Lost in the Dark, page 2
part #1 of Camden Point Romantic Suspense Series
“You’ve thought she was hiding something since she first arrived.” Kat took a sip of her coffee, brows drawn down tight. “Do you think that’s what she’s been hiding all along?”
“I don’t know, but I know how to find out.”
“Vinnie.” Lexie’s voice, irritated and sharp, grabbed his attention. “Do not chase our only employee away. I’ve been looking forward to this trip for weeks.”
“Hey, she ain’t your only employee. What am I, chopped liver? You’re killing me, kid.”
“You can’t answer the phone, Vin.” Kat fought the smirk. “Just give it a rest. If I were Ashley and saw a ghost at work, I wouldn’t say anything either. People would think I’m crazy.”
“You two can see me.”
“Yeah, but she doesn’t know that, Vinnie.” Lexie shooed him out of her chair. “Please tell me you’re going to leave her alone.”
He had no plans to leave Ashley Medearis, if that was even her real name, alone. The woman saw him. She didn’t freak out like others had done before. It was like she was used to seeing dead people. Who sees dead people except for that little kid in the movie? Other than his girls. They were different. Lexie and Kat had been best friends their whole lives. They were born at the same hospital, just minutes apart, which happened to be right about when Vinnie departed the plane of the living for the land of the dead. For whatever reason, his soul instantly attached to the two of them. He hadn’t been told the reason behind his assignment to watch over Lexie and Kat. It wasn’t like death came with a user’s manual.
It was probably redemption. He’d admit it. He hadn’t been the best person in life. Hadn’t been the worst either. But ratting out the mob family had cost him his life and his honor. The girls, watching out for them, was like his second chance at a place upstairs.
He didn’t know what Ashley’s game was about. She was supposed to be a cop on sabbatical. Wasn’t that for old people? She had to be like twenty-nine or thirty, tops. She’d never given a reason when she interviewed for the job. Seemed odd. Like someone hiding a dirty secret. And he planned to uncover it.
Hey, I can play the nice guy. Did it a thousand times before.
Vinnie shrugged. Ashley meant nothing to him. She was just like any other mystery. “Fuggedaboutit.”
Detective Nate Daines hated starting over. Unless it was a fresh case. As he completed yet another form—this one for his 401(k)—he reminded himself that he’d accepted the job with the Camden Point Police Department. He could have stayed at his former place in a neighboring town. No one forced the move on him. But budget cuts meant less time, fewer people, and more work. It was also a hot-bed of temptation for dirty cops. Camden Point had the money. It also had less crime. He’d see if it had less corruption.
His twenty-one-year-old self would have sneered and called him old. Daines liked to think it wasn’t a matter of aging, so much as getting wiser. After all, thirty-five wasn’t one step away from a nursing home. Although there were days he saw things, heard things that made retirement look inviting.
But not this week. His first week on the job with CPPD was all paperwork and sipping coffee. Not even crap coffee. Nothing but the best for Camden Point’s finest. Since he lived on caffeine, he wouldn’t complain, at least about the coffee.
“Hey, Rafe,” he called out to the only other detective on the force. “I’m going stir-crazy. Tell me someone called in a robbery. Or someone’s cat is stuck up in a tree.”
“Sorry, buddy. Cats in trees are the fire department’s territory.” Rafe sat in the chair opposite Nate at his desk. “You regretting taking the job?”
“Hell no. Just not used to sitting around all day on my ass.”
“Yeah, well, next week it’s all on you. Don’t call me when the sky comes crashing down. I promised Lexie no work.”
Gary Wyman interrupted their conversation. The salt-and-pepper hair and the deep creases at the corners of his shrewd, clear eyes hinted at years on the job. Longer than either Nate or Rafe, but the man was still in uniform. Nate wasn’t sure if that was by choice or circumstance. From what he’d seen, Wyman showed up on time, did the job assigned, and went home to the wife every night at the end of his shift.
“What’s up?” Rafe asked.
“Probably nothing, but Preston Sweeney is here. Says his daughter, Hailey Sweeney, age twenty, didn’t come home last night. She also didn’t show up for work this morning, either, which is out of character for her.”
