Lost in the Dark, page 13
part #1 of Camden Point Romantic Suspense Series
“Okay, I’ll tell you, but you have to promise me what I say here stays between the two of us.”
“Cone of silence. Spill all.”
Ashley told her about the deadline her lieutenant gave her, also that Nate knew she was going back to New York at some point and had told her he didn’t care. To just let whatever this was between them have free rein. She left out the part about having amazing sex. Instead, she skipped to the important part. How could she get emotionally involved when she knew it was a recipe for disaster?
“Wait.” Devin held up her hand. “Why are you jumping straight to the end? And why does it have to end?”
“Dev, my life is in New York.”
“Is it?” She tilted her head to the side and stared. Ash wasn’t sure if she was waiting for an answer or studying her for one of her projects. Finally, Devin sighed and rolled her eyes. “Look, I know you’re determined to return to the city. I get it. That’s where you grew up, but I don’t think that’s where your life is.”
“What makes you say that? My parents are there. I have friends on the force, a job, an apartment—”
“That’s not living. You’ve told me about your”—she used air quotes to get her point across—“life. You get up, you go to work for like twelve to sixteen hours a day, and then you come home. That’s not living. It’s existing.”
So, yeah, she hadn’t really been doing much more than work for the past couple of years. But that didn’t mean she’d just been existing. Cops put in long hours. And it wasn’t like she’d found anyone worth dating… until now.
“For what it’s worth, I think you should give him a chance.”
“Because you hope that if I fall for Nate, I’ll stay here?”
“It would be a plus, but more because I think you like him. You light up when he’s around.”
That was ridiculous. A blatant exaggeration that she wanted to deny. But when Ashley opened her mouth to call bull, the words refused to come. Finally, she gave up and pressed her fingertips to her forehead. “Okay, yes. I admit it. There is this connection between the two of us. He’s easy to be around.”
“Not to mention to look at.” Devin gave her a lopsided smile.
Ashley laughed, hoping her friend wouldn’t notice the heat stealing across her cheeks. “That too. He’s such a Boy Scout, though. He’s all about following the rules and he’s so serious.”
“And?”
“He’s driven. Compassionate. Easy to talk to.” She crossed her arms around her middle. A warm, uneasy, yet welcome feeling slid through her as she talked about Nate. She hadn’t had a close female friend in years who she could confide in and dish about the men in their lives. It was strange, and freeing, yet a little scary, too, because it gave that person the power to hurt her. As did letting Nate into her life. She’d have to think later about why that scared her, but for now, she was honest with Devin. “I let him in.”
“In what way?”
“We talked about what happened to me on the job. After that, I found myself opening up to him, telling him stuff I hadn’t planned to tell anyone.”
“Like what?”
“It’s private.”
“Let me get this straight. You told him, but you won’t tell me, your best friend, and yet you won’t date him?” Devin took a drink of her water, all the time eyeing Ash over the edge of the bottle. “I’m not sure if I’m insulted that you don’t trust me or happy that you do trust Nate.”
“Maybe both, and for the record, I do trust you.”
“So, you’ll tell me this big secret.”
She should have kept her mouth shut. The more people who knew about her father, the bigger the chance that it would get back to Lexi and Kat and her boss in New York. But she also didn’t want to hurt her friendship with Devin.
“Remember, you promised—”
“My lips are zipped.”
Ashley laughed as Devin mimed zipping her lips shut and throwing away the key. “I’m searching for my biological father. He disappeared when my mom was pregnant with me and it could be Mafia related.”
Devin sat frozen, her mouth clamped shut for what had to be three hundred thousand seconds or what felt like days. Finally, she blinked, opened her mouth, then shut it again. A few moments later, a slow smile lifted the corners of her mouth. “Are you, like, a Mafia princess?”
Not what Ashley had expected at all, and she cracked up laughing. “You’re warped, and no, I’m not. From what my mom said, he was low in the hierarchy and was trying to get out.”
