Lost in the Dark, page 25
part #1 of Camden Point Romantic Suspense Series
Vinnie sat on the edge of Lexie’s desk. He’d never shared his full story with anyone since he died. Not his girls. Not Marilyn. But Ashley deserved the truth, so she could tell her mom.
“I grew up in Brooklyn. Back then, there weren’t a lot of options for a guy like me. You followed in your father’s footsteps. He was an enforcer. I became an enforcer.”
“You’re a murderer?” Ashley whispered.
“No.” Vinnie stood up, but he never took his eyes off of her. “I may have roughed up a few deadbeats, but I never killed no one. Capisce?”
“Yeah, sure. I understand.” Her eyes said otherwise. Whatever. She was a cop. She could look it up.
“Anyway, as I was saying. I was sent on a job one day over in d’ Bronx. I met your mom. It was the best and worst day of my life. She was like an angel sent to save me from myself. We started dating, but I didn’t want her around the filth that was my life. I didn’t want her light tarnished by the blackness that surrounded me. I tried to break things off, but I was nothing without her.”
“You loved her.” Ashley said.
He couldn’t talk for a minute. Marilyn laid her hand on his shoulder, but no one rushed him. “Yeah, more than life itself. I made a plan. The boss was in prison. The family was in chaos, so it was the perfect time to get out, but I got picked up on a trumped-up charge. If I wanted a life with your mom—and I did—I could turn on the family or go to prison.”
He squeezed Marilyn’s hand, then walked toward the window, looking out on the town that had become part prison, part home for over thirty years.
“They thought I’d be safe in Connecticut. The family didn’t do business here. But the rats had moles everywhere. I’d borrowed one of the agent’s phones and called Eveline to let her know I was okay and would be home as soon as I could. A few hours later, all hell broke loose. My old partner, my best friend, shot me. He stood over me as the world went black. When I woke, crying babies surrounded me.”
“Vin.” Lexie whispered. He turned around to find a roomful of crying women. Well, if this is the end of my second life, then I’m going out the same way I came in. Figures. “You should have told us.”
“Nah. My burden to bear, kiddo.” He turned back to Ashley. “There you have it. My life in a nutshell. I never meant to leave your mom behind. Please let her know that I’m happy she found someone else, someone who could give her a family and love her. Even if she didn’t wait long. Your dad’s a lucky guy.”
Ashley sat quiet as the town square in the dead of the night, then looked at him and shook her head. “She’s not the only one you left behind. You left a daughter, too.”
“What? I don’t have any kids.”
She stood as she scrubbed the tears from her face. “You do. Her name is Ashley Rebecca Quilling Medearis.”
He dropped onto the edge of the desk as his daughter stormed out of the office. His daughter. He was a dad. Vinnie turned to the group, smiling.
“Well, I didn’t see that coming.”
“What do you think we were trying to tell you, you lunkhead?” Marilyn asked right before she bopped him upside the back of the head.
Chapter 20
It was days like this that reminded Nate why he’d become a cop: to help people in need and to stop bad people from hurting others. He’d just walked out of Chief Cohen’s office with the good news that they had arrested Carter McGrady trying to cross into Canada during the night when he’d spotted Ashley sitting alone on the gazebo steps.
That woman.
She could drive a good man to drink or develop an ulcer. The EMT had told her no driving. That she needed rest and yet there she was. Why listen to the professionals? He’d bet his last paycheck she’d gone in to work and Lexie and Kat had sent her packing.
“Hey, Rose. I’m going to step out for a few minutes.”
The dispatcher followed his gaze. “For someone who just solved a big case and brought four women home, she looks awfully lost. You tell her thank you for me. Rachel Calder is a friend of my granddaughter. I was afraid my girl was next. Thanks to you and Ashley, I can rest easier. The whole town can.”
