His hand slid down between her legs, curved over the sweet core. Her head lolled back. She raised her hips again. With each stroke of a finger, the crescendo built. That little slice of heaven soon built to a groundswell. She slid toward a shattering quake. Like a raging fire, she erupted.
She came as sparks splintered into a thousand white-hot embers. It was like a wild inferno that left her struggling for her next breath of air.
With her heart thudding to a fast beat, she arched her back. Her arms went around him as he slipped into the wet heat.
He clasped his fingers in hers, then stretched their joined arms above her head. He felt her body hum, vibrate beneath him. He captured her breathy sighs. Each left him with that heady feeling of strength and power. It gave him purpose.
“Come for me again, Hannah.” His body urged hers to sync in rhythm. The woman beneath him moaned. His mouth roamed down her jaw to her neck. His pace quickened.
She felt his muscles bunch. That back and forth dance kept her wrapped in a blurry haze of need. Her senses battered, she rode out the sensations, layer by silky layer.
He made her feel like smooth satin, like she was lying on a bed of velvet grass, racing toward that hot pool of release. That bolt of pleasure yanked her over the edge, dragging him up and over right along with her. They soared high, plunging off the cliff together.
Limp from the tidal wave that had swept them up, they washed up on a soft sandy beach, sated but exhausted.
“I don’t think I can move,” she whispered, breathless.
“Then don’t. I will.” He rolled off her with all the energy of a snail.
“That was…intense.”
“Amazing. But I’m fading fast. Long drive. Hot sex. Sleepy.” With one yank, he nestled her into his side, placed a light kiss on that messy mane of red, and promptly closed his eyes.
Hannah watched him fall asleep as fatigue set in, and soon, she too, drifted off.
Twelve
The sex had been phenomenal, but when he woke at six-fifteen, he decided he had too much on his mind to go back to sleep. He crawled out of bed because there was something he had to take care of before he did anything else. Reluctantly, he left Hannah sacked out under the warm covers.
He didn’t even bother with a shower. Instead, he grabbed the clothes off the floor from last night and hurriedly got dressed, scribbled a note to Hannah in case she woke up before he got back and left it on the dresser.
He headed out the front door, bypassing the kitchen and the coffee pot.
Hannah’s Suburban was his only means of transportation, so he climbed into the vehicle and set out for his dad’s house. Explaining to his parents about the condition of the cabin wouldn’t be easy. But it had to be done.
Landon and Shelby lived practically next door to The Plant Habitat. It was early when he circled around to the back door and came in through the kitchen. His parents were sitting at the table eating breakfast.
“To what do we owe this early morning visit?” Shelby asked. “Not that we aren’t glad to see you but I thought you and Hannah were headed out of town.”
“Turlock,” Caleb grunted. “Been there and back already. Long night.”
“I see that,” Shelby said. “Want me to scramble you some eggs?”
He kissed his mother’s forehead. “Finish yours first. I can wait. I’ll take coffee though and hope it’s strong enough to wake me up. I left Hannah sleeping.” He went to the cabinet for a cup, and then stood in front of the Mr. Coffee Shelby had purchased fifteen years ago. “I can’t believe this old thing still works. What happened to that one I gave you for Christmas several years back?”
Shelby looked amused. “We’re waiting for ‘that old thing’ to take its last dying breath. So far it hasn’t. It just keeps brewing coffee the way we like it. Why change it out until we have to?”
“Some changes can’t be helped,” Caleb muttered.
Landon and Shelby traded looks. “Is there something on your mind other than Bradford House?” Landon asked.
Caleb turned around to face the people who’d raised him, and shifted his feet. “I might as well rip off the Band-Aid and be done with it. After leaving Hannah’s old homestead in Turlock, I got this brilliant idea to take her to the cabin.”
“Nothing wrong with that,” Shelby said.
