B07D56N64C (F)

by Katlyn Duncan

  ‘I should go,’ she said.

  ‘Be sure to park inside the lines next time,’ Shane said with a grin.

  She cringed and glanced at her car. ‘I’m surprised you haven’t already ticketed me.’

  He shrugged, turning his gaze on her. ‘Consider this a warning.’

  Rose couldn’t help but smile. ‘See you around –’ Something glinted from the corner of her eye, and her words cut off. Under one of the railings, the heel of a shoe wedged in the small space.

  ‘What is it?’ Shane asked.

  Rose took several steps forward. The closer she got to the water, the more her hands dampened. She tried to ignore the rush of adrenaline making her hands tremble. She reached for the shoe. A flicker of a memory filled her mind, and she had to be sure it was real. ‘There’s something –’

  ‘Don’t touch it.’ Shane touched her arm, sending a jolt through her. Their eyes met, and he lowered his to the shoe. ‘It might be evidence.’ He grabbed a purple glove from his pocket and stretched it over his hand. ‘So much for crime scene investigation. Where the hell did these guys train?’

  Rose guessed the comment wasn’t for her. She didn’t bother defending the police staff in town. The shoe was her priority. It was new evidence, but evidence that would add more questions instead of answers.

  He gently removed it from under the railing, and the other was right behind it, dangling dangerously over the side. He held it between them. If he had any clue about who the shoe belonged to, he didn’t give her any insight into what he was thinking.

  Alarm bells screamed in her head. Where did they come from? She hadn’t seen the girl wearing them when she jumped. The girl was barefoot; Rose knew that for certain.

  ‘A rose,’ Shane said under his breath. The slight tilt of his chin forced a flush to burn her cheeks.

  Could anyone else in this decade have the same bedazzled image of a rose on their canvas shoes? ‘They’re mine.’

  ‘Excuse me?’

  ‘Those shoes. They’re mine.’

  ‘You left these here?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Then, how did they get here?’

  ‘I have no idea.’

  Shane blew out a breath and flipped his sunglasses up to the top of his head. ‘What are you playing at, Rose?’

  ‘I haven’t seen them for years.’

  Shane glared at the shoe as if it had insulted him. ‘Help me out here, Rose. You say you aren’t involved, but these are yours. What would you believe?’

  Rose opened and closed her mouth a few times. ‘You think I’m a suspect?’

  ‘I don’t know what to think now.’

  ‘Well, I didn’t imagine it.’

  ‘I have no proof.’

  Rose jutted her finger out at the evidence. ‘That’s your proof.’

  He tilted his head toward the sky and sighed. ‘The shoes that you’re telling me are yours, yet, you didn’t wear them here. That’s proof? Proof of what?’

  Rose’s mind whirred with possibilities. She thought she’d donated them after clearing out the house. Seeing them again made her second-guess her memory. Not about the girl, but about where the girl might have gone.

  ‘My old house,’ she said.

  ‘What?’

  With her distraction with Pearl, Rose had hired a company to move everything out of the house. What if they missed something? ‘If we go back there, we can find proof.’

  ‘Proof that some girl went into your house and stole your clothes?’

  Rose’s chest deflated. Even if she could prove that the girl had gone into her old house, it wasn’t her house anymore. Would she be able to walk up to the door and ask the renter to look around?

  ‘What’s the address?’ Shane asked.

  She gave it to him. ‘Do you need a warrant or something?’

  ‘No,’ he said, wiping a hand over his mouth. He lifted a key from his pocket. ‘Not if I’m staying there.’

  Goose bumps raced up her skin. ‘Wait, so she took the shoes while you were staying there?’

  His jaw worked. ‘Looks like that might be the case.’

  If the girl came into town and broke into the house, she had to leave some proof of her past. Maybe when she broke in, she left DNA behind. She’d seen enough television shows to know it was a possibility, and if it were, they could find out if the girl was still alive or at least where she’d come from.

  ‘Let’s go,’ he said.

