“Well, since you’re not dating my cousin, I take it you’re available?”
She wanted to sputter, but southern ladies did not sputter. They handled even the toughest of men with aplomb. So, instead of staring open-mouthed at him, she smiled. “How sweet of you. See, you can be nice.”
Gavin slipped his arm around Ellery’s waist. “And she’s already dating me—interrogation or not.”
Ellery turned her smile to Gavin. So, he was really interested in her. “That I am. But I appreciate you being here because, if you don’t mind, I really think I could use your help,” she said to Ryker, who now looked amused as he poured a glass of whiskey.
“So, now that we’re all here, why don’t you tell us what’s going on?” Harper said, taking a seat next to Tinsley as everyone found their spots in the living room. Ellery took a deep breath and slipped her hand into Gavin’s as she began as far back as she could remember.
10
“Wow, who would want to kill you and Mark?” Harper looked between Gavin and Ellery.
“We don’t know, but it has to be someone powerful enough to put pressure on the police force,” Gavin told his family.
“What about that ex-boyfriend of yours? At least, I’m assuming he’s an ex since you’re kind of dating my cousin. However, that’s not the word around Charleston,” Ryker said from where he lounged back in a leather chair with one perfectly suit-clad leg crossed over his other leg. His black dress shoe didn’t even bounce from where it rested on the opposite knee as he sipped his drink.
“Ex-boyfriend?” Ellery asked. The memory of a broken heart seemed elusive, yet there. She tried to grab it then it was gone. And while the memory of working at the gallery wasn’t all the way back, she was remembering more about the gallery. Not the people in it, but of the actual gallery itself.
“Yeah, you and—” Ryker began to say before Gavin cut him off.
“She needs to remember as much as she can on her own,” Gavin explained, and Ellery decided to let it go. When she stopped trying to remember, she found she actually did remember things.
“You are up on all the gossip. Goodness. Do you belong to a charity league?” Ellery asked even as she smiled to herself imagining Ryker in a roomful of powerful southern mommas deciding on flowers for an event. Everyone in Charleston knew the town was run not by the politicians and business leaders but by the charitable women of the town. They wielded more power behind their colorful sundresses and scarves than the governor of the state.
“It’s not gossip. It’s knowledge.”
Gavin snickered. “Don’t tell me you watch those reality shows based in Charleston too.”
“Knowledge is power.” Ryker’s face slipped into a chilly mask that dared anyone to argue against him.
Ellery took pity on him. “I remember a broken heart but not a boyfriend. Or in this case, ex-boyfriend.”
“Could he have been mad enough to kill over the breakup?” Tinsley asked.
“Not many people say no to your ex,” Ryker told them as he tried to stay vague. “He’s from a very old and powerful family.”
“But it turned out all right,” Tinsley said with a kind smile. “Because if you hadn’t broken up with whoever he is, you wouldn’t have met Gavin, and Gavin would never break a woman’s heart.”
Bless her heart, Tinsley was always looking for the good.
“If she can stay alive,” Ridge muttered and then cringed when he realized he’d said it loud enough for everyone to hear. “Sorry.”
“No, it’s true. Someone wants me dead.” Ellery sighed and took the tumbler of whiskey Harper handed her.
“What does Granger think?” Tinsley asked of the sheriff.
“He doesn’t know, but he knows he’s not turning Ellery over to Charleston police,” Gavin said. As if speaking his name, Gavin’s phone rang and Granger’s number popped up on it. “Granger, what’s the matter?”
“Sorry, sweetheart. I’ll be home late. I have an officer from Charleston here at work, and I have to run him over to someone’s home real quick.”
“What?” Gavin asked as he almost pulled the phone away to stare at it.
“Now, don’t be mad, sweetheart. It won’t take long. This officer needs to check on someone real fast. See you soon.”
Gavin hung up and looked wide-eyed at the roomful of people. “Granger has a Charleston officer with him. They’re coming to check on Ellery.”