“So, you think he got whacked?”
Ashley played with her drink as she thought about the question that had plagued her for years since learning about her biological father. “It’s an option—definitely the logical one. Or maybe he started a new life with a new name.”
“Okay, wait. Are you looking for him here, in Camden Point? Where nothing happens?”
Nothing except stalking, robbery, arson, and now possibly kidnapping. “His last call to my mom came from a safe house in this area.”
“Well, if he got whacked, it wasn’t very safe.” Devin walked over to the recycle bin to toss her empty bottle. “What time of year did this happen?”
“Winter. Probably January, given my mom was only about a month along in her pregnancy. She didn’t even realize it at the time.”
“Have you told anyone other than me and Nate this? Asked any of the long-time locals?”
She shook her head, not wanting to admit that fear of what people would think of her held her back. She’d dug into local newspaper archives and the historical society records, but she hadn’t given specifics to anyone. As Devin paced and asked questions, Ashley wondered if she’d gone about her investigation all wrong. Neither Nate nor Devin had freaked out—much—about her father’s history. Maybe if she opened up to others, someone would remember something going down in town back then.
“I bet if anyone knows about shenanigans going on thirty years ago, it’s Miss Elsie. That woman knows everything and has lived here for about two hundred years, give or take a few.”
It was true that the woman knew just about everything in town. Unfortunately, she didn’t know what happened to Hailey. But maybe she’d know what happened to Ashley’s dad. She’d considered talking to Miss Elsie, but hadn’t been ready to tip her hand about her past and why she was asking. If she really wanted answers, she needed to put herself out there and ask for help, regardless of the risk. Time was running out.
“You also might want to check with Lexie, because most of those houses near her are empty in the winter. So, I’m guessing they’d make a great seasonal safe house. And Lexie knows all the long-time homeowners on the beach.”
“I might do that. I’ve searched the online town records and the newspaper archives at the library with no luck.”
“If he was in protective custody, maybe the feds covered it up. I mean, would they really want people to know they couldn’t protect their witnesses? Not great PR.”
“Are you gunning for my job? You’d make an outstanding detective.”
Devin stuck out her tongue and shuddered. “No, thank you. Stake outs? I’ve heard about those. Sitting in one place for hours. Having to hold it when you have to pee. Bored out of your mind as you wait for something juicy to happen, and then it’s seeing someone like Salvatore Figerello au naturel. I’ll pass.”
Ashley didn’t know who Salvatore Figerello was, and while one part of her wanted to ask, the rational part told her to let it go.
“Okay, I’ll talk to Miss Elsie,” Ashley said.
“About Sal Figerello?”
“No. No, I’m not going there. I’ll talk to her about my father, which solves one of my three problems.” She made a quick note on her phone to follow up on Devin’s other suggestions before refocusing. “And speaking of…”
She let the sentence hang. She needed to get back to her case, but she also didn’t want to kick Devin out.
“I already solved the Nate problem for you. Invite him to your place for dinner tonight and let nature take its course. You can thank me in the morning.” Devin’s smirk said exactly where her mind had gone… and Ashley had to admit, she’d had the same thoughts.
“Do you really think that’s fair when I’m supposed to leave in two weeks?” She didn’t know why she was overthinking this. When she’d propositioned Nate months ago, she’d known then that things would end with her returning to New York. But back then, she hadn’t gotten to really know him. Now she couldn’t stand the idea of hurting Nate.
“Does Nate know you’re planning to leave?”
“Yes.”
“Then if he isn’t worried, you shouldn’t be either. Maybe he’ll move to New York. Maybe it’ll end in two weeks. But at least you won’t wonder what if. Just promise me you’ll think about it.”
“I promise.” She’d thought of little else since he kissed her on the steps of the gazebo. “And I need to get back to work. I promised Mr. Sweeney I’d find his daughter.”
