The Unrelenting Tide (Islands of Intrigue: San Juans - Christian Romantic Suspense)

by Bonner, Lynnette

  Devynne nodded. She wanted to say more, but a nod was all she had to offer.

  Shannon Niemeyer pulled out a new pair of blue gloves and tugged them on with a snap.

  Marissa yawned expansively and leaned her little head against Devynne’s leg. She picked her up and settled her head against one shoulder. It was well past Marissa’s nap time and Devynne doubted she’d make it much more than a few minutes longer before she was fast asleep.

  Carcen held up a finger. “Hold up, Niemeyer.” He stepped to her side and laid a hand on Marissa’s little shoulder. “‘Rissa, can you tell Uncle Carce what the man who gave you the pretty box looked like?”

  Marissa lifted her head and rubbed her eyes sleepily. “He was nice.”

  Another wave of relief washed through Devynne even as a shudder of terror almost stole the strength from her legs. This could have been so much worse.

  Carcen smoothed Marissa’s hair. “I’m glad he was nice. What else can you tell me about him?”

  A furrow formed on her brow. “His hat had a Seahawk. Like gwandpa’s. But he wasn’t gwandpa.”

  Carcen glanced at Niemeyer who was busy taking notes with her stylus. She nodded indicating she’d gotten that.

  “Do you remember anything else?”

  Devynne felt her insides begin to harden in anger. Let the man come after her. Let him do his worst. But he’d better never go near her daughter again. No four-year-old should have to go through something like this!

  Marissa nodded her head. “I could see me.”

  Carcen frowned, but Devynne remembered footage of her stalker and another deluge of despair washed over her. “Did he have on sunglasses, honey? Ones kind of like a mirror?”

  “Unhuh. Is he who you were playing hide and seek with, Mommy?”

  Devynne bent forward and rubbed her nose against her daughter’s as if they were sharing an everyday secret. “Yep. Can you think of anything else that might help Uncle Carcen and I find his hiding spot?”

  Marissa rubbed her eyes again and laid her head against Devynne’s shoulder. “He smelled kinda funny. But he didn’t tell me where he was hiding. Sowwy.”

  Devynne kissed the back of her head. “Smelled funny? What did he smell like?”

  Marissa gave a tired fluttery sigh. “Uncle Cawce smelled like it too.”

  “He did? When?”

  But the little tyke only gave a shuddered breath as she drifted off to sleep.

  Niemeyer put down the tablet where she’d been jotting Marissa’s descriptions and gestured back to the note in the jewelry box with a questioning look at Carcen.

  He nodded.

  Devynne shifted Marissa to a more comfortable position. “Did you get any prints off it?”

  Carcen and Niemeyer met each other’s gazes.

  The news wasn’t good then.

  Carcen pinched the bridge of his nose. “This guy was smart, Dev. First he probably wore gloves, but even if he did slip up, he handed the box to Marissa and she handed it to you, and I took it from you to set on the table in case it was a bomb and then after it was cleared by Niemeyer and her little bag of magic tricks here,” he waved a gesture to the black bag Niemeyer kept pulling things out of, “she dusted it down, but was only able to get a few partials from the whole thing and likely those are from one of us. But she’s is going to work her magic and see what she can do.”

  Devynne looked at Carcen. Really looked at him. Let him see all the anger, despair, frustration, fear, and hopelessness she was feeling. “We’re never going to catch him.”

  He stepped closer and touched the side of her face. “Yes. Yes, we are.” His thumb stroked her cheek. “These guys always make a mistake. Always. Don’t give up on me. I’m going to keep working this and we’re going to put this low-life away.”

  Niemeyer cleared her throat in obvious irritation.

  But Carcen didn’t budge. He stayed right where he was, his assessing gaze roving her face. “You with me, Dev?”

  She sighed, but nodded. If she couldn’t trust Carcen, who in all the world could she trust? “Okay. I’m with you.”

  One corner of his mouth quirked up in satisfaction. “Good. Let’s see what this note has to say, yeah?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Here.” He reached for Marissa.

