Dark Powers (20 page)

“No.”

“And you didn’t report it?” Ben pressed.

The man bristled. “It was . . . hearsay. It still is. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“No. You did the right thing. We appreciate the tip.”

oOo

Inside, Chief Judd, Mayor Hinton and George Myers waited until the rest of the people had exited the building.

“That was unfortunate,” Hinton said.

“I don’t think the girl’s father is going to give us any more trouble,” the chief answered. “He’s going to prison for that stunt.”

“What about Sage Arnold and Ben Walker?” the mayor asked.

“That’s another matter. They saved our bacon a little while ago, and people took note of that.”

“Yeah.”

The chief shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “We still have to consider the other matter.” He looked at George Myers. “At lunch you said you have a shipment coming in later tonight?”

The Pine Fairways owner nodded. “I’m increasing my private security.”

Judd gave the other two men a long look. “This project of yours is getting risky.”

“It was always risky.”

“It’s getting harder to look the other way.”

“That’s too bad, because you’re in this as deeply as we are.”

Judd responded with a tight nod.

“Just keep on doing what you’re doing, and everything’s gonna be okay,” the Pine Fairways owner answered.

Judd forced himself to say, “Right,” when he really didn’t think so.

oOo

Sage watched Varney stride back up the lane. “At least he told us that much. But how would we find a body over there? I mean, the way the golf course is built, it’s bordered by a lot of swampy land. They had to truck in a ton of dirt to get fairways they could use.”

Ben looked thoughtful. “There might be a way.”

“Care to share what you’re thinking?”

“I’d like to see Pine Fairways again.”

He passed through town toward the golf club and turned onto the carefully tended property, driving past the large, well-landscaped houses that lined the fairways.

“It looks like they’ve got a rule about spending a minimum amount on your home if you want to live here,” Ben said.

“George Myers has to maintain his standards,” she said, unable to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.

Ben passed the clubhouse and continued on a loop road that circled the property. In back of the homes were stands of pines, oaks and other hardwoods.

“You’re right. A lot of swamp to cover,” he muttered.

Pulling to the shoulder, he got out of the car. Sage followed him as he walked across well-tended grass to the trees beyond. She could see large areas where the ground looked boggy.

Ben gestured. “Is that a river back there?”

“Yes.”

“The same one where the warehouse was located?”

She nodded.

Out on the road one of the white jeeps that had followed them on their previous visit pulled up in back of their car. A uniformed rent-a-cop climbed out and approached them. “Can I help you?” he asked.

“We’re just looking for a good place to pick up pine cones,” Ben said.

“For what?”

“For my girlfriend’s craft projects. She makes them into Christmas ornaments.”

“I’m afraid you’ll have to do that somewhere else.”

“No problem.”

They walked back to his car and climbed in.

“Pine cones,” Sage said. “He probably thinks we’re trying to figure out a way to rob some of the expensive houses.”

“Which is why I didn’t give him any argument.”

She looked at him. “We went to the warehouse because you had . . .” She let her voice trail off, then started again, “You had some kind of premonition that we were going to find something there.”

“Yeah.”

“Did you get the same feeling here?”

He hesitated before answering. “No. Maybe that was a one-time deal. But we can’t ignore a tip from a local resident.”

They drove in silence for a few minutes.

“It’s not like you can look for a body with a metal detector or anything,” Sage said. “You need a dog.”

“A dog. Yeah,” Ben answered. “But we don’t have one.”

“What do you have in mind for finding a bone in a haystack?” she asked as they drove back to the motel.

“I need to talk to one of the other Decorah agents. Cole Marshall.”

She waited for him to tell her what he had in mind, but he didn’t speak again.

When she stepped inside their room, he hesitated in the doorway. “I need to speak to him in private.”

“Why?”

“It’s better that way.”

Without further explanation, he walked outside again, closing the door and leaving her wondering why he was suddenly withdrawing from her.

Chapter Fourteen

Outside, Ben punched in the Decorah Security number and asked to speak to Cole Marshall.

Moments later, the other agent came on the line.

“I’m glad I caught you.”

“Aren’t you on a case in Doncaster?”

“Yes. And I’m hoping you can help me with a problem down here.”

Cole waited for more information.

“Sage Arnold and I are looking for her missing sister. It turns out there are other women who have gone missing—most of them Eastern Europeans who came here to work in the restaurants. Sage and I believe we found one of the bodies in an old warehouse.”

“Yeah, we heard Mark Linton had to spring you from jail. I can’t imagine that was any fun.”

“Not much.” He paused and cleared his throat. “This is a basically hostile environment, but we just did a favor for the chief of police.” Briefly he explained about keeping Gary Baker from shooting any of the town’s leading citizens.

“What do you need from me?” Cole asked.

“There may be another body laid out in a swampy area near the golf course. I was hoping you could come down and help me find it.”

“You mean my alter ego,” Cole said.

“Yes.”

Like Ben, Cole had special powers that made him particularly useful as a Decorah Security agent. But his paranormal ability was different. Cole was a werewolf, which was why he’d been sent to the
Windward
. He’d used his animal sense of smell to locate a woman who’d been kidnapped and taken there.

“When do you need me?”

“As soon as possible.”

“I can leave now.”

