Colleen Coble

by Rosemary Cottage

  “Can I have your shovel?”

  Curtis handed it to him. “I stopped when I found this bag.”

  Tom grunted in response and began to turn up shovelfuls of dirt. A few minutes later four more bags lay drying in the sun. By now, several of the townspeople circled the three of them. Curtis looked around and saw Amy standing near him. Her eyes were wide. He knew it looked bad. He had to bite his tongue to hold back a defense of his sister.

  Raine in her arms, Edith stepped to his side. “What’s this all about, Curtis? That’s not what it looks like, is it?”

  “Looks like it’s cocaine. Tom checked.”

  What a day for this to happen with the entire town out in force. News of this would race through the island. Raine reached for him, and he took her. She was getting tired, and he swayed and hummed when she put her head on his shoulder. The distraction helped him stare down the curious glances. What did Amy think? He didn’t have to wonder long because she came to his side.

  The sun gleamed in her hair. “Need help with Raine? Looks like you have your hands full here.”

  “You can take her when she’s asleep. She’ll squawk if I move her now.” He gestured to the bags of drugs. “Guess you know what that is.”

  Her expression was resigned. “Gives a little more credence to our suspicions about drugs, doesn’t it?”

  “Not necessarily. Anyone could have put them here.”

  Even he could hear the defensiveness in his voice. Did he know Gina really? Or did she have a good mask firmly in place?

  Tom straightened and thrust the tip of the shovel into the ground. “Looks like that’s all there is. I’d better give the DEA boys a call. This is worth a lot of money.”

  “How long do you think it’s been here?”

  “Several months. The bags have drawn moisture.”

  Long enough that Gina could have put them here. “Have you heard anything about a missing drug shipment?” Had there been any alerts that had come through for the Coast Guard? He didn’t typically pay attention to those since his current duties were more for rescue than for drug interdiction.

  “Nothing current that I can think of.” Tom heaved a sigh. “We can check for prints, but I’d guess nothing will show up.” His penetrating glance pierced Curtis. “You notice anything off with Gina? Or Ben?”

  Amy’s hands curled into fists. “Ben had nothing to do with this.”

  Curtis straightened. “Just because Gina owned this property doesn’t mean anything. Anyone could have hidden them here.”

  His words sounded lame. Edith dabbed at her eyes. Even she appeared to be ready to pronounce Gina guilty. Raine was a dead-weight in his arm, so he shifted her to the other arm. “I guess we’d better stop planting until DEA does their thing. They’re liable to trample our herbs.”

  Tom shook his head. “They’ll bring in dogs so maybe they won’t have to dig up the entire field.”

  Amy came closer to Curtis’s side. “I’ll take her if you need to handle this.”

  He passed the sleeping child to her. “I think this is out of my hands. Tom can take it from here. How about we get something to eat?”

  “You need something high powered. Like fudge.” Amy’s smile was impish as though she wanted to lighten his spirits.

  “Only if it has macadamia nuts.”

  “And chocolate chips.”

  Edith fell in beside them. “And dried cherries.”

  Amy paused to shift Raine. “And peanut butter! It has to have peanut butter.”

  The farther he walked away from the field, the better he felt. Gina couldn’t have had anything to do with the drugs. He’d bet his life on it.

  TWENTY-FIVE

  Amy’s tongue still smiled from the fudge she’d eaten as she allowed the attendant on the back of the boat to strap her into the parasail rig harness beside Curtis. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.”

  The only excuse for her insanity was the pain she’d glimpsed in his face when he found those drugs. She would have agreed to almost anything to bring his smile back.

  His grin widened, and the lock of sun-lightened hair that fell over his forehead made him look about fifteen. “I’ll hang on to you. I won’t let you fall. Promise.”

  Such a dependable guy. She smiled back. “If I die, I’ll come back to haunt you.”

  The bar in front of her looked sturdy enough, and she wore a life vest. The harness went around her thighs as well, so the rig fully supported her. Once they were in position, the attendant backed away and the kite began to fill with air.