  Carcen laid Marissa on a padded bench and then they all turned their attention back to the note.

  Niemeyer gingerly extracted it from its velvet shroud using a pair of rubber-tipped tweezers.

  Impatience surged through Devynne. She had gloves on. Why didn’t she just use her fingers to get it out of there? Would be quicker.

  “There might be trace elements on the paper.” Niemeyer must have noticed her irritation. “We want to disturb the surface as little as possible before we analyze it.”

  Devynne crossed her arms and resisted the urge to tap one toe as the officer gingerly opened the note one fold at a time. Finally the whole piece of paper lay flattened on the little pad Niemeyer had laid out on the table top.

  She leaned with the others to read what it said.

  Kissing Sheriff Lang in the kitchen? After all I’ve done for you? You’re a slow learner. I guess you’ll have to pay some more.

  Niemeyer stiffened and glanced back and forth between them.

  But Devynne didn’t have the energy to analyze her reaction. The words took the strength right out of her legs and she collapsed into the nearest chair. I guess you’ll have to pay some more. What would he do this time?

  Her gaze involuntarily banked toward Marissa. How many times would she be required to give up someone she loved? And all for what? Because some degenerate was too infantile to know the difference between a real relationship and a fantasy. Too messed up for the one and too obsessed with the other.

  She would have to disappear again. But if she left would he still hurt Carcen? Or his parents, maybe? Settled safely in her new location, she’d read about their deaths on the internet somewhere. Could she live with herself if that happened? Maybe she should stay and fight.

  But what about Marissa? She couldn’t just stay here! She couldn’t even let her use a plainly-visible restroom without danger. No way would she be able to keep her safe at all times. The only solution was to run again. To hide again. To keep to herself again.

  But the note had asked, “After all I’ve done for you?” Had he been watching her for a long time? Since when? A shiver crawled up her spine and clung to her like a cold fog at dawn. She pressed her quavering palms together and tucked them between her knees, studying Marissa where she lay sleeping just a few feet away. Was she even safe right there? How close did she need to keep her at every moment?

  And how was she going to disappear this time without help?

  Carcen would be skeptical of the plan, she knew. She was skeptical of the plan. But this man, whoever he was, slipped through everyone’s fingers like water – never quite graspable, but always leaving evidence behind that he’d been there. Evidence that usually revealed itself in someone’s death.

  Her knees wouldn’t stay pressed together and her hands kept slipping out from between them. She couldn’t seem to keep her feet still on the floor either, her heels bounced like little rubber balls.

  Then Carcen pulled her to her feet and wrapped her in the strength of his embrace. She rested her cheek against his chest and let the tears she’d been keeping dammed up free.

  “Dev. It’s going to be alright.” He smoothed her hair away from her face.

  She shook her head. “I can’t do this.”

  “Yes you can. We can.” He kissed the top of her head.

  She clutched handfuls of his shirt. “I don’t know how to catch him. And I don’t want anyone else around me getting hurt because of him.”

  “We’re going to figure this out, Dev.”

  “I need your help.” She held her breath. Would he agree?

  He nodded. “I know. I’m here. Of course I’ll help you. We all will.”

  “No.” S
he pulled back and looked him in the face. “I need your help to disappear again.”

  Chapter 17

  Carcen felt the plea like a gut-punch to the solar plexus. He cupped her face with both hands and dropped his forehead against hers. He closed his eyes and just held her. This all felt like too much. He’d give her and Marissa up in a heartbeat if he thought it would really save them from this guy. But the man had proven adept at finding her this second time. Wouldn’t he just find her again? Had she thought that through? Running from a guy like this was not the answer. The only answer was justice.

  He shook his head. “Dev…”

  She laid one trembling finger across his lips. “Carcen I can’t keep going like this.”

  “I know. But we can’t overreact here.”

  “Overreact!” She jerked back from him, her voice rising to a level that had Marissa stirring on her bench. “I am not overreacting! People’s lives are at stake. Your parents’. Cops’. Marissa’s! Yours.” Her voice broke on those last two words.

