Deep Into The Night (Hartz Island Series)

by Loy, Tracie Ingersoll

  “What exactly do you do?” Cassie asked, holding up a platinum blond wig. She pulled it on and tucked her hair under it. “You mentioned something about role playing and stuff.”

  “In addition to my botanical farm, I mend broken souls.”

  “Oh.” That was not the answer she expected.

  Cassie waited for her to continue, but she didn’t. An odd feeling settled in her stomach. Montana stared at her, smiling. Not wanting to be put on the spot, she swished the blond wig to let it fly.

  “So what do you think?” Cassie found a mirror in her box and studied her reflection. A couple of times she’d thought about taking the plunge and going blond.

  “I find when people play around with the wigs, it allows them to be someone else that is hidden away. Maybe someone more enticing and less inhibited, like with flirting and sex. Try this strawberry blond one and see if you feel a difference.”

  Cassie adjusted the hair and studied her image. It was different, and she didn’t expect it. She’d always been her original color, sable to almost pitch black, but maybe she shouldn’t have.

  “Sassy. Definitely flirty. Sexual.”

  She replaced it with the blond one to compare. Montana handed her black framed glasses, which she put on. Cassie laughed when she saw her image.

  “Stripper. I could see a strip act going on.” She played around with the glasses and expressions. “What’s weird is I should have known all this.”

  “Why?”

  Cassie shrugged. “I just should have, that’s all.” Tugging off the wig, she put it aside and continued to sort through the box.

  “What do you want to be?” Montana asked. Cassie looked at her sharply. “You know, walking on the beach. What color?”

  “Oh. I see. Do you have any gray wigs? I could be an old woman.”

  “No, but we can stop off at the variety store and get gray hair spray. Halloween is coming, and they should have supplies in. Pull out some wigs you think you might use. I have a feeling if Jack is like Kip, this will not be the only time we go out in persona. There should be a honey-colored wig in the box, which I’ll wear. We need jackets, coats, and scarves. What do you have at the house?”

  “Not much. I’m guessing none of my mother’s clothes are there any longer.”

  “We can stop at the secondhand shop and see what they have.”

  They sorted through the two boxes and filled a bag with what they thought they needed. Montana had Cassie search the downstairs closet for coats and hats while she retrieved a box of Wellington-style boots. Within a few minutes, they were back in Montana’s Saab heading toward the store. Cassie stared out the window, looking at the island that she’d ignored for the last eight years. At that moment, she wanted a break of being Cassie Ryan on the run. Unsnapping her seatbelt, she flipped around in her seat and grabbed the bag with the wigs. She glanced over at Montana, who looked a little startled.

  “I think I want to be someone else for a bit.”

  “I understand.”

  It was between the platinum and light auburn. She chose auburn. Cassie flipped down the visor mirror and adjusted the hair. A slow smile formed.

  “I like you as a redhead.”

  “I was just thinking the same thing.”

  Montana pulled in and parked by the church-sponsored thrift store. “The good thing about this store is Margery Anne, the minister’s wife, has been taking lots of trips to other thrift stores to exchange for product that’s been donated here.”

  “That’s very nice of her.”

  “Hmm, yes it is. I think she has an ulterior motive.” Montana laughed. “But then that’s me. The bottom line is she has nice taste and really keeps things moving, bringing in great choices. The store has quite a little tourist trade following. The money is used for various charities like the woman’s shelter and…”

  Montana stared out the window, so she did too. Other than the backside of a slender, blond woman in a black trench-style coat leaving the store, she couldn’t see who or what Montana was looking at.

  “Quick, put those black glasses on. I don’t want her to know who you are. I mean see you.”

  “Who?”

  “Margery Anne. She’s exiting the store.”

  Cassie couldn’t see what the big deal was, but she followed Montana’s order. The woman waved to someone in the store, then turned around and exited the thrift shop. She hesitated but then got in her car and left.

  “She was on the ferry yesterday, too.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. She had a designer handbag just like my friend purchased recently. I was sitting across from her at a nearby table, and I was impressed she had the same one. Very few places carry them.”

  “We need to tell Jack and Kip. How fast can you shop?”

  “Recently, I’ve learned not to linger.”

  “Good. While you go in there, I’m going to the Five and Dime just down the street to see if they have gray hair spray. I’ll meet you back here.”

  Cassie was impressed with the secondhand store, to the point she needed to come back and shop for herself when she had time. She found everything she needed, all appropriate for an October day. She exited the store the same time Montana pulled up, barely allowing her time to buckle up before speeding away. She still didn’t understand Montana’s urgency.

  Montana finally slowed to turn onto Blue Heron Lane. Before she could tell Cassie to hide, she did.

  “I wished I knew what was going on around here, because all I feel like I do is duck down. If I were having an affair with a married man, I could understand it, but I’m not.”

  Montana laughed, put on large sunglasses, and slightly covered her face. “Didn’t Jack tell you?”

  “No, Jack did not. But you seem to know.”

  “Hmm…I don’t want to divulge information, but I will tell you this, Jeannie and I stumbled across something last spring involving Rob Armstrong. He’s the guy who is renting your neighbor’s house.”

