by Vella Day
“What about Pat and Clay?”
“Betty made contact with them. They told her that after they spoke with Overton, they took off for a vacation up north and haven’t been in contact with him.”
“Are you worried?” Dumb question, but she didn’t want to presume.
“Hell, yes. He’s been missing for far too long.”
She waited for him to tell her more, but Cathy rushed over with her chest stuck out so far she practically fell over. “Can I get you anything, Kane? I bet a big guy like you would like our Area 51 special. It’s made with hazelnuts and has dripped caramel on top.”
Kane? Usually Cathy called her customers by their last name.
“Got any plain coffee?”
“Oh, sure. How silly of me. A man who looks like you wouldn’t want to put sugar in his perfect bod.”
Dear God in heaven help me. Sky held up a finger to Cathy and then faced Kane. “How about we go for a walk instead? There are a lot of ears here.”
Cathy’s chin dropped. Not that Kane belonged to Sky, but they were working together.
He shrugged and gave Cathy a weak smile. “Next time.” If her lips frowned any more, they’d touch her jawline.
Sky gathered her leather jacket and backpack then dropped money on the table before following him outside. The couple waved goodbye, and Sky bet the fact Kane and she left together would be news within the hour.
They passed Rosalie’s B & B and the used bookstore before reaching the town square. On the far side of the block was Thomas Park.
He nodded to the small park bench. “Is here good?”
From the seriousness of his tone, something was wrong. “Sure. What’s happened?”
“I’ve been lying to you.”
Her legs gave way and her butt hit the seat hard. “About what?”
She hoped it wasn’t that he had a girlfriend, or that he was leaving tonight. Her stomach churned at both scenarios.
“The Senator is the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee.”
She leaned back against the seat, relieved he hadn’t stated her worst fears. “I know.” His brow cocked. “I Googled him, but what does that have to do with why he’s here?”
“The Senator and his committee appropriate funds for a lot of black operation projects—secret stuff if you will—that the government won’t give details about to the committee. It’s why I was asked to guard him. I used to be with Special Forces.”
So he was more than a private investigator. That made sense. She buttoned up her jacket. The sun had set and the cool air had taken hold of the town rather quickly. “Can they do that?”
He chuckled, but the tone held no joy. “They can and they do. Apparently, Senator Overton was fed up with all the secrecy and said his committee wouldn’t fund this one particular project unless he was given more details.”
“Good for him. I’ll shake his hand when I meet him.”
“Me too.”
“Do you know what this secret project is?” she asked.
“No and neither does my source, other than this building or factory is near Page and requires this special funding.”
She smiled. “You’re making this up, right?”
He held up three fingers. “Scout’s honor.”
Sky twisted to the side to watch his face. “Why not tell me before? Didn’t you think this information was important?” And here she’d thought he was so honest; so much for being her fantasy man.
Somehow, Kane Cornell managed to look uncomfortable without moving. “It was a need to know basis. I thought I’d find the Senator right away and not have to involve you.”
Aha. She could see where this was heading. “So now Mr. Solo needs help?”
“I work with others when needed, but yes, I could use some assistance.” He held up a hand. “I won’t have you do anything that would be dangerous.”
“I’m not afraid of a little danger, but why me? I’m just a beat cop.”
“Perhaps, but you’ve been spot on since we’ve met.”
She had? “I appreciate that.” Especially since her boss never gave her compliments.
“I do need a favor from you.”
Here it comes. She hoped he wouldn’t ask her to do something illegal. If so, he was in for a rude surprise. “What?”
“I want to check out the caves that Pete, the NRA hat guy, told us about. Since the Senator showed an interest in visiting them, he might have gone out on his own.” He held up his hand. “I know you said there isn’t anything in any of the caves, but the Senator didn’t know that.”
All he needed was her tracking skills. “I will admit the rock twists and turns can fool a person. The Senator wouldn’t be the first person to get lost and die in the caves.”
“Jesus. Why didn’t you say so when we were at the RV Park? I would have headed out there immediately.”
Because Pearl had called and told her Mary had gone missing. “Just waiting for you to ask.” She smiled sweetly.
“It’s too late now to head out, but how about if I pick you up first thing tomorrow morning?”
Now that he’d asked nicely, she couldn’t turn him down, and from the way he twisted his hands together, this was important. “Fine, however the Senator could have gone up to Page to look at the caves. Nothing is prettier than when the sunlight streams in from the top of Antelope Canyon. The Navajos run tours there.”
“The Senator wasn’t here to sightsee, so our trip needs to be a private tour. No one can know. Just you and me.” He dipped his head, and her stomach dropped.
Kane and Sky had spent all afternoon searching for the Senator, most of which entailed him watching Sky’s butt wiggle in front of him as she wove her way through the caves. Even though the view was no hardship, and he was enjoying it more than he would admit, Kane needed to focus on his job and not on the imp of a brunette. The shifting sand made maneuvering difficult, yet the woman walked without ever losing her balance.
After an hour of cave hunting, she’d braided her hair and managed to tie the damn thing into a knot to keep it from flying all over the place, even without a rubber band or anything. Amazing.
She spun around. “The Senator was never here.”
