Dangerous Reunion (Love Inspired Suspense) (11 page)

He bowed and made a flourish with his hands as the actors filed onstage and took their places. For the next thirty minutes Kate didn’t take her eyes off the action occurring in front of her. Her heart swelled with pride when the pirates settled at the table for a meal and called for the serving girl to bring their drinks.

Emma, wearing the long burlap dress Treasury had made, entered carrying a tray filled with large tankards. She moved to the table, served each man, then curtsied before stepping back to stand like an obedient servant girl awaiting further orders from her master.

Kate and Betsy glanced at each other and smiled. Pride lit Betsy’s eyes, and Kate was sure it mirrored hers. She was about to lean over and whisper to Betsy when her cell phone chimed, alerting her to a received text message.

She pulled the phone from her pocket and held it as she waited for the moment in the play she’d come to see. Onstage Emma stepped back up to the table and held the pitcher up. “More ale, sir?” she said. Kate mouthed the words with her.

Smiling, she glanced down at her phone. Her thrill over Emma’s perfectly delivered line turned to horror. She gasped and grabbed the arm of her chair. The displayed sender’s name glowed on the lit screen like hot coals and sent a searing pain to her head.
Doug?
The message had been sent from Doug’s phone?

She shook her head. What kind of evil trick was someone playing on her? She clicked on the message, blinked and reread it.

It’s showtime, Kate. Watch out for Great Balls of Fire.

Kate swiveled in her chair and scanned the audience for movement. A flash of red to her left caught her attention, and she half-rose to get a better look. A man dressed in a pirate costume and holding a small bag stood to the left side of the stage. A beard and mustache hid his face. A tricorn hat covered his head. He smiled, held up a cell phone and slipped it into his pocket.

Her heart pounded in her ears, and she gulped a big breath into her burning lungs as she pushed to her feet. Before she could take a step, he pulled a bottle with a rag stuffed into the top from the bag. Dropping the bag, he flicked a cigarette lighter on and held the flame up for her to see.

Her eyes widened in understanding. He had a firebomb. She reached for her gun before she remembered that she always left it in her car trunk when she was out of uniform. Gritting her teeth, she charged toward the pirate at the moment he hurled the bottle with the now-burning rag to the stage. She was too late.

The audience screamed as the bottle shattered, sending its deadly cargo of fire dancing across the stage. The pirate saluted her, then turned and ran from the scene. Kate tried to pursue, but panicked playgoers mobbed the exits in an effort to escape the spreading blaze and blocked her way.

“Police! Let me through,” Kate yelled. Emma’s scream from the stage stopped her, and she turned to stare at her sister. Her heart leaped to her throat at the sight of her little sister fighting the flames that climbed up the burlap dress. Emma screamed again and turned to run.

“Emma,” Kate yelled over the crowd. “Don’t run.”

She pushed back through the crowd and lunged to the front of the stage. Two actors jumped to the ground blocking her way. She pushed the frightened men aside and fought to get onto the platform. To her right a figure leaped onto the stage, and she recognized Brock.

“Emma,” he yelled.

Kate jumped onto the stage, but Brock was in front of her. Avoiding the flames licking at his legs, he vaulted across the stage and grabbed Emma around the waist. He dived off the stage to the ground, covered her with his body and rolled back and forth to extinguish the flames. As Kate dropped down beside them, several actors ran from behind stage with fire extinguishers and doused the fire that now licked at the curtains.

Betsy, Treasury and Lisa rushed to where Kate hovered over Brock and Emma. Betsy dropped to her knees beside Kate. “I-is she all right?”

Brock raised his head and rolled off Emma. Scorch marks and holes where the fabric had burned away covered the front of his shirt. His sleeve hung in blackened tatters. Underneath red splotches of skin stood as a testimony to the agony he’d endured.

Kate’s gaze raked Emma from head to toe to determine if she’d been injured. Several burns on her legs appeared to be minor, and Kate pulled Emma into her arms. “Are you all right?”

Tears streamed down the child’s face. “My legs hurt some, but I was so scared, Kate.” She glanced at Brock, and her chin quivered. “Thank you for saving me, Brock.”

Wincing, Brock pushed to his feet and grinned. “I’m glad I was here to help.”

Betsy reached for Emma, and Kate stood. The muscle in Brock’s jaw twitched, and his eyes appeared dull. Kate had seen that expression once before when he’d suffered a knee injury at a college track meet. Now, he didn’t want them to know how much pain he was in from the burns he’d sustained. She reached for his hand and pulled his arm closer to examine it. “Those are some bad burns.”

He shook his head and pulled his hand away. “I’m all right. We have to find the guy that did this.”

