Lost in the Dark, page 1
part #1 of Camden Point Romantic Suspense Series
Lost in the Dark
Camden Point Romantic Suspense
Gail Chianese
Contents
Camden Point Romantic Suspense
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Epilogue
Looking for More?
If you enjoyed this book…
All About Gail…
Camden Point Romantic Suspense
LOST IN THE DARK
* * *
Gail Chianese
For Dorrie
* * *
Here’s to late nights shenanigans, dancing our butts off, that time you took care of me after I got my wisdom teeth pulled (really, above and beyond), for being a fabulous friend, and for making sure I didn’t miss out on love.
Chapter 1
It wasn’t long ago that on a day like today, Ashley Medearis would have been dodging taxis, buses, and throngs of people as she made her way through the busy streets of Manhattan. She would have popped into her favorite coffee house for a cup of joe to go, then to a nearby street vendor for a churro before reporting into work. She would have held her breath as she passed alleyways reeking of urine, sidestepped garbage, and double-checked for her wallet after being bumped into. Sirens, honking horns, and chatter would have filled the air.
But it felt like an eternity. That was all before her life got turned upside down. Before she’d taken a left when she should have taken a right.
Before she’d died.
For four long minutes, her heart had stopped. Not long enough to cause brain damage. At least, that’s what the doctors said. Ashley didn’t know if she agreed with them. How else could she explain the oddities? The people no one else saw? The voices no one else heard?
Either she had brain damage, or she’d gone crazy in those four long minutes.
Neither was a good option for a cop.
So, she’d taken leave, intending to give herself time to heal. For the figments of her imagination to disappear. But for someone used to being on the go, sitting around binge-watching one show after another lost its appeal quickly. She’d needed a change of scenery, both physically and mentally, which is how she ended up in Camden Point, Connecticut. Population just under ten thousand. That was like one neighborhood in the city. It was sheer luck she landed a job as a receptionist at a private investigation firm.
Or maybe it was fate.
If someone had asked her six months ago if she believed in stuff like ghosts, karma, and destiny, she would have said no. Now? She still wasn’t sure, but she knew she was exactly where she needed to be.
As she strolled down this Park Ave., she didn’t have to worry about crazy traffic or crushes of pedestrians. There were no smelly alleys, and pickpockets were the last thing on her mind. Instead, she focused on the email she’d received earlier that morning from her police lieutenant asking her when she was returning to the force.
It was a valid question. One that she had no clue how to answer.
Just as she reached the door of LexaKat PI Services, she heard a familiar voice call out to her. Ashley turned to see Devin Blackwell, a local and internationally known artist and friend, heading her way. The two had met through her new boss, Kat, when Ash first came to town.
Devin wore a cute summer dress, topped with a sassy denim jacket and strappy sandals. It wasn’t really sandal weather yet, in Ashley’s mind, hence her own outfit of jeans, a sweater, and boots. But Devin didn’t let something as minor as the weather dictate her choices. Today Devin’s hair was black as midnight, although it could change on a whim.
She reached out to hug Ashley, causing her to play a balancing game with the three cups of coffee and the box from Elsie’s Diner.
“I’m glad I caught you. Tomorrow night. My place. Girls’ Night. Dinner, drinks, and shenanigans.”
Ashley wasn’t sure if she was being ordered to show or merely invited. “I don’t know if I can make it.”
“Of course you can. Lexie and Kat will be there, as well as Shay McNamara and Kadie Kennedy. Maybe a few others. It’ll be fun. What else would you be doing?” Devin asked.
“Work?”
“I already talked to Lexie and Kat. They said you guys aren’t working on any high-priority cases. Unless by work, you mean something else. Maybe something to do with the new yummy police detective?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Ash glanced across the town square toward the local police department. She didn’t want to think about Nate Daines and his sexy, sad smile. Or the fact that she missed him. But she had no one to blame but herself and she couldn’t even talk about it with her friend because she’d kept the whole thing a secret. And now it was over, so what was the point?
“Fine, but you can only live in denial for so long.” Devin released a dramatic sigh that was in sync with her artistic soul. “Tell me you’ll come tomorrow.”
Ash looked down at her cooling coffee. A part of her wanted to say yes. She hadn’t come to Camden Point to make friends and sink roots, but it was hard not to with someone like Devin, someone who was welcoming, engaging, and fun. Not that Lexi and Kat hadn’t attempted to include her. Ashley had come to Camden Point for a purpose, a mission, one that she hadn’t fulfilled yet.
After a moment or two, Ash shrugged. “Sure, I’ll be there. How about I bring dessert? Say, berry tiramisu?”
“Yes! Oh, my god, yes. That sounds delicious.” Devin hugged her and backed away. “Okay, got to run. My manager wants to talk about setting up a new show for me in Paris.”
