Gone Before Goodbye (Love &Mystery in the--6-oh-3 Book 1) (9 page)

A quiver of fear passed through Teagan until a new idea popped up. A squirrel must have gotten into the house. One or two had discovered a way to enter in the past. The rodents had caused a mess.

She’d better get the animal out before it destroyed Lisa’s room. Teagan laid her list on the nightstand and scooted to the side of the mattress. A bat flitted by on a breeze that floated through the open window. Above, the scratching grew in intensity.

You die next
.

Teagan jumped off the bed, slammed and locked the window.  She wanted to rip the words out of her brain. Her cell phone lay on the ivory spread, tempting her to call Noah Cassidy. He’d briefed her by phone after law enforcement finished at Muffy Mart. The police found no other traces of Lisa. He promised to stop by in the morning. His assurance had given her a moment of pleasure, until he reproached her on leaving the mart without waiting for him to return so he could assign a patrolman to follow her home.

Okay, she wasn’t up for more of his reprimands. She’d handle a small furry animal.
What if it’s not a rodent?

She slid her cell phone into her Capri pocket and grabbed her .38 Special from the locked gun case on the cherry bureau. Aunt Sophia had been a marksman who’d insisted Teagan learn to shoot once she reached the age of eighteen. Despite wincing over each shot, she became an expert.

Her mother could have used a weapon. Memories of sleeping in the woods at the homeless camp with their belongings tucked between herself and her mom for safekeeping flashed through Teagan’s mind. 

“We don’t trust anyone,” her mother had lectured Teagan.

And she didn’t. At least not without years of proof, they were the good guys. She loaded one bullet and put on the safety. With a deep breath, she squeezed the grip and tiptoed out of her room.

The hall nightlights her aunt kept plugged in because of her night blindness lit the way to the stairs. Darkness hugged the walls. Stifling heat hovered on the staircase. Sweat stung her eyes as she crept upward.

She halted on the top step. Another light bulb burned on the empty third floor passage. Moonlight shone from the window at the end of the hall. She pressed her ear against Lisa’s door and listened.

The grating sound grew louder. 

Nerves shrieked for her to retreat. She released an unsteady, “Hel-lo?”

The noise stopped, giving her courage. “Look out, rodent, I’m coming in.” She clenched the gun in a damp palm while twisting the knob with the other.

The door swung open. She squinted into the dim light. Lisa hated the dark and had picked up on Aunt Sophia’s penchant for the small plug-ins. She’d installed two. Teagan paused in their soft glow, and the moonlight shining through the three floor-to-ceiling windows. While she scanned the bedroom, she blinked away the sweat rolling down her forehead.

The scent from the newly painted purple walls clung to the humid air. Lisa’s bed stripped of blankets and sheets for lab testing, lay naked in the center of the room. The spot on the desk where her laptop rested was vacant.

A spasm of grief cramped her stomach.
Please come home Lisa
.
Let everything be normal again
. Teagan recalled Lisa’s room the evening before her disappearance. Rock music had blared from her iPod. Lisa sat crossed-legged in her cutoff shorts and white T-shirt on the lavender spread. A large poster board, glue, and magazine pictures of teen stars surrounded her. Teagan felt like she’d entered another land.

The teenager held up the scissors and pointed them at her. “An intruder has entered my turret.”

Teagan wiped a hand over her face to dislodge the image of the pink-and-raven haired girl, who believed Travis was her prince who’d love her forever.

The scratching began again near the flooring.

“Hello?” Teagan forced firmness into her voice and raised her weapon.

A meow answered.

“Jogger?” Teagan relaxed her shoulders and lowered her weapon. “Where are you?”

The cat loved to prowl the house at night. Dark time meant playtime to the animal.

Another meow came from the corner behind Lisa’s desk, which was spotlighted by the moonlight from the bank of windows under the house’s eaves. Teagan peeked over the desktop. The animal’s large yellow eyes stared up from beneath the heat register.

“Jogger, how did you get inside the furnace duct?” The cat must have entered through an uncovered vent and gone exploring. The officers had looked in every cranny and opened or detached everything movable in their search for Lisa’s phone or wallet in case she’d hidden them to retrieve later. If only they’d found her cell in the house. For sure, Lisa would never toss the phone she’d worked and saved to buy. She treated it like a best friend.