“Will do.” After the late night processing the scene, combing through McGrady’s house, and questioning the Barrett brothers, he didn’t think the chief would complain if he took a few minutes of personal time. Wyman was on patrol. The chief ordered Rafe to stay home and finish out his vacation. Nate’s morning had been filled with paperwork and blissful silence, something he’d desperately needed while trying to figure out his and Ashley’s future.
The closer he got to the gazebo, the more concerned he got. She didn’t react to his approach. It was like she was lost in another world. Ashley sat holding a takeout container from the diner. It was open with a slice of Black Forest cherry cake inside. She had taken a bite but now sat with her fork poised over like it tasted funny or she couldn’t remember what she was doing.
Given Miss Elsie had baked the cake, he doubted it tasted anything but delicious. Considering Ashley had suffered two blows to the head in one week, he was banking on option two. He said a silent prayer, hoping she hadn’t suffered a stroke. TBI—traumatic brain injury—was nothing to ignore.
“Something wrong with your food?”
“Huh?” Ashley blinked. “Oh, no. It’s sinful.” Her soft words didn’t convey the joy she normally found in food, but at least they and the small smile gave him some relief. It didn’t appear to be a stroke. He let his gaze travel the length of her. She was dressed in jeans, a soft purple sweater, and leather boots. She’d left her long dark hair down. She rarely wore a lot of makeup, and what she wore now looked normal, in his opinion. But something else was off. Something internal. Like she’d lost her spark.
He sat down next to her. “What’s going on, Ash? You should be home resting.”
“I’m resting right here on the gazebo steps. Sitting on a couch or here. Same thing.” Her words held a touch of annoyance. Good. She closed up the takeout container and set it behind her. Looking across the square toward the PI office, she exhaled. “I went to talk to Lexie and Kat this morning.”
Shit. She’d given her notice. He’d known it was coming. They’d talked about her leaving a few times, but he thought they’d have more time. Maybe now that the deed was done, she was having second thoughts. At least he hoped so.
“When do you leave?”
“What?” She looked at him. Confusion filled her eyes for a second, then cleared. “Oh, I didn’t give my notice… yet. Nate, I found my dad. I found Vincent Mattetuci.” But the happiness or satisfaction he’d expected wasn’t there.
“Ash, that’s great news. Or is it?”
“It’s sort of a long story, and I need you to promise me that you’ll have an open mind when I tell you everything.”
What could she be worried about? He already knew that her biological father was part of the mob. It wasn’t like Nate came from some family in a Rockwell painting.
“No judgment here.”
“Okay. He’s dead.”
“I’m sorry, baby.” He slipped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her in for a side hug.
“It’s okay. We knew the chances were high that he would be. He was in WitSec here in Camden Point, and the mob put out a hit on him. They took out my dad and the agents assigned to protect him. He was going to turn evidence on the family and then start a new life with my mom. He didn’t leave of his own choosing. I mean, while that’s terrible, at least he didn’t abandon her and me.”
“It’s a dangerous life.”
“It is.” She ran her palms down her thighs.
“How did you find everything out? Wait, let me guess. Miss Elsie?”
Ashley let out a shaky laugh. “Surprisingly, she didn’t know him. She did remember a couple of uptight guys in suits and a rumor about a murder.” Ashley wouldn’t look at him. She closed her eyes as she ran her palms up and down her thighs again. “Do you believe in ghosts?”
Nate sat up straight. He hadn’t a clue where she was going with that question, but her behavior wasn’t her norm. Ashley didn’t beat around bushes.
“No, I don’t.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know. I guess I just believe that when you’re gone, you’re gone.”
“What if that isn’t true for everyone? What if some souls linger or stick around, just in a different form of energy?”
“Ashley, it’s an interesting thought, but I’m not following where you’re going with it.”
“My dad—Vinnie—is here. Still here. I’ve been seeing him for months but didn’t know it was him. He’s been haunting me since I came to town.”
What. The. Actual. Fuck?
This was why he’d wanted her to go to the hospital. To get examined by a doctor. If that fuckhead Drew Barrett wasn’t sitting in a cell in his station, he’d beat the crap out of the guy for what he did to Ash. Hell, he might do it anyway, job be damned.
