Safe Harbor

by Hope White

  “I’m just a phone call away.” He pulled a business card out of his wallet. “Here, program my number into your phone.”

  She took his card and did as he’d suggested.

  Footsteps pounded up the front porch.

  “This is what you want, right?” he asked.

  “Of course.” She glanced at the fireplace.

  “Nicole—”

  A knock interrupted him. Alex opened the door and motioned Officer Adams inside. Alex cast a quick glance down the street. No sign of suspicious activity.

  Alex shut the door and made introductions.

  “Nicole, this is Officer Mark Adams.”

  “Ma’am,” Mark said.

  “Nice to meet you.”

  Alex couldn’t help but notice the tension lines in her face disappear as she aimed a warm smile at Mark, a smile of relief, of gratitude.

  “She’s not to leave the inn under any circumstances,” Alex said. “Check with me if you see anything suspicious. I’m still the lead on this case. The inn has a state-of-the-art security system. Mrs. Cavendish will give you the code. She’s back in the kitchen.” Alex motioned for Mark to speak with Mrs. C. hoping Alex could get a moment alone with Nicole.

  “Yes, sir.” Mark started for the kitchen.

  “Wait,” Nicole said. “I’ll go with you. I could use another cup of tea.”

  Without looking at Alex, she accompanied Mark through the living and dining rooms toward the kitchen. It was like she couldn’t get away from Alex fast enough.

  He wanted to say something, to apologize for whatever he did that created this breach between them, but she’d disappeared before he could utter a word.

  This was the best way to manage the situation. She was in capable hands and secure at the inn.

  “Please lock up and punch in the security code after I leave,” he called out.

  “Will do, Detective!” Mrs. Cavendish responded.

  With a final hesitation, Alex grabbed his backpack and left, scanning the street as he walked to his truck. He’d catalogued the cars in the neighborhood earlier when he’d brought Nicole back. Nothing had changed: the vintage blue Chevy was parked on the street, and a scooter sat in a driveway next door.

  The chief seemed to think the initial frenzy to get control of Nicole had subsided on the FBI’s part, and there hadn’t been another kidnapping attempt. She was secure at the inn. He had to let it go.

  As he got behind the wheel of his truck he glanced at the house. His eyes caught on the window overlooking the street, the room where he had bared his soul about Jessica to Nicole. In retrospect that had been incredibly unprofessional, yet at the time it had felt incredibly normal.

  Another reason to put distance between them. She knew it, too, so she’d pushed him away. She’d realized that he’d crossed the line and she wanted Alex to stay focused on finding a killer instead of being distracted by worrying about her safety.

  He pulled away from the inn, struggling to refocus on the case. He should call the Tech Worldwide reporter as soon as he got to the station. It wouldn’t surprise Alex if the murder were connected to Edward’s work. Alex considered how he’d pursue suspects. It shouldn’t be too hard to check alibis, especially if he got cooperation from the Seattle P.D. on the other end.

  Which made him wonder, why kill Edward Lange in Waverly Harbor? Why not do it in Seattle? Nicole recalled screaming and crashing, which indicated the killer was driven by anger.

  This was most likely a crime of passion, not a premeditated hit, which should make the killer that much easier to find. It also meant the killer was more than a bit arrogant if he thought he could casually walk into Edward’s home, kill him and walk away without leaving any DNA or trace evidence behind.

  The killer was definitely bold, probably with traits of a psychopath. He or she was a person who didn’t see the police investigation as a threat.

  His phone vibrated and he pressed the speakerphone button. “I’m on my way, Chief.”

  “Alex,” Nicole whispered.

  His gut clenched. “Nicole?”

  A scuffling sound crackled across the line followed by the slamming of the door. He spun the truck around and raced back. He called dispatch to request backup and turned the corner to the inn.

  The entire house was pitch-black.

  He whipped to the curb, jumped out of the truck and withdrew his firearm. Approaching the house, he took a deep breath to slow his speeding heartbeat.

  A gunshot pierced the night air.

  Followed by a woman’s scream.

  SEVEN

  Alex plastered his body against the house next to the back door.

  Either Officer Adams had discharged his firearm, or...

  No, he would not go there.

  Aiming his flashlight through the multipaned window he spotted Mrs. C. hiding behind the refrigerator with a rolling pin clutched against her chest. He tapped softly on the window and pointed at the door. With a nod, she tiptoed across the kitchen and opened it.

  Alex gently guided her out onto the porch.

  “The power went out,” she whispered, taking quick, shallow breaths. “Nicole was upstairs... Officer Adams went to find her. I heard a gunshot and...”

  “Go to the neighbor’s.”

  With an accepting nod, she headed toward the house next door where the downstairs lights were functioning just fine.

  He went inside and aimed his flashlight and his gun through the kitchen, into the dining room. Once he knew it was clear, he stepped into the living room where he spotted Mark on the floor.

  “Mark.” Alex rushed to kneel beside him.

  “Somebody tackled me. I’m fine.”