  “And?”

  Montana parked her car out of view, along the side of the Ryan house. “That’s a good question. Now that I think about it, I’m not sure I know much more. But I need to. Let’s go and be ready when Jack shows up.”

  They loaded their arms with the items and headed in. Cassie thought they should take everything upstairs to the loft bedrooms. That way, they could lay everything out and see what they had.

  Montana picked out a honey-colored wig and pulled a brimmed cap down around the hair. She dressed in a navy blue woolen poncho and boots. Cassie knotted her hair in a bun, and tied the scarf around her head to see how much hair showed. Next, she bulked up her body with a hooded sweatshirt, rolling the hood into a collar, and then covered it all with the car coat she’d just purchased. The jeans and boots added additional visual weight. Cassie checked her appearance in the mirror. She swore under her breath. What in the world had she been thinking? Jack had eyed her thoroughly in Los Angeles. With gray hair, she was only one skin tone away from Maria. She couldn’t take the chance.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m feeling a redhead moment instead of an older woman.” Cassie quickly removed everything but the jeans and boots. She adjusted the shoulder-length auburn hair, and then slipped on the coat. From a distance, no one would recognize her.

  “Cassie? Cass? Montana?” Jack hollered.

  “Jack, we’re up here,” Montana called. “We’ll be right down.” She turned to Cassie. “Wait until he sees us.”

  “Yes, wait,” she replied under her breath.

  Taking a deep breath, she followed Montana down the stairs. Calm on the outside, queasy on the inside. If she got past Jack’s initial reaction of her being in a disguise, Cassie thought she would be fine.

  Jack watched the two
women descend the stairs. Montana was grinning, but Cassie seemed nervous.

  “Hey, I hardly recognized you two. You look great.”

  Montana’s smile widened, but Cassie looked relieved. And why was that, he wondered. The thought had occurred to him she’d pulled a quick one in Los Angeles. After all, she was an actress. He studied her a bit closer and really liked her with auburn hair.

  “Jack, you’re never going to believe who Cassie saw on the ferry yesterday. Margery Anne. She was coming out of the thrift store, and Cassie recognized her.”

  “Interesting. Do you remember seeing her with those two men in the photo?”

  Cassie closed her eyes for a few minutes before answering. “If they did, I don’t recall them together, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t. I was waiting in the snack bar area when she sat down at a table away from me. No one joined her. The only reason why I paid attention to those men was because they were walk-offs with me, and…rude.”

  “But you remember her?”

  “Yes,” she nodded her head.

  “Just out of curiosity, why did you notice her in the first place?”

  “Her purse. Unless it was a knockoff, she paid well over a thousand dollars for that purse.”

  “Oh. Thank you for being observant.” Cassie’s mouth twitched in a way that reminded him of when she was a teen and had information. Jack raised his eyebrows. “And?” She hesitated for a moment, which he found amusing.

  “There are only two places in the United States where you can buy one. Los Angeles and New York. Period.”

  “I’m not even going to ask how you know this. When we get back, write down all the information you know about her purse. So, what car was she driving today?”

  Montana said, “I think the usual gray sedan. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

  “Let’s get going then. I don’t have any of the equipment from my work, so we’re going to improvise. Kip loaned me these cellphones that have a protected line. We’ll use them instead of an ear piece and microphone. You’ll each have one on you, taped to your body or clothes. I’ll have the receiving cell with me, so when you’re walking, you can describe what you see.” He pulled the phones out of a small box, along with a roll of duct tape and handed them to the girls. “I’ll let you figure out where to put them.”

  He watched while Montana taped hers to the inside of her poncho. Cassie tried taping hers to the shirt, but it was too heavy and kept falling open. She might be on the thinner side, but her breasts were still nice and rounded and had been since she was fifteen. When he and Mike were there in the summer, Marie Ryan had made Cassie slip on a T-shirt over her skimpy bikini top. That didn’t stop Cassie one iota. Somehow, her white T-shirt ended up very wet and very see through. At twenty-one he’d noticed and still did at forty-two. He chuckled.

  “What is so funny?” Cassie glared at him, which he found comforting. At least she hadn’t lost all of her spunk.

  “Do you need my help?”

  She threw him a look and continued trying to affix the phone to her shirt but then got frustrated. “Okay. I need your…assistance,” she muttered.

  “First off, you don’t want to tape to your skin because it will kill you to pull it off.”

  “Duh.”

  “I have an idea.” Jack made a saddle for the phone and then created a necklace. “Come here and turn around.”

  She lifted her hair up, turned, and looked at him over her shoulder. Her lips parted, and her light gray eyes locked onto his like a heat seeking missile going straight to his balls. Damn, he hadn’t expected that reaction. He cleared his throat, averted his eyes, quickly taped the ends in a knot, and stepped away. What the hell just happened? This was the most annoying person he knew, and she had just given him the beginning of a boner. He took a couple of deep breaths.

  “So, how’s that? Better?”

  “Much better. Thanks.”

  She glanced up at him and smiled. Jack didn’t think she was aware of what just happened.

