Lenses, Lust, and Murder: A Crystal Coast Case (Crystal Coast Cases Book 2)

by A M Ialacci

  Finally, she scrolled to another shot that showed her face better. Who is that? Allie thought. I know who that is. She cursed the fuzziness of her brain, realizing it was late, and she was just about at the limits of her mental energy after having almost been killed, staying in Mike’s apartment, not being able to reach him, and helping Ryan adjust to the last-minute change.

  Her phone rang again, and her body tensed. She looked at the screen and saw Mike’s smiling face. She pressed the green icon and said, “I’m so glad you called back.”

  “Are you okay?” he asked. “You didn’t sound okay.”

  “It’s been a stressful day,” she said.

  “All right, spill it, Allie,” he said.

  “Okay, but first, I want you to promise not to leave your workshop early.”

  “I will do no such thing,” he said, an edge creeping into his voice. “What happened?”

  She told him about being driven off the road on 20th Street, and could hear the panic, frustration, and anger in his voice.

  “Your life is clearly in danger,” he said. “I need to come home. If I leave now, I can be there by five am.”

  “Mike, listen to me. Ryan and I are at your place. Cruz checked it out before we even came inside. There’s an unmarked in the parking lot, and there’s one patrolling the trailer park, too. I have protection in case I need it, okay?”

  “Who was it? Someone involved with the case?” he asked, calming a bit.

  “Not sure. I haven’t had a chance to talk to you in a while,” she said.

  “What does that mean?” he asked.

  “I learned some things from Cruz at that lunch you flipped out about… about my dad.” She told him about what Cruz had revealed about her dad working undercover at the port, and the Balkan crime syndicate.

  Mike was silent for a moment. “I guess I should have listened to you then instead of overreacting.”

  “Sounds about right,” she said.

  “I’m sorry, Allie,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “I miss you so much.”

  “I miss you too,” she said. “And I accept your apology.”

  “Are you sure you don’t need me there?” he asked.

  “Of course, I need you,” she said. “But not to protect me.”

  “All right, I guess. I’ll be home in a few days, okay? Try to stay alive until then?”

  She laughed. “You know me, Mike. I’m tougher than I look.”

  “You are,” he admitted. “I just hate that you have to be.”

  Her heart melted. “You are so sweet.”

  “Hey, I forgot to tell you something that was bothering me.”

  “What’s that?” she asked.

  “The night of the murder, when I went after Ryan, we were looking down at the NPS boat that was out of service and I noticed some muddy footprints on the floor of it.”

  “Muddy footprints?”

  “Yeah. I couldn’t figure out why it was bothering me, and then it hit me. It had only just rained that day, do you remember? And it had been so dry for weeks before that.”

  “You think someone used that boat that day or night?”

  “Pretty sure,” he said. “Or at least tried to.”

  “What kind of footprints were they? Boots?” she asked.

  “No, I don’t think so. They looked like a dress shoe, maybe,” he said.

  “Men’s?”

  “I think so.”

  “Leave it to a boat mechanic to notice stuff on a boat,” she said.

  “Allie, take care of yourself, please.”

  “I’ll talk to you tomorrow—as many check-ins as you’d like,” she promised.

  “Okay,” he said. They said their goodbyes, and when they had hung up, Allie realized she hadn’t told him about the creepy phone call. No matter, she thought. It was probably the same dude from the truck. Whoever that was.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Allie had tucked Ryan in and was reading on Mike’s couch, wrapped in a comfy throw, when she heard the neighbor’s dogs barking their heads off. When it didn’t stop after a few minutes, she turned all the lights off and peered outside through the mini blinds. The unmarked car was there, but something seemed off.

  Other dogs in the complex had joined in by now, and Allie couldn’t shake the sense that something was terribly wrong. She went into the bedroom where Ryan was sleeping and shook him awake.

  “Ryan, get in the closet and stay there until I come get you, okay? There may be bad guys here and I need to take care of them. I need you to be safe.”

  She could see his eyes widen with fear even in the darkened room, but he nodded and did as she asked.

  Within seconds, she had slipped on her jeans under her nightshirt and stepped into her shoes. After peeking out of the blinds again and seeing no movement, she opened the front door quietly and shut it as softly as possible. Looking around, she saw there wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, so she approached the unmarked. Alarm bells began ringing in her head when there was no one visible in the driver’s seat. She rushed to the window and saw the agent lying unconscious on the seat. She opened the car door as quietly as she could, her blood pounding in her ears. She felt for a pulse and found one. Then she felt his head and found a nasty knot on the back.

  “You’ll be okay,” she whispered. “I think.”

  She glanced back to the apartment and saw the door open wide. Her heart sank in her chest and she stifled a scream. Someone is in Mike’s apartment!

  She thought about taking the unconscious agent’s sidepiece but saw that someone already had.

  Allie sidled up to the apartment door and heard someone tossing the apartment. It was probably only seconds before they found Ryan. She entered the apartment, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness. There was a large form ransacking the sideboard on the far side of the dining area.

  The only advantage I have is the element of surprise.