“Then you better get hot, woman.” Devin gave her a wave and headed for the door, then hesitated and looked over her shoulder. “And for the record, I think you should stay here in Camden Point. I, for one, would miss you.”
And that was the problem with opening herself up and letting people in. Connections were made. Friendships formed. People would care when she left. She wouldn’t be able to just leave.
And maybe that’s why she had let people in. Maybe she didn’t want to leave.
If he could, Nate would be walking through the doors of The High Tide Tavern to drown his sorrows with cheap whiskey. Ashley’s hesitancy on their relationship disappointed him. But hey, sometimes you get lucky, and sometimes you crash and burn. If only it were that simple. He’d never been a player. Before his wife, Mara, had come along, he’d had one serious girlfriend in high school. Another semiserious one in college. But since her death, he hadn’t really met anyone who had caught and kept his interest until he met Ashley. He imagined it would be awhile before that happened again.
Since he was unlucky in love, maybe he could get lucky with this case.
He pushed through the station doors and looked toward the chief’s office. Cohen had sent him a text to return ASAP. Nate pushed through the station doors and stopped short when Iris Houston, the daytime dispatcher, held up her hand. She swiped her short bangs out of her eyes before handing him a stack of papers.
“Navarro said to let you know she got a hit on those brothers, but the last known address was in Georgia. The rest you can read there.” She brushed her bangs again, this time tucking the blonde strands behind her ear to mix with the fire-engine red streaks. “The chief said to go straight in.”
He paused for a moment to snitch a chocolate candy out of the bowl on her desk. It was a poor excuse for lunch, but it was better than the scotch. “Any idea what’s going on?”
“No, but the sooner you go in and find out, the sooner you can update me.” Iris handed him a few more of the chocolates then shooed him on his way.
Nate thanked her for the snacks but didn’t believe for one minute Iris was clueless. Eli Cohen might wear the title of Chief of Police, but Iris and Rose Houston ran the station. He shoved the candy into his coat pocket before he knocked on the chief’s door. Cohen called him in and introduced him to Carter McGrady.
McGrady stood and offered a hand. “Detective, it’s nice to see you again.”
“Likewise.” Nate turned from the retired cop to his chief.
The chief signaled for him to sit. “Carter heard about our DB in the woods and has some information he thought might be helpful.”
Nate gave McGrady his full attention.
“I was telling Chief Cohen that I was at the diner this morning and heard about the dead woman. Not sure if this helps, but I was driving down Route 2 Monday and saw a beat-up black Chevy pickup truck turn onto the road leading to the trailhead. I almost didn’t bring this to you.”
“Why’s that?” Nate asked.
“It’s a popular hiking trail, or at least that’s what I’ve heard.” He chuckled and looked Nate dead in the eyes. “Not much of a hiker myself. Prefer the concrete jungle.”
Strange, considering the guy had offered to help if a search was required. “What changed your mind?”
McGrady settled in, linking his hands over his abdomen. “Not sure. Call it a gut instinct. There was nothing unusual about the truck or the driver, who was alone, from what I could see.”
“What did the driver look like?” What Nate really wanted to know was if the description would match either of his robbery suspects, which would be a promising lead.
“Didn’t see his face, but he had long, dark—almost black—hair.”
“You said he. What makes you think it was a man?”
“Shoulders that belonged to a linebacker. Based on how he sat, I’d say tall. Maybe six-plus feet.” McGrady tapped his thumbs together like he was trying to remember.
“What else can you tell us? Anything distinctive about the truck? Or a plate number?”
“It was old. Had a few dings. Faded paint. I’d put it mid-seventies, with a sticker on the tailgate. One of those patriotic ones with the snake on it. Not really sure on the license plate. It might have started with AN.” He looked down for a moment before meeting Nate’s gaze again. “Pretty sure it also had a 9.”