“I’ll take it,” Nate offered as he reminded himself to be careful what he wished for. “You’ve got a pretty wife and Lake George calling.”
“Thanks, man.” Rafe turned back to his desk as Nate followed Wyman to talk to the father.
“You know either of the Sweeneys?” he asked.
“Not well. He’s the new bank president. She’s in college. Mom passed before they moved to town a couple of years ago.”
“Local college?”
“Yeah, up in Norwich.” Wyman tapped the folder he’d been carrying against his thigh. “If you want, I can send an officer out to do a well-check. The kid probably stayed the night with some guy and overslept. Just thought I should let you and Rafe know first.”
“It’s okay. I’ve got nothing else going on.” Nate thanked the officer and stepped into the small conference room. “Mr. Sweeney, I’m Detective Daines. I understand you’re worried about your daughter.”
“She didn’t come home. She’s missed work, and she’s not answering her cell phone.”
Nate offered the man something to drink, then sat down when he declined. “Has Hailey ever done this before?”
“No, never.” The father scrubbed his hand over his face. Tired, bloodshot eyes met Nate’s. “That’s not true. Once a couple of months after her mom died. She was having a hard time adjusting, accepting the fact that her mom was gone.”
“What did she do?”
“She ditched school. Went to the beach. She said she left her phone in her car. She just wanted to sit on the beach and watch the waves. I could tell by her puffy eyes and red nose, she’d been crying. After that, she seemed to be fine.”
“Losing someone you love… I don’t have to tell you how hard that is.” Nate knew firsthand. It had been five years. At times, it felt like five minutes.
“Tina was a great mom, wife, friend. It’s been challenging, but not where Hailey is concerned. She’s a good kid. Responsible. Considerate. She knew that day she took off almost broke me. I thought I’d lost her. She wouldn’t put me through that again, Detective.”
They talked for about thirty minutes. Nate ran the dad through all the standard questions. He wrote Mr. Sweeney’s contact information down and promised to be in touch shortly.
He let the dispatcher know his plans and walked out of the station. His gaze swept the nearby street, scanning the area for any threats. Camden Point might be small, but old habits died hard. As expected, nothing in town warranted his attention, except the three women walking on the parallel street on the other side of the town square: Lexie Smith-Barandas, Kat Jones-Randall, and Ashley Medearis. Even if he hadn’t known them, they would have caught his eye. He was a living, breathing man who appreciated the opposite sex. However, he’d been lucky to work a joint case with them a few months back. Between them they’d solved an arson, a murder, and found a scared teen.
But it was Ashley that made his blood stir. She’d been the first woman to pique his interest for the first time in years, enough that’d he’d forgotten his own baggage for a minute.
Random drunken hookups weren’t his norm, but Valentine’s Day and baggage had made it seem like a good choice, at the time. As for the second, third, fourth time? He had no excuse except he was a man and Ashley did things to him that reminded him he was still alive.
Laughter floated across the town square, causing him to stop and consider his next step, but he looked away before making eye contact. Ash had her own baggage to deal with and she’d made it clear after their last hookup that was all she offered.
It sucked, but he respected her wishes.
Right then, he had bigger concerns than his nonexistent love life, like locating an errant daughter who had probably—hopefully—overslept. Daines got in his car with one last look in Ashley’s direction. She’d stopped outside of Once Upon a Time bookstore. The other two women had continued down the street. Ash’s gaze drilled into him as she took a step in his direction, then stopped. Maybe she had regrets. He’d make a point of finding her later. For now, he headed toward Hailey’s workplace, the Osprey Inn Kids Camp. With any luck, the young woman had shown up late and was too busy with the little ones to answer the phone. He could always hope. Sadly, Nate didn’t think Wyman was correct, but he could still pray. For Mr. Sweeney’s sake, but mainly for Hailey’s.
When Nate arrived at the resort, the front desk clerk directed him to the beach. It wasn’t hard to find the camp director. The beach was mostly empty, except for one woman surrounded by five kids, all chasing her with super-soaker-type toys. As he approached, she called time-out and sent the kids to the playground at the edge of the lawn.