  He closed his eyes. His heart might just break right along with her.

  This was not the place to have this discussion. He glanced back at Niemeyer. “Can you finish up here?”

  “Sure.” She nodded and then looked over at Devynne. “I know a guy who can help, if you do decide to, you know, disappear again.”

  “Shannon!” He hadn’t meant to snap so vehemently.

  Shannon smacked the lid of the little box shut with a slap. “What? I’m just trying to be helpful.”

  “Well don’t. She’s not going anywhere.” Carcen stepped over and touched Devynne’s elbow. “Let’s get Marissa home and talk about this some more, alright?”

  But Devynne didn’t seem to be listening to either of them. Jaw slack, her gaze hung fixed on the top of the jeweled box. She took a step nearer to the table.

  The look on her face launched a wave of excitement through him. “What is it, Dev? Something you recognize?”

  She reached toward the box but paused just short of touching it and looked over at Shannon. “May I?”

  Shannon pursed her lips, but then nodded. They’d already pulled all the evidence they were going to get off of it, anyhow.

  Dev picked up the little egg and turned it around in her fingers, examining it from every side.

  Devynne quivered with shock and recognition.

  The box was metal – silver. And ornamented with precious stones. Inset emeralds, sapphires, and rubies created an intricate Celtic knot on the top of the hinged lid.

  Slowly she flipped the case upside down and examined the underside. Sure enough. GE-1079 was etched into the metal there. But it was the little claw-footed leg of the piece that interested her. The leg nearest to the G. She pulled the piece closer to her face and angled it toward the light. The dent was there. Exactly as she remembered it.

  “Carcen?” Her voice emerged thready and soft like it was coming from far, far away.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “I think I know where he got this. Or at least I know where someone bought this.” Disbelief kept her eyes glued to the marred spot.

  “That’s great, Dev. Where?”

  She rotated the ovoid belly-up and showed him the engraving there. “Genesis Expedition prop number one thousand and seventy-nine.”

  “That’s what that means? You’re sure?”

  She felt her head dipping up and down as though it belonged to someone else. Even as she pointed to the damaged leg and looked up into Carcen’s face. “I dropped this on accident during one of the shoots. The director was quite put-out because it was a piece he’d had commissioned especially for the movie and planned to auction off after its release as a fundraiser for a charity that helps indigenous peoples of South America. In the end they didn’t cut the scene of me dropping it from the movie, and at the auction it went for more than they’d hoped because I’d damaged it.”

  A glitter of excitement lit up Carcen’s blue eyes. “I told you. They always make a mistake of some kind, Dev. Always.” He motioned to Niemeyer and she picked up her tablet and stylus again. “Where did the auction take place?”

  “It was a little art gallery.” She rubbed her forehead, trying to remember all the details. “Right on Sunset Boulevard… The name was something about memory… Remembering, or something like that… No! Remembrandts—”

  “—Remembrandts!”

  Devynne said the name at the same time as Shannon. Startled, she swung to face her. “Yes. Spelled like the painter. How did you know?”

  Shannon angled Carcen a look. “That’s the same auction Stephan Abernathy was hurrying home to attend when he got that ticket. My friend emailed me this morning with the information he was able to pull together on it. But I haven’t had a chance to look at it yet.” Shannon glanced back at her. “The auction was in September, right?”

  She nodded. “Sounds about right. The movie premiered on June fourth. And the auction took place about three or four months later. By that time I was shooting Surf Justice in Hawaii and I had to fly back for the auction. Steven Chadwick – he was the producer for Genesis Expedition – was thrilled with the price it brought. Other items from the set were auctioned too. We were all happy to have raised so much for the charity.”

  “That’s really helpful, Dev. That gives us a huge lead. We’ll get on it right away. But for now…” he glanced toward the walk out front. “We need to get you two out of here. With the new security system at your house, I think that will be the safest place.”

  Devynne felt her heart rate kick up just at the thought of walking out into broad daylight. She backed up a step and the table behind her pressed painfully into her legs.