“Do you remember what time this was?” Chief Cohen had stayed quiet, letting Nate run the interview even though it wasn’t his case.
McGrady scraped his thumbnail along his jaw a couple of times before responding. “Early afternoon. Maybe three, three thirty. Can’t really be sure, as I thought little of it at the time.”
“We appreciate you coming forward, Carter,” Cohen said.
“Just doing my civic duty and trying to help my brothers in blue.”
“One more question.” Nate stood and leaned against the wall. “Have you seen the truck around town before?”
McGrady stood and pushed his chair back, shaking his head. “I hope you find your man.”
The chief held out his hand. “Thanks again for coming in. We appreciate it.”
“Sure, no problem.” At the door, McGrady paused, hand on the doorknob. “Any update on that missing girl from town?”
Something flickered in Nate’s gut. What was Carter McGrady’s interest in his case? Was it curiosity? Old habit? Or something else? “We’re still working it.”
“Well, good luck on both. Remember, if you need an extra set of boots in a search, call me. The chief has my number.”
After McGrady left, Nate sat back down. “What’s your thought on McGrady?” he asked the chief.
“Man’s missing the point of retirement. Before you arrived, we talked a bit. He gave the department twenty years. Now, he’s working as a part-time security guard at the bank. I think he misses being a part of the action.”
“He wouldn’t be the first to regret early retirement.”
“I wonder if Ashley Medearis knows him,” Nate mused.
“New York’s a big city, detective.”
“And yet, we have two of their finest here in Camden Point. Small world.” Like most cops, Nate didn’t like coincidences, and there was something about Carter McGrady that didn’t sit well with him. He wasn’t sure what. The guy hadn’t done or said anything wrong, had been nothing but helpful. And maybe that was the problem.
“I have to wonder.” The chief let his sentence hang for a moment. “The coroner put the time of death after midnight. If the truck Carter saw was our guy, where was Destiny? We also have a cause of death. The woman died from an overdose of gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid.”
“Date rape gone wrong?”
“Could be. Her blood alcohol content was high. Not surprising, considering her parents stated she liked to party. Our unsub could have picked Destiny up in a bar, given too much of the drug, then dumped her when she died.”
“I’ll run a partial plate search. See if anything pops.”
“Let the others know to be on the lookout for a match. It’s probably nothing to do with the case. That was hours before she died and it’s a popular trail. Not to mention, pickup trucks are a dime a dozen around here, with all the surrounding farms.”
“Will do.” When he stood to leave, the chief stopped him.
“Do you have anything new on the Sweeney case?”
Nate shook his head. “We’re waiting on lab results. Medearis and I were going to reinterview her friends, neighbors, and coworkers.”
“Good. Keep me informed.” Before he could exit the room, Iris popped her head inside.
“Detective, Groton PD is on the phone for you.”
Nate excused himself from the chief’s office and took the call at his desk. “Daines here. Tell me you’ve got some good news.”
When he hung up, he smiled. Finally, something to go on.
He started the plate search for the chief. Once that was going, he grabbed the phone. When Ashley picked up on the first ring, Nate tried not to read too much into it.
“Ashley, we got something. It’s small, but it’s a start. The techs found two things in the car. The first was a receipt from the truck stop convenience store, dated for Thursday at 5:42 p.m. The second was a button with a small piece of bloody material attached. They think it was ripped off of a shirt. Not sure if it was Hailey’s or not. The lab is still working on DNA and typing the blood, but GPD wanted to let us know.”
“That is a start. I can head to the truck stop now,” Ashley said.
“I need to finish something first. Give me an hour and I’ll meet you there. That way we can talk to the store employees and manager together.”
Ashley agreed, but he could hear the impatience in her voice. Both were eager to close this case—hopefully with a positive outcome. And yet, when that happened, there would be one less thing to keep Ashley in Camden Point.
“Hey, Nate,” Ashley’s soft voice caught him right before he hung up. “We’re good. Right?”