  Amy nearly shrieked when the first bump came that began to lift them from the platform. “I’ve changed my mind!”

  But it was too late. The breeze lifted the kite into the air, and in seconds, the waves and the boat receded in the distance. The salty wind rushed through her hair and into her face. Mindless with terror, she clung to the bar in front of her. It was quieter up here than she had imagined. The purr of the boat engine seemed far away.

  Curtis’s eyes were laughing, but he reached over and put his hand on top of hers. “Breathe. Lean back and relax. Imagine God has you in the palm of his hand.”

  His words brought an image to her mind that calmed her breathing. She tried to do as he suggested, but she still clasped the bar in a death grip. All she wanted to do was get down from this thing.

  The wind lifted them high enough to see the old lighthouse ruins and Tidewater Inn. He pointed out a glimpse of Rosemary Cottage to her, just past the maritime forest. She was beginning to relax when she saw a black car speeding along the shore road. Gina’s neighbor had mentioned a black Mercedes.

  She pointed it out. “Is that a Mercedes?”

  He squinted in the bright light for a moment, then nodded. “I think so.”

  “You don’t think it could be the same one, do you?”

  “It’s not likely.” The car stopped at the quay parking lot. “I could be wrong though. It’s parked by her condo. We’re too far away to make out the license number. You’re thinking about what Leah said.”

  From this distance, it was impossible to make out any features on the man who got out of the car. And Amy was certain it was a man because of the dark suit. “I think it’s the same guy.” She looked at the harness holding them aloft. “There’s no way to get down there and see who it is, is there?”

  “No, honey, we’re stuck here. I can wave to the boat and let them know we’ve had enough, but it’s going to take nearly an hour to get the boat to the dock, get my vehicle, and make it back to town.” He pointed. “And he’s leaving already.”

  The word honey on his lips sounded so good. She sighed and sagged in the harness. “What if he’s the one involved in the drugs? There might be another contact at the condo. We only talked to Leah. There might be another person who knows something. We were so excited to get that flash drive that we didn’t investigate further.”

  “True enough. A little shortsighted, I guess.” He shuffled in the harness, and the kite veered in the wind.

  She clutched at his hand. “Don’t do that!”

  “I might do it more if it means you’ll hold my hand.” His eyes held a teasing light.

  “I’ve got you in a death hold.” She tried to get her grip to loosen, but touching him gave her a sense of security.

  His expression went serious. “I don’t mind. I’m glad you came to the island, Amy.”

  She couldn’t look away. “I’m glad too.”

  Clouds gathered above them, and the first few drops of rain began to fall. A shout came from below, and one of the men on board the boat waved at them, then made a cutting motion across his neck.

  “Looks like our ride is about over. Want to go again?”

  She looked down at the whitecaps. He’d kept his promise and hadn’t let her fall. “You think I’ll get over my fear if we try it again?”

  “I’m sure of it.”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  She looked again at the road.
There was no sign of the black car, but whoever he’d met might still be around at the condos. “Let’s take a jaunt to the condos when we get down. We saw which building he went in.”

  Curtis nodded. “Gina’s.” His voice was grim.

  “What if she’d seen something and she had to be silenced?”

  Curtis’s brows rose. “You’re beginning to believe in Gina?”

  His hopeful tone made her lungs squeeze. It wasn’t that she believed in Gina, but she wanted to see that haunted expression leave his face. “Maybe.”

  Before going to the condos, Curtis detoured to the ferry, but it had already departed with the black Mercedes aboard. He reversed direction, then drove back to town and parked in front of Gina’s building. Settling his do-rag on his head, he got out and opened the door for Amy, who was running a comb through her wind-blown curls.

  She got out. “I’ve got salt on my legs, and my hair is a mess.”

  “You look beautiful.” He shut the door behind her. The wind-tossed look suited her pixie face.

  Smiling, she shook her head. “I think you need glasses.”

