Lost in the Dark, page 20
part #1 of Camden Point Romantic Suspense Series
“Look at me, Ashley.” She met his carnal gaze. “That’s it. I want to see you when you come this time.”
Oh god, the things this man did to her.
She was on the verge of another orgasm, but she refused to go without him again. She concentrated on her breathing as she put those Kegel exercises to work. For months, she’d tried to ignore the growing attraction between them. Had started the affair to get him out of her system, but that was the thing about Nate Daines. Once he’d gotten his foot past the front gates that guarded her heart, he’d pushed full speed ahead until he was all-in. There was no getting this man out of her system now. It had taken everything she’d had to go without him for two weeks. How was she supposed to just walk away now and live without him forever?
Need gathered and built as sensations and emotions washed over them. Their bodies slick with sweat, Nate rocked into her again and again, with Ashley meeting him halfway. She was on the verge of saying three little words that she’d never be able to take back when the last wave crashed over her and she tumbled over and under. Her body quaked as Nate thrust and he threw his head back with a strained growl before collapsing over her.
Together they lay there, spent. She ran her fingers lazily up and down his back as his heart thudded against her own. Nate kissed the side of her neck. He rolled over, taking his delicious weight off her body, and pulled her in to snuggle.
“Wow. That was amazing,” he said.
“Mm-hmm.”
“That’s all you’ve got?” He traced a finger along her cheekbone before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Shh. You’re interrupting my postcoital haze.”
She wanted to capture the feeling running through her and bottle it up for those moments when she felt alone and uncertain, because right then, she was pretty sure she could have taken on the world’s problems and won.
“We should do this every night,” Nate said.
“I’m considering it.” She was also considering staying in Camden Point. Because she had no idea how she could get through the next sixty or so years without Nate by her side.
Chapter 16
Time was running out for Ashley and Hailey. With each day that passed, their chances of finding any of the missing women dropped drastically. If she had to drive up and down every street, every back road, every trail, Ashley was going to find the elusive black truck that kept showing up in all the right places. Her gut told her that finding the truck was the key to solving the case.
That morning after Nate had woken her up in the best possible manner—sex was so much better than running—Ashley had left a message for her computer buddy asking him to run a search on all black pickups in a twenty-mile radius. If that didn’t work, she’d expand the area, but her cop’s intuition screamed that the driver lived in or near Camden Point. And after the heartbreaking call she’d had with Preston Sweeney, she needed a win. Correction. Mr. Sweeney needed a win. The man had already lost his wife. There was no way Ashley would let him lose his daughter if she could help it.
Ashley swung by the office on her way to meet Nate. She wanted to see if either Lexie or Kat had time to sit on Funtasma. She entered the office to find the front empty, but voices came from the back room that coexisted as a supply room and kitchenette.
“Something’s not right,” Ashley heard Kat say.
“You mean besides a string of missing women?” Lexie asked.
“There’s that, but have you seen Vinnie lately?”
Ashley slowed her steps. Vinnie? Were they talking about my father? Yeah, right? Like there was only one guy named Vinnie in all of New England.
“Now that you mention it. No. Not since before vacation. Normally, he’s all up in our business.” Lexie let out a pent-up sigh.
“You think he’s following Ashley again?”
Whoa. What? She edged closer. Someone had been following her? She was really off her game living in this small town. But why would some guy named Vinnie follow her? Did Lexie or Kat hire this guy? Something smelled rotten, and it wasn’t the Venice canals.
“If he is, I’m going to kick his ass.”
Ashley took a step back. Okay, so her boss didn’t hire someone. That was good to know. But again, why was she being followed? The only tails she’d noticed were the ghostly kinds. Had someone found out she was digging into her father’s whereabouts? Could she have caught the attention of the mob?
Crap. She so didn’t need that kind of headache.
“Ashley.” Lexie stepped out of the room with a cup of coffee, shooting a quick look toward Kat. “How are you feeling?”
