Scene of the Crime: Widow Creek

by Carla Cassidy

  He tried not to notice the scent of her, a clean fresh smell coupled with a hint of sweet, blooming flowers. God, he didn’t remember the last time he’d noticed the scent of a woman.

  He consciously focused back on the issue at hand. “I realized that it didn’t look like the dogs in the yard had been fed and watered, so I took care of them and then left. Same thing happened yesterday. I was worried that maybe she was sick, so I used my key to come inside. I fed and watered Zeus and the dogs outside and then went back home.”

  He frowned thoughtfully. “I haven’t known your sister for very long, but this felt out of character for her. I was worried, and then tonight when I realized somebody was in the house, I decided to come in and investigate.”

  He didn’t feel it was necessary to tell her that when he’d seen that pink streak in her hair before she’d completely turned around to face him, he’d thought she was one of the teenagers of the town taking advantage of Lauren’s absence for an opportunity for a little party or a bit of theft.

  “This is definitely out of character for Lauren,” she said and finally laid her gun down on the table next to her. “What’s your relationship with her? Romantic?”

  “Not at all,” he replied. “Over the last couple of months Lauren and I have become good friends, but nothing more than that.”

  “Her truck is in the garage.”

  It took him a second to adjust to the leap in topic and her words sent a vague sense of uneasiness through him. “I didn’t know that.”

  She nodded. “I checked out the property. Zeus and I walked it looking for her, but needless to say we didn’t find her.” She stood abruptly. “Thank you for looking out for things here.”

  It was an obvious dismissal and Nick stood and grabbed his shotgun as she started out of the kitchen. He followed just behind her and tried not to notice the cute shape of her butt in her tight jeans.

  What was wrong with him? He was far too conscious of Lexie Forbes’s attractiveness and it made him more than a little bit uncomfortable.

  Maybe part of the problem was even though he knew Lauren and Lexie were identical twins, the woman in front of him seemed more vibrant and much prettier than her sister.

  “So, what’s your next move?” he asked as they reached the front door.

  She frowned. “First thing in the morning if she doesn’t come home or I don’t hear from her, I’ll head into town and file a missing persons report at the police station.”

  “Don’t expect much from the local authorities,” he replied, remembering a time when he’d filed his own missing person’s report and nothing had been done until it was too late.

  She looked at him sharply. “Why? Is there a problem?”

  “I went to high school with Gary Wendall, the chief of police. He tends toward big talk and little action.” Nick’s stomach knotted at thoughts of Wendall, who had been damned little help when Nick had needed him most.

  “I’ll file the report and then I’m going to ask questions and see if I can find out who might have last seen Lauren and when. I spoke to her Tuesday night so I know she was here and fine then.”

  She looked up at him and in the depths of her pretty green eyes he saw fear. “She’s all I have. I have to find her,” she said, her voice husky with emotion.

  He had a crazy sudden impulse to pull her into his arms, to assure her that everything was going to be just fine. Instead he opened up the door, flipped on the outside porch light and then stepped out.

  She followed him, her gaze automatically scanning the area as if hoping her sister would suddenly appear in the illuminated spill of the high-powered beam of light.

  “I’d like it if you’d keep me informed,” he said and then frowned. “I should have given you my cell phone number.”

  “Give it to me now,” she replied.

  “You don’t have any place to write it down,” he protested.

  “I’ll remember it.”

  Although dubious, he rattled off the number. When he was finished she nodded. “I’ll let you know if I find out anything or if she turns up here.”

  “I’d appreciate it. I guess I’ll talk to you soon.” He stepped off the porch, and as she murmured a goodbye he headed for his pickup in the driveway.

  When he got into the truck, he gazed at her once again. Lexie Forbes affected him like no other woman had in a very long time.

  Despite the circumstances of their meeting he was surprised to realize what he’d felt for her was a momentary flare of desire.

  He shook his head and started his truck, focusing his thoughts back on the missing Lauren. There was no question that mutual loneliness had forged their friendship over the last couple of months. She’d been new in town, hadn’t known anyone, and he’d been mired in grief for so long he’d become isolated from everyone else.

  Lauren had been easy to talk to, pleasant to be around, but he’d told Lexie the truth when he’d said there had been nothing romantic between them.

  There would never be romance in Nick’s life again. He’d had his one great love with tragic results. His heart would forever remain unavailable to any other woman on the face of the earth.

  He headed down the road to the farmhouse that no longer felt like home, but was rather just a place to sleep and eat, a place to exist.

  That’s all he’d been doing for a long time—existing and marking time. Lauren had definitely helped pass the time, especially the evening hours after dinner and before bedtime.

  Still, as he thought of Lauren he was filled with a sense of dread, that somehow history was repeating itself. He couldn’t stop thinking that the last time a woman had disappeared for a couple of days she’d wound up dead in a motel room.

  Chapter Two

  The night had been endless.

  Before going to bed Lexie had found a local phone book and called the hospital and the clinics in the area, but none of them would admit to having Lauren as a patient. Surely if she was in the hospital somebody would have called Lexie by now. Lexie was listed as Lauren’s emergency contact.