  She took a running start and lowered her body, hitting him at his knees. He went over like a felled tree, a whoosh of air escaping his lungs as he fell. Allie righted herself and stepped over him, taking a defensive stance at his front. She began to kick at his soft parts and seemed to gain the upper hand, landing several blows to his gut and face.

  But he soon gathered his wits and caught her foot, spinning it and her. She crashed into the dining table and smacked her head on the floor. It was carpeted, but she still saw stars. When they cleared, he was standing over her, growling.

  She kicked his backside as hard as she could, and as he bent back in pain, she shimmied through his legs backward and stood, assuming her defensive stance again.

  He laughed, a low rumble of amusement, and she smiled in spite of herself. Before he could get his hands up, she gave him a right uppercut to the jaw and then a left hook. He howled in agony. Satisfied with the damage she had inflicted, she continued her lightning-fast combinations, landing blow after blow while this hulk was stunned at her ability to hurt someone his size.

  Finally, he shoved her out of the way and ran out the front door. She made to follow but remembered her brother was waiting for her. She ran to his room and opened the closet door. But it was empty.

  Chapter Forty

  Allie ran to the door of the apartment but the intruder was long gone. She looked at her shaking hands and realized panic was setting in. Do they have him?

  She searched the apartment from top to bottom again for any sign of Ryan, or any clue as to his whereabouts. After a few minutes, she saw flashing blue lights on the walls of the apartment and heard someone calling her name.

  Have to keep looking, she thought, still going through the debris from the intruder.

  It wasn’t until she felt hands on her shoulders that she snapped out of it.

  “Allie!” Charlie was saying. “What happened?”

  “Ryan,” she whispered and then broke down, falling into Charlie’s arms and sobbing.

  “Where is he, Allie? What happened here?”

/>   She gulped for air and told Charlie what had happened.

  “They cruised by your trailer first and Peg called me directly when she spotted the suspicious car. Did they take him?” he asked.

  “I don’t know,” she whispered, looking into his eyes.

  “Chief Detective?” A jacketed FBI agent had entered the living room.

  “Yes?” Charlie spun.

  “Found this notebook outside in the bushes.”

  Allie reached the agent in two strides and snatched the notebook from his hands. It’s Ryan’s! She flipped open to the last page and felt a thrill in her chest as she realized it was a message in code—the code her father had taught him, and that he had taught her!

  She translated in her head as she scanned the page.

  “Allie?” Charlie asked.

  “I know where he is!” she shouted, running out the door.

  “Allie!” Charlie shouted after her, but she was running, feeling the ache in her legs as she pushed them to perform. She ran through the apartment complex and a short span of woods toward the high school. The gate was locked, so she climbed the chain-link fence, landed on the track around the football field, and made for the stands. Taking them two at a time, she reached the announcer’s box and opened the door.

  Ryan sat cowering on the floor. Allie rushed to him, hugging him tight. “It’s okay, buddy. I’m here. I’ve got you.”

  Ryan began to cry and hugged her, rocking back and forth.

  “You are so smart, Ryan. You did exactly the right thing. I’m so proud of you,” she said.

  “Love you,” he said.

  “I love you too, Ryan,” she said. “Let’s go back to Mike’s apartment, okay?”

  Ryan pulled back and looked her in the eye.

  “It’s okay. Charlie’s there. No more bad guys.”

  “You kicked his ass?”

  Allie laughed. “Damn right I did!”

  Ryan smiled and took her hand. Allie helped him up and they walked back to the apartment together. She saw Nick Cruz by the unmarked, and an ambulance pulling away.

  “He going to be okay?” she called.

  Cruz nodded and went back to studying the car.

  “Ryan!” Charlie exclaimed when they went inside. He embraced the teenager in a bear hug. “Where were you?”

  Ryan looked at Allie.

  “He was in the announcer’s booth at the high school football field. Just like his note said.” She gestured to the encoded message in the notebook.

  Charlie raised his eyebrows. “Did you get a look at him?”

  Allie shook her head. “He was huge, that’s all I know.”

  “Did he say anything?”

  “Nothing at all.”

  “Damn,” Charlie said.

  “I know. How did he know I was here, and what did he want?” Allie asked.

  “Exactly,” Charlie said. “Cruz’s team is going to process the place and that may give us some ideas.”

  “I suppose we can’t stay here, either,” Allie said.

  “You are coming home with me,” Charlie said.

  Allie nodded. “Thank you.”

  “It’s the least I can do.”

  “Ryan, stay here with Charlie. I’m going to talk to Cruz for a minute,” Allie said. She went outside and found Cruz crouched down by the back bumper.

  “Any ideas who this might have been?” she asked as she crouched next to him.

  “Well, he either has something to do with this case, or…”

  “Or what?” she asked.

  “Do you see this mark here, or am I imagining it?”

  “What mark?”

  “Here,” he said, grabbing her hand and directing her index finger to a small V that looked like it had been drawn on the bumper of the car with a white crayon.

  Allie cocked her head. “Yeah,” she said. “A small V?”

  Cruz nodded slowly.

  “What is it?”

  Cruz looked away and blew out a breath before looking at her again. “I don’t know if I should be telling you this.”