“I appreciate it.”

Ben gave Cole the name of their motel and the room number, then clicked off and stepped back inside.

Sage looked at him expectantly.

His stomach clenched because he knew this wasn’t going to be a very satisfactory conversation from her point of view.

“Cole Marshall will be down here in a couple of hours.”

“The guy you met on the
Windward
?”

He nodded.

“What’s he coming for, exactly?” she asked.

“To help me search for the body.”

“Tonight?”

“Uh huh.”

She tipped her head to the side, staring at him. “Wouldn’t it be better to wait until morning?”

He shook his head. “More chance of being seen.”

“Okay.”

He cleared his throat. “Cole is excellent at tracking. ”

She waited for him to say more, but he headed toward the bed. “I need to get some rest.”

“You don’t think Chief Judd is going to show up here tonight?”

“I think he’s busy with Gary Baker.”

“And what about the rest of them?”

“They weren’t all on the same page. Some of them obviously still want us out of here, but if anything happens to us, there will be someone who talks.” He figured that was probably true. At least he hoped so.

He pulled back the spread, kicked off his shoes and lay down, aware that Sage was watching him.

To keep from having to talk to her, he closed his eyes, pretending to sleep. He must have dozed off because some time later a knock sounded on the door. He sprang off the bed and picked up the gun he’d laid on the night table.

Sage was already halfway to the door.

“Stay back,” he told her.

Looking through the peephole, he saw the man he’d been waiting for and opened the door.

The other Decorah agent stepped into the room, a small knapsack slung over one shoulder.

“Thanks for coming.”

“Glad to help.”

Ben turned. “Sage, this is Cole Marshall. Cole, this is Sage Arnold.”

“Nice to meet you,” they both said although Ben could tell that Sage’s response had been automatic. He saw her eyeing Cole and tried to see the Decorah agent from her point of view. She was sizing up a man with dark hair, dark eyes, a strong chin and a look that could stop most people cold when he chose to use it. Probably it came from the underlying sense of danger the werewolf projected. People knew instinctively that it would be a mistake to mess with this guy.

“We’re going out to see if we can locate that body,” Ben said.

“I’m coming with you.”

Ben shook his head. “It’s got to be just me and Cole.”

“Why?”

“It’s too dangerous for you to go,” he answered, knowing it was only a partial answer.

She glared at him. “You can’t cut me out of this.”

Cole entered the conversation. “He’s doing it at my insistence.”

“Decorah Security is ganging up on me?” Sage shot back.

“I’m sorry,” Cole answered. “This is how it’s got to be. Unless you want Ben to drive you back to Baltimore while I look for the body.”

“You’re kidding! I’m not going anywhere,” she answered, her outrage palpable.

Cole gave her the cold stare that Ben knew could freeze the blood in an enemy’s veins. After several heartbeats, Sage looked away.

oOo

The man glanced at the black hood lying on the car seat. What was it doing in the car? He never wore the thing out in public. Only in the house where Wendy lived.

But he was out in public now. In his car, clutching the steering wheel, his grip so tight that his knuckles were white.

He’d been so sure this time. He was always sure in the beginning.

Always?

That stopped him. What did he mean by always? The question ran through his mind like a line of a song, until he pushed it away.

What mattered was that he had a girl who could stand in for Wendy. No, a girl who would be his Wendy. If she would only do things right.

He gritted his teeth. She was trying. It wasn’t her fault that things weren’t working out.

It was the fault of that couple—Sage Arnold and the detective she’d hired, Ben Walker. Damn them. He knew the guy was a detective because he’d done some checking around. Sage Arnold had dragged him down to Doncaster to look for her sister, Laurel.

The man in the car had felt sorry for Laurel. Her mother didn’t appreciate her. Didn’t love her. But he did. All he had to do was change her into Wendy, and he could give her everything she’d always wanted.

And then that nosy bitch, Sage, had shown up, asking questions, stirring up trouble when everything had been fine. He hadn’t known Laurel had a sister. She must have moved away a long time ago.

Now she was back, and so different from the mother. She cared about her sister, and she wasn’t going to give up until she found out what had happened to her.

What if he killed her and the detective? That would stop their investigation. But would Police Chief Judd try to solve the crime? Or would he just go on the way he had—letting the swamp cover up the evidence.

He gripped the wheel more tightly. Why in the hell had he used that damn warehouse? It had seemed like a good idea at the time. A nice dry place where Wendy could rest in peace. Now he realized it had been a terrible mistake.

Because of Sage Arnold.

He shook his head, trying to put Sage out of his mind for the time being. He had to go back to the house where he was keeping Wendy. She was probably hungry.

He stopped suddenly, almost causing the car in back to slam into him. The driver honked, and he gave the guy the finger. At the next cross street, he pulled into a driveway and turned around, heading for the motel where he knew Walker and Arnold were staying.

But he couldn’t just walk in there. They’d see him as a threat. He’d have to get someone to help him. Someone he trusted with all his secrets, and he knew just who it would be.

oOo

“We’ll be back as soon as we can. With a full report,” Ben added. “Stay in here and lock the door.” He gestured toward the gun on the bedside table. “I’m leaving the weapon with you. If anything happens, don’t hesitate to defend yourself.”