Kane stopped short to keep from running into her. “How do you know?” After four different caves, he was hoping to find some evidence the man had been there.
“The sand would have been disturbed. Other than some animal prints, no human has been in here in a while.”
He studied the evenly ridged curves of the sand. “That’s not what that old Navajo man said. He claimed nightly winds were enough to blow away footprints, and that he’d seen someone who looked like the Senator go toward the caves.”
“Jimmy is half blind and will lie to get a dollar.” She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes for a second. “I’m starving and beat.”
Now she’d think he was a jerk. “I’m sorry. I should have been more considerate. Your house was broken into yesterday, and I’m asking you to give me a tour when you probably didn’t sleep a wink.” He stepped toward her. “Now that I know where these caves are located, I can search on my own.”
Without any distraction.
She smiled and never looked prettier. “You’ll have to pay Jimmy double if you come by yourself.”
He laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind and hit the bank before I return. Let’s go. Dinner’s on me.” He shouldn’t have blurted that out. She’d probably think this was a date. Dumbass. He motioned her to lead.
She took two steps and stopped. “Wait a sec.” She dropped to her knees.
“What is it?”
She hovered her hand above the ground. “The sand is a different color and is flatter than the rippled area around it.”
“Meaning?”
“Give me a sec. It might be nothing, or it could be something.” She dug through the soft sand about three or four inches down, grabbed something, and then lifted out a metal sculpture. She sucked in a big breat
h. “Oh my God.”
Chapter 6
The air around her seemed to evaporate as Kane dropped to his knees and wiggled his fingers for the mystery object. Sky wasn’t sure he’d treat this prize with the needed respect. “Be careful.”
His mouth opened slightly as if he were in awe and then twisted the nine-inch tall metal object in his fingers. “The artwork sure is something else.”
She puffed out her chest a little. “Those engravings look like petroglyphs. It’s possible they’re from a spacecraft, and I don’t mean one that flew for NASA.”
She glanced at Kane to gauge his reaction to her suggestion that the object could have come from outer space, but his face remained unreadable. Damn. She shouldn’t have said anything, but she’d wanted to see where he stood on the concept of the existence of life outside of their planet. This pineapple shaped object resembled something Earl had in his house.
“You really think it’s alien?” Kane rotated the cone-shaped figure in his hand.
“Possibly.”
“Looks like it came off a post or the top of a metal Christmas tree. I doubt it’s from outer space.” He dropped his chin and looked up with a twinkle in his eye.
She slipped the object from his fingers. “It’s lighter than I would have expected,” she said.
He sat back, resting his butt on his heels. “It’s probably made from aluminum. That’s a metal mined in America.”
She lightly punched his arm as she chuckled. “Funny.” Sparring with Kane would get her nowhere. Those who didn’t believe could never be convinced. “I have a friend who’s an expert in everything alien. Maybe he can tell us where it came from.”
“Suit yourself.” He stood. “Let me take a picture of you with your treasure so you can show your grandkids.”
“Cool.” No need to tell him she didn’t even have a husband yet. She passed him her phone, posed with her newfound treasure, and grinned like a fool. Kane lifted the cell at arm’s length and tapped the camera icon.
He handed her the phone back. “Ready to head home?”
“You’re kidding, right? I’ve searched these caves for years and never found any treasure. This could be the proof the world needs to show aliens have visited us. We have to continue digging to see if there’s something else down there.” A gust of wind swept through the tunnel and lifted the hair from the base of her neck almost as if some spirit had flown by.
He laughed. “I thought you were starving and exhausted.”
“I am, but what if I find more proof of alien life here, in Savory?” The words tumbled out before she had a chance to censor them.
“Seriously?” He lifted the piece out of her hands and turned it over.
He was close-minded. Dammit. “What are you looking for?”
“A Made-in-China stamp.”
“Pu-lease.” Just because Kane Cornell believed there wasn’t anything down there, didn’t mean something didn’t exist. She began digging. Sure, they were here to look for the Senator, but a few extra minutes wouldn’t hurt. “I’ll always wonder if I don’t search a bit.” Three scoops later, her nail broke. “Crap.”
“What?” He sounded concerned.
She lifted her hand out of the sand and examined the damage. “I broke a nail.”
“That’s all?” He frowned and squinted at the same time, and the look came off more comical that serious. “Are you going to write up a report?”
“You’re a real comedian.”
Kane’s gaze shot to the side, and he eased a gun out from inside his jacket.
She froze. “Kane, what are you doing?” Before she could move, he fired, the sound reverberating in the small chamber. Sky fell to the side and curled into a ball, as dust filled the air. “Dear Lord in Heaven.”
He hadn’t aimed at her, but the bullet could have ricocheted off the wall. When no pain registered, she had to work to breathe. The loud echo still reverberated in her ears and the stirred up sand settled on her face.
He was on her in a second, cradling her in his arms. “It’s okay.” He whispered into her hair. “You’re safe. I killed the snake.”
“You killed a snake? I hate those things.” She hadn’t even heard the thing rattle, assuming it was a rattler.
