“Dr. Nora Ridley. I am a profiler for the FBI.” Ellie stated with her best authoritative voice. The woman watched her carefully and then her eyes went back to Cade’s.
“I’m allowing you in Sheriff but my families don’t need you using who they are against them. Some of them have criminal records or are on probation.” The woman stated turning her back to them and leading them down a ramp towards the inside of the shelter.
“How many people do you house Mrs. Beemer?” Ellie asked. The woman didn’t answer but continued to lead them up another ramp and then into a small cramped office. She shut the door behind them and waved them to a small couch next to a window. Ellie looked outside and saw a faded swing set with a rusty slide sitting in the back yard. The lawn was unkept and the garage door had seen better days.
“So, my administration clerk tells me you have information about my daughter. That is the only reason I let you into this shelter. It would have been better for you to come to my house instead.” Mrs. Beemer stated. Cade leaned forward and placed his arms on his legs.
“Mrs. Beemer, have you heard about the bodies found out off of County Road M?” Cade asked. Ellie watched the woman’s face pale.
“Yes, did you…was my daughter one of them?” She asked on a whispered breath? Cade took a deep breath.
“Yes ma’am.” Cade said softly. Ellie waited for tears but they never came. She watched the woman close her eyes and then open them again.
“When can I have her body so I can give her a proper burial.?” Mrs. Beemer asked. Ellie shook her head.
“Mrs. Beemer, we just told you that your daughter was found buried in a shallow grave with several other woman. Doesn’t that bother you?” Ellie asked. Cade nudged her softly indicating that what she had said wasn’t very sensitive but Ellie felt like Mrs. Beemer was acting strange.
“I realized that Dr. Ridley but my daughter has been missing for years and I have known she was gone. This just ends the suffering of not knowing. Now when can I get her remains.” Mrs. Beemer asked, eyes full of hate and something else that Ellie couldn’t figure out. “You are Pastor Ridley’s daughter aren’t you dear?” Mrs. Beemer asked. Ellie looked to Cade and then back to the woman.
“Yes, why?” Ellie asked cautiously. The woman narrowed her eyes at her.
“He was very heartbroken about your sister’s disappearance. You should be focusing on that instead of worrying about my daughter. After you just left, you owe him that much.” She stated with hostility. Ellie took a breath and closed her eyes. Cade answered for her before she had the chance.
“Mrs. Beemer this is a murder investigation. Can you tell us about when you last saw your daughter?” Cade asked taking out his notebook. He was attempting to take the focus off of Ellie and back on the reason why they were here. The woman glared at Ellie and then turned her eyes on to Cade.
“She was supposed to come to our house for dinner on Sunday before she disappeared.” Mrs. Beemer answered. Cade wrote in his investigation book.
“Did you talk to her before that?” Cade asked. The woman shook her head.
“No, it wasn’t uncommon for me to go a few days without talking to her. She was busy with school and her life. She tried to come over once a week on Sunday’s but occasionally she would miss a day and not call us. She was flaky sometimes like that.” Mrs. Beemer stated with a small smile. It was the first time Ellie had seen any emotions regarding her daughter.
“What did you talk about the last time you talked? Was she having any issues at school or with anyone in town?” Cade asked. Mrs. Beemer sighed and shook her head again.
“She called on Friday and asked what she could bring and said she was tired. She was going to work on grading papers and going to bed early.” Mrs. Beemer stated, looking between Cade and Ellie.
“Was she dating anyone?” Ellie asked. The woman held Ellie’s gaze for a moment before answering.
“Not that I know of although she didn’t talk to us much about her life after she moved out.” Mrs. Beemer stated. Ellie’s eyes landed on a picture of a young girl on the director’s desk.
“Is that your granddaughter Mrs. Beemer?” Ellie asked. The girl in the photo had dark raven hair and beautiful blue eyes. The woman stood sharply and moved the photo. Ellie felt her body language change and the atmosphere in the room turned ice cold. Cade stood.