  They walked to the front of the building. No one was at the entrance, though he heard a television blaring from inside. A couple of kids had drawn chalk figures on the sidewalk, but there was no sign of them now, even though it was Saturday. “We could start with Leah. Maybe she saw something.”

  “Good idea.” She stepped into the hall where the stairway was and went up to Leah’s door.

  He rapped his knuckles on the door, but the television noise wasn’t coming from inside her place. The apartment felt empty.

  “They’re on vacation.”

  He turned at the man’s voice behind him. The speaker leaned in the doorway across the hall. About eighteen or nineteen, he wore exercise shorts that showed pasty white legs. A sweatband held his long hair out of his face.

  “Do you know when they’ll be back?” Amy asked.

  The young man shrugged. “Next week, I think.”

  Curtis took a step toward him. “I’m Gina Ireland’s brother. We saw a man driving a black Mercedes come in here. Did you see him?”

  The guy nodded. “Grant something. Don’t know his last name. He had a key to Gina’s place and went inside for a few minutes.”

  “The condo is empty. At least I thought it was. The landlord hasn’t managed to rent it again yet.”

  The kid shrugged. “I thought it was a little weird myself. Far as I know, no one has been in there since your sister left.”

  Curtis glanced at the door. “Was the apartment left unlocked?”

  “I didn’t try it.” A female voice called behind the guy, and he started to close the door. “Gotta go.”

  The door shut and Curtis looked at Amy. “Let’s see if we can get in. I have Gina’s key. Edith found it in her things, and we never dropped it off to the landlord. I think it’s in my glove box. Wait here.”

  He jogged out to the Jeep and found the key in the bottom of the glove box. When he returned, he found Amy trying the door. “Any luck?”

  She stepped back. “It’s locked, but I just realized I probably shouldn’t have touched the knob. We could call Tom to see about getting prints.”

  “The guy didn’t do anything illegal. At least that we know of.” He inserted the key in the lock, then heard a click when he turned it. “The lock hasn’t been changed at least.”

  The knob turned easily in his hand, and the door opened without a squeak. The rush of stale air made him wrinkle his nose. “Look.” The carpet held foot imprints. “Looks like the landlord vacuumed, then someone tracked in here on it several times.”

  The prints led across the living room and through the bedroom door, straight to the closet, then back again. Whoever had been in here had made the trip at least twice. The closet door stood open, but the shelves were empty. He flipped on the light and examined the empty space. “I think there was a box there.”

  Amy stared at the shelf he’d pointed out, an eight-by-eight square that didn’t have dust on it. “So whatever it was had been here awhile. Should we call Tom and suggest he talk to the landlord?”

  “Yeah, I think we’d better.” He whipped out his cell phone and placed the call. Tom promised to come right over.

  As he talked to the sheriff, Curtis watched Amy wander the room. Her tousled dark curls framed a face rosy from their afternoon of parasailing. Expressions flitted across her face, emotions he wanted to examine to see what made her tick. Was she thinking about her brother and his role in Gina’s life? Did she regret she’d never been a friend to Gina?

  Curtis had plenty of regrets himself. His work demanded leaving family gatherings at the drop of a hat, and he’d often been distracted when Gina wanted to talk to him. If he could go back now and do it over again, he would have been more intent on listening to her and being there for her.

  Guilt couldn’t change anything now though. All he could do was go forward and not make the same mistake with Raine or Edith. Or even Amy, if their relationship led to more than friendship. He wanted to travel this little path in life’s road with her and see if it led to a joined future. It just might. He’d never been so intrigued by a woman.

  She turned around and smiled at his stare. “What? Do I have dirt on my nose?”

  “No, I was just thinking about kissing you again.”

  Color bloomed in her cheeks, but she didn’t look away. “That might not be the best idea.”

  He approached her. “Why? Am I moving too fast? I’m beginning to care about you, Amy. Don’t you want to see where it might lead?”

  He cupped her face with his palm, and she held her ground. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me. I don’t think we would suit one another in the long run.”

