And she did. “So,” she asked when she finished. “Want to go to Long Lake over on the east side? Might as well get it done.”
A shadow crossed Renee’s face and her eyes narrowed. “Um, I can’t.”
Lorna twisted to get a better look at her. “You can’t? Why can’t you?” The tightness came back into her jaw.
Renee shook her head and bit her lip. She didn’t meet Lorna’s eyes. “I’ve been meaning to tell you that I have to be back in Seattle next week.”
Her heart began to beat like a snare drum. “Next week? You’re going back?” For weeks she’d tried not to think about what would happen when Renee returned to her own home. It was always there lingering in the background, and with dogged determination she always managed to avoid thinking about it. Stupid as it might seem, she opted to ignore it, hoping it would simply go away.
“Not permanently,” Renee hurried to say and finally met her eyes.
She almost cried with relief at the honest emotion reflected in her gaze. “Then…”
Renee smiled and squeezed her hand. “I have to spend some time with the contractors and insurance adjuster. They’re ready to really get rolling on the repairs, and I have to be there initially to guide them during the walk-through. I figured Clancy and I would spend three or four days in the city, and then if it’s okay with you, we will come back here.”
Okay? Hell, it was more than okay. She tried not to let the relief show on her face. Instead she opted for a soft smile that she hoped didn’t give away the depth of her emotions or, more specifically, the desperation. “Absolutely. You go take care of business, and I’ll run across the mountains and see what I can do for Thea, if anything. All this press tends to make people believe I can do more than I can.”
Renee took her face between her hands and kissed her hard on the lips. “And I think you underestimate yourself.”
She wasn’t so sure about that. What had happened with the two ghosts here at the house was a fluke. Right? Or was it? She felt different these days, and it was more than just changing where she lived and finding a woman who set her body on fire. Something deep inside her was different, and she questioned whether it would ever go away.
Could she help Thea? Probably not, but what would it hurt to try? Thea and Alida had been her friends all the way through school. They looked so much alike and yet were so completely different. She was never confused about who was who. They were such distinct individuals it was always easy for her to tell them apart even if they were wearing identical clothing. And then there was the secret she and Thea had confided to each other way back in junior high. A pinky-swear secret that still made her smile. Both of them had come to understand how different they were from most of their friends, but they also knew they had each other. Having such a good friend hold her secret helped her get through the difficult times. Now, it was her turn to pay it forward.
Whether she believed she could really do anything to help didn’t matter. It was time to step up and help her old friend.
“Maybe,” she said, kissing Renee back. “I’ll at least try.”
“That’s my girl.”
For a little while they sat together on the sofa talking and drinking wine. It was a beautiful, relaxing afternoon. She didn’t want it to end.
Renee finally stood and stretched her arms high over her head. “All this wine has made me a little tired. I think I’ll be outrageously lazy and take a nap.”
“It’s early.”
Renee shrugged and smiled. “That’s what makes it outrageously lazy!” She leaned over and kissed Lorna. “You should give it a try, Miss Iron Athlete.”
“I’ll think about it,” she said as Renee left the room.
The second Renee was out of sight, Clancy jumped up and curled up next to Lorna. With Clancy’s head on her leg, Lorna absently stroked the soft fur between his ears and finished her wine. A thousand thoughts raced through her mind, and she discovered that part of her wanted to see if she could help find Alida. In fact it occurred to her she was anxious to get going. How did she move from reluctant to eager?
As the fire began to burn low she decided it required too much effort to stoke it. After her bike ride and run, she was worn out. Maybe Renee’s idea of a little nap wasn’t such a bad idea. She rubbed the sleeping dog’s ears one more time and smiled. It was so natural to share the sofa with the big black German shepherd. The thought of him not being here hurt her heart. It hadn’t been all that long, but he was part of this house, part of this family.
“Hey, you two, gonna stay out here all day? Seriously, girlfriend, I was going for subtle, but I guess I’ll have to get blunt. I’m not really that tired.”
Lorna’s smile grew, and a tingle of excitement raced through her. “Yeah, a nap might be just what I need.” She swung her legs over the sofa, disrupting Clancy. He jumped off the sofa and stalked out the door, the click, click, click of his nails sounding like gunfire as he made his way down the hallway and into Renee’s room. A lovely dog bed was in there, but she’d bet a fifty that he’d walk right past it to jump up on the empty queen-sized bed.
She got up and turned toward the door, then stopped. Her heart took a leap. Renee stood in the doorway, her long, thick hair down around her shoulders, her creamy robe open to reveal her beautiful naked body. Her smile was sly, sexy.
Renee held out her hand. “I took a shower, came into the bedroom, and realized I was all alone. I just hate being in that big bed by myself.”
For a moment Lorna didn’t move. “Can’t go to sleep?”
Renee’s smile grew and her eyes sparkled. “Not tired.”
*
It was pushing nine and she’d been here way too long. Katie needed to go home yet couldn’t get herself up and out of the chair. After she dropped Thea off, she’d come back to the office and had been sitting here ever since.