“Mrs. Beemer is there anything you can tell us that might help us figure out what happened to your daughter? We could really use your cooperation.” Cade stated giving Ellie a warning glance. She wasn’t usually along for the investigation part but now that she had a taste for it, she felt like there was so much more that needed to be asked, but Cade was the professional and she had to follow his lead.
“No, I just want her remains.” She stated with an ice-cold voice. Cade nodded.
“When the medical examiner is done with her investigation, we will release the body into your care ma’am. Here is my card, if you think of anything that would help us, please don’t hesitate to call.” Cade stated moving towards the closed door. The woman turned sharply.
“Your grandmother was a wonderful woman as was your sister and mother.” Mrs. Beemer stated making a point to leave Ellie out of the mix of wonderful women in her family.
“Yes, they were. Thank you.” Ellie stated without breaking eye contact. The woman glared at her and Ellie turned and followed Cade out of the room.
Once back on the road Ellie turned to Cade.
“You didn’t mention her being pregnant or having had a baby?” Ellie stated. Cade looked at her and then back towards the road.
“No, one thing you have to understand about interviews is that you don’t want to tip your hand. You don’t want to tell someone everything you have because it can compromise the case.” Cade stated. Ellie thought about it.
“You think Mrs. Beemer is a suspect?” Ellie asked questioningly. Cade’s muscle in his jaw ticked.
“I’m not sure, but better to leave that for another time. What did you pick up? I know you picked up something from her.” Cade said. Ellie smiled at him. They were starting to get into a rhythm together and it was exciting and scary at the same time. She could see herself working cases with him and being with him all the time.
“She is definitely hiding something. She didn’t seem very emotional about the discovery of her daughter’s body but I suppose it has been a long time. After a while I suppose you just know when someone you love is gone.” Ellie stated. Cade pulled up to the B & B and Ellie turned to him.
“Why are we here?” She asked. Cade took her hand.
“You have had a rough morning. Why don’t you go up and take a nap? I’ll go back to the station and check in and come back for you later. You don’t need to burn yourself out. If you really want to go with me to talk to your father, we can do it later this afternoon.” He said pulling her fingers up to his mouth to kiss. She watched him for a moment and then sighed.
“I suppose I could take a nap. Early morning exercise is catching up with me.” She said smiling at him. He got out and she watched him move to her side of the of the car and open her door.
“What are you doing?” She asked. He smiled and waved her out of the car.
“Walking you up to your room.” He stated like it was just what people did now days. She shook her head.
“You really are a gentleman and one of a kind.” She stated. Instinct had her raising up on her tip toes and had her lips on his. A moment later she realized where they were and she pulled back and looked around. “Shit, I forgot.” She stated. He was smiling at her.
“I didn’t and that was nice.” He stated and led her into the B & B. He followed her up to her room and before she opened the door, she watched him look around the hallway. Suddenly, he had her up against the wall, mouth on hers, hands in her hair and running up and down her body. She sighed into his mouth and squirmed under his touch.
“Cade.” She sighed into his mouth. He groaned.
“I wis
h I had time to come inside, this will have to do for now.” He stated giving her kisses along her neck making her have a growing need between her legs. Ellie wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him back to her mouth. Finally, he pulled back and lay his forehead on hers. “God Ellie, I want to be inside you right now.” He said breathlessly. He pulled back and looked in her eyes. Ellie finally found her voice.
“I know, later. Go tell people what to do sheriff. You can boss me around later.” She said with a raised eyebrow.
“Mmm...i look forward to it.” He growled. He nudged her towards her door. “Go take a nap. You will need it.” He said smirking at her. She turned the key and moved into her room and froze.
“CADE!!!” She screamed.
Chapter 16
Cade rushed into Ellie’s room after hearing her earthshattering scream. Ellie stood in the middle of her room which had been completely upended. Clothes were everywhere and all of her belongings had been slashed and strewn about the room. That hadn’t been what made Ellie scream. The words written on the wall of her room had been what had done it.