His warm lips touched her forehead, miraculously drawing out the negative energy coursing through her, but she refused to do anything about the light kiss that elicited a strong reaction. It wouldn’t be right to fall for Mr. Special Forces, only for the life of her, she couldn’t remember why.
Sky cleared her throat and let Kane help her sit up, daring to look behind her. “Yikes. That was a poisonous snake.”
Kane rocked back on his heels and stood. “I know. That’s why I killed it.”
“Let’s hope the Senator never encounters one of these guys.” Without Kane’s reflexes, she might have been bitten.
“Amen.”
Sky stood and dusted herself off. “I’m good. Let’s get digging.” If only her heart would calm down.
“You sure you want to continue?” He stepped behind her and piled sand on top of the snake, giving it a fitting burial. Flies would be attracted to the creature if he hadn’t encased it.
“Yes. The near death experience only heightens my desires.”
He could take her comment any way he wanted. Right now, she wasn’t sure what she was experiencing, other than adrenaline flooding through her veins, raising every sense from the confinement of the cave walls, the sand in her mouth and hair, the burnt smell of the gunpowder, and the wobble in her knees. Add in the excitement of her find and she’d never felt so alive.
“You’re all right, Officer Nash. Let me get the shovel from my car.”
Her laugh came out a little forced but held a lot of relief. “You carry a shovel around? You are the Boy Scout.”
“You have no idea.” He winked and trotted out.
Did his wink mean he was flirting with her? Wasn’t he the one who claimed he preferred to work alone? Stop analyzing. He probably figured in the few days he would be here, that it was better to enjoy himself with a little companionship, than act professional and standoffish all the time.
He returned minutes later with a portable shovel in hand and a larger flashlight. She held out her palm and wiggled her fingers. “I’ll dig first.” She didn’t believe males had to be the dominant ones.
“What? And have you break another nail? I won’t be responsible.” He planted a hand on his chest.
She laughed. If he wanted to play macho man, she’d let him. After all, watching his muscles ripple across his back would be a real treat.
Sky slid down to the sand and kept her back to the wall. She alternated between watching Kane work and keeping an eye out for other creatures of the cave. Once the light faded, even with the flashlight bouncing off the ceiling, the cave turned creepy, possibly because animals liked to seek shelter at night.
“I think you’ve done enough work today. It’s getting dark,” she finally said, sad that this adventure was about to end. She enjoyed the fact he’d put so much effort into her find. “I’ll ask a few people to come back tomorrow and continue digging.”
“You still think there’s some big alien spacecraft buried here?” He wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his sleeve and grinned.
“Go ahead and mock me. Someday, you’ll see.” She waved a hand. “As for there being a craft below the sand, I don’t think so.”
He stabbed the shovel into the earth. His jaw loosened. “Then why did you have me dig?”
To see if you would, and to watch your body sweat and writhe under the effort. “To make sure.”
“You’re something else, lady.” He cocked a brow before brushing off the sand. “I’ll need to clean up if we’re still going out.”
She slapped a hand to her forehead. “Crap. Can I take a rain check? I forgot it’s Saturday, and I promised my dad I’d cook tonight. He laid a major guilt trip on me for not spending any quality time with him last week.”<
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“Sure. Whatever you say.” From the slight slump to his shoulders, he might be as disappointed as she was.
No sooner had Kane dropped her off at the station so she could drive to her dad’s, than her cell rang. For a second, Sky hoped it was Kane calling to ask if he could see her after her meal. Instead, it was Dad. “Hey.”
“I’m sorry, hon, I have to take care of some official business, and I won’t make it home for our father-daughter get together after all.”
“Da-ad. You begged me to make time after last week’s fiasco.” Something always seemed to come between them.
“It couldn’t be helped. I’m sorry.”
She’d given up a date with Kane for him. “Maybe we can do it tomorrow?”
“Sure, tomorrow sounds good.”
That’s what he always said. There were sacrifices to having a father who served the community. With that obligation gone, she debated whether to turn around and stop at Rosalie’s to see if Kane still wanted to go out, but then she nixed the idea. She wouldn’t feel comfortable being on a date when covered in sand. She’d have to shower and change, and by the time she primped, he’d have already eaten.
As she rounded a curve, the metal object pinged as it rolled on the floor and hit the metal undercarriage of the passenger seat.
Well, if she couldn’t get any enjoyment from seeing Kane, she’d visit Earl. He wouldn’t care if she were a dirty mess. The old guy spent his days outside, but nights were lonely for him, and she liked to keep him company. In the past when she visited, he would spend hours talking about his experiences on the other side of the galaxy. As a thank you for his potential help in identifying her object, she stopped at a liquor store and picked up a bottle of wine.
A few minutes later, she pulled into Earl’s drive and cut the lights. Well, well, lookie who was here—Pearl. She was probably there to discuss Dan’s abduction with someone knowledgeable, since he wouldn’t come within a mile of this house.
Not wanting Ms. Pearl to see what Sky had unearthed, she left the silver object on the floor of her VW and stashed the wine in the back. Music sounded from inside—a slow, sensual beat. Definitely not the type of music the former space explorer would play. She tapped on the door, but no one answered. Curious, she knocked louder. “Hello. It’s Sky.”