The room was silent except for Ellery’s gasp. “They’ll know it’s me by my birthmark,” she said, turning her leg so the room could see the small tan mark.
“I can take care of that,” Tinsley said, leaping up and grabbing her purse. “Sadie probably has some more things in her locker. Harper, grab them and a pair of scissors, then meet us upstairs.”
Ellery wasn’t given a chance as the petite powerhouse grabbed her and hauled her upstairs faster than Ellery thought possible. She was shoved onto the chair as Tinsley dropped to her knees and lifted Ellery’s leg. “This should cover without a problem,” she told Ellery as she dumped her purse and pulled out all her makeup. In minutes the birthmark was gone.
“Wow. It’s like it never existed,” Ellery commented.
“Now we need to make you look completely different,” Tinsley ordered.
“How do you know about all this?” Ellery asked.
“I’m an artist, and what is makeup but paint for the skin?” Tinsley asked rhetorically as Harper raced up the stairs.
“I got some bright red lipstick, some makeup, and a bright pineapple print scarf.”
“Great,” Tinsley said as she ordered Ellery to close her eyes. Ellery felt brushes running over her skin and hair as Tinsley ordered Harper around. She sat still as her heart pounded. Her mind tingled as if it were trying to pull open a door to her memories, but the door wouldn’t budge.
“There, what do you think?” Tinsley asked as she stepped away so Ellery could look in the mirror. Her hair had been quickly cut into a sleek shoulder length bob that made the angles of her face stick out. The scarf had been tied around the top of her head so only some of her hair hung out the back. The parts showing looked brown instead of blonde. Then there was her face. It looked almost gaunt in the sharp angles Tinsley had somehow created. Then with the use of eye shadow, her bright sky blue eyes suddenly looked much darker. Ellery scrunched her nose. She had freckles!
“I don’t look anything like myself. How did you do that?”
“Sorry about cutting your hair, but blunt edges change the look of your face, which I contoured with makeup. Since we didn’t have time to dye your hair, I covered the brightest blonde streaks with the brown mascara. And then the freckles are just eye shadow, so, whatever you do, don’t touch your face or they may smear.”
There was a knock at the door and Ellery looked with panic at the two women. “Don’t worry. We’ve got you,” Harper said, grabbing her hand and running from the room. They tore down the stairs, and Harper practically flung Ellery onto the couch as the men stared at them. There was another knock at the door, and Gavin finally shook his head, gave Ellery a thumbs up, and went to answer it.
“Granger,” Gavin said happily. “You decided to join us after all. That’s great, but I hope your girl isn’t going to be mad. Didn’t you have a date with her tonight?” he asked about Granger’s made up girlfriend.
“She’s going to be mad all right. This is Officer Hurst from Charleston. He needs to see your visitor to make sure she’s not a missing woman.”
Ellery heard Gavin laugh again. “Missing? She’s not missing. She’s right here. Has been since she arrived from Keeneston. We told you this already.”
“And who exactly is she?” Ellery heard the officer ask. Shoot, they hadn’t come up with a name yet.
“Come on, Gavin. It’s your turn,” Ridge barked. “Either Granger is in or out.”
Ellery’s attention snapped back to the Faulkner family as five cards were shoved in her hand. Beer, whiskey, chips, and now car
ds. It looked as if this had been a planned game night.
“He’s out,” Gavin said, opening the door. “Come on in.”
Ellery didn’t even know what game they were supposed to be playing as she tried to casually take a bite of a chip as she watched the men come into the room. Granger’s eyes flashed in surprise but then quickly went back to annoyed.
“See, she’s not the woman in the poster,” Granger said, pointing to Ellery.
The officer looked to be around forty years old. He was in a uniform, so he wasn’t a detective, which was good. Detectives tended to look more closely. “What’s your name?” he demanded.
“Emma Johnson,” Ellery stammered as she looked back and forth between them. “Why?”
“Can I see some identification, ma’am?” the officer asked sharply.
“About that,” Ellery stammered. “I kinda dropped my purse in the ocean.” Which was the truth, maybe.