Vince’s little impromptu visit nagged her like a bad rash that wouldn’t go away. Maybe it was just because he consistently got under her skin. Or maybe it was more than that. Why would he simply happen by where they were and stop? That transfer station was far enough away from the highway to make it not observable to the casual drive-by. So why was he making an obvious effort to follow her? More than likely to check up on her because she couldn’t possibly do the job right without supervision. Constantly having to prove herself got real old.
“You ever go home, Carlisle?”
Her laugh held a definite cynical edge. “About as much as you do, Roberts.” Chad Roberts was about her age, two inches shorter, and with blond hair so pale, in the right light he looked bald. Unlike Vince, Chad tended to fade into the background, and people rarely gave him a second glance. All in all it was a pretty good trick for a deputy, who sometimes needed to blend in to make the case. People felt comfortable around him, a regular guy who posed no threat.
She liked him and they worked well together. He was pleasant and didn’t make waves. He also didn’t think he was God’s gift to women or seem to think she needed a babysitter on every case she worked. If Vince could be just a little more like Chad, he’d be a hell of a lot easier to work with.
“Why are you here so late?” Things were so quiet until he spoke up she didn’t even realize anyone else was around.
He shrugged. “Caught a messy case out in the Valley. Some gal holed up in that motel right off I-90 and Argonne and shot her boyfriend.”
“Well, at least it sounds pretty cut and dried.” She wished her case were that easy.
He sat down in the chair behind his desk. “Sounds that way, but the scene isn’t playing like that. There’s more to this story than little Miss Muffet is telling us.”
She got up from her chair, slipped on her jacket, and put her cell phone in her pocket. “There always is, Chad. There always is. But if anybody can get her to crack, it’s you.”
He ran a hand through his pale hair, which left a fair amount of it standing on end. “Thanks for the vote of confidence. Now tell that to the chief.
”
“He giving you a hard time?”
“Naw. I just keep thinking one of these days he might actually give me a promotion or maybe even a little raise. I’ve done my time and proved myself, but neither seems to be working to my advantage.”
Katie laughed, thinking of their very budget-conscious chief. It would take a hell of a lot more than a few words from her to make him consider giving anyone around the department a raise. “You’re a dreamer, Roberts.”
His smile lit up his ordinary face. “Yeah, well, a boy can dream.”
She gave him a mock salute as she walked by. “Keep on doing it, my man.”
Outside, Katie stopped and took a deep breath of the clear, dry air. She hoped once out here she’d feel more settled, but it wasn’t happening. All day she’d been jittery and out of sorts. This wasn’t a major case. Hell, it might not be a case at all. For all she knew, Alida Canwell did, in fact, run off with a boyfriend and staged the scene to look like an abduction. That line of thought was reasonable, except she didn’t really believe it. Not at all. Something happened to Alida on that sunny afternoon. She could feel it in her bones, and it was bugging the shit out of her.
Figuring out where to start or who to start with would help a bunch. Taking Thea out there today might not have been the most standard police procedure or the wisest course of action, but she was struggling to find a pattern or connection that would help, and getting her twin sister’s impression couldn’t hurt. Unfortunately, going didn’t really dredge up anything concrete that helped get them closer to the truth. It turned out to be another well-intentioned exercise in futility.
The other thing bugging the crap out of her was Vince. No way, no how was his showing up out at the transfer station coincidental. Did it have something to do with the case or with her? He had a burr under his saddle about her and wouldn’t give it up.
When Vince came up against a woman who didn’t want to get into his pants, he took it as a personal affront. He refused to believe Katie wasn’t even slightly interested in him or that she might just be a lesbian. She could see the glint of a challenge in his eyes. He wanted to be the one who brought her to the other side. Dumb ass didn’t realize it wasn’t going to happen…ever.
That could be why he showed up out there. Keeping her in close proximity might be nothing more than his strategy for subtle seduction. Oh, he was a dumb ass all right, and she already had so many in her life, she didn’t need another one.
But she would like a little more of Thea in her life. She was so beautiful and thoughtful and graceful. Katie just wanted to sigh and also wished they’d met under different circumstances. Thea was part of an on-going case, which meant hands off. What if, and this was a really far-off what if, Thea was actually involved in her sister’s disappearance? It would do Katie’s career no favors if she became more than a deputy to Thea. Something like that could very easily end her tenure with the sheriff’s department, which she’d never allow to happen. She’d never disappoint her family with unbecoming behavior and never let herself down that way either. Sometimes she hated being her.
“Hey, Katie.”
The sound of her name startled her and she whirled. Her hand to her chest, she said, “Jesus, Brandon, you just about gave me the big one.”
“Sorry.” He smiled. Tall and lean, the younger man leaned in the doorway to the IT Department, where he spent the majority of his time. He was, like Katie, a deputy sheriff, but he’d proved to be an invaluable asset when it came to all things relating to information technology.
“What are you doing here so late?”
“Helping you, of course.” His blue eyes were fixed on her face, and not for the first time she had the sense he was trying to impress her.
“I don’t understand.” She hadn’t asked him to do anything for her so it didn’t make sense.
He held out several printed pages. “Background on your girl.”
She shook her head. “I’m not following.”
“You know, Alida Canwell. I did some background for you. Thought it might help.”