“Exactly. Great getaway to the mountains, take her mind off the childhood drama she went through as a kid, not to mention distancing herself from the remains I unearthed at Bradford House. For me, seeing that skull was a little too much to handle. I could only imagine what it was like for her. Anyway, I had this great plan. I’ll take her mind off all the bad stuff, give her beautiful scenery to look at, and see if I can talk her into spending the night with me. Things are going pretty well until we get to the cabin, and we discover the place totally trashed. I mean, the food in the pantry has either been eaten or flat-out wasted, cans open and left to rot, flour and other stuff tossed all over the floor, garbage piled up, ants crawling around in the sugar, gasoline poured on the beds. You name it, they did it. Every vile thing they could think of doing went into tearing the place up. A place I’ve enjoyed my entire life now looks like someone piled garbage in a heap and walked away.”
Because his anger was ramping up all over again, he had to wait a beat before going on. “I’ve been seeing red ever since. And this is the most hurtful part of it all. I think it was Eleanor’s pals who did it, parolees, from her cell block who went there to do Eleanor’s bidding. And before you say anything about how crazy that sounds…”
“We don’t think you’re nuts,” Landon muttered before taking a swig of his coffee. “It sounds just like something she would do to get back at all of us for some slight she’s feeling at being locked up. Grab your coffee and take a seat. Did you report the vandalism?”
“Not yet.”
“That’s fine. Let me do it. I’ll put a call in to the sheriff up there. Next, I’ll call the park ranger and let him know to be on the lookout for trespassers. Then I’ll call our closest neighbor. Remember Tahoe Jones?”
“The Choctaw Indian? Sure. Best fisherman I ever saw, could catch a fish with his bare hands if he had to.”
“That’s right. Tahoe will gladly keep an eye on the place with that double-gauge shotgun he carries.”
Caleb leaned back in his chair. For the first time thinking about the mess at the cabin, he could relax. “I remember Tahoe taking me fishing out on the lake in his canoe. He’s a great resource if you want to know anything about the fish in the area or the wildlife. That is, if you can get him to talk. As a rule, the man doesn’t say two words unless prompted. Grunts a lot. But I’ll check in with him once I get there.”
Shelby shook her head. “You can’t go back up there alone. Landon and I could close the nursery for a few days. Landon won’t be much good to you since he hurt his back but—”
Caleb held up a hand. “I have to go back because someone has to clean up the mess. We can’t let it sit there another week like it is. Both toilets are clogged and the place is beginning to stink. And just because we have eyes on the cabin in the future, doesn’t mean a whole lot if we don’t take the necessary steps to prevent it from happening again.”
Landon rubbed the side of his unshaven jaw. “What did you have in mind?”
“I don’t know yet. I plan to run a few things by Cooper. When’s the last time you guys were up there?”
“The weekend right after Halloween,” Shelby answered without hesitation. “We spent Saturday and Sunday taking in the autumn air and generally kicking back from the hectic rush of summer. We took the time off, like we always do, to get ready to deal with what would come with Thanksgiving and Christmas.”
“I forgot about that. You guys always fit in a trip up there sandwiched between Halloween and Thanksgiving. It’s like someone knew the routine. They waited until after you guys were there. The thing is, with it sitting vacant most of the time, what happens when the asshole comes b
ack? Cleaning the place up will all be for nothing. They’ll just repeat their performance.”
“You think they’ll return?” Landon asked.
“Yeah, I do. For spite. I think Eleanor purposely sent them with instructions to do as much damage as they could.”
“But why? What makes her do things like that?” Shelby said.
“The same reason she’s a murdering narcissist. To show us how much contempt she has for all of us and the life we live.”
“I’ll say it again and again. That sounds like Eleanor. Most selfish female I’ve ever known,” Landon uttered in agreement. “But if you believe this guy’s coming back, should you really go back alone? I may not be in great physical shape to lift anything, but I can damn well bring my rifle with me.”
“It’s okay. If I feel like I need help, I’ll corner Cooper into making the trip. That place holds special memories for me. That’s why I don’t intend to let Eleanor ruin what I have there, especially after she’s poisoned so much of my life already.”