“It was my fault. Emma wanted to see the container ships, and we were walking on the gangway when one of the workers slammed into her. I decided to catch her instead of her purse,” Ryker said with a shrug as he sipped at his whiskey, looking completely in control. “I think I made the right call, don’t you?”
If only Ellery felt that way. Her heart was racing. Her breath was shallow. Her palms were sweating.
“Sorry if I don’t just take your word for it, sir,” the officer responded.
“Ryker.” Ryker narrowed his eyes at the officer and suddenly the temperature in the room dropped ten degrees. “Ryker Faulkner. Both the governor and the mayor take my word. So does the police commissioner for that matter, so maybe you might want to rethink that statement.”
“Sorry, Mr. Faulkner,” the officer said nervously. Ryker had quite the reputation as a cutthroat businessman, and apparently he wielded power outside of his shipping business as well. “I need a way to identify her so I can tell my superiors she isn’t Ellery St. John.”
“Would the word of an FBI agent work?” Gavin suggested. “We can call your friend from home, Ryan Parker.”
Ellery blinked at him and then nodded. “Sure. Let’s call Ryan and Sienna. Although I’m afraid we’ll wake the baby.”
The officer was busy on his phone apparently looking up Ryan Parker. “Is he the head of the Lexington FBI office?”
“Yes, sir,” Ellery answered, hoping that was correct.
The officer let out a sigh. “That’ll work. But I’ll also need to look at your legs.”
“Excuse me?” Harper snapped. “What purpose would that serve, you perv?”
The officer blushed pink as Gavin called Ryan. Ellery saw him speak quietly into the phone as the officer tried to calm Harper. “The missing woman has a birthmark on her calf. That’s all.”
Harper looked to where Gavin gave a small nod of his head, and Ellery realized Harper had bought Gavin enough time to tell Ryan to cover for them. Ellery shrugged, stood up, and turned around, giving the officer a nice view of her legs. “I assume you don’t need me to pull up my skirt.”
“No, ma’am. Thank you. Sorry to bother you. Now if I can just get confirmation of your identity I can leave you alone.”
“See what trouble you caused, Ryker? You should have let me fall overboard.” Ellery teased Ryker as he looked as if he’d grin again. His lip twitched but didn’t smile.
“What kind of gentleman would I be if I let that happen?”
“I wasn’t aware you were a gentleman,” Ellery shot back as Harper snorted.
“Touché,” Ryker said, his lips finally curving up into something of a predatory smirk. “I think I owe you dinner to make up for it.”
“Officer, here’s Agent Ryan Parker,” Gavin said, handing the video call to the officer as he glared at Ryker who only smiled wider.
“What can I do for you, officer?” Ryan asked.
“I’m on a missing persons case, and I’ve been asked to check the identity of Mr. Faulkner’s woman friend here, but she doesn’t have an ID. Apparently it was dropped overboard when she was boarding a boat.”
“Woman friend? Are you talking about Emma?” Ryan asked, and Ellery almost sighed with relief. She didn’t know Ryan Parker, but she felt as if she owed him a hug.
“Yes. Can you identify her?”
“Sure. Bring her to the phone.”
Ellery heard the command and got up to meet the officer. She saw her face on the small screen and Ryan’s on the main part of the phone. Sienna was behind Ryan with the baby sleeping in her arms.
“Hey, Emma!” she called out and Ellery smiled.
“Hello, Ryan. Sienna. How’s little Ash?” Ellery asked.
“Thankfully asleep. You know how he is at night,” Sienna responded completely ignoring the officer.
“So, you can both identify this woman?” the officer asked.
“Yes. That’s Emma Johnson of Keeneston. The sheriff’s office is closed right now, but I can probably get them to fax you something in the morning if you really need it.”
The officer shook his head. “No, that’s all right. I have your name down. Can my boss call you if there’s any questions?”
“Sure thing. See you when you get home, Emma.”
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Sienna winked before the phone hung up.
“I’m sorry to have bothered you. Thank you for your time.”