“Better. It’s amazing what a night of sleep can accomplish.”
“Sleep or sleep?” Kat grinned over the rim of her cup.
“Maybe both.” Ash glanced down at the stack of flyers on the desk. “Sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear part of your conversation. Is someone else missing?”
Lexie and Kat did that silent exchange thing they did.
“It’s just a family friend. Nothing to worry about. He does this and is probably at the casino—”
“Or a strip joint,” Kat finished.
“Or that.” Lexie dropped into her chair, taking a sip of coffee. “Hey, Rafe said you guys might have gotten a lead yesterday.”
Ash dropped into the chair in front of Kat’s desk. Either her concussion was worse than she thought or this conversation didn’t add up. Why would a family friend follow her? Didn’t they trust her? Whatever. She didn’t have time for hurt feelings. She’d add it to her ever-growing list of stuff to investigate.
“Yeah, but it’s weak.” Ashley filled them in on the arcade attendant’s statement and the search request she’d put in for. “I’m not sure how reliable this kid is, but this truck keeps showing up.”
“If Zach said it was a Ford Maverick, then that’s what we need to be looking for. He and his brother are great kids, and they know their cars.” Kat perched on the edge of her desk, scowling. “I feel like I’ve seen the truck around, but I can’t picture the driver for the life of me. He’s like St. Pierre. Unremarkable.” She gave a little shiver as she mentioned the arsonist who had set fire to her apartment and tried to kill her a few months back.
“Okay, I’ll have my guy focus on Ford Mavericks. I don’t suppose any of the business employees remember seeing anyone that resembles Devin’s drawing?”
“No, but everyone is keeping an eye out.” Lexie’s phone pinged, and she pulled it out of her pocket. Whatever she read couldn’t be good, judging by the way she flexed her fingers and grasped the phone until her knuckles turned white. “That was Rafe. Westerly Police reported a missing woman. She left work last night and never made it home. Twenty-two. Single. Red hair. Normally, they wouldn’t have notified Camden Point, but they noticed she fit Nate’s profile.”
“If our guy grabbed her, then he could be done because that makes two redheads or strawberries, as he referred to them.”
“We’ve got to find these women now,” Kat said.
“Yeah. Do you think you two can stake out the arcade?” Ashley asked.
“You bet,” Lexie replied.
Ash glanced toward the back room, the conversation she’d overheard still playing through her mind. She had questions, but they could wait. “I’m on my way to meet Nate at Elsie’s. Hey, did she say if she’d seen our guy?”
“She wasn’t in yesterday. The other wait staff weren’t sure since the sketch was missing a face.” Kat grabbed a bag from behind her desk that Ash knew held a long-range camera.
“Hopefully, she’s in today. According to Devin, Miss Elsie knows practically everything that goes on in this town.”
“She’s not wrong.” Lexie grabbed another bag from the back and loaded it with water, protein bars, and chocolate. All the staples of a stakeout. The two headed out while Ash took a minute to text her computer guy and amend her request. Before she left, she glanced around the room, noticing that for the first time in months, she wasn’t freezing in the office.
Had her ghost-o-meter finally stopped? Please be the case. As she thought about it, she realized she hadn’t seen or felt her friendly spirit stalker since the hospital. Maybe the knock on the head had cured her.
I can only hope.
Outside, Ash hadn’t taken three steps when the hair on the back of her neck stood up. “Spoke too soon.” A quick glance didn’t reveal any spirits, but sometimes they didn’t manifest.
“That’s a terrible way to greet your best friend.” Before she could turn around, an arm slipped around hers and Devin grinned. “And here I thought after a night of Nate’s tender, loving ministrations you’d be a happy woman.”
“I’m not kissing and telling.”
“And I’m not asking. I just wanted to see how you’re doing.”
“I’d be better if everyone stopped asking.”
“Why are you so cranky today? What happened?”