Nate held up his badge and introduced himself. She stepped farther from the children, but stayed close enough to monitor all of them. “Hi, I’m Shay McNamara. I’m guessing since you’re here, it’s about Hailey.” Her shoulders slumped as she expelled a deep breath.
“According to her father, she hasn’t shown up here or at home, nor is she answering her phone. She was scheduled for work this morning. Is that correct?”
“Yes, she was supposed to be in at seven thirty. It’s not like Hailey to be late, much less not show up.”
Nate pulled out a notebook. Not that he really needed it, but he’d found out over the years it made people more comfortable if he took notes. “When was the last time you saw Hailey?”
She held up a hand, and called out to two children who were trying to go down the slide simultaneously, then turned back to him. “Sorry. Last night. She worked yesterday. Seven thirty to five. We had a few late parents, so I’m going to say it was about 5:20 when she left.”
“Was that from here on the beach or in the lobby?”
Shay pointed to a low-slung bungalow down a short walkway. “We were in the Kids Camp office where we store our personal items during the day. She grabbed her stuff, said she’d see me tomorrow, then left.”
“Do you know if she drove herself to work?”
“She did. We arrived at the same time, parked next to each other. Our parking lot is just west of the main lot so that parents can avoid the hotel guest traffic when they pick up or drop off.”
“Can you see the lot from your office?”
“I can, but I stayed a little longer, doing some paperwork at my desk. I didn’t see her get into her car, but it wasn’t there when I left about thirty minutes later.”
He made a note of the times both left. “Did you happen to see anyone unusual hanging around yesterday? Either on the beach or in the parking lot?”
“It’s a hotel. Strangers are our norm, although I didn’t see anyone that set off any warning bells.”
“Was there anyone else working with you two yesterday?”
She shook her head as she stepped over to the playground and spoke with the same two kids. When she returned, he repeated the question. “No, during the week, it’s just me and one other right now. I’ve got two other part-time employees, all college students. On the weekends, it’s a bigger crew as we usually have more kids then.”
“How has Hailey been lately? Any strange or unusual behavior that you’ve noticed?”
“Normally, she’s a sweet, upbeat person. The kids love her, but she’s been down this week. She didn’t say much, just that she and her boyfriend broke up over the weekend.”
Interesting. Mr. Sweeney hadn’t mentioned Hailey dating anyone. Had she hidden the relationship from him? Nate would have to follow up with the dad. “Do you happen to know the guy’s name?”
Shay took a few moments to think, all while breaking up the same two kids arguing. “Sorry, they’re twins. Honestly, if Hailey told me the boy’s name, I don’t remember it.”
“It’s okay, I’ll find out. One more question, then I promise, I’ll let you get back to work. Does the parking lot outside the camp building have any cameras?”
“Definitely. Tory, the inn’s manager, is all about safety. If you stop by her office, I’m sure she’ll be more than happy to show you the video files.”
He thanked her for her time and headed back to the main building. Tory Hudson was in her office and had no issue giving Nate full access to their security system. Unfortunately, it didn’t get him any closer to finding Hailey Sweeney. The timestamp showed the young woman getting in her car at 5:23. Alone. She sat for a few minutes, looking down. Nate surmised she was checking something on her phone. Then she drove off. No one followed. He rewound the file to just before she arrived at 7:27 that morning. The lot had been empty, no one loitering around waiting for her to arrive. Shay McNamara arrived within seconds of Hailey. Both women walked into the building together, chatting.
A few moments later, a male cut through the lot on foot. He kept his head down, and between the faded black hoodie and ball cap, Nate couldn’t make out much. The guy did pause for a second by the cars to check his phone. In and of itself, innocuous. Probably a bellboy or maintenance worker, but Nate made a note to request the names of all male employees. It wouldn’t hurt to start background checks.
After speaking to Tory Hudson, who didn’t recognize the guy in the video but promised she’d send the names over, Nate plugged in the address to Hailey’s apartment. He texted Wyman, asking if the father had mentioned a boyfriend. Fifteen minutes later, he pulled into the apartment complex on the north end of town. The building had seen better days, but the lot and surrounding area were clean. Each apartment could be accessed from the outside or via exterior stairs.