As Ash reached for the office door handle, her phone buzzed. Why does everyone want to talk to me when all I want to do is drink my coffee while it’s still hot?
She balanced the coffees and her morning muffin on top of the bakery box, then dug her phone out of her back pocket with her free hand.
“Mom.” Ashley looked longingly at her coffee, knowing there was no chance she’d enjoy it hot now. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Can’t I call my baby girl without something being wrong?”
Ashley grimaced. “Sorry, you just don’t normally call during work.”
“I meant to call earlier, but your dad had a doctor’s appointment.”
“Is everything okay?” Her gut clenched at the thought. She’d known for years that Ric wasn’t her bio dad. Her mom had let that tidbit slip one day during a trying teenage moment. But it didn’t mean Ashley loved Ricardo Medearis, the man who legally made her his daughter and loved her with everything he had, any less than she had before.
“He needs to eat better and exercise. His cholesterol is too high. He’s borderline diabetic.”
“Good luck getting him to do either. He loves his ice cream too much.” Ashley glanced down at her box of muffins. Totally the pot calling out the kettle. Ashley considered herself a strange mix of nature vs. nurture. She had a lot of Ric in her, and apparently, a lot of her bio dad. Like all the bad parts. “He’s going to be okay, Mom. I know you’re worried, but Dad loves you too much not to listen to the doctor.”
“I hope so.” A soft sniffle tugged at Ashley’s heart. When she was fifteen, her mom had confessed everything. How she’d loved another man, had planned a life with him, but before she could share her joyful news, he’d disappeared. She’d met Ric Medearis shortly after. Her mom loved Ric. Ashley was sure of that, but it was clear that Eve Quilling had never forgotten her first love.
“Is something else going on, Mom?”
“I miss you.”
“You know, it’s only a two-hour drive. You and Dad should come up for a weekend. My place is right on the beach. Walking on the sand is great exercise.”
“I’ll talk to your dad, see if he can get some time away. Have you made any progress in your quest?” It was the first time her mom had asked about the search. Ashley understood that for her, there was no happy ending. Ashley’s biological dad had walked away from the woman he supposedly loved. Or he was dead.
“Not yet. We might never know what happened to him, Mom.”
“I know. Honestly, I’m not sure if I want to know or not.”
“Understandable. But I hope you understand I need to try to find him, or at the very least, what happened.”
Ashley didn’t know why she had this obsession with finding her biological father. Ric was a great dad. He’d walked the floor at night with Ashley as a baby. He’d taught her how to ride a bike, helped her with her homework, and terrorized her first boyfriend. He’d been there at her high school graduation, then her graduation from boot camp, and his was the first face she’d seen in the hospital after being shot. Ashley could rely on him, no matter what. So why was she chasing a ghost of a man who might have walked away from his family?
It was a good question. And she only had one honest answer…
Because what if he hadn’t left on his own?
After high school, Ashley joined the Navy to give her some direction and steer her away from a path better not explored. She’d seen what happened to her best friend, witnessed the arrest, and knew
Her mom had stayed quiet for a few moments, probably processing the idea of what would happen when Ashley succeeded. “I get it, baby. I just don’t know if I’m ready to face the past. Whatever that may be.”
“I know.”
“How’s the new job going?” Her mom’s sudden switch of topics didn’t surprise Ashley. Eveline Medearis didn’t sweat the small stuff or things out of her hands. She tackled the problems she could handle and left the rest up to fate. Ashley could learn a thing or two from her mom. Maybe then she wouldn’t still be single.
“Good. Kind of quiet right now, but that’s not a bad thing.”
“And you, are you still having daily headaches?”
Ashley hadn’t been having headaches, but it was an easier explanation than telling her family she saw and heard people that no one else did.
“Feeling great. I ran five miles this morning, but I should get to work before my bosses think I skipped out or something.” Ashley cradled the phone between her ear and shoulder, grabbed the office door, then hooked it with her foot. At least this way, Lexie and Kat would know she was there.
“Ashley?” Her mom hesitated, then said, “When are you coming home?”
Before she could answer, Ashley’s gaze landed on a man sitting in front of Lexie. He propped his feet on the edge of the desk. But that wasn’t what caused her to almost drop her load. It was the fact that she could see Lexie... through him.
She stood there, rooted to the spot. She sort of remembered her mom on the phone and promised to call back soon as she took in the scene before her. Kat was on the phone, and Lexie was working on her computer. Neither seemed to pay any attention to their visitor or her, which gave Ashley time to study the man. Dark hair with gray threaded throughout. Casually dressed in jeans and a Yankees jersey. At least he had good taste in teams. Olive skin, early to mid-forties. While neither woman looked her way, the man seemed to notice the minute she entered the room. Even with his hands clasped behind his head, she could see the sudden tightness in his shoulders, the slight shift of his head. He reminded her of an animal about to bolt.