Shelby started to clear away the breakfast dishes and take them to the sink. “Did you experience anything else suspicious while you were there?”
“Other than the heartbreak of seeing the walls and floors ruined? No. But when we got back last night Hannah did think she saw a strange man taking a walk near the front gate of my house.”
Shelby didn’t like the sound of that. “Taking a walk in your neck of the woods? That sounds out of place. There’s nothing much out where you live that would cause anyone to just get the urge to go for a walk. Even the people who live on Cape May generally don’t head east to stroll past your front gate.”
“Yeah, that occurred to me around five a.m. Anyone who wants to take a walk usually heads west toward the pier and the beach. I feel bad now because when it happened, I did my best to shoot down Hannah’s anxiety about it. But I think she was on to something. She wanted to call Brent then and there, but I thought she was seeing things.”
“That girl seems to have good instincts,” Landon stated. “Maybe you should have listened.”
“Next time.” Caleb stood up, drained the contents of his mug. “I can remedy my mistake now though. I’ll go talk to Brent and make it official. Then I need to get back home. Hannah’s probably hungry and I want to be there to fix her my special eggs.”
Shelby turned from the sink to pat his cheek. “That’s a detour from the old Caleb. You only fix those eggs for family. How serious are you about her?”
Caleb smiled. “I’ll have to let you know on that score, mostly cause I’m just getting started.”
Landon shifted in his chair. “Don’t worry about the time off. Take whatever days you need to work on the cabin.”
“For starters, give me two days off, add Saturday and Sunday to that, and it’ll probably take those four days to shovel out the trash and make it look like new again.”
Landon chuckled. “Good luck with that. Because it’ll take a helluva lot more than four days to get those old walls looking like new, especially since it’s been standing on that same spot since 1952.”
“Then you won’t be disappointed with the results,” Caleb shot back with a grin.
Landon chewed the inside of his jaw. “You know what might work? Installing a camera. Let the surveillance speak for itself. That way we’d know who this bastard is and be able to take the video to the law.”
“Great minds think alike. That’s one of my ideas. I’ll check into it before I leave. Cooper is the tech guy in this family. I’ll see if he thinks technology will work that far out in the boonies.”
“Are you taking Hannah with you?”
“If I can sweet talk her into spending the next four days scrubbing out an old cabin in the middle of nowhere, you bet.”
Caleb found Brent and Eastlyn writing out parking tickets along Ocean Street to all the tourists who’d illegally parked there overnight.
“Doesn’t anyone read a sign anymore,” Brent grumbled as he ripped off another piece of paper from his pad.
“You can’t blame all the visitors to town who want to park here and gander out over the water,” Caleb noted.
“I suppose that’s true. Especially when they spend their hard-earned cash here eating and buying souvenirs.”
“It seems a shame they’ll leave with a ticket in hand.”
“Don’t try to soften me up,” Brent said.
Eastlyn strolled up to join them, one hand resting on her weapon. “Besides, I’ve given most of these same cars warnings for the past two days. Now, it’s time they take our ordinances seriously.”
Brent sized up Caleb’s mood. “What’s on your mind? If you’re about to ask me how the case is going on the Bradford House deal, don’t bother. There’s no news and no new updates. I haven’t heard a cause of death from the medical examiner yet. The forensic team is still digging the same ground as they were before. And the lab hasn’t finished processing the DNA yet. So, there’s absolutely nothing to pass along.”
Caleb held up his hands. “I’m just here to report a prowler last night near my property and to bring you up to speed on a few more details about what happened to our family cabin up in Stanislaus County.” He went into the short version and finally went for the bonus round. “My opinion is that it was one of Eleanor’s associates from jail who recently made parole. It’s the only thing that makes sense. The cabin is hard to find without a map and then it’s still difficult to get to without having some readily available knowledge of the area.”
Eastlyn’s face flushed with alarm. “Does Cooper know yet?”