“Ash, honey. I think your concussion is worse than we thought. You’re not making any sense. Let me take you to the doctor.” He stood up and reached for her hand.
Ashley pulled away from him. “I’m not crazy. You promised to keep an open mind.”
“I am, but what you’re saying makes no sense. You just told me your dad is haunting you.”
“He’s not the only one.”
Nate didn’t know what to do with that comment. “Honey…”
“Let me start from the beginning. I haven’t always seen ghosts. Remember how I told you I’d been shot, and for four minutes I was technically dead?”
“Yeah.”
“Before that, I was like most other people and believed the same as you. Once you’re gone, you’re gone. But when I came back to life, everything changed. I saw people that no one else could. People dressed in clothes from a really long time ago and some from just a few decades ago. But they all had one thing in common… I could see through them. Not only could I see them, I could hear them and talk to them. That whole unfinished business thing is real.”
“Ash…” I need to get her to a hospital. She could have swelling on the brain. His old captain in California made the entire department take a class on TBI. The instructor’s words rang through Nate’s head. Traumatic brain injury can cause hallucinations and delusions. If untreated, it can lead to long-term effects like psychosis, irreparable cognitive and motor skills, or even death. “Honey, I know you believe you’re seeing dead people. It’s not uncommon after a head injury to see things that aren’t there. Let me take you to the doctor.”
“You think I’m crazy.” The accusation was flat, emotionless, without any sting. Not what he’d expect from her.
“No. I know you’ve gotten whacked upside the head twice in less than a week, and I’m worried that you’ve got injuries we can’t see.”
“You can’t see my injury, but you believe in it?”
“Because you’re displaying the symptoms.” He dragged his hand through his hair. Why wouldn’t she listen? “Ashley, we’re trained professionals. This is stuff they teach us so we can recognize it in crime victims.”
She shot to her feet. “I’m not a victim.” She pushed the words out through clenched, bared teeth.
They faced off in front of the gazebo for the whole town to see. He didn’t care. Maybe Lexie and Kat would see and come help. Or Devin. Or Miss Elsie. He didn’t care as long as Ashley listened and let him take her to the hospital.
“I’m fine. He barely knocked me out that second time.”
“Do you hear what you just said? Second time. Knocked out. We could be talking about the difference between life and death. Why are you being so stubborn?” He didn’t care that he was yelling. All he cared about was getting through that thick, I’ll-do-whatever-I-damn-well-please skull of hers.
“Why are you being so stubborn? You said, no judgment, but you’re judging. Just because we can’t physically see something doesn’t mean it’s not there. We can’t see air, but it’s there. We can’t see sound waves or Bluetooth signals, but they all exist.”
“Science has proved those things are there.”
“You can’t see fear or love, but you believe in that.” She pushed her finger into his chest. “Sometimes, you just have to have faith and be open. There was this fortune teller at the May Day Fair. She told me I was being haunted. She told me evil was coming, and she told me the other day, right before I ran into Carter in the diner, that what I was seeking was right in front of me, and it was.”
He wrapped his hand around hers, pressing her palm against his heartbeat. “Ash, emotions are different. You can feel them.”
“Can you? How do you know the jitteriness in your stomach is excitement or nerves and not something you ate? How do you know happiness is happiness and not a rush of endorphins from some chocolate or exercise? You don’t see those things, Nate. But you believe in them.”
“Okay, I’ll concede on that point, but a psychic? No way. You’re a cop. You know about scammers. Evil is coming? There was a missing girl. I was showing her picture all around the fair. And that comment about what you’re seeking being right before you? That’s classic.”
“There’s more that exists in this world than just what we can see. I’m not the only one who can see ghosts. Just because you can’t, doesn’t mean I’m lying—”
“I didn’t say you were lying, just confused.”