  He had both women walk fast around the living room and up and down the stairs, making sure the phones did not dislodge. Next, they tested walking and talking. With everything working properly, it was time to go. Cassie headed to the shed for props and returned with a small bucket and walking stick. She met Jack and Montana just inside the kitchen door. Jack pointed to the front.

  “There’s a spot just on the edge of the property where I’m going to be standing. I’ll be able to see you at all times—”

  Montana stopped him. “Jack, that’s not going to work. You don’t want us to start on this end of the beach. Rob Armstrong will know we came from here. We have to start at the other end and go back that way when we’re done.”

  He digested Montana’s thoughts. “You’re right. I hadn’t thought of that. I need to rethink this and figure out my position.”

  “You’re not coming with us?” Cassie’s eyes widened. “You’re not going to walk on the beach with us anywhere? Like throw a Frisbee or jog? Some guy thing?”

  “I hadn’t planned on it, but that doesn’t mean I can’t.” He looked at Montana, who shrugged, and then back to Cassie, who just stared wide-eyed, biting her lower lip. Her reaction caught him by surprise. “Find something to disguise me while I make a phone call. We’ll improvise.”

  He ended his conversation and pocketed his phone at the same time Montana and Cassie came down the stairs with a bag in hand.

  With Cassie and Montana sitting in the rear seats, Jack headed down the Ryan’s drive stopping at the end where it met up with the lane. “Duck down until I say it’s clear. If the camera is working, I don’t want you spotted.”

  Jack started to pull forward, and then slammed on the brakes, putting the truck in fast reverse, gassing it, and then stopping quickly. Cassie groaned and Montana made gagging sounds.

  “Sorry about that. Are you okay back there?”

  “Maybe minor whiplash. I think Cassie hit her head. What happened?” Montana asked.

  “A gray sedan just pulled in to Blue Heron Lane, and I didn’t want it to see me.” Jack leaped out and opened Cassie’s door. She was slumped over in her seat. He unbuckled her seat belt and gently tilted her up. “Open your eyes.”

  “I can’t. The world is spinning.” She groaned. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

  He scooped her up, and she slumped against him. “Just hold me tight,” she whispered, and he did.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The nausea had passed, but she still clung to Jack. After a few moments, Cassie said, “I’m okay now.”

  He lowered her feet to the ground, but she still kept her arms wrapped around him with her head on his chest. His heart beat fast, just like hers. So Mr. Calm wasn’t. How funny.

  “I don’t think I hit my head so much, but it felt more like a roller-coaster, which always makes me sick.” She pulled away. “Maybe next time you can warn us when you become Mr. Demolition Derby.”

  He laughed. “I can’t make any promises, but I’ll try. I guess I’m lucky I didn’t hit a tree.”

  “Was that a gray sedan as in Margery Anne, the Minister’s Wife?” Montana asked.

  “That’s what I was thinking. So let’s start all over.” He held the rear door open for Cassie and Montana.

  “I seem to be the only person around here who doesn’t understand what’s going on, and the importance of the minister’s wife.” Cassie caught Jack’s glance in the rearview mirror.

  “You will,” he said.

  Cassie poked him in on the shoulder.

  “When you need to know, I’ll let you know.”

  “And when will that be?”

  “Soon.”

  Jack exited the lane, drove down the road a bit, made a U-turn, came back, then went left to the very end, the furthest house a
way from the Ryan’s, fifteen to be exact. Like the Ryan’s, the dirt driveway was surrounded by trees until they reached the house, where it opened up. Jack parked his vehicle out of view from the beach and neighboring house. A jazzed up black Mustang pulled in right behind them and parked next to Jack.

  “It’s Ray,” said Montana, grinning and hopping out.

  A man dressed similar to Jack, in jeans and a light weight jacket, got out of the car and waved.

  Jack introduced Cassie to Ray Carlson, San Juan Island County Sheriff for Hartz Island. He had the same fit look about him as Jack did—not like the island sheriff of her childhood. She might not know what was going on, but she could decipher a look of interest when Ray peered at Montana.

  “I didn’t recognize your new hair color. You look good, but then you always do.”

  “Why thank you, Ray.”

  “When Jack said women, I expected your spying buddy Jeannie. Please don’t tell me you’ve conned someone else?” He winked at Cassie.

  Montana laughed. “Jeannie couldn’t. Cassie volunteered.”

  That was news to Cassie. She didn’t recall actually volunteering.

  “Since you’re in spying mode, I’m putting you in charge of taking pictures.” Ray pulled out a small camera from his pocket and handed it to Montana. “Get creative and take a ton of pictures without being obvious.”

  “Of course.” Montana flashed him a smile.

  “I’m heading out on the beach with them.” Jack handed Ray the phones. “Montana and Cassie have phones hidden on them, so if I need to tell you anything, I’ll just use theirs.” He turned to the woman and asked, “So what did you come up with for my disguise?”

  “We’re turning your sandy brown hair to gray.” Montana held up a can of hair spray to show him. “Not shaving this morning was great, so if you wear a ball cap, you should be incognito.”

  Cassie handed Jack a towel to cover his face while Montana sprayed his hair. When she finished, the women stepped back and studied his new look. Cassie shook her head slightly, not one hundred percent pleased.