  “Why not?”

  Pain darkened her eyes, but she didn’t tell him what was holding her back. Was it his job or the fact that he was raising Raine? She liked children, so he couldn’t see how the baby might give her pause.

  “Tell me.” His words were soft.

  She opened her mouth, but Tom hollered from the living room.

  “We’ll talk about this later,” Curtis said.

  TWENTY-SIX

  Delicious aromas filled Amy’s kitchen as she and Libby put final touches on the Saturday dinner. She planned to have them all eat on the deck since there was a large table that seated eight out there. Her tummy rumbled at the aroma of crab chowder, steamed lobster, and au gratin potatoes. She’d even made coconut cream pie for dessert.

  She glanced at Libby, who looked happy and healthy in her denim shorts and red-and-white sleeveless top. It was hard to believe she’d given birth two weeks ago. “Thanks for the lobster. We’re going to have a terrific feast thanks to you.” She held out a leftover spoonful of coconut pie filling. “Tell me if it’s okay.”

  Libby licked the spoon. “It’s perfect. Zach pulled in a big haul, and we were happy to share.” She tipped her head and listened. “There’s no screaming going on in the living room.”

  “Yet.” Amy stirred the lobster bisque. “If there’s a way to make peace between my parents and Curtis, I’d sure like to know what it is.”

  Libby put the spoon into the dishwasher. “Time, honey. That’s the only thing that will work. And as they come to love Raine more and more, they’ll appreciate all Curtis is doing for her.”

  “I’m worried the custody fight will turn our relationship into an adversarial one. No matter who wins, the loser will hold a grudge.”

  Libby nodded. “Curtis would never recover from losing Raine. He dotes on that child.”

  “She’s all he has left of Gina. Just as she’s all we have left of Ben. The battle lines are drawn, and it’s going to be a bloody fight.”

  Libby leaned on the counter and crossed her arms. “There’s a personal stake in this for you. I’ve seen the way you and Curtis look at each other.”

  Heat ran up Amy’s neck to her cheeks. “I won’t bother trying to deny it. He kissed me t
he other day, and I ran away. I can’t risk my heart. Not after . . .”

  “After?”

  Amy set the spoon on the rest. “I was engaged once. Two years ago. The engagement lasted all of three months, until I got sick.”

  “I didn’t know that. What happened?”

  She turned to check the lobsters. They were nearly done. Maybe it wasn’t the right time to get into this. “How important do you think honesty is to a relationship?”

  “It’s everything. It would be like hiding part of yourself from yourself. Curtis doesn’t know about your engagement?”

  Amy shook her head. “It’s not the engagement that’s the problem. It’s why my fiancé broke it off. I think any man is going to run away when he finds out.”

  “Finds out what?”

  She turned to watch Libby’s expression when she heard the news. “That I had cancer. And I can’t have any children.”

  Libby gasped, and the color drained from her face. “Cancer? Are you all right?”

  Amy nodded. “I’ve been cancer-free for two years now, but every time I need to get checked, it’s scary. I—I need to get my blood checked again, but I’ve been putting it off, which is silly. I can’t image putting someone I love through that constant worry.”

  After losing Ben, she knew what it was like to be on the other end of loss. The guilt, the what-ifs, the regrets. The thought of putting Curtis through the roller coaster she went through every three months made her shudder. It was better to go through life alone than to cause that kind of pain in someone she loved.

  Libby seemed to read her mind. “Since Curtis just lost his sister, you think he’ll be quick to run from a relationship where he might face a loss again. He’s a bigger man than that, Amy.”

  “Well, he should run from something like that. I would.”

  Libby rolled her eyes. “Let me get this straight. If you found out Curtis had faced cancer and had won, you would walk away just in case it came back?”

  The wisdom in Libby’s words stopped her. “I don’t know. Loss is hard, Libby. It’s a valley I don’t ever want to walk through again. There have been days I didn’t think I could survive Ben’s death.”