Nate knocked on the door to apartment 205. He didn’t have to wait long until a tall young woman with medium brown hair and eyes answered the door. Definitely not Hailey, who was blonde with blue eyes.
He held up his badge. “Hi. Detective Daines with the CPPD. I’m looking for Hailey Sweeney.”
“She’s not here. I’m her roommate, Jules Baker. I told her dad she didn’t come home last night. She’s not answering her phone, either.”
“Mind if I come in?” He kept his voice light and friendly to put the girl at ease. “You can leave the door open if you like.”
“Sure, but I’ve only got a minute. My shift at the grocery store starts in twenty minutes.”
“No problem. I’ve just got a few questions for you.” As he ran her through the same questions he’d had for Shay McNamara, he scanned the apartment. Clean, bright, lots of color. No expensive artwork or high-end electronics. Just what he’d expect to find from two college kids. “How was Hailey this week? Happy? Sad? Anything unusual happen?”
“Well, she broke up with that douchebag, Austin, last weekend. So yeah, she was pretty pissed off earlier in the week. Then she was sad. Crying a lot. Not that he deserved any of her tears.”
“Sounds like you’re a genuine fan of the guy.” Nate spotted a shelf of photos and wandered over to look, waiting for Jules to respond.
“He’s a jerk. Possessive, unfaithful, violent.”
That got his attention. “Violent? In what way?”
“He doesn’t like Hailey to talk to other guys. It’s fine if he talks to other girls. It’s even fine if he does other stuff with them, but Hailey can’t even say hello to a guy without him getting mad. Last weekend, we were at a party. Hailey was talking to this guy we knew. Nothing big, just something about a class assignment. Austin grabbed her arm and yanked her away. He left bruises on her arm, and she could barely move it for a couple of days.”
“Is this when they broke up?”
“No, that happened the next day. After that little incident, Hailey and I left. We both had to work the next morning. She came out of her room later in tears. It seems after we left, he hooked up with some other girl. It was all over social media.”
“How’d he take it?” Nate picked up a picture of Hailey and some guy who had his arms around her. Good-looking couple. They looked happy, but he knew you couldn’t take everything at face value.
“He’s a narcissist. Blamed Hailey for getting him upset. What was he supposed to do when she left him with no one to console his little ego?”
“Sounds like a real Prince Charming.” He held up the picture. “Is this him?”
“Yeah. That was taken about two weeks ago. If I’d been Hailey, I would have burned all of his pictures. He’s been calling her all week. She’ll probably forgive him.”
Young love. “Mind if I take a look around her room?”
“Sure, but I’ve got to go, or I’m going to be late. Can you just lock up when you leave? Her door is the one on the right.”
In Hailey’s room, he found more pictures on a board. He snapped a copy that was labeled “Austin’s 21st b-day bash,” noted the date, and sent a note to Wyman to run a check on the ex. Like the rest of the apartment, the room was clean, bright, and filled with books, plants, and pillows. Lots of pillows. Her laptop sat on a desk in the corner, along with a stack of textbooks. In the closet, he found a backpack and a suitcase. A few hangers were empty, but the hamper was full. He found two toothbrushes in the bathroom. Wherever Hailey Sweeney was, it didn’t look like she had planned a night away.
Chapter 2
The sight before her was something out of a Hallmark movie. Overnight, the Camden Point town square had morphed into a giant party zone. They had a beer tent, food vendors and stations, games, pony rides, and even a Ferris wheel. In the center, the town had turned the flagpole into a maypole with ribbons, and little kids were dancing around singing some song she’d never heard.
Ash had planned to just drop by the office, check for any messages left on the landline, and then head over to Devin’s soirée. But the music and laughter drew her like a moth to a flame. She wandered around, smiling as people said hello and vendors tried to entice her with their wares. Clearly, they didn’t know she was a New Yorker. In other words, a professional at saying no. After spending all morning working on the routine background investigations she’d been handed yesterday, and then baking, being around people assaulted her senses.