  ‘Me? Why?’ Once she’d signed the paperwork, she’d never intended to go back to that place.

  He stepped closer to her, enough that she felt his breath across her face. ‘I can’t have you wandering around here, causing trouble with my investigation. Besides, you can help and see if anything is out of the ordinary.’

  ‘Okay,’ she sputtered.

  ‘Come on. I’m driving.’

  He stalked away, and Rose took a second, drawing in a deep breath. She was an adult; she could handle an old house. As long as she stayed away from the water, she’d be fine.

  Chapter 6

  On the way to the house, Shane called into the department to tell them he was following a lead. Rose doubted he needed to, being the almost chief and all, but what did she know?

  Her hands slicked over the warm leather seat as the ocean views were closer than ever. While she was nervous about being that close to the water again and the possibility of scores of memories washing over her, instead she focused on Shane living in her parents’ house. Which room did he sleep in? She couldn’t imagine his presence in the same place as her past.

  As the streets started to become more familiar, she tried to focus more on the evidence than him. Even though every road was familiar in The Burrow, these particular roads were Rose’s stomping grounds as a kid. Many of the neighbors were the same, but some were newer, moving in after relatives died. A familial turnover that kept her neighborhood as a snapshot in her mind. Each of the homes was different, none favoring any of the others nearby. It was as if a dozen different people had come into town throughout the years and created their version of a beach house.

  Dad had built their house soon after he and Mom met and fell in love. Their story was a fairytale that Rose preferred instead of the ones in books. This one was as lush and perfect as any of those.

  ‘It’s the next one on the right.’ Rose pointed toward the pale blue house, second from the last on their small secluded beach.

  Shane smirked. ‘I know.’

  Rose shook her head. ‘Of course.’ Her cheeks burned. Her mind was a mixed jumble of the case, her fears, and the girl.

  The houses broke away from the public beach by a rock jetty, a place that their parents forbid Rose and Reen from going. According to Mom and Dad, the girls could explore the ocean, with its huge waves and unknown depths, but they drew the line at getting crushed by the rocks.

  Shane pulled into the small driveway.

  Tears pricked at Rose’s eyes as her gaze stopped at every peak and valley of the roof-line, plunging down to the front door facing the street.

  ‘It’s a nice place,’ Shane said. ‘Comfortable.’

  ‘Yeah, it was,’ she said. She walked onto the small patch of grass toward the side of the house.

  ‘Not sure how long it’s been since you’ve come here. But you do remember where the front door is?’

  Rose’s nostrils flared. Her internal walls flew up with his accusation that she was losing her memory. But the smile on his lips said otherwise. She released a breath. He had no idea about Pearl and how some of the people in town looked at her. ‘I’m looking around outside first, to see if there is anything out of the ordinary.’

  Shane rocked on his heels before nodding a few times.

  ‘Or wasn’t that a part of your training?’ Rose added.

  Shane chuckled. ‘I didn’t think anyone here had a sense of humor.’

  ‘This is Connecticut, not Mars.’ For a moment, Rose forgot all about the black pit widening in her middle. A
swirl of humor gently floated around inside of her before it quickly extinguished.

  They walked along the side of the house until her backyard opened in front of her. It wasn’t only the roaring ocean that stopped her in her tracks, but the overwhelming number of memories that assaulted her. Summer nights out on the back porch eating dinner; mostly fish since Dad loved having the stuff at least three times a week. Days spent on the beach, mostly the three girls; sometimes Dad joined them when he wasn’t working.

  ‘Rose,’ Shane called out to her.

  She blinked, turning to him. He stood on the back patio. The ghosts of her past swirled around him, but he wasn’t an intrusion. He waved her over then lifted the kitchen window from the outside.

  ‘Did she break it?’ Rose asked.

  ‘Someone broke in,’ he said. ‘I locked all the windows when I arrived. Force of habit.’

  She lifted her eyes. ‘What is the likelihood of someone breaking in and us finding my shoes at the pier?’

  ‘I don’t like numbers, I like facts,’ he said.