  The only thing that made Lexie feel a little bit better was that she couldn’t find Lauren’s purse or her cell phone in the house. She could only assume Lauren had those items with her wherever she was.

  Still, by the time morning had come Lexie’s eyes felt gritty from lack of sleep. She had tried to rest in the guest room, but had finally ended up on the sofa with Zeus on the floor next to her.

  Every sound the house had made through the night, every creak and whisper shot her up with the hope that it might be Lauren returning home. At 5:00 a.m. she finally gave up any pretense of sleep and went into the spare bedroom that Lauren used as an office.

  She powered up the computer on the desk. Knowing that Lauren used Zeus20 as a password, she checked the email to see if there was anything that might explain her sister’s absence.

  Most of the correspondence was business related, emails from potential customers asking about her dogs and her training. Others were from past customers catching Lauren up on news of some of the dogs she’d trained.

  She also checked the history to see where Lauren might have gone on the internet, but found nothing that might yield a clue as to what had happened to her.

  She drained her coffee cup and then began a search of the desk. A stack of file folders in a plastic holder drew her attention and she pulled them out to see what they contained.

  They were contracts signed by the people whose dogs Lauren was training. There was one signed by Nick, who had been bringing his dog for obedience training.

  Her head filled with a vision of the man she’d met the night before. Hot body, sensual lips and a hint of compassion in his bedroom eyes—the man could definitely be an unwanted distraction if she allowed it.

  She focused back on the folders, surprised to discover that one of them contained a contract for Lauren to provide the Topeka Police Department with two drug-sniffing dogs.

  She leaned back in the desk chair
as a surge of pride mingled with surprise. She’d known that Lauren had wanted to get into the training of working dogs, especially for law enforcement and handicapped people. From the signed contract, Lexie assumed that Lauren was truly on the way to making a name for herself, on her way to achieving her dreams.

  It was almost seven when she finished in Lauren’s office and took a quick shower. She dressed in a pair of jeans and a neon pink blouse decorated with an abundance of sequins and then returned to the kitchen to pour herself another cup of coffee.

  As soon as it was late enough she was heading into town. Her first stop was going to be the police station to file a missing persons report, and then she planned on talking to everyone and anyone to pin down the last time her sister had been seen.

  The fear that had been inside her hadn’t dissipated, but rather thrummed like a sick energy inside her chest. Throughout the long night she’d tried calling Lauren’s cell phone over and over again but it had always gone directly to voice mail. Finally by that morning she’d gotten the message that Lauren’s voice mail was full.

  Zeus walked over to her and laid his big head on her knee, gazing up at her as if asking her why his mommy wasn’t there. “I know, baby. I miss her, too.”

  Zeus barked and raced away from her as a knock fell on the door. Lexie jumped out of her chair and grabbed her gun from her purse. She knew she was probably overreacting, but she had no idea what to expect, was definitely out of her comfort zone.

  When she got to the front door she saw Nick standing on the porch. “What are you doing here?” she asked without preamble as she opened the screen door.

  “I thought you could use a friendly face when you go into town this morning.” He stepped past her and into the foyer, then turned back to look at her expectantly.

  She wouldn’t have thought it possible but the man was better looking in the light of day than he’d been the night before. Once again he wore a pair of jeans that looked custom-made for his long legs and narrow hips. His gray long-sleeved pullover clung to his broad shoulders and perfectly matched the hue of his eyes.

  “That’s not necessary,” she said and tried to ignore the ridiculous flutter that went off in the pit of her stomach. This man and her reaction to him were the last things she needed right now. All she wanted, all she needed, was her sister.

  “I know Sheriff Wendall. It would probably work to your benefit if I’m with you. And, if you want to ask questions of the people in Widow Creek you’ll find that they don’t take kindly to strangers.”

  “Why is that?”

  He looked at her in surprise. “I don’t know. I guess because we’re a small town and we’ve always looked after our own. Lexie, I was born and raised here—people know me. They trust me and that means they’ll talk to me. You’re a big-city woman with…uh…” His voice trailed off.

  “A pink streak in my hair,” she jumped in to finish his sentence. “And it was purple before that.” She raised her chin as if to challenge him to say anything derogatory.

  “And I’m sure it looked as charming as the pink,” he replied.

  She eyed him dubiously. What was his story? Why the offer to help her? Was he just a nice guy or had his relationship with Lauren been something deeper than a friendship? She wasn’t sure she trusted him, but what he’d said about getting answers made sense. People would probably talk to him much quicker than they would to her.

  “Don’t you have a wife or somebody at home who might not want you wasting your time with me?” she asked.

  “No wife, no girlfriend, just livestock,” he replied. “And a little miniature schnauzer puppy who is probably chewing on my best pair of boots as we speak.” He smiled then and the warmth and attractiveness of it fired a crazy flame deep inside Lexie.

  She ignored it. Any woman would have to be dead not to find Nick Walker extremely hot, but Lexie had learned about hot men and cold hearts the hard way. And, besides, she had a sister to find.

  “If you want to tag along, then I’d appreciate your help,” she finally agreed. “Just let me get my purse and I’ll be ready to go.”