Kat hung up the phone. She held out her hands. “Coffee. Finally. We really need to get a new coffeemaker.”
Ashley stared at the man. He’d turned around, watching her, not saying a word. He had dark chocolate-brown eyes, heavy brows, and as he smiled, something familiar tugged at her brain.
“Is everything okay?” Lexie sat back in her leather chair. She trained her gaze on Ashley, but for the briefest of moments, it had flicked toward the man. Still, neither of her bosses said anything about him. Nor did they introduce him like they usually would with a client.
“Uh, sorry. The coffee is probably cold by now. I ran into Devin.”
Kat plucked a to-go cup from Ash’s drink tray and headed toward the back room. “Oh, yeah. Did she tell you about Girls’ Night at her place?”
“She did.” Ash handed Lexie a cup and then sat the box of muffins on Kat’s desk. It would drive the woman nuts, but Ash wasn’t feeling too steady at the moment. She was looking at a ghost.
At first, she’d thought her eyes, or the light, had played a trick on her. But nope. She could see the chair through the man. Maybe Lexie and Kat didn’t know they were being haunted. But why was she seeing him?
A gift she brought back from the other side.
Or brain damage.
“You’re going, right?” Lexie asked.
“Going?” Her mind blanked as she stared at the man smirking at her. “Oh, to Devin’s? Yeah, I told her I’d bring dessert. So, what’s on the agenda today?”
If the other two women couldn’t see their guest, there was no way Ashley was going to mention they had a dead guy in the office.
Just ignore him, and he’ll go away.
“Nothing exciting,” Lexie said.
The man disappeared in the blink of an eye, only to reappear in the hallway. Her gaze pinged his way, then back to her boss.
“Aw, man. Lexie, you know you just jinxed us.” Kat sat down at her desk with her reheated coffee. “Last time you complained about our cases, Holly and Alan’s house got robbed, and look how things went from there.”
Lexie rolled her eyes at her best friend and grinned. “Yeah, I got engaged.”
“Not what I meant,” Kat replied. She picked up a file and handed it to Ashley. “We’ve got some background checks to do. Want to go interview some people for me?”
“Sure. Work’s work.” They’d hired her as a receptionist, but that changed to an investigator on the second day.
The man disappeared and reappeared again, this time across the room, where Ashley couldn’t steal a glance without being obvious. It was like he was testing her. She opened the folder as she sat in the chair on the pretense of studying the assignment. In reality, she was watching the man. He slipped behind Lexie’s desk, whispered something in her ear, all the time watching Ash. Lexie didn’t acknowledge him.
Or did she?
For a brief second, her hands had stilled over her keyboard.
Was her boss thinking? Or had she heard the ghost? Kat focused on her coffee. Actually, the woman sat at her desk, eyes closed, and inhaled the rich aroma. Kat had three loves: her husband, Shawn, chocolate cream pie, and coffee.
The ghost hadn’t taken his eyes off Ash. His presence explained a lot of the odd feelings she’d had since coming to work for LexaKat. Like why she was constantly freezing in the office. Then again, she’d experienced that same feeling of being watched, cold chills, and the continual urge to look around her in many places since coming to Camden Point.
Which made her ask.
Was the whole town haunted? Or was this guy haunting her?
Vinnie rounded on the other two the minute the door closed behind Ashley. “Did youz two see that?”
“See what?” Kat asked, still sipping her coffee.
“Did I see you screwing with Ashley?” Lexie’s voice cut straight through him, or would have if he’d been corporeal. “Yes, and we’ve told you a hundred times. Let her be. We can’t afford for you to chase her off. She’s manning the office next week while Kat and I go away with the guys.”
“I wasn’t messing with her.” Vinnie paced back and forth.
“Vin.” Lexie grabbed her cup and headed toward the back room. “You were popping all over the office and giving her the stink eye. Ashley might not have seen you, but I did. It was distracting, and I have to finish up these reports today.”
“That’s just it.” Vinnie dropped into the vacated leather chair and swiveled around toward his girls. “She saw me.”
“What?” they both said together.
“We made eye contact.”
Kat laughed. “That sounds like something out of a romance movie. You better stick with Marilyn.” She referred to Vinnie’s girlfriend, whom he’d been dating since last fall. They’d met during a case that had almost cost Kat her life. Vinnie shuddered at the reminder. One dead woman in his life was enough, and if he could, he’d die all over again to save either Lexie or Kat. Thank goodness it hadn’t come to that.
Dying sucked. And it hurt like a motherfu—
“I’m being serious here. Ashley looked me dead in the eye. She was watching youz two to see if you would react to me. I think she was testing you.”
Lexie leaned against the doorframe. “Do you think she’s seen you before now?”
“I don’t think so. If she has, she hid it well.”