“I’m not confused. I’m fine. Maybe for the first time in months, I’m completely, utterly fine. When I saw my first ghost, I thought I was crazy. That I’d suffered from oxygen deprivation for too long and had brain damage. It’s why I took the sabbatical. It’s why I’ve carried this secret for the past seven months. But now I know I’m not imagining things and I’m not alone.”
“Who else can see these spirits? Your fortune teller?”
She shook her head and sat back down. “It’s not my secret to share.”
Why couldn’t she see how worried he was about her? How crazy she sounded. “I’ll make a deal with you. Go to the doctor just to make sure that last blow didn’t do anything we should be worried about and I’ll try to believe in the supernatural.” Just don’t ask me to believe in vampires and werewolves.
“I don’t need a doctor to tell me I’m okay and if you can’t accept that, then that’s that.”
“I can’t force you to go, but I also can’t be with someone who is so reckless with their life. My wife ignored her symptoms, just like you’re doing, and she died.” Nate gave Ashley one last look, then headed back to the station. He’d already seen one woman he loved die. He couldn’t go through that again.
Ashley grabbed the box with the cake, stabbed the dessert with her fork, and shoveled in a giant bite. Tears clogged the back of her throat. She choked and coughed as she forced the cake down.
Damn. Why did she have to fall for a guy like Nate Daines? She’d known from the start he was her polar opposite. So buttoned-up. By-the-books. Feet planted squarely on the ground. If he really loved her, shouldn’t he have faith in her? Shouldn’t he believe in her? Then again, before the shooting, she didn’t believe in ghosts, either. If the roles were reversed, how would she have responded to Nate?
Well, for one, she wouldn’t have called him crazy… No. Delusional. Brain damaged. The headache barely throbbed.
How could she get him to understand and accept what she said for the truth? Her phone picked that moment to ring and that ringtone meant she had to face another decision. That morning when she’d woken, her path had been so clear. Now it looked more like mud. But what was there to keep her in Camden Point?
Nate said he couldn’t be with someone like her.
Lexie and Kat wanted her to stay, as did Devin, but the agency didn’t really need a third investigator. And Devin went down to the city often, so she’d still see her, but Ash would miss their weekly sip and spill dates. As for her dad—Vinnie—he’d said that he wasn’t tethered to Camden Point. While she’d made unexpected connections in the small town, she hadn’t sunk her roots. At least not deeply.
The phone buzzed again, and Ashley hit the Talk button. “Hi, LT.”
After hanging up the phone, she scooped up another bite of cake. No sense letting it go to waste and she’d missed breakfast. She’d done it. After explaining the last week, and that she’d received multiple concussions back-to-back, she’d asked for two more weeks of sick leave to recover and then promised she’d be back at the precinct.
Her boss had agreed, but had told her she’d have to have a medical exam and clearance to go back to work. But that was SOP, standard operating procedure, not because her boss thought she was crazy. Then again, Ashley hadn’t divulged her new supernatural gift.
She set the cake back down and grabbed her phone again. No time like the present to fully rip that Band-Aid off and make her return official. She dialed her mom’s number.
“Baby girl. I was just thinking about you. Your dad and I saw on the morning news about those missing women and that a retired NYPD cop was involved. The news said it was a joint investigation with a local private investigation firm. Were you involved in that?”
“Yeah, I was.”
“For someone who broke a big case and brought those women home, you don’t sound thrilled,” her mom said.
“We didn’t bring everyone home. We didn’t get there in time to save one woman.”
“Did you do your best?”
“Of course.”
“I love you, Ashley, but even I can admit you’re not a superhero. Sometimes you can’t save everyone.” Her mom was right. Ash knew that. It’s why cops never promised to save people. They promised to do their best because sometimes the other side won.
“Thanks, Mom. I actually called with other news.”
“You’re coming home?” The hopeful, excited tone filled Ashley with love. Even in her worst moments—basically her entire teenage years—Ashley always knew her parents loved her unconditionally. But what would they say if Ash admitted to seeing ghosts? She’d save that for another time. One big reveal at a time.