  She went back into the guest room where she’d left her things and grabbed her purse. Before leaving the room she checked to make sure her gun was inside. Right now she believed Nick was probably okay, but in her line of work she didn’t take anything for granted. She’d travel with her gun in her purse while she was here in Widow Creek.

  Minutes later they were in her car and heading into the heart of the small town. The first thing Lexie noticed when they reached Main Street was that Widow Creek was a town obviously dying a slow death.

  Half of the storefronts along the two-block main drag were boarded up. The ones that were still opened looked worn and faded, as if it was nothing more than sheer hope keeping them alive.

  A half a dozen cars were parked in front of the Cowboy Corral, either attesting to good food or the fact that there was no place else to go to eat and spend a little time among friends.

  “The police station is up ahead,” Nick said, breaking the silence that had filled the car on the drive from Lauren’s place. Lexie wasn’t good at small talk and Nick seemed at ease with the quiet. “It’s that two-story brick building,” he said, pointing to it.

  Lexie pulled into a parking spot in front of the station, cut her engine and then turned to look at the man in the passenger seat. “Before we go in there, are you sure you don’t want to tell me anything else about your relationship with Lauren?”

  His dark eyebrows rose in surprise. “I already told you about my relationship with her. We had become good friends.”

  “And nothing more?”

  “Nothing more,” he said firmly.

  “Then why are you helping me?”

  “I don’t know what kind of world you live in with your FBI work, Lexie, but in my world when a friend goes missing you do whatever you can to help find her.” He opened the car door and got out.

  Lexie hurriedly followed and before they got to the door she grabbed him by the arm. “I think it would be best if we don’t mention what I do for a living,” she said. It had been her experience that people didn’t talk freely to an FBI agent, that they would be more likely to talk to a worried sister. Small-town law enforcement was known to be rather hostile to FBI agents. The last thing she wanted was to upset the police chief when she needed his help. “If anybody asks, I do web design for a living.”

  He nodded. “Okay, but you know it’s possible Lauren mentioned to others here in town what you do for a living. I knew.”

  She considered what he said. “Then we’ll just play it by ear, but I don’t intend to volunteer any information about myself unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

  As they walked through the door of the police station Lexie’s fear for her sister spiked nearly out of control. What could have happened to her? Where could she be?

  Filing an official missing persons report suddenly made Lauren’s disappearance more real, far more frightening. For the first time since they’d left the house Lexie was grateful that Nick was beside her. Even though she didn’t know him well, his presence made her feel not quite so all alone.

  “Hey, Carol,” he greeted the woman behind the receptionist desk.

  “Nick!” The pretty blonde looked up from her computer and offered him an inviting smile that definitely spoke of feminine interest. Her gaze slid over Lexie, the calculating look of a woman checking out her competition. She obviously wasn’t concerned by what she saw. She dismissed Lexie with a flick of her false lashes.

  Nick returned the smile and gestured toward the closed office door behind her desk. “Is Gary in?”

  “Should be on his second donut by now,” she replied wryly. “You can go on in.”

  Lexie followed behind Nick as he approached the closed office door and knocked. A deep voice indicated they could come in.

  Chief of Police Gary Wendall sat at the desk, but rose as they entered. He looked to be in his early thirties, with
blond military-short hair and a fit physique. “Nick, it’s been a while,” he said, and in his words Lexie thought she heard a touch of tension. The two men shook hands and then Wendall looked at Lexie.

  “Chief Wendall, I’m Lexie Forbes. I’m here about my sister, Lauren Forbes.”

  “Ah, our very own dog whisperer,” Wendall said with a nod. “What about her?”

  “She’s missing.” Sudden emotion filled Lexie’s chest and she had to swallow hard against it.

  Wendall motioned them into the chairs in front of his desk and then sat down. “What do you mean she’s missing?”

  “I spoke to her Tuesday night on the phone, but I couldn’t get hold of her Wednesday or Thursday,” Lexie explained. “Finally yesterday evening I decided to drive out to her place. She’s not there and I don’t think she’s been there since Tuesday. Her dogs were left unattended and that’s not like her. Something has happened. Something is terribly wrong.”

  “Whoa, let’s not jump to conclusions,” Wendall exclaimed, lines cutting into his tanned forehead. “She’s a grown woman. There’s no law that says she can’t take off for a couple of days without checking in with anyone.”

  Lexie shook her head. “She wouldn’t do that, and even if she did she’d answer my phone calls. We talk to each other every day. This is unusual for her…for us. I want to file a missing persons report. She’s been missing more than forty-eight hours. I need you to investigate her disappearance.”

  Wendall’s gaze flickered from Lexie to Nick. “What’s your role in all this?”

  “I’m Lauren’s friend and I’m concerned, and I’m here to support Lexie,” Nick replied. His voice held a coolness that definitely chilled the air in the room.

  “You aren’t stirring things up because of your own history?” Wendall asked with a lift of one of his blond eyebrows.

  Lexie looked at Nick and saw the tightening of his jaw as his eyes went flat. “One thing has nothing to do with the other,” he replied tersely.