  Rose had the urge to give another teasing remark about his training. She bit down a smile and followed Shane as he stalked toward the front door. At least he had a reason to believe her now.

  At the front of the house, Shane had already opened the door. He rested a hand on the gun at his waist and walked through.

  A fluttering sensation lightened her insides. Someone had broken into the house. Even if it wasn’t the girl, then Shane had every right to be on high alert. She stuck close to his side.

  ‘Stay here,’ he said.

  ‘Okay,’ she said, looking around the small foyer.

  Shane stalked into the living room as if preparing himself to find the girl standing there.

  Rose peeked into the room. At least if that were the case, then they’d know if the girl was alive and could question her about the pier.

  In the time since Rose moved out, not much had changed. The real estate agency left everything the way that she had. Even the woven rugs that Mom always loved were the same. To Mom, they were more welcoming than the hardwood floors.

  Shane’s hard footfalls moved through the space.

  Rose stepped forward to get a look into the adjoining dining room. In there, everything was the same. Except it was barer than she remembered. Before renting it out, Rose had packed heirlooms she couldn’t part with into plastic containers and safely tucked them away in storage. The sheer curtains still had the chocolate pudding stain on the frilly edge. The aftermath of a particularly memorable fight between her and Reen over the last cup. While Mom made them apologize and clean it up, she and Reen soon fell into a fit of giggles after realizing that they both had pudding in their hair.

  The memory faded, and before she knew it, she was inside the kitchen, peering through the window toward the untamed ocean. The water reached out to her and then threatened to pull her back in.

  ‘Do you ever listen to instructions?’ Shane asked.

  Rose whipped around, locking eyes with him. Even though his voice had an edge to it, a playful smile tugged at his lips. ‘There are a lot of memories here.’

  ‘Understandable,’ he mused, walking by her and toward the back door.

  She followed along, careful not to step on any evidence if there was any. He’d lived at the house for days since the girl jumped, yet he hadn’t seen the open window before.

  Shane turned to her. ‘Where do you remember seeing those shoes?’

  ‘My bedroom,’ she said.

  ‘There are three.’

  She pointed to the closed door on the other side of the kitchen.

  Shane insisted on going first, but when they entered Rose’s childhood bedroom, she dashed in front of him, headed for the closet. The last place she remembered seeing the shoes.

  Several empty hangers swung from the rod. Deep scratches marred the wood surface from years of use. Rose had never noticed them since her collection of clothes didn’t leave space to see much at all. It didn’t look like Shane was staying in that room since there wasn’t even a wrinkle in the quilt of her childhood bed. She lifted onto her toes and checked the higher shelf. Her hands scuffed over the surface, but she didn’t feel anything.

  ‘Here,’ Shane said. His voice was much closer than before, and she wobbled before catching her balance.

  His body pressed against her side as he reached up to the shelf. His lips pursed with concentration. ‘I don’t feel anything up here.’

  Rose backed out of the closet and sucked in a deep breath.

  Shane crossed the room and knelt next to the bed, lifting the skirt. The corners of his eyes crinkled as they met hers.

  ‘What is it?’ she asked.

  He grabbed another purple glove, and something scuffed across the floor. He lifted an empty shoe box. Rose’s handwriting was carved over one side.

  A shiver coiled around her spine. ‘That’s proof. She came here and took the shoes. But why here?’ She gulped several deep breaths, but none of them satisfying enough for her body.

  Shane walked over to her. ‘That’s what I’m going to find out.’

  Her eyes lifted to his. She stilled, aware of how close he was to her. His eyes dropped to her lips and then slowly moved up again.

  ‘You okay?’ he asked, his voice a deep rumble.

  She exhaled. ‘It’s such a violation.’ Bumps erupted over her skin, making her arm hairs stand on end. ‘What do we do now?’

  ‘We are going back to your car,’ Shane said.

  ‘My car?’

  ‘Yes, I’m going to drop you off, and I’m going back to the station.’

  ‘This is proof of her right?’