Teagan set the gun on the iron-framed bed and crouched down on her hands and knees to remove the grill covering.

“You’re okay, Jogger,” she whispered and snatched the scrawny cat up in her arms, “but you scared me to death.”

Her pet let out a loud meow.

“No more wandering through the dark.” She’d scout out the missing grating tomorrow. Tonight, kitty stayed in her room.

As she straightened, a movement on the lawn caught her attention. She froze. A figure emerged from the trees separating the rear of the property from the road. The shadowy shape crouched beside the angel statue. His back blocked her complete view, but he seemed to be searching for something. Then he rose and stalked toward her home.

Teagan ducked closer to the wall.

Fighting the urge to bolt, she forced herself to lean forward and peered out the pane. She was horrified, yet mesmerized; she couldn’t tear away her gaze. The dark form prowled the perimeter of her house.

Was this a burglar hunting for a way to enter? What if it was the person who sent her the threat or took Lisa? The hairs on the back of her arms rose and the air left her lungs.

She gasped deep breaths while the form moved closer, bent, and seemed to be studying a cellar window.

The windows were locked, weren’t they? What if she’d forgotten one? She tightened her grip on Jogger. Her pet hissed, squirmed free, and raced from the room.

In the yard, the trespasser slithered into the woods. Relief and something else drew her closer to the window. The swagger of his body triggered recognition.

The chill woke Noah. He gritted his teeth and raised an eyelid. The large bedroom with his dresser, bed, and TV appeared normal. A pile of clean laundry sat in the basket by his bureau. The temperature in the room had dropped to jacket weather thanks to the ancient air conditioner blasting in the window. Reaching down, he yanked up the sheet while he held onto the fragment of the dream about his mother.

He didn't remember much about her, except the night she'd walked. He’d woken to the sound of their car driving away, and remained awake in the gloom waiting for her to come back. That’s when the house changed.

No more fights over his father's drinking. He just drank. No more pillows over Noah’s head to block out their arguments while he tried to sleep. After she was gone, he stayed awake thinking of reasons why she left him.

His father told him she’d come back in a day or two. She’d never returned.

The year he got his driver’s license, someone called from a small town in Vermont. The caller was on the Cemetery Committee and working on tracking relatives of a destitute woman, who’d died the previous winter. She’d been buried in a grave for an indigent. A clerk emailed Noah’s father a picture of the deceased, and his father confirmed it was his wife. His old man had scraped together the money from somewhere and mailed a check for the burial fee and a small gravestone. After he dropped the envelope in the post office slot, he recited a few lines from a Robert Frost poem and that was the last time he spoke of her.

Noah and his father had one thing in common. They’d both lost women.

Now there were times when Noah couldn’t remember little things about his wife. How she sounded when she was angry or tired. Memories of Kimmy were frozen in time and reminded him his little girl never had the chance to grow up, get married, or have her own child. 

His musings turned to Teagan Raynes. He’d thought of her over the years when his mind drifted to camp. His counselor job and his place on the staff had given him a place to belong and faith in himself. As for Teagan, she’d been too young for him then. However, he couldn’t deny the punch of attraction to his gut when their eyes connected recently.

He tossed on his side. No use thinking about her. She was out of reach. The press would love to hear he was sleeping with the victim’s family. Vic Taylor’s headline would scream preferential treatment. He dismissed the idea and debated opening a window to allow the warm air in to fight off the cool. At his cell’s ringtone, he shot upward and grabbed it from the nightstand.

“Noah Cassidy?”

“Here.” His breathing slowed while his mind snapped into work mode.

“This is Teagan Raynes.”

Teagan! He sat up straighter in his bed. The white numbers on his radio clock read one a.m. Rubbing a hand across his eyes, he asked, “What’s happening?”

“A trespasser was walking around my yard a few minutes ago. I think he wanted to break in.”

“Are you in danger?”

“No. He left. I can hang up and wait until morning.”