Ashley started to cut across the green when her gaze met another from across the square. A tight ball of dread formed in her gut in anticipation. “Nope. I’m not dealing with her.”
Devin pushed her way in front, arms flayed out to protect her, which was adorable and touching. Ashley wasn’t sure how she’d been so lucky to land such a fierce and great friend, but Devin was an artist, not a trained cop. It was Ashley’s job to protect her, not the other way around. Besides, they weren’t in physical danger.
“Let’s take the sidewalk. As to why I’m so grumpy, we still haven’t gotten any solid leads on finding Hailey, and another woman went missing last night.”
“From here?” Devin’s voice squeaked.
“Westerly, but close enough. And see the lady by the gazebo?”
Devin glanced over as they crossed the street and walked past the bookstore and bank. “Who is that?”
“That’s the fortune teller I ran into at the May Day Fair.”
“Ooh. I wonder what her schtick is. You know… palm reading, tarot, crystal ball, auras.” Devin stopped in her tracks.
Ashley stopped too and stared at her friend. In all the months they’d been hanging out, she’d had no idea Devin was into woo-woo stuff.
“I don’t know, but let’s keep walking.” She pulled Devin along. Ashley had enough on her plate without dealing with mystical stuff, too. If she thought for one minute that the woman was the real deal, she’d ask her for her help in finding Hailey. “Hey, Lexie and Kat were talking about some guy named Vinnie. Do you know him?”
“No. I mean, I’ve heard them mention him before. He’s a long-time friend of their families or somebody’s uncle or something. He drives them nuts, but I’ve never met him. Why?”
“They said he’s MIA. Seems like a lot of people are missing these days.”
“You don’t think he’s involved with the missing women, do you?”
Who knew? What she did know was they had a string of abductions and now she was hearing about some guy who had the same first name as her missing father, who just happened to have run with the wrong crowd at one time. Who was to say he hadn’t gone to ground or started over in another state? Most people in hiding kept their new name similar to their original name, so they didn’t mess up. Maybe bio dad was alive, well, and still a criminal? It all just seemed like too much of a coincidence, especially when she added in the fact that Camden Point was his last known place.
What if this family friend is really her father, and he’s the guy behind these abductions? It’s not like the mob had never dabbled in trafficking before? But would her mom really hookup with some guy like that? She just couldn’t see it. Eveline Quilling had a soft heart and a strong bullshit meter. She needed to figure a way to get Kat and Lexie to tell her more about this family friend. It might be the answers she’d been looking for all around.
Or maybe this concussion is really messing with my brain.
“Don’t look now,” Devin said. “We’ve got company bearing down on us.”
They had just about reached the doors to sanctuary—aka Elsie’s Diner—when the whack-job from the fair stopped in front of them. For a split second, Ashley considered asking the woman what she had meant at the fair. What evil was coming? Was she talking about Hailey’s kidnapping?
“Hello,” Devin said.
The woman glanced at Devin, then focused all of her attention on Ashley. Holding her palm about an inch away, she ran a hand from Ashley’s head to her heart.
“Can I help you?” Ashley had an irrational urge to take three steps back. To put some serious distance between her and the so-called psychic. But what if she’s the real deal? A small voice in her head whispered. Yep, concussion at work, because Ashley saw people like her all the time in New York working the hustle.
“The answer you seek is right in front of you.”
“What?”
“Open your eyes, child.”
The woman turned to Devin and made a similar pass with her palm. “Hmm, remove the lock from here,” she tapped Devin’s chest, “and all you seek will be yours.”
“Excuse me,” Ashley said. “What do you mean?”
But the fortune teller walked off without another word. Ashley and Devin stood on the sidewalk in front of the town diner with their mouths hanging open. WTH was the woman talking about? Her ghost problem? Her relationship with Nate? Her father? Or finding Hailey? She really had no clue, and if Devin thought she was grumpy earlier, the world better look out now.