She hesitantly reached out and took the papers. “Thanks.”
His fingers brushed hers and his smile grew wider. “You bet. Let me know what else I can do.”
“I’m headed out.” She folded the pages and stuffed them into her pocket.
“See ya tomorrow.” He turned and, whistling, disappeared into the IT room.
Blowing out a long, slow breath, she dug her keys out of her pants pocket and walked outside to her car. She touched the papers in her pocket, and it made her uneasy. It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate Brandon performing his magic when investigating a case, but she hadn’t asked him to and that bothered her.
It also wasn’t the first time he’d popped up unexpectedly with helpful information. At least for her. As far as she could tell, she was the only beneficiary of his above-and-beyond efforts. She wanted to think the best of him and believe he just truly wanted to help. But that argument wasn’t playing for her, and the alternatives she was left with sent dread creeping down her spine.
Chapter Five
For what seemed like hours, Thea stared out the window. Lorna called her around four thirty to say she was on the road, yet time was ticking away at the speed of light, and it seemed nobody cared, not even the tall, sexy deputy. It was probably emotion talking, but that didn’t matter. A giant weight rested on Thea’s shoulders, nearly breaking her back.
The terrible, unspoken sense that something bad had happened to her sister overwhelmed her. She knew Alida’s heart better than anyone, including Grant. Not one single circumstance would cause her to disappear without contacting Thea. If Alida faced a problem, she confronted it with the spirit of a warrior, unlike Thea, who sometimes liked to hide and hope the problem disappeared without having to resort to confrontation. Alida was strong and assertive and fearless. She did not run and hide.
But did that keep anyone from talking or speculating that Alida ran out on Grant and the rest of her family? Not in the least. Even though everyone was polite enough not to say it out loud, she could read between the lines. They could think whatever they wanted because she knew the truth. People like Alida didn’t just vanish.
Thea continued to be convinced that the location of her truck and the condition of the scene contradicted the runaway scenario. From every angle it looked like an unwilling abduction, and she wasn’t about to give up until everyone could see that. Of course, several of the more skeptical law-enforcement officers still had their heels dug in deep and implied Alida might have staged the scene.
Well, they could just take their cynicism and shove it. While she did appreciate the efforts of Katie Carlisle, they weren’t enough. If law enforcement wanted to wait for Alida to show up again, that was fine for them. Thea saw it differently, and she refused to wait around doing nothing until they decided to take the situation more seriously.
An article tucked into the paper about a century-old mystery solved by a psychic gave her an idea. At first glance, the article was no big deal until she saw the name of said psychic: her old friend Lorna Dutton. In less than fifteen minutes she tracked down Lorna’s phone number and put in a call. People might make fun of her for going to a psychic, but she didn’t care. Help was help, regardless of where it came from.
Lorna’s lack of enthusiasm was a huge letdown but didn’t deter her in the least. No, she wasn’t above begging for assistance or using history as leverage. Her desperation worked, or at least Lorna felt sorry enough for her that their long friendship won her over.
After what seemed like a couple of days staring out the front window, Thea saw a dark-gray Honda pull up in the driveway and Lorna got out, all long legs and power. Thea smiled. She looked like the same young girl who’d been her best friend since fourth grade. Her heart leaped, and she momentarily regretted that they’d rarely seen each other over the last decade. How did something like that happen? Friends shouldn’t let that much time pass between them.
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She wrenched open the front door and raced out straight into Lorna’s outstretched arms. Lorna’s hug was so tight she knew she telegraphed her fear and relief. Tears coursed down her face as raw emotion overwhelmed her. For the first time since that horrid call she didn’t feel alone. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
Lorna’s comforting hug meant so much, as did her tears as they dampened Thea’s shirt. That her friend was as caught up in the emotional reunion as she was did amazing things to her heart. “I’m so sorry,” Lorna whispered against her hair. “So sorry.”
Thea loosened her hold and stepped back. Lorna’s watery eyes held her, and in them she could see the concern no doubt intensified by the sleepless nights and constant worry showing on Thea’s face. “Come on in. I’ve got a lot to tell you.” She turned toward the door and held Lorna’s hand as they went inside. She didn’t want to let go.
Though she hated to do it, she left Lorna for a few minutes to make a pot of coffee. Settled in the living room with steaming mugs of the dark roast, Thea said, “Okay, let me start at the beginning.” Her heart was pounding and she was almost crying as she started to bring Lorna up to date.
As much as she’d like to gloss things over, she needed to tell Lorna how things really were, not how she wished they were. She described how Alida had been working hard but loving the freedom of her job with the utility company. How she and Grant had weathered some issues in their marriage yet were moving forward to try to work through those issues, like many couples did. Of Alida’s strange feeling that something or someone was watching her and how it was the only odd thing she mentioned before she vanished.
When her words finally trailed off and then stopped, Lorna looked at her with dark, serious eyes reflecting the same hurt wrapped around her like a blanket. “We need to go where she was when she disappeared. I’ll be honest, Thea. I don’t know how this thing I have works. I do know that at the house, proximity seemed to play a part, so we might as well start at the beginning and work from there.”
Twisted Whispers Page 5