“Of course. I’m sorry you didn’t find the person missing. Is her family looking for her?” Ellery asked.
“No. She doesn’t have any family left. But her neighbors and her boyfriend are looking for her.”
Ellery wanted to scream. Why couldn’t she remember? But instead she just nodded. “That’s so sad. I hope you find her.”
“Thank you. I’ll be in touch if I need anything else. Sorry to bother y’all tonight.”
Ellery sat back down as Gavin walked them out. An FBI agent had just lied for her. She’d known this guy for less than twenty-four hours and his family was protecting her. And now she had people actually looking for her. The door closed and Ellery finally slumped against the couch. “I should leave. Go someplace they’ll never find me and—”
“And hide for the rest of your life?” Wade asked, shaking his head. “You’re right where you need to be.”
“An FBI agent just lied for me. Won’t he get into trouble? Won’t you all get in trouble?”
“Let’s not worry about that right now,” Gavin said, taking a seat next to her. “Let’s keep you safe and work on getting your memory back. If we can prove you’re not Mark’s murderer, we’ll probably only get in a little bit of trouble.”
He smiled at her, but all Ellery could feel was fear. It was as if something was reaching out for her, but she didn’t know what it was.
“Wade and Gavin are right. Stay here. I’ll see if I can find anything out from the ex-boyfriend,” Ryker said, tossing back his whiskey and standing up.
Gavin’s phone pinged and he looked at it. “Ryan wants to talk to Granger and you sometime soon. He’s thinking the FBI may need to get involved if this is a police corruption issue.”
“Really?” Ellery asked hopefully.
“Yeah, but it won’t be immediate. Ryan will need to talk to the right people and make sure they’re not part of it.”
“Oh.” Ellery hadn’t thought about that. Now she began to second-guess herself. All these people were looking for her. Did she really do this? Just what happened to her after the party?
“I can’t tell you not to worry,” Tinsley said softly. “But know you’re not alone. I’m sorry you don’t have any family left. We’re here for you anytime you need us.”
Ellery looked around and saw the group nodding. Even Ryker nodded. “I’ll let you know if I find anything out.”
“You know, my nana used to say if you wanted to know anything that was happening in town you went to brunch at The Hartford,” Ellery told Ryker with a grin. The Hartford was a stuffy club where society dames gossiped, and the men played golf or
went shooting on the extensive property. “I’m assuming you’re a member.”
“Of course I am. It’s where all the real deals in Charleston are made. But your nana was right.” Ellery would have sworn she saw Ryker cringe before he looked to Gavin. “And you really like this one?”
Ellery’s mouth dropped open, and she was about to rip into him, but she held back because she really wanted to hear Gavin’s answer.
“I do.”
Ryker let out a long breath. “You two owe me. I’ll talk to you in a couple of days.” And then he was gone.
The room was quiet until Trent laughed. “I’m imagining Ryker surrounded by all those middle-aged matrons for Sunday dinner. They’re going to eat him alive.”
Ellery laughed right along with everyone else, but her heart wasn’t in it. Her heart was currently occupied with the sexy doctor who was looking at her as if he wanted to kiss her. And maybe this time it wouldn’t be in order to resuscitate her.
11
The pounding on the office door woke Gavin at six in the morning. The sky was starting to lighten as the first rays of the rising sun broke through the horizon. Gavin hadn’t been sleeping much. He’d had a fitful night as he thought about the woman in the room next to his. A woman he hadn’t known long yet felt he had known forever.
At the sound of the pounding, Gavin’s emergency instincts took over. He leapt from bed, pulling on clothes, and raced from the room and down the stairs. The woman who’d kept him awake last night in his thoughts called out after him, “Is everything okay?”
“Clinic emergency at this hour on a Sunday,” Gavin said, not bothering to slow down. He was the only doctor in twenty miles, so it could be anything from a broken bone to a cut to a heart attack. If it wasn’t something he could handle, he’d try to stabilize the patient for the ambulance or helicopter.
Saving Shadows: Shadows Landing #1 Page 8
