by Leona Karr
“Then they left Seattle together?”
“It would seem so,” the detective agreed. “What happened between that time, and the evening Courtney showed up at the houseboat, we haven’t a clue.” He sighed. “And I’m afraid we won’t—until we find a body. We’re pretty confident she’s the one who shot Jensen and dumped his body in the lake. It might be a pattern.”
“I won’t tell Courtney. She never really knew her aunt so her disappearance is easier to bear. It’s her son’s kidnapping that’s tearing her apart.”
“We’ll follow up on any lead we get,” McGrady promised as he took his leave.
When Neil returned to the den, it was empty. He found Maribeth gathering up her things in the kitchen, preparing to leave. She told him that Courtney had gone upstairs to her room.
“I don’t know how she can handle all of this. We’ve got to help all we can. You call me anytime, day or night.” Maribeth frowned as she looked at him. “You don’t look all that great yourself.”
He gave her an affectionate squeeze. “Thanks, sis. You really know how to build a man’s ego.”
“You’ve never had any trouble in that department,” she chided, smiling. “Don’t try to handle this all by yourself. Everyone wants to do what they can to help. You let us know.”
He promised he would.
After he’d helped her into her car and watched her drive away, he stood on the porch and surveyed the panoramic view that stretched from the lake to the encircling mountains. He could see the silver ribbons of highways stretching east to Montana, west to the Pacific Coast and north to the Canadian border.
As he stood in the warm sunshine, he fought a bone-deep, consuming chill. It had been almost four days since the deranged woman had disappeared.
By now she could be anywhere.
Chapter Eleven
Courtney didn’t come back downstairs, so Neil took her up a tray at dinnertime, which she only pretended to eat. Every time he stopped at the bedroom door and looked in on her, she had her eyes closed, but he suspected from her rigid form that she was feigning sleep.
He stayed downstairs until almost midnight, working at his computer, trying to catch up on office work. He had just gone upstairs and was getting ready for bed when he heard Courtney cry out.
Barefoot and wearing only his trousers, he hurried into her room. Courtney was curled up in a ball, her face moist with tears, and her fists pressed against her mouth, trying to stifle her sobbing. Her shivering body was cold to the touch and she was breathing rapidly. He wondered if she was reliving those moments in the chilled water, fighting for her life.
“It’s all right, darling. You’re safe.” He quickly slipped under the covers beside her and pulled her trembling body close to his.
Courtney heard his voice and fought her way out of the nightmare that had enveloped her. His touch was reassuring, but as reality rushed back, her anguish only increased. How much longer could she stand not knowing about her baby? Was Jamie really all right? Would “Devanna” continue to love and care for him?
“It’s my fault,” she sobbed. “I should have guarded my baby better.”
“Stop that,” he ordered gently as he cradled her head against his chest. “None of this is your fault.”
“But—I was so blind.”
“No, just trusting,” he softly corrected her. “You accepted everything at face value, and why not? You thought she was your aunt.”
Courtney shivered. “I wanted her to like me. I tried to please her, and all the time she was planning on taking my baby away from me.”
She remembered how pleased she’d been when her “aunt” had started being nice to her, but it all made sense now. The woman had just been setting the stage to get rid of her. Courtney’s lips trembled. “She must have tried to poison me.”
Neil silently swore at his own blindness. How stupid he’d been to believe the restaurant had been responsible for the bad clam chowder. He knew now when the poisoned soup didn’t work, “Devanna” had arranged the ladder accident.
“All this time she wanted me dead, and I didn’t know it.” She clung to him with the fierceness of someone who knew it was a miracle she was still alive.
“You were too strong for her.” Neil breathed a prayer of thankfulness as her warm body rested against his. How easily he could have lost her. If any of the murderous impostor’s plans had succeeded, Courtney could have tragically been another one of her victims.
His hand gently lifted moist hair from her cheeks, and he brushed her forehead with his lips. He doubted that she’d had more than a few hours rest since she came out of her sedated coma.
“Try to get some sleep.”
“Stay with me?”
“As long as you like.”
She startled him when she turned over so that his body cupped hers like spoons as they lay together. The position was an intimate one, and he wondered if his fortitude was going to be strong enough to deflect the feelings it aroused.
She seemed oblivious to the test she was imposing upon him. Almost like a child nestled in his arms, her breathing slowly deepened as it eased into the even rhythm of sleep. He wondered at the contentment he felt just holding her.
Once she stirred and cried out, and he soothed her back to sleep. He didn’t know how long he lay awake but when he awoke the light of early morning was framed in the drawn curtains. For a moment he’d forgotten where he’d spent the night. As he turned his head, he was startled to find himself alone in bed.
The bathroom door was open, and no sign of Courtney. Going back to his room, he put on fresh jeans and a short-sleeve summer shirt. Then he hurried down the stairs. Even before he reached the bottom step, he smelled coffee.
When he entered the kitchen, Courtney was sitting at the round table near the windows, a coffee mug in one hand and a piece of toast in the other.
She looked embarrassed as if she didn’t know quite how to greet him. “Hey.”