Her eyes grew wide, and she gasped. “I was so scared that I forgot I’m a police officer. I have to alert Calvin.”

Pulling her cell phone from her pocket, she punched in Calvin’s number. When she completed her call, she turned back to Betsy. “Calvin and Clay will be on the lookout for a pirate in a red costume wearing a tricorn hat, but there are probably dozens dressed like that tonight. I need to join the search. You take Emma and Brock to the Health Center and get their burns treated.”

Brock shook his head. “I’m okay. I want to help you look for this guy.”

“You’re hurt, Brock, and I want you to get some medical attention. If you’ve already left the Center when I get through, I’ll come by Treasury’s house. We need to talk.”

He swallowed and stared into her eyes. “I think you’re right.”

Kate tried to smile. “Thank you for saving my sister. I’ll see you later.”

She turned and ran from the stage. There was nothing she wanted more than to go to the Medical Center with Emma and Brock. But Emma had Betsy and Treasury to take care of her, and Brock would be all right. The important thing was they had agreed to talk.

Now she didn’t think she could carry through on her resolve to tell him to leave Ocracoke. When Brock had jumped on that stage to save Emma, she realized she had never really banished him from her heart. The problem was she didn’t know what to do about it.

A
n hour later Kate and Calvin met in front of the funnel cake vendor’s stand. Kate propped her hands on her hips and shook her head. “I don’t understand it. He disappeared into thin air. There was so much panic backstage no one saw which way he ran, and nobody on the streets saw a pirate running away from the theater.”

Calvin pulled off his hat and mopped at his forehead. “I know. I’ve talked to a lot of pirates dressed in red in the past hour, but all of them have alibis for where they were. And none of them fit the physical description you gave me.”

Kate pursed her lips. “All I could tell you was his height and weight, and he has Doug’s cell phone. I don’t have any idea what color his hair or eyes were, and I couldn’t see his face for the beard and mustache.”

“That’s because you were so frightened for Emma. Have you talked to Betsy? How is Emma?”

“The burns on her legs are minor, thanks to Brock. I’m afraid he didn’t fare as well, though. He had some second-degree burns up his arms and some on his stomach. Doc Hunter says there won’t be any permanent scarring, but he said Brock would be in pain for a few days.”

Calvin shook his head. “I can’t imagine that guy wanting to hurt Emma. When I see Brock, I’m going to have to thank him for saving her.”

The memory of seeing the flames climbing up Emma’s dress sent tears to Kate’s eyes. “Yeah, I have a lot to thank him for, too.” She blinked and glanced around. “Where is Clay?”

Calvin shrugged. “You tell me. I tried and tried to call his cell phone, but he didn’t respond. I thought he was supposed to be helping me with patrol tonight.”

“He is.” Kate clenched her fists and frowned. Where could Clay be? With so many people on the streets tonight, they needed the presence of uniformed figures around.

Calvin pointed down the street and chuckled. “Here he comes now. It’s plain to see why we couldn’t find him.”

Kate glanced in the direction Calvin indicated. Clay, his gaze locked on the young woman walking beside him, held a spool of pink cotton candy in one hand. The young woman wore a long skirt that was gathered at the waist and a peasant-style blouse that made her look as if she’d stepped out of the pages of a pirate story. They stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, and Clay popped a bite of the sugary confection into the woman’s mouth. They laughed before they turned and walked toward Kate and Calvin.

Kate propped her hands on her hips and scowled. What was he thinking? He was supposed to be on patrol, not out on a date. Clay spotted her, and his step faltered before he took the young woman by the arm and pulled her to where Kate stood.

“Hi, Kate, Calvin,” he said. “This is Amber. She’s visiting the island from St. Louis.”

Kate swallowed back the retort that rose in her throat. She’d always been courteous to tourists, and she wouldn’t let her irritation with Clay change that. She smiled and turned to Amber. “I’m Kate Michaels, deputy sheriff on Ocracoke. I hope you’re enjoying our festival.”

Amber smiled at Kate and tilted her head to one side. Her long, blond hair brushed her shoulders as she gazed up at Clay. “I am now. I just met Clay at the cotton candy booth, and he’s been telling me all about your island. There’s a lot of history here. He’s going to give me a private tour of the lighthouse tonight.”

Kate arched her eyebrows and shot a questioning glance at Clay. “Then I hope you’re used to staying up late because Clay doesn’t get off patrol until all the vendors have closed down.” She turned to Calvin. “What time was it last year when the last one left?”

“Not until about one-thirty. None of the artists wanted to leave their work out in the open. It took forever to get everything stored inside.”

Amber frowned. “One-thirty? Maybe we’d better plan for tomorrow.”