  “That makes one of us,” another male voice gasped.

  Alex pointed the flashlight across the room. Edward Lange’s brother-in-law, David Woods, was propped up against the door jamb gripping his chest.

  “Are you hit?” Alex went to him.

  “I’m not shot. But someone nailed me in the chest and ran out the front door.”

  “What are you doing here?” Alex scanned the room with the flashlight and noticed a walking stick on the floor a few feet away.

  “Abigail and I needed a room. We can’t stay at the lake house and didn’t want to drive back to the city.”

  Alex turned back to Mark. “What were you shooting at?”

  Mark shook his head, his face flushed with embarrassment. “I didn’t mean to. It went off when the guy—”

  “Is Nicole upstairs?” Alex interrupted.

  “Yeah.”

  Alex aimed the flashlight at the stairs and took them two at a time.

  “He never went up there. She’s fine,” Mark called after him.

  Alex wouldn’t believe it until he saw Nicole with his own eyes and held her in his arms.

  “Nicole?” he called out. “It’s Detective Donovan.”

  “Alex?”

  He turned the corner into her room just as she stepped out of the sitting area.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  Arms wrapped around her midsection, she shook her head, indicating that she was not. In three steps he was across the room holding her.

  “What happened downstairs?” she asked, her voice muffled against his jacket.

  “Someone got into the house, but Officer Adams scared him off.”

  “I heard a gunshot.”

  “He discharged his gun.” And when Alex came down from the adrenaline rush he was going to let Mark have it for losing control of his weapon.

  As she clung to him, he brushed his fingertips across her shoulders trying to ease her fear. The wail of sirens echoed through the window and lights reflected off the walls with the arrival of police and fire resp
onders.

  The Feds would probably use this incident as another excuse to take Nicole into custody. Alex couldn’t blame them. Tonight his department looked like a bunch of amateurs.

  “Was he trying to kill me?” she whispered.

  “No,” Alex said with truth in his voice. Because he was convinced the killer didn’t want her dead as much as he wanted something from her. But what? Figuring that out would help them narrow down the list of suspects.

  Voices drifted up the stairs as emergency responders assessed the men’s injuries in the living room. Talk about bad timing. David Woods walked into a mess just because he and his wife needed a place to sleep.

  Suddenly the lights popped on. A quick scan of the room eased the worry in his chest. Her room looked untouched. The killer didn’t get close enough to harm her.

  “Do you think he was here?” she whispered, casting a nervous glance over her shoulder.

  “It doesn’t look like it.”

  Alex was frustrated beyond words. How did the perp get into the house?

  “He could have been here just now,” she said. “When I...” she glanced at the sitting room.

  “Shh, there’s no evidence he was upstairs. Your room wasn’t tossed. Why did you come up here, anyway?”

  “I needed time alone to think.”

  “About?”

  “Nothing important.”

  Alex sensed differently.

  The pounding of footsteps echoed down the hallway. Alex took a deep breath. If it was the Feds he wasn’t sure he’d be able to control his overprotective instincts. There was no way he was going to leave Nicole’s side again, no matter what she said or how much the Feds demanded they take her into custody.

  Instead, Chief Roth stepped into the doorway with a curious lift of his eyebrow. Alex was holding Nicole much like a man would hold his girlfriend.

  “Is she okay?” Chief Roth asked.

  “Yes. How’s Mark?”

  “Bruised, but fine. Embarrassed that he discharged his weapon. Where’s Mrs. C.?”

  “At the neighbor’s.”

  “I thought the inn had a security system.”

  “It does. We’ll have to find out what went wrong. I don’t like the thought of putting Mrs. C. in danger.”

  “You’re assuming it was the killer who cut the lights?”

  “It’s the most logical explanation. I’m wondering if we should move Nicole,” Alex said.

  Chief Roth nodded. “Think she’d be better off with the Feds?”

  “No.” Nicole pushed away from Alex and eyed the chief. “I don’t trust the Feds. I trust Alex.”

  “This afternoon you’d asked to have someone else assigned to protective duty,” the chief said.

  “Because I felt I was keeping Alex from doing his job.”

  “You are the job.” Alex smiled down at her, then eyed the chief. “I’m guessing the killer wants something from Nicole, which is why he risked breaking in.”

  “Or there’s another explanation for the lights going out.”

  “Doubtful,” Alex said. “We need to consider an alternate location for Nicole, one that no one knows about.”

  “I’ll leave that up to you. Just keep her safe.”

  “Yes, sir.” Alex nodded at Nicole. “Pack your things.”

  * * *

  Nicole had seen safe houses in movies but none of them looked like this. Nibbling on her lower lip she eyed her surroundings: warehouse tall ceilings, rows of metal shelves half-filled with aged wood and high newspaper-covered windows. Alex thought the old mill property on the outskirts of town would be the safest spot to hide out, and she had to trust his instincts, but still...

  The place was creepy.

  “Nicole?” he said from the office door. “I’ve got the space heater going in here.”