“Nope. But I’m headed to the train store next to make sure he gets a heads up.”
Eastlyn made a face and rocked back on her heels. “I already printed out a list of potential parolees from Eleanor’s cell block. Just because she’s incarcerated with a bunch of women, doesn’t mean they’re any less dangerous felons.”
“You got that right,” Caleb muttered.
“Cooper and I routinely keep track of her visitors, which are mostly male. We also monitor her known associates in jail just for this very reason. Some of the women locked up with Eleanor have committed violent assaults, not all homicides mind you, but serious offenses. We didn’t even consider she might send her pals to wreck the cabin.”
Caleb stuck his hands in his pockets. “I don’t know who’s responsible yet, but I intend to find out.”
Eastlyn tried to soothe his temper. “If it’s any consolation, we’ve focused our attention mostly on strangers hanging out around town. You know, people showing up at Drea’s shop or the nursery or the train store, maybe even lurking around any of our homes. Coop’s always been convinced she’d lash out in some way by using people on the outside to get to one of you.”
“Yeah, well, he would know. Eleanor’s good at using just about anyone she comes into contact with. Whether that includes writing fanciful letters, or going through the meet and greet on visitors’ day, she’s gone through all the family she has. She’s down to relying on brainwashing strangers to do her bidding. God knows she’s good at convincing people she’s gotten a raw deal in life. Her pitch isn’t that hard to spot if you know what to look for. Unfortunately, some people are so gullible they’re taken with her appearance. She doesn’t look like a monster. They get caught up in her words. They don’t know how evil she truly is until it’s too late.”
“She has a few devoted followers that visit every other week or so,” Eastlyn announced. “Mostly men, a few women, but mostly males.”
“Makes me sick at my stomach. It’s a good thing I haven’t eaten breakfast yet, otherwise I’d upchuck right here and now. What is it about murderers who are locked up that fascinates these idiots on the outside to become a fan?”
Brent leaned back against the red corvette with Arizona plates that he’d just tucked a ticket under the windshield wiper blade. “It’s a phenomenon no one can really explain. Women sending pictures of themselves to killers who’ve targeted little girls
is beyond comprehension. But it happens.”
“That’s disgusting. These guys don’t have a clue what kind of woman Eleanor is.”
“I don’t think they care. It’s an excitement to them, a macabre addition to their otherwise dull lives,” Brent explained. “Look, is there anything you want us to do officially about the prowler? Eastlyn and I are fine with taking turns doing drive bys at your place.”
“That’s a good idea, especially over the next four or five days when I’ll be out of town getting the cabin cleaned up.”
“Cooper and I could go with you,” Eastlyn offered. She looked at Brent. “Surely I’m due a vacation day or two.”
Caleb grinned at his sister-in-law. “Thanks for the offer. But it’s not necessary. Hang on to your vacation days and use them to get away from the grind. I’ll take care of it. I do need Cooper’s input on a few things, though. Is he at work now?”
“Probably not. The store doesn’t open until nine-thirty.”
“Then I’ll head to the house. See you guys later.”
Caleb made the block and pulled up to a hacienda, a totally California look that had Spanish mission-style written on all over it. The house looked like it could’ve easily stood during the old west when the Spaniards colonized the area.
He opened the gate and walked past the courtyard. Standing under an ornate archway, he rang the bell.
Cooper opened the door still wearing his robe, gripping a cup of coffee in one hand and a book in the other.
“Look at that. Did I wake you, princess?” Caleb jabbed. “You’re still lounging in your PJs at this hour while your wife is hard at work handing out parking tickets along the pier. Shame on you.”
Cooper’s mouth curved up. “Oh, she loves that sort of thing. Gets all jazzed and righteous about the tourists who can’t read a damned street sign located in plain sight. She’ll go on for hours about how they have no respect for posted city ordinances. She’s in her element when she’s up there writing out tickets. Come on in. Want coffee?”
Beneath Winter Sand Page 14