  “What, dammit?” Allie’s voice was pinched in anticipation.

  “There was a mark like that on the bumper of your parents’ car.”

  Allie sat abruptly on the pavement. Cruz reached out to her.

  “You okay?” he said, hands on her arms.

  “Uh, fine,” she said. “I just… Are you sure?”

  Cruz nodded. “It was one of the reasons I didn’t like declaring it an accident.”

  “Petrovic?” she asked.

  “Could be,” Cruz said. “Maybe the ERT will find something in your boyfriend’s apartment.”

  Allie took a deep breath. “Are you sure the agent who was here is going to be okay?”

  “I think so. He was conscious when they left. They’ll do some testing, but it could have been much worse.”

  “They took his sidepiece,” she said. “They could have used it on him.”

  “Too much noise, probably. But you’re right. You were all lucky.”

  “Well, there was a little skill involved, too,” she said.

  “I heard you kicked his ass,” Cruz said and smiled.

  Allie nodded. “Surprised?”

  “Not at all. You’re amazing,” he said.

  She blushed. “Okay, I guess I better call Mike and get Ryan settled at the Bishops’ for the night.”

  He held out a hand to help her up. She grabbed it and wobbled a little when she stood. He grabbed her by the waist. “You sure you’re okay?”

  She blushed and backed away. “I’ll be fine.”

  Cruz held out his hands. “Sorry, I uh…”

  She grabbed his arm. “No, don’t be sorry. Thank you. For telling me.”

  He nodded once. “Of course.”

  She smiled at him and then headed back inside.

  Once Ryan was settled in the guest room at the Bishop’s house, Allie tiptoed downstairs to the screened-in back porch. She settled back into the comfortable patio chair without turning any lights on, and took a deep breath. Then she dialed Mike.

  “Hey, babe. Not that I don’t love hearing from you, but why are you calling? You okay?” he asked.

  “Yes. I’m fine, Ryan’s fine.” Another deep breath. “But there’s something you need to know.”

  “Oh, my God. What happened?” Mike said, panic rising in his voice.

  “After we spoke, the neighbor’s dogs were going nuts, and I went to check on the agent in the unmarked, because something seemed off.”

  “You what?” Mike demanded.

  “Just listen,” Allie said and waited.

  Mike took a few moments and then said, “All right. I’m listening.”

  “The agent had been knocked unconscious and someone had taken his sidearm. When I looked up, the door to your apartment was open. Long story short, someone got in and made a mess looking for something. But I kicked his ass and he ran off.”

  “You what?” Mike repeated. “Allie, he had a gun! What in the hell were you thinking?”

  “Ryan was hiding in his closet, Mike. What was I supposed to do? Let him hurt my brother?”

  Mike paused.

  “Tell me you wouldn’t have done the same thing if I had been in there,” Allie challenged.

  Mike said nothing.

  “That’s what I thought.”

  “So what happened?” Mike asked.

  “Ryan had snuck out at some point, so then I had to go looking for him, but I found him. In the meantime, Charlie and Cruz arrived.”

  “But everyone is safe?”

  “Yes. Ryan and I are at Charlie’s house and staying here for a while.”

  “Thank God for that,” Mike said. “My workshop ends tomorrow, and then I’m heading home. I think I can be there by about midnight or so.”

  “Mike, you don’t have to—”

  “No, Allie. Enough. I’m coming home. There’s no reason for me to take longer than necessary. I’ll collect you and Ryan from Charli
e’s at midnight tomorrow night, all right?”

  Allie smiled. “You’ll collect me and Ryan?”

  “Yes, I shall,” Mike said. She could hear the smile in his voice.

  “I can’t wait, Mr. Gillikin.”

  “Me neither,” he said. “My girlfriend, the badass.”

  “And don’t you forget it,” she said.

  “You won’t let me,” he said.

  Chapter Forty-One

  In the morning, Charlie had to leave on an emergency call, and Sheila had left some muffins on the counter before heading to her fundraiser meeting. Allie grabbed one and put her laptop on the kitchen table, opening up the photo she had been looking at the previous night. There were several people in the picture, most looking up and a few pointing to the lighthouse. And there was the woman with the blonde ponytail talking to Tim. As she and Ryan got ready and went through their morning routines, she passed by a few times, each time wracking her memory, trying to determine who she was. Ryan looked at the photo, too, and began scripting about the arcade and the out of order sign on his favorite game again. Wonder what brought that on?

  Finally, they were both ready to go and she heard a beep from outside. She looked out the window beside the door to see Cruz wave from his car, idling in front of Charlie’s house. She snapped the laptop closed and picked it up to put it in her bag. “Wait,” she said aloud. She opened the laptop and looked at the photo again. “Erika Slater!” she said. She zoomed in and scrutinized the face again. Yes, that’s her. How does she know Tim?

  Allie snapped the laptop closed again, put it into her bag, and opened the door, following Ryan to Cruz’s car.

  “What’s that look on your face?” Cruz looked wary.

  “A couple of things. Let’s drop Ryan off first,” she suggested, climbing into the backseat as Ryan insisted on being in the front.