“I’ll be right there. Don’t let anyone inside. Call 9-1-1 if he returns.” Noah jumped into his clothes. As was his habit, he touched the picture of his chubby two-year-old daughter on the bureau before he left.

The streets were deserted as he drove from his ranch style house near the south end shopping plaza. He headed down the main road. No jam up at the rotary at this hour. The residences were dark.

As he approached Teagan’s home, he recognized the priest’s Suburban in her drive. Late night, an attractive woman and an infamous priest together—was he about to learn more about the relationship between Teagan and Father Matt? A surge of irritation ate at him. He was beginning to dislike this silver-haired man who pretended to be holier than thou with his calm voice and friendly touches. Why was she turning to him? The police were what she needed.

At her front door, Teagan greeted Noah with another apology for calling late. At least the priest didn’t meet him. Noah took an ounce of satisfaction in that and the fact Teagan was unharmed.

“I’m here because I should be,” he reassured. “Can I come in?”

She nodded and stepped aside. “I hope I didn’t wake anyone else at your place.”

“I live alone.”

“Oh, I thought, I mean. Never mind.” She blushed, whirled around on her heel, and led him across the living room.

Her awkwardness reminded him of his few attempts to speak to her years ago at camp. It had been obvious she had a crush on him, but he'd thought of her as just a kid.

Inside the kitchen, red curtains brightened the white walls and cabinets. Father Matt sat at the end of the table like the head of the family. Annoyance clawed at Noah’s guts, and he mentally stomped on his feelings. What was it to him if Teagan was the woman in the priest’s life? She was an adult, and he’d witnessed worse relationships between men and women and felt nothing but sadness for most of them.

“Father Matt, you’re here, again.” Noah crossed the room to the priest who was drinking a cup of tea.

“Teagan phoned me, and I drove over to be sure she was safe.”

She raised a finger when Noah opened his mouth to complain. “I called you first, detective.”

Noah couldn't resist at least one more shot at Father Matt. “It’s convenient that St. Jude’s is only a couple of miles from here.” He pulled out his notepad and pen from his jacket, conscious that Teagan was frowning at him.

“Where were you when the trespasser came into your yard, Miss Raynes?”

“I was upstairs in Lisa’s room. The cat was stuck in her bedroom. When I went to get her, I looked out the window and a person emerged from the woods behind the house.”

“Describe this person.”

She shifted her eyes away for a second and back. “He wore dark clothes and a hoodie.”

Noah turned to the priest. Father Matt was dressed in his usual dark clothes minus his collar. “Where were you, Father Matt?”

He blinked several times as though confused. “I was asleep at the rectory.”

“What can you tell me about holy cards?”

“If you need one, I can provide one. They’ve fallen out of popularity. I mostly give them out at when I call on the ill, visit the little children at school, or someone has passed away. Anyone can order them online. They have beautiful artwork and many people collect them. Excuse me. But do these questions pertain to the trespasser?”

“Not that I know. Just collecting a few facts.”

“Father Matt wasn’t creeping around my yard or mailing me threats.” Teagan tapped her palm against her thigh, and her frown deepened.

“When Teagan called and reported she had a prowler,” Father Matt said, bringing the attention to him, “I encouraged her to contact the police.”

“But I had already called you, Detective Cassidy. Save the lecture. I didn’t want to be alone while I waited for you. How about I name the person who was sneaking around my yard?”

“You can ID him?” Was she kidding? “Sure would have saved a lot of time if you’d told me when we first talked. We could have issued a BOLO on him already.” At their puzzled looks, he added, “Be On the Lookout.”

“I’m not one hundred percent positive. I couldn’t make out his features, but from the way he moved I’d guess it was Travis. I’ve no idea why he’d want to enter my place or slink around in the dark.”

“Lisa’s former boyfriend was sneaking around your property at midnight?” 

“I’m pretty sure.”

Defense lawyers loved doubt. “Was the outside light on?”

“The light doesn’t reach past the steps, but the moon is full.”

“You recognized him by the moonlight?” Prosecutors would rip out their hair and go bald over her statements.

“Yes. Travis’ walk is distinct. He swaggers or sways side to side when he moves like he doesn’t have a care in the world.”