“Die Bitch.” It was written in red and Cade hoped and prayed that it wasn’t what he thought it was but his instincts were telling him it was blood. From what, he wasn’t sure but it was definitely blood.
“Ellie, get out of the room. Come on honey.” He stated taking her hand and leading her out of the room. Her hands were over her mouth and she was shaking. “Come here baby.” He stated pulling her into his arms. She shook and sobbed into his chest. “Hey, I gotta call this in. Let’s go back downstairs.” She shook her head.
“No, please don’t leave me.” Ellie stated on shaky breath. He watched her closely and then nodded. He pulled out his cell phone.
“Yeah this is the Sheriff. We have a problem over at the CABINN. I need you two over here now. I don’t want anyone else to know where you are going and bring a crime scene kit, are we clear?” Cade stated. He had two men he knew he could trust and he hoped they hadn’t been turned by the Chief Deputy. He moved back over to Ellie who was looking inside the room looking incredibly pale.
“Hey, are you ok?” Cade asked rubbing her back. She closed her eyes and then spoke.
“Yeah, is that blood Cade?” She asked. He nodded.
“Yeah, probably. I hope its animal blood and not anything else or we will have a whole new problem on our hands. You can’t stay here. Someone or more than one person knew you were here and I need to go talk to the owner.” Cade stated. A few moments later, they heard footsteps coming up the stairs and finally two deputies arrived with a woman in her 60’s. Good now he didn’t have to leave Ellie.
“What happened?” The woman asked looking between Cade and Ellie with fear.
“Someone broke into Dr. Ridley’s room, trashed it and left a very threatening message on the wall in what is probably going to turn out to be blood so I need you to think really hard about who was around here today asking questions about your customers.” Cade stated, turning to his deputies. “Secure this room and look through everything. I want fingerprints, everything in the room is evidence and I want an analysis of that substance sent into the lab as soon as possible. This is a priority.” Cade stated with a growl. Ellie grabbed his arm.
“Cade you can’t pull your men off the case to investigate this. It’s my problem and not more important than all of those girls.” Ellie said still not looking like herself. He couldn’t believe only minutes ago he had been contemplating pushing her into her room and having a quickie before returning to the station. Now his fear for her life was his driving force.
“You are not safe and for some reason someone wants you out of town. You will move to my house and I don’t want to hear another word about it.” Cade stated with his hands on his hips. She smiled at him and he shook his head.
“What are you smiling about, this is serious.” He stated. She moved forward and leaned in to whisper in his ear.
“You look hot standing there being all bossy.” She stated and then pulled back. “Fine, but this is just putting us both at risk.” He gave her a lopsided grin.
“You will be in good hands. Trust me.” He stated winking at her. She blushed. He liked it when she did that.
He turned to the bed and breakfast owner.
“Now, I need to know what’s going on and how someone got a key to get in her room.” The woman blushed.
“I…I really don’t know Cade. You know that I would never tell anyone customer information.” Mrs. Kramer stated. “If I had known you were the Pastor’s daughter, I would have given you a much better room my dear. Do you remember me from school dear?” She asked. Ellie huffed.
“Yes, I remember you treated me like I was some weird freak.” Ellie stated. Cade smirked at Ellie’s boldness and reminded himself that if they were going to be partners for this investigation, he would need to give her some interview tips. The woman blushed and then scowled at Ellie’s boldness.
“Your grandmother was a good friend. She died way before her time.” She stated. Cade watched Ellie’s face change emotions.
“Yes, she did. Now, tell us who had access to my room besides myself.” Ellie asked. Cade liked that she was trying to get the owner back on task.
“Well, the sheriff, myself and our housekeeper. She left early today due to not feeling well.” Cade caught Ellie’s eyes and then went back to Mrs. Kramer.
“I need a name and address.” Cade stated. “Anyone one else that came into the INN today?” Cade asked. The woman thought about it and then turned back to Cade.
“The Chief Deputy came by earlier. He said he needed to talk to Nora about the case. I figured he was here on official business for you Cade. He is law enforcement.” Cade looked at Ellie and back to Mrs. Kramer.
