guard or the marine patrol.
Grant threw back his head and l
aughed. “Thank God, I thought for sure you were losing all your professionalism. I’m glad it’s coming back.”
She rewarded him with a chuckle. Tipping her head at the papers she held she said, “What’s this?”
“Monroe County’s report. I called in a favor from a friend.”
Hayden reached in the side pocket of the recliner and pulled out her copy. She opened the two documents to the front page. “They’re different, Grant. Very, very different.”
He got up and came to sit on the arm of the recliner to read over her shoulder. “How different? The one they gave me has almost no information compared to this. This has even more detail, and...”
She lifted her face to her boss, his face blurred by her unshed tears. “It talks about the marina and mentions witnesses.” She flipped through the pages. “Does it identify them?”
“No. I looked for that. I was hoping you could tell me who was around the marina when you woke up.” He gently removed the papers from her hand. “You should have told them. But it’s too late for that now.”
A stab of guilt pierced her. No matter what, she’d made her own bed, and it was lumpy. “I didn’t see a soul. Not even the Harbor Master.” A tinge of fear crept into her voice. “That’s what scares me so much. I can’t think of a single person who can support my story. That’s why I wanted to wait before I told them.”
“What else is different?”
“Your report has detail. Mine is more like an outline.” Her gaze drilled into him. “Do you think this is the real report?”
Grant shook his head. “I think the real report has even more detail. Someone had to know who the witnesses were. There have to be names in someone’s report.”
“Why not in this one? You got it from a friend.”
Grant got up and began to pace the room. Like any good lawyer, he had contacts across all strata of the legal environment. Friends with Monroe County Sheriffs weren’t surprising. He came back to the recliner and settled again on the arm. “I think my friend knew I’d be calling. He prepared a more detailed report for me, but it’s still redacted.”