  Carcen held up one hand. “We have a squad car right outside, Dev. All you have to do is cross the sidewalk and then you’ll be behind bullet proof glass.”

  She swallowed. “What about when we get to the house?” She pictured the long stairway from her driveway down to the house. Bushes and wild greenery covering the hillside in each direction. Plenty of trees to hide anyone who wanted to do Marissa, or her, or Carcen for that matter, harm. Still, she’d have to go home to get some things before she and Marissa could start a new life somewhere.

  Carcen tilted his head and stepped closer. “I’ve already got a team headed to your house to make sure all’s clear. We’ll get you home safe and then we’ll have time to talk about this crazy idea of yours.” He reached up and swiped an escaped curl behind her ear. His fingers lingered against her neck as his thumb traced a hot trail along her jaw.

  Devynne forced herself to breathe normally and step to one side. “Fine. Let’s get going.” If she were going to have the strength to leave, she really needed to get a grip on the feelings Carcen so easily elicited.

  Carcen glanced back at Niemeyer. “You good here?”

  She waved a hand. “I got this. You go. I’ll meet you and Harry at the station at say…” she glanced at her watch, “three-thirty this afternoon?”

  As he scooped Marissa up off the bench Carcen nodded. “Sounds good. I’ll call Harry. See you then. Oh and, considering this, I want a rush put on that background check I asked for on Wiseman.”

  Wiseman? As in Randy? Devynne felt lightheaded but Carcen didn’t give her time to question why he was checking on the man.

  He faced her. “Alright. We hit the door running. You first. Sanchez will have the car door open. You jump in and slide all the way to the other side and we’ll be right behind you. Got it?”

  “Got it.” Devynne swiped her sweaty palms down the fronts of her jeans.

  “Alright, let’s do this.”

  Panic threatened to paralyze her. She touched his arm. “Carcen you’ll take care of her if…?”

  His face softened. “Nothing’s going to happen. But, yes. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  She let out a slow breath. “Okay, I’m ready.”

  Carcen signaled to the men out on the walk and one stepped over near the cruiser idling t
here.

  “On three.” Carcen counted them down and then they dashed across the walk. Devynne dove into the back seat and scooted as quickly as she could to the other side. No shots ripped through the afternoon quiet. No hooded men rushed them from the crowd. No projectiles hurtled their way. Nothing.

  Devynne pulled in a shuddering breath, feeling a little silly over all the hoopla the department was going to. But the memories of black gloved hands around her throat and Marissa holding out what could just as easily have been a bomb chased away all thoughts about frivolousness. Not to mention that a man had been lurking in the women’s bathroom waiting for them.

  The car lurched away from the curb and Devynne laid one hand on Marissa’s back, thanking God, once again, that the assailant hadn’t hurt her.

  Chapter 18

  At the house a squad car was already parked in the driveway. Glancing down the hill, Devynne could see two officers, all geared up, searching the shrubs, guns at the ready. The radio at the front squawked out a stream of numbers interspersed with words, but she couldn’t make head or tails of what they were saying.

  Carcen listened intently though and finally nodded his head. “Alright. We do it that way. Get them up here.”

  Officer Donny Sanchez nodded and spoke into the mic. “Ten-four, that’s a go. What’s your twenty?”

  Another car pulled in just behind them. The radio blared, “On your six now, Sanchez.”

  He glanced in the rearview mirror and then nodded at Carcen.

  Carcen leaned toward her. “The boys have been able to clear the house. And we’ve cleared the area immediately surrounding the house—”

  “How do you know for sure?”

  “We have a thermal imaging camera. If anyone was in the bushes, we’d be able to see their heat signature.”

  Devynne swallowed.

  Carcen continued. “What we can’t account for is someone out on the water. They’d have to be in just the right spot, and we don’t see anyone out there, but a good sniper might get a shot in from the water. We’re going to use shields. Two officers will go down ahead of us. I’ll carry Marissa, and we’ll go as quickly as we can but we need to stay together as a group to keep the shields tight.”