“What time was that?” Cade asked taking out his notebook. The woman thought about it again.
“Oh, about 7ish I suppose. I was cleaning up the breakfast bar when he came in, waved and headed up the stairs saying he needed to speak to the Doc. He said it was official business. I wasn’t going to argue with the law Cade.” Mrs. Kramer stated looking between Ellie and Cade. Cade could feel his blood boiling. He did not want to think that his own Chief Deputy had trashed Ellie’s room or written those nasty words in blood but he had been acting so erratic lately that he thought maybe he really didn’t know him as well as he thought.
“Anyone else come in that maybe you didn’t know or distracted you?” Cade asked. The woman shook her head.
“Not that I remember. I did hear the bell above the door just after the Chief went upstairs but when I came out to the registration desk, no one was here. I just assumed he had left.” The woman stated wringing her hands together nervously.
“What time was that?” Cade asked. The woman looked at Ellie and then back to Cade.
“Um, I don’t know. A little after the Chief so 7:15.” She stated. Ellie and Cade were already at Badger Brew and it hadn’t been too long until Hank had been standing at the table in front of them. He could have very easily seen them leave, waited until the coast was clear and then went in and trashed her room But, was he the type to write “Die Bitch” in blood on someone’s wall? Hank might have been angry about not winning the election and he might be lazy, but he wasn’t a killer and he didn’t think Hank would hurt Ellie.
“Dr. Ridley will be moving out of the B & B and going to a secure location. If anyone, and I mean anyone comes around here asking where she went, I want to know right away. Are we clear?” Cade asked. The woman nodded and looked to Ellie.
“I’m sorry Elinora. I never meant to make you feel bad. I just didn’t understand your visions until I talked to your grandmother years later. I shouldn’t have been mean.” She stated. Ellie moved up next to Cade.
“It was a long time ago. It’s forgiven.” Ellie stated. Mrs. Kramer went back down the stairs and Cade turned to look into Ellie’s room.
“Now what?” She asked. Cade shook his head.
“This who
le room is a crime scene. You will need clothes and toiletries. I guess we go shopping later.” Cade smiled at her.
“Ugh, I hate shopping. Luckily I had my computer bag and my grandmother’s journals with me.” Ellie stated with a smile. Cade leaned into the room.
“Make sure you guys cover everything and then put the report in my office and lock the door. I’m going to go get Dr. Ridley to a secure location and then I will be in. Don’t talk to anyone. From now on, you two are on special assignment.” He stated to the two deputies. Deputy Edwards and Deputy Grady nodded and continued their work.
Cade led Ellie out of the B & B back to his car. She was quiet.
“Are you ok?” Cade asked. She turned to look at him and he could see fear in her eyes.
“I don’t know. Someone obviously isn’t happy about me being in town.” She said turning back to the passenger window as they headed through town. Cade lived just on the outskirt of town down a long driveway. He had trail cams set up all over his property and flood lights that lit up the yard like it was daytime if there was any movement. It wasn’t a safe house but it was the safest house for Ellie. He could protect her here and he didn’t want her out of his sight. Someone was after her and he felt it had to do with the case.
“Cade, oh my God. Your house is beautiful.” Ellie said breathlessly. She had turned from the window and was looking through the front window of his SUV. Cade had saved as much money as he could during his military days, and once he had returned home, he had decided he wanted a cabin built big enough for him and any future family. His mind always had Ellie as the leading lady but he always thought it was just a fantasy. Now he could actually see it happening. He didn’t want to push her and maybe having her even closer to him would help change her mind about going back to Seattle.
“Thanks, I have worked my ass off getting the yard the way I want, but I still have a lot to do. It’s hard when I’m hardly ever home. Oh, speaking of homes. Your house is clear and we can start renovating. Given the recent events, I would say it’s not a priority right now but at least you can go get anything out of there that you might want.” Cade stated. He watched emotions move over Ellie’s face.
Visions Of The Past Page 12