“Good morning. You’re an early bird,” he chided, smiling.
She looked better than she had the day before, physically stronger and more rested. A welcoming sense of relief sluiced through him.
“I woke up hungry,” she confessed.
“I’m not surprised. You didn’t eat much last night. I see you’ve already found the coffeemaker. What can I fix you for breakfast?” He winked at her. “I make a mean omelet. Specialty of the house.”
As she watched his strongly masculine figure move easily about the kitchen, his debonair attitude reminded her that he was used to having feminine company at breakfast. She felt a pang of jealousy that had no place in the present situation. His comforting last night had been without any romantic overtones. When she’d awakened in his arms, there’d been a momentary longing within her, but she’d slipped out of bed before such thoughts could take hold.
As they ate breakfast, Courtney did her best to keep the conversation general. Like someone stepping around dangerous quicksand, she closed her mind to the constant churning anxiety within her. She asked about his company, and assured him that he didn’t need to stay away from the office on her account.
“In fact, I have some things I want to do,” she told him. “I’d appreciate it if you’d drop me off at the houseboat.”
He was obviously startled. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”
“I want to pick up my car, for one thing. And McGrady said forensics had finished, so I can go back to the houseboat.”
Neil quickly grabbed her hand. “But I want you to stay here. With me. There’s no need for you to go back to the houseboat. My house is your house, Courtney, until Jamie is safely back in your arms.”
The relief on her face was instantaneous. “Thank you. I was hoping you would say that. But I do need to go collect my things.”
“I’m sure Maribeth would be willing to do that for you.”
“Probably, but I’d rather do it myself.” She didn’t tell him her real reason. There was a chance she might find
some clue in the houseboat to Billie Kessel’s whereabouts that the police had overlooked.
Neil saw the determined lift of her chin and knew it wouldn’t do him any good to argue. In a way, he was relieved to see her focused and displaying more energy. Only a few ugly scratches and bruises on her arms were reminders of her close call. It amazed him how quickly she had recovered from her ordeal.
“All right. We’ll stop at the office, and pick up a key to the houseboat. I’m sure the police left it locked up tight. After you collect your things, I’ll follow you in your car back here.”
His tone didn’t invite any argument, and she wasn’t about to give him one. She knew what a blessing it was that he’d taken her in. She couldn’t even imagine how she would function without his strong support.
NEIL CLOSED HIS MIND against the vision of the crumpled mass of metal at the bottom of a rocky ravine and gave Courtney a concerned look as he pulled into the parking area above the houseboat. “Are you all right?”
She didn’t answer for a moment, fighting a rising nausea that churned her stomach. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea after all. She wasn’t sure she had the courage to walk down those steps into that loathsome houseboat once more. Everything would remind her of Jamie and the painful emptiness she felt.
Neil sensed her hesitation and put his arm around her shoulder. “You can change your mind, you know.”
“No, I can’t,” she answered, swallowing hard.
“Why not?”
“Because…because maybe I’ll find something that will tell me where my baby is.”
Neil saw the firm jut of her chin, and knew why she was willing to put herself through all kinds of mental and emotional torture. She’d convinced herself she would find something the police had missed. He feared she’d set herself up for another wrenching disappointment, but he knew better than to try to dissuade her.
Courtney was grateful for his guiding hand as they descended the narrow steps. When they stepped on the dock, her eyes went to the rowboat that was still tethered at the side of the houseboat. Ugly blotches of blood stained the bottom, and she shivered, remembering.
Neil quickly unlocked the door, and as he flung it open, an unpleasant, dank miasma floated out from the dark interior. He shot a quick look at Courtney. As he watched her face take on a sickly pallor, he cursed himself for having given in to her stubbornness.
“Are you all right? Are you sure you want to do this?”
She straightened her shoulders. “Yes.”
The place was in shambles. Furniture had been turned upside down, bookcases and cupboards emptied, and even the walls bore signs of careful scrutiny.
“It doesn’t look to me like the police missed anything,” Neil said, hoping to offer some reassurance and get her out of there as soon as possible.
A cold rage rose in Courtney as she stood in the middle of the sitting room and remembered the treachery that had been heaped upon her. She saw the deceitful “Devanna” everywhere she looked. How could she have innocently entrusted her baby to such a monster?
“How could I have been so blind?”
“Easy. Easy,” Neil cautioned, touching her arm. “Get the things you want, and let’s get out of here.”
Without answering, she walked past him to the doorway of her sleeping compartment. The bunk beds had been stripped, the small closet emptied, and her clothes piled in a heap on the floor. Even her purse had been opened, and the contents spilled on the bed.
The empty room tore at the heart. Everything belonging to the baby was missing except for a couple of toys and some soiled blankets. She remembered how “Devanna” had shown off all the new things she’d bought for Jamie.
Courtney clung to the reassurance that everything that Jamie needed had been taken with him. She had to believe the woman was as conscientious about his care as she’d been when posing as Devanna, or she’d go crazy just thinking about it.
“Let me help you pack,” Neil volunteered as he set her two empty suitcases on the bed.