  She joined him in the office and sat on a long, vinyl sofa complete with pillows and blankets he’d brought from the inn.

  “It’s not fancy but we’ll be safe here. Look.” He turned the computer monitor so she could see the screen. Five images popped up of the four entrances plus the view of the main road leading to the mill.

  “Wow, fancy equipment for an abandoned mill,” she said.

  “That was part of the deal when they sold the property. The development investors had it written into the contract that the mill would continue to provide security until actual development began.”

  “Aren’t we trespassing or something?”

  “Quinn is one of the investors. He gave me the code to get in and access the security feed.”

  “Nice brother.”

  He turned the computer monitor around and sat behind the desk. “Not that nice, trust me.”

  “What is it between you two?”

  “You mean besides sibling rivalry?” he joked.

  “I’m glad you still have a sense of humor.”

  He glanced at Nicole. “I would completely understand if you’d lost yours.”

  “I just wanted one good night’s sleep without any drama.”

  He motioned to the sofa. “Go for it.”

  “Now I’m too hyped up.”

  “Then how about helping me with a puzzle?”

  “Jigsaw? Crossword?”

  “It’s about the case.”

  “Right, sorry.”

  A part of her wished for a normal night with this man, a night where their biggest challenge was figuring out the five letter word for critical human organ.

  “Why do you think Edward dismissed the bodyguards for the weekend?” Alex asked.

  “Ruby says he does that sometimes. Maybe because he wasn’t planning to leave the compound?”

  “Do you have contact information for the person in charge of security?”

  “His name is Carl Whittaker. If you’ve got internet on that computer I could find his number by accessing Edward’s contact list.”

  “Here, use this.” Alex pulled his tablet out of his backpack and handed it to her.

  She navigated the website to log in to the private network where Edward kept his calendar and contact list. “Wait, this may not work.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “The password changes daily.” She entered her log in information and tried the pass code Ruby had given her yesterday: Cedar. She hit Enter and the files popped up. “Okay, let’s see.” She scanned his contacts and found Carl Whittaker’s email and phone number.

  “Here.” She handed the tablet back to Alex. When their hands touched warmth crept up her neck to her cheeks. Was she blushing, too? Drat, she definitely needed a good night’s sleep.

  “I’ll give him a call,” Alex said, studying the screen.

  She stood and wandered to the doorway, glancing at the rows of abandoned wood.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  She glanced over her shoulder. “Just tired. Go ahead and make your call. At least if you’re working on the case I’ll feel like we’re doing something productive.”

  With what she hoped was a convincing smile she turned back to studying the warehouse. She didn’t want to be a distraction, and if he interpreted her blush as attraction arcing between them that could definitely jolt him off course.

  A minute later she listened as he spoke with Carl Whittaker, asking about the absence of bodyguards at the lake house. Nic wondered how long they’d have to hide out here and who else had the code to get in. How safe were they in the abandoned mill?

  She rubbed her arms, hoping to ease the chill from her body. In reality, she had a feeling she’d be cold and frightened until the killer was caught, convicted and sent to prison.

  Which could be months.

  She couldn’t live like this for months.

  Closing her ey
es, she sighed and wondered why this was happening to her. Was she destined to be shadowed by violence her entire life? Was it even possible for Nic to live a normal, happy life with a husband, and possibly children?

  She stopped herself from going down that road. Sure, she’d dreamed of living a normal, safe life, but she didn’t think too much about having children. Since she hadn’t experienced healthy parenting growing up she feared her parenting skills were slim to none. She wouldn’t subject an innocent child to bad parenting.

  She’d learned to accept her fate.

  Until now.

  Edward’s death exposed the preciousness of life, the fleeting nature of it all. You could be here today and gone tomorrow without warning or reason.

  “I don’t like that expression,” Alex said, walking up behind her.

  She didn’t notice he’d ended his call.

  “What did Mr. Whittaker say?” she asked.

  “That the team got an email directive to take the night off and meet Edward at the lake house Saturday morning. Luckily cameras were rolling and he’s going to email me the security feed from that night.”

  “Sounds like he wanted privacy.”

  “Yes, but why? What was he hiding?”

  She glanced up at him. “You think he was into something illegal?”

  “No, I’m just stumped as to why he’d give his security team the night off.”

  “He was nice that way,” she said. “He understood that his employees had families, a life outside of working for his company.”

  “I thought you were only a temp.”

  “The dozen or so times I filled in I could tell he was very considerate. Not all bosses are like that.”

  He leaned against the doorjamb and studied her.

  She glanced up at the warehouse windows, careful not to look into his eyes. He had an uncanny way of reading her thoughts and her feelings. And right now she could use a hug.

  “What’s bothering you?” he asked.

  “Other than being a witness to a brutal murder and hunted by the killer?” she snapped. “Sorry, I’m tired of feeling scared all the time. It’s exhausting. I thought I’d left all that behind after I got away from my father but the murder brought it all back.”

  “Anxiety?”