  ‘It’s proof of something. But without processing, I won’t have any information.’

  ‘What can I do?’

  ‘Nothing,’ he said.

  Nothing. She slammed against the same roadblock as before. Before she could say anything else, he left the room. She heard him in the kitchen, checking the lock on the door and the window.

  Rose gritted her teeth and swung around on her heel as if it were her idea to leave. The house blurred by her as she strode out the front door. Tears pricked at her eyes. No, not now.

  Shane was still in the house, which gave her a minute to compose herself. She wasn’t upset over the memories or that someone had stolen from her home. In the short time he hadn’t accused her of lying or her involvement with the case, she thought things were changing. Now they were back to square one with her completely shut out of the investigation and with more questions than answers.

  By the time Shane came outside, Rose was already inside of his cruiser. She watched him out of the corner of her eyes. He locked the front door of the house and then pocketed the key. His motions were innocent enough, but she’d rather keep the renters nameless and faceless.

  The short ride back to her car was a silent one. Other than the radio chatter crackling through the walkie in the center console, neither of them spoke. Shane glanced at her a few times, but she didn’t acknowledge him in the least. Pushing wasn’t going to get her anywhere; it hadn’t so far.

  He was stubborn and only cared about his job. She supposed things were going to change once Patrick retired and there was nothing she could do to stop that.

  Once they reached the pier, Rose got out of the car as soon as it rolled to a stop. It was warmer outside than it had been at the house. She pushed the door closed and walked over to her car.

  The subtle sound of a window rolling down made her shoulders jump to her ears. ‘See you around.’ The cruiser backed out of the spot as she turned. She hadn’t noted any sarcasm in his voice but refusing to see his face didn’t help.

  Flinging her car door open and flopping onto the seat, she turned on the car and rolled down the windows. Her phone stared up at her. In her rush to get answers, she’d forgotten it.

  She grabbed it from the cup holder, praying that someone from the Whinding House hadn’t called her.

  A m
essage filled her screen, but it wasn’t about Pearl. It was Reen.

  Chapter 7

  The breeze from the water filtered through the car, pushing Rose’s hair across her eyes. She pulled it up and wrapped an elastic around it. She wasn’t sure what Reen had to say, but her skin already ignited at the thought. She was still upset that Mom spoke about Reen and wondered if Reen was sneaking around behind her back to check on their mother.

  Rose opened the message app on her phone and didn’t need more than two seconds to read the short and clipped response to Rose’s text: ‘What’s going on?’

  Reen had replied, ‘Busy. What’s up?’

  A heavy sigh lifted out of her. Could Reen bother to try? Whether it was the annoyance of Shane leaving her out of the investigation or dealing with Reen’s crap, she typed out the question she wanted to ask. ‘Have you been in town lately?’

  She pressed send and waited. Going home was the last thing she wanted to do, even though Shane didn’t give her much of a choice. She wasn’t about to push her luck with him.

  A musical tone erupted from her phone.

  ‘Hell no. Why?’ Reen responded.

  If Reen hadn’t been in town or in touch with Mom, then why would she suddenly remember her? Rose had put in the effort, why wasn’t she the daughter on Mom’s mind?

  ‘Mom mentioned you,’ Rose typed back. A smile played on her lips, and then it fell, feeling the swirl of guilt within her.

  Three dots appeared on the bottom of the message before they disappeared. Reen was most likely thinking of the perfect retort. Rose put down the phone and drove out of the lot.

  As she made her way through town, her mind sifted through the events of the day. She couldn’t believe that she’d been so close to getting answers and then Shane cut her off again. Did her drive and commitment to the case mean nothing to him?

  But they didn’t know anything about each other. There was no reason for Shane to trust her.

  As she turned the corner onto Main Street, a thought bubbled up to the surface. What if she made Shane trust her? He was new to town, and when it came to the few people who moved to The Burrow, the town tended to be very welcoming. It was more imperative for him to meet the people he would be protecting. If they impressed him enough, then he’d have to thank her by sharing more information about the case once he trusted her.