She nodded. “Everything in here is mine, and the things on the bottom shelf of the bathroom sink.”
Turning away, she went into the sleeping cabin that had been occupied by the impostor. There were still clothes and personal possessions in piles on the bed and in the closet. As she went through them, she realized they didn’t match anything she’d seen Billie wear or use. They were the style her real aunt must have worn. Whatever had belonged to Billie Kessel was gone.
Neil leaned against the door frame, watching her. “What are you looking for?”
“I’m not sure.” Her hope of uncovering any clue as to her baby’s whereabouts had been the fancy of a desperate mother. She knew it, and so did Neil. She could almost hear the woman’s laughter mocking her as she went back into the sitting area.
When she slipped a baby rattle into her pocket, Neil’s heart ached for her, and he saw her hands tremble as she picked up a sewing basket and took out an unfinished pillow cover.
“This was hers…my aunt’s.” She raised pained eyes to Neil. “I’m going to finish it for her.”
“Good idea.” Neil knew she needed some closure on the loss of her real aunt.
Courtney saw something under the embroidery floss at the bottom of the basket, and when she drew it out, she stared at it as if mesmerized.
“What is it?” Neil asked, peering over her shoulder. “A photo?”
An attractive redheaded woman had her hand on the shoulder of a blond little girl as they stood together smiling at the camera. A merry-go-round was in the background, and the little girl held a bag of pink cotton candy.
“She took me to the carnival. I was six years old. She was ready to love me and my baby, wasn’t she?” Courtney’s lips quivered. “She must have brought this picture to show me.”
“Maybe that’s why we came back today,” Neil said softly, as he put his arm around her waist. “She wanted you to find it so you would know her invitation was deeply sincere and loving.”
They walked out of the houseboat arm in arm, and slammed the door of Nevermore. He had just finished loading Courtney’s car when his cell phone rang. His expression changed into one of explosive excitement.
“What? We’ll be right there.”
Courtney’s heart was suddenly drumming so loudly she could hear it in her own ears. “What is it?”
“They found the van. Only a few miles from here.”
“And?” Her voice choked.
He shook his head. “It’s empty, but it may tell us something.”
The deserted property in a narrow mountain canyon was about two miles above the lake highway. Neil would have never found it without McGrady’s directions. A rutted side road led to a tumbledown cabin that was set back in some trees and hidden from the road. As they approached it, they could see McGrady’s car parked in the narrow passage between encroaching shrubs and trees.
“Why…why would she leave it here?” Courtney asked with lips white with fear. Every horrible scenario Courtney had ever heard about kidnappers filled her mind. She had abandoned the van! What did that mean?
God only knows, thought Neil, as he grabbed her hand and they raced down the road.
McGrady and another man stood in front of a dilapidated corral. The gray van was visible parked behind a nearly collapsed log structure. McGrady took one look at Courtney’s ashen face and quickly began to explain the situation.
“I just need a definite identification of the van. The license plates are missing. No records in the glove compartment.”
“That’s it,” Neil assured him, saving Courtney’s need to answer.
A middle-aged man, dressed like a working cowboy, nodded at Courtney and held out a callused hand to Neil. “I’m Bill Hanks.”
“Bill found it,” McGrady said.
“Sure did.” The man’s weathered face creased with a smile. “Sometimes I take a horseback ride down this way. I like to check on the fence which borders my property. Didn’t know the po
lice were looking for the van when I called it in.” He shook his head. “You have to be careful or some people will make a junkyard any place they can get away with it.”
“Any idea how long it’s been parked there?” McGrady asked.
“’Fraid not. Let’s see, more than a month since I checked the fence, I reckon. Sorry.” He sent Courtney an apologetic look. “I just thought someone had dumped it here. Didn’t even check to see if the thing would run.”
“Does it?” Neil asked.
McGrady nodded. “Got a half tank of gas, too.”
“Then why would she abandon it here?” Neil prodded.
“Been asking myself the same question.” He scratched his head. He motioned for them to follow him. “See how that underbrush over there is squashed down?” He pointed to a wooded area just beyond the van.
Neil and Courtney started to walk closer to it, but McGrady stopped them with a warning hand. “If she parked the van over there first, that might account for the way the ground has been disturbed. The puzzle is why she’d bother to move it where it is now.”
“Don’t make much sense,” Bill offered.
“You’re right. What makes more sense is that she had another vehicle parked over there, waiting.”
“And she made a switch,” Neil finished.
Courtney’s face paled, and he knew what she was thinking.
Now they had no idea what she was driving.
“Of course, we’ll be checking with all the car dealers.” The detective eyed Courtney speculatively. “I don’t suppose she ever mentioned anything that might give us a clue where she was shopping for a vehicle?”
“No, she never told me where she went. Sometimes she was gone nearly the whole day without bringing anything back.”
“Obviously some of that time was spent casing the best bank for the robbery. After that, she had to be finalizing her getaway.”
“Courtney’s decision to leave all of a sudden must have pushed her into speeding things up,” Neil speculated.