“Okay.” Devin turned to Ash. “That was… interesting. Look, I’m off to Chicago to meet up with a gallery owner who won’t display my work without meeting me first. Try to stay out of trouble until I get back. Unless it’s the horizontal kind and Nate’s involved. Then, by all means, get into lots and lots of trouble.” Her friend gave her a quick hug and left her standing there.
“I need coffee,” Ashley said to no one in particular, and headed into the familiar and homey diner.
Inside, Ashley waved to Miss Elsie and sat at the booth in the back where she had a clear view of the door and could see out the front widow but wouldn’t be obvious to those passing by. Miss Elsie automatically brought her coffee and a blueberry streusel muffin.
“You want anything else this morning, hon? Say something with protein?”
Ashley laughed. The woman knew her well. “This is fine. But actually, do you have a few minutes to talk?”
The older woman sighed as she sank into the booth seat. “Happily. It’s been hopping in here this morning and this back ain’t as young as it used to be. What’s on your mind?”
Ashley pulled out the sketch Devin made of her attacker and handed it over. “Please tell me you’ve seen someone that resembles this drawing. He’s about six four. Possibly drives a black Ford Maverick all decked out in chrome.”
Miss Elsie studied the drawing, then shook her head. “Is this who took Hailey Sweeney?”
“Not sure, but he attacked me and took another woman.” Ash broke off a bite of muffin. She shouldn’t. Her hips wouldn’t thank her later, but they were too good to waste. “We think he may run around with another guy. Possibly an older brother.”
“I wish I could say yes. Did you ask the rest of the staff?”
Ash nodded. “Yesterday, but no one else recognized him, either.”
“I’ll keep my eyes open now that I know who you’re looking for.”
“Thanks. Before you go, can I ask you about something else? It’s not related to the case.” Miss Elsie nodded. “Do you remember about thirty years ago—it would have been around January—anything strange happening here in Camden Point?”
“Define strange, because that, I see daily.”
Ash laughed. “I’m not really sure.” This was the hard part. She needed to come clean. “My biological father disappeared before I was born. According to his last call to my mom, he was here in Camden Point. He was also… in the mob.”
“Oh… wow. Well, let me see.” She signaled for a waitress to bring her a cup of coffee, and while she laced it liberally with sugar and milk, stayed quiet. “Thirty years ago, huh? I remember hearing some talk. It was never confirmed, and no names were used, but supposedly a murder took place. It was off season, so we didn’t have a lot of strangers in town, and even back then Camden Point wasn’t a hot spot for tourists.”
She tapped out a rapid beat on the table as she thought.
“I remember a couple of guys in suits that came in one day. Tried to make conversation with them, but they were not the talkative type.”
“Mob type?”
“No, not those two. Buttoned up tight. Couple of G-men, if you ask me. That was probably a few days or a week before the rumor floated through here. If they had anyone else with them, I never saw them, hon.”
Ashley reached over and squeezed the other woman’s hand. “It’s okay. I knew it was a long shot. Do you remember where the murder supposedly happened?”
“One of the beach houses. A lot of those were and still are summer rentals. You should talk to Chief Cohen. He was a patrolman back then. He might know.”
Ashley already had him on her list as a last resort. She really didn’t need the chief of police involved. He’d ask questions. Questions that could get back to her boss back in New York. For the next few minutes, she simply enjoyed a cup of coffee with Miss Elsie as they talked about random and mundane things like flowers blooming, new items for the menu, and the arrival of summer. Miss Elsie went back to work and Ashley sent Nate a text letting him know she was waiting for him.
As she sat there drinking her coffee and watching people pass by, a shadow fell over her table.
“Carter McGrady, retired NYPD. Mind if I join you for a minute?” he asked.
Nate had mentioned the guy and pointed him out in passing, so Ash held out her hand in invitation. There was something about the man that made her nerves stand at attention. Could be that he reminded her of the old-timers who thought a woman’s place in the department was behind a desk, typing up reports and fetching coffee for the real cops. He oozed arrogance and privilege.