The cotton candy’s spool crunched in Clay’s hands. His eyes shot sparks at Kate. “No, we’ll do it tonight. I was under the impression I worked for the National Park Service, not the Hyde County Sheriff’s Department.”

Kate smiled at Amber. “Excuse us for a moment. While I’m talking with Clay, I’m sure Calvin will be glad to tell you more about our island history.” She took Clay by the arm and pulled him aside. When they were out of earshot, Kate unleashed her fury on Clay. “Let me tell you something,” she hissed. “For as long as Ocracoke has been a part of the Hatteras National Seashore, the park rangers here have backed up the deputies when needed. Your supervisor agreed to your assignment tonight, and he isn’t going to be happy when Sheriff Baxter calls him tomorrow with the report I’m about to file.”

“What’s the big deal, Kate? I’ve been doing patrol like I was supposed to. Are you jealous because another woman seems to like me?”

Kate couldn’t believe her ears. Jealous? Her mouth dropped open. “Have you been in outer space, Clay? Everybody up and down the street is talking about the crazy guy who threw a firebomb on the stage at the Hurricane Theater tonight. We needed you to help us search for him, but you weren’t answering your cell phone.” She glanced back at Amber. “It’s plain to see now why not.”

Clay’s expression changed from anger to surprise. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and stared at it before he exhaled. “I didn’t realize it was turned off. I’m sorry, Kate, but I haven’t heard anything about the fire. Was anybody hurt?”

“No, but it could have been bad.”

Clay rubbed his hands over his eyes and groaned. After a moment he took a deep breath and stared into Kate’s eyes. “I was having such a good time at the festival I guess I lost sight of why I was here. I let you down tonight, but it won’t happen again.”

“I hope not.”

“I’ll tell Amber to go on back to her hotel. Maybe I can see her tomorrow.”

Kate’s eyes narrowed, and she studied Clay as he trudged back toward Amber. With the fire being the big topic of conversation everywhere she’d been in the past hour, she found it difficult to believe that Clay could be as oblivious to the situation as he professed. And why would he turn off his phone when he knew he might be called at any time to help with an emergency?

Another thought popped into Kate’s head. There was still the unanswered question about who left the note in her car the day she was at the beach. Clay had been nearby when that incident occurred, too. Brock had thought that suspicious, but she had been hesitant to think Clay capable of doing anything to hurt her.

When she added the incident of the note to their failure to reach him tonight during the fire, it made her wonder if Clay could be involved in the bizarre acts that had happened in the past week. She had been in law enforcement long enough to know that people could turn out to be completely the opposite of what you thought. After all, she really knew very little about Clay Phillips—only what he’d told her. With that in mind, she would keep an eye on him.

She waited until Amber had left before she rejoined Calvin and Clay. “Okay, let’s see where we are with this situation. No one has seen the guy we’re looking for. So he’s probably left the area and is back wherever he’s staying. Maybe we’ll get lucky and someone will call in, but we can’t count on that. You two continue with your patrol until the vendors have shut down, then Calvin can probably finish the night out.”

Calvin nodded. “No problem.”

“I’ll relieve you in the morning. We’re expecting the truck delivering the fireworks for tomorrow night’s display on the afternoon ferry, and I’ll show the drivers where the crew will set up. Calvin can relieve me at the regular shift change time.” She glanced at Clay. “We’ll use the other ranger tomorrow night. There’s no need for you to pull another night shift.”

Clay shrugged. “Suits me.”

She glanced from one to the other. “Any questions?” When they both shook their heads, she smiled. “Good. I’m going to the Health Center to check on Emma.”

Kate turned and walked away before they could question her more. She hadn’t said that she wanted to check on Brock, too, but that had been uppermost in her mind. Emma was fine, but Brock had endured a lot of pain to protect her sister. He needed to be thanked.

She’d only taken a few steps when she heard her name called. She glanced over her shoulder and caught sight of Sam and Tracey Burnett along with Dillon McAllister hurrying toward her. All three wore costumes she’d seen displayed in the window at the Sun Shop. Tracey held up the hem of her long black-and-white-striped skirt as she tried to keep up with Sam, dressed as Jack Sparrow, and Dillon, dressed as Captain Hook.

Dillon was the first to reach Kate. “We were over at the booth where Betsy’s paintings are, and the man there said she was at the Health Center with her little sister. What happened?”

All three listened as she told them of the events of the night. When she finished, she looked from one to another. “Did you see a pirate dressed like I described anywhere tonight?”

They glanced at each other and shook their heads. “Where are you going now, Kate?” Dillon asked.

“I’m going back to the theater to look around once more. Maybe I can find somebody there who remembers seeing something.” She glanced at her watch. “When I talked to Betsy, she said she was taking Emma home, and Brock was going to Treasury’s. I’ll go check on him, then I need to get home. I have patrol early in the morning.”

Sam ran his finger around the collar of his shirt. “I’m about ready to get back to the bed-and-breakfast, too. I want to get out on the water early tomorrow morning.”

Tracey glared at him. “You just got here. I had to come by myself again like always, and I’m not ready to leave yet.”

Dillon glanced at Kate and arched his eyebrows. Before Sam and Tracey could launch into another of their arguments, Kate backed away. “I need to be on my way. Enjoy the night, and I’ll see all of you tomorrow.”

Dillon nodded. “Tell Brock and Emma we hope they’re all right.”

“I’ll do it.” Kate turned and hurried down the street.

When she reached the theater, she walked through the gate into the open area where earlier people had sat in lawn chairs and laughed and visited with those seated near them. Now trash littered the area left by those who had sipped sodas and eaten sandwiches as they awaited the beginning of the play.

She walked to the deserted stage, and her stomach roiled at the burned marks across its surface. The singed curtains still hung from the wire across the backdrop, and she closed her eyes for a moment as she recalled the terror of seeing Emma’s dress in flames.

She’d promised her mother she would always protect Emma, but tonight that hadn’t been possible. What would she have done if Brock hadn’t been there? The thought of her little sister dead or scarred for life from the burns made her nauseous, and she sat down on the edge of the stage.

Only a few nights ago she’d told Brock that she had faith God would take care of her. She’d wanted him to understand that she didn’t fear death because He would be there with her. Tonight her life hadn’t been threatened. Her sister had been the target, and that made her question how strong her faith really was. How could God let a child be hurt?

She closed her eyes and wrestled with the question that repeated in her mind. After a moment she stood and stared up at the sky. She believed that God watched over all who believed in Him. Nothing escaped His watchful eye. Tonight He’d known the danger Emma faced, and He hadn’t looked away. He’d been here to protect her, and He had done it by using Brock.

The knowledge sent a surge of happiness sweeping through her soul, and in its aftermath it left new hope. Brock had risked his life tonight to save Emma, and that canceled out all the mistakes in the past. Forgiveness had seemed so difficult before, but it didn’t seem so now. The hurts of the past were gone, and she had peace like she hadn’t known in years. She needed to tell Brock that right away.

She strode toward the gate into the theater, but she stopped about halfway there. Her skin prickled, and chills crept up her spine. Her eyes widened at the frosty sensation drifting through her body. The icy inkling she’d experienced on the beach the day of Jake’s murder had returned. That morning someone had been watching her.

Her gaze darted over the enclosed grassy area of the theater, but she was alone. She wiggled her shoulders to shake off the unease attacking her, but it was no use. Her mind told her she was reacting to what had happened here earlier, but her heart told her differently. She didn’t know where he was, but she knew he was near. Watching. Waiting. Biding his time until his next opportunity to wreak havoc on her and those she loved.

Slowly, she turned in a circle and scanned the area, trying to find his hiding place. She didn’t know where he was, but she knew he was watching. Seeing nothing, she walked back to the gate and stopped.

“I know you’re out there,” she called out. “I’m not scared of you, but you’d better watch out for me. I’m coming for you, and when I do, you’re going to pay for everything you’ve done on my island.”

Straightening to her full height, she exited the theater and walked to the side street where she’d parked her car. Her heart beat in rhythm with her footsteps as she listened for movement behind her. When she reached the car, she unlocked it, climbed inside and cranked the engine.

She’d taunted him and expected him to attack, but he hadn’t. Not this time. But he would. She prayed that when he did, she would be ready.

Brock sat at the table on the back porch of the Island Connection Bed-and-Breakfast. No sounds came from inside the Victorian house. Sam and Tracey Burnett and Dillon McAllister had come back from the festival some time ago, but after inquiring about how he was feeling, they had disappeared inside. Even Treasury had gone to bed.

Tears had run down her cheeks when she thanked him for saving Emma earlier. Her deep commitment to Kate and her sisters had become evident to him since he’d been her guest, and he’d seen how deeply affected she’d been tonight.

He poured himself a glass of lemonade from the pitcher Treasury had brought him and took a sip. The cool liquid soothed his parched throat. He wished something could take away the pain on his arms and chest. He glanced down at the short-sleeved T-shirt he wore and the loose bandages covering his burns. Dr. Hunter had given him some pain medication, but he didn’t want to take it until he’d seen Kate. He thought she’d be here by now, and he was beginning to get concerned.