Love Inspired Suspense June 2014 Bundle 1 of 2: Undercover Marriage\Collateral Damage\Forgotten Past (23 page)

Alec glanced at his watch. “Oh, I'd say no more than fifteen minutes. What's Shelby up to these days?”

“Feeding the hungry in Tanzania. Please, Alec, could you tell us which direction Emma went? It's urgent.”

“Oh, sure. I'm sorry. She headed east along the sidewalk, but—”

“Thanks. I think I'll head that way.”

Nick placed an arm around her shoulders, slowing her exit. “Did she talk to anyone while she was here?” he asked Alec. “She's the girl who made comments on the blog.”

Alec frowned. “That was her? Did you read those threats someone posted? Somebody's nervous. I tried to track them online but couldn't get anywhere. You?”

Sarah tried to tug away from Nick's grasp. He held her more firmly.

“Alec, we don't feel safe having Emma traipsing all over town by herself.”

Alec held his hand up. “Of course. Sorry, my brain's not all there today. Just a sec.” He turned and spoke to a server about his order, then walked over and chatted with the cashier as he paid her.

Sarah's cell phone buzzed from her pocket. She jerked it out and saw her cousin's caller ID. “John?”

“Got something for you, cuz, and you're not going to like it.”

Sarah bit her lip.

“Soon as I got to the station this morning I called a buddy I met last year at a state training course. He's working with the sheriff over there in Newton County now. They're in the process of contacting the family of a Mr. Charles Collins. Some fishermen found his body early this morning north of I-44 in Spring River.”

Sarah sucked in her breath. “His body?” She looked up at Nick. “He drowned?”

“No news on that yet for sure, but there weren't any obvious marks on him. Highway patrol found his car upriver, where he had apparently missed a bridge and flown his car into the water. There was broken glass on the road, and the rear end of his car was damaged.”

“Oh, John, they can't say that was an accident.” She was going to be sick. She was going to faint. Nick caught her against him, then eased her into a chair. He reached for the phone.

She shook her head. “John, they called him Chaz. He was the inspector for the explosions, and he was removed from the case after he got some facts messed up.”

There was a heavy sigh over the line. “I'll talk to my captain. He's got contacts all over the state—you know what a small world policing is in southern Missouri. Meanwhile, you need to keep Emma under surveillance.”

“I will when I find her.”

His alarm pounded through the silence.

“I've got help,” she said. “We'll find her.”

“I'm getting time off and—”

“No. Stay in Sikeston. You don't have any authority here.”

“But Newton County has an overworked sheriff's department, and Jolly Mill is too tiny to get a lot of attention.”

“Nick has a friend who's an ex-cop. Three-fourths of the population here can handle a weapon if need be. My old hometown's pretty close-knit.”

“Then stick to Nick like tar. If someone followed this poor Chaz, you could just as easily be followed wherever you go.”

She wished he hadn't said that.

“Something's up, Sarah. People you loved were up to their necks in it, whether they knew it or not. Let's just hope Nick and his friends figure out what that is before anything else happens.”

Sarah's eyes slid shut. “Thanks, John. Emma can't be too far away.”

“Would you at least call me and let me know when you find her?”

“Of course.” She saw Alec turn away from the cash register. “Gotta go.”

After she disconnected, she looked up at Nick and shook her head.

Alec walked back toward them with a bag, chuckling from his talk with the cashier until he saw Sarah's face. He sobered. “What's wrong?”

“Chaz Cooper was found dead in Spring River,” she said.

Alec fumbled his take-out bag. “When?”

“Earlier this morning. I don't know if the sheriff's told the family yet. My cousin's a police officer in Sikeston, so he's trying to keep up with me and keep me updated.”

“How was Chaz found?” Alec asked.

She gave the men the details, then walked out the front door. She knew the place where Chaz had gone into the river. Barely twenty miles north of Jolly Mill, it was near a wilderness area where Dad used to take her hiking when Shelby was busy with school activities.

“No way is that a coincidence,” Nick said, joining her on the sidewalk.

“That's why I have to find Emma.” She turned and gazed across Capps Creek, the banks of which were about a hundred yards from them across the street. Behind the creek rose the cliffs on which the conference center had rested for decades, hidden by the trees. The only building she could see now was once a resort.

“Is that the rehab center you told me about?” she asked Nick.

“That's it, and see that glassed-in deck?” He waved toward the building that seemed to float above the trees from their vantage point. “Gerard's probably wielding his telescope.”

Alec stepped outside. “You're telling me someone wanted so badly to shut Chaz up they hunted him down and ran him off the bridge?”

“What does it sound like to you?” she asked. “But keep it quiet. We don't want the whole town finding out about it before the family does.”

“At least the sheriff's office will have to get involved,” Nick said.

“Don't get your hopes up,” Alec said. “They're still dealing with budget cuts, and they have plenty more populated areas to patrol. We have to find Emma and wrangle that little filly into a corral. She's out of control.”

“What did you find out about her visit in the diner this morning?” Nick asked.

“Emma asked Carol about the explosions, and though Carol warned her not to get close to those places, she did tell her where they happened.”

“That's where she's headed, then,” Sarah said.

“Let's go see what we can find.” Alec led the way, and Sarah was reminded of his take-charge tendencies, much like his mother, Nora. He didn't take the time to stow his breakfast in his car, but marched so quickly down the street Sarah had to rush to keep up with him and Nick.

There was no longer a bit of doubt in Sarah's mind. None of the deaths had been accidents. There had been a murderer among them. Whether or not there still was was anyone's guess.

SIX

S
ince Nick had last visited the mill park, the citizens of Jolly Mill had worked hard to make the creek side a beautiful place for community gatherings. A wooden archway served as an entry into the flower-strewn grass with a paved walkway. Had he not been so anxious to find Emma, he would have paused to admire the flowers that bloomed everywhere.

Without stopping, Alec yanked a breakfast sandwich from his bag, tossed his trash in a receptacle near the entryway and led them through the arch. He glanced over his shoulder at Nick. “If you two want to head toward the old bridge, I'll take the new one that leads into the new subdivision and the rehab center.”

“The new bridge is closer to both places,” Nick said. “We could all go that way.”

“Does Emma know that?”

“Probably not,” Sarah said. “She never takes time to ask for detailed directions.”

“Then we should separate.” Alec unwrapped his sandwich. “If I find her first I'll haul her down the hill over my shoulder if I have to, but if she went the other way we might miss her.”

“Fine, give us your cell number,” Nick said, “and I'll give you mine.”

“Yours is never on. Do you know how many times I've tried to call you?”

“It's on today. And since you're going up to the rehab center first, why don't you grab Gerard on your way? He can help look.”

Alec hesitated. His lip curled just enough to give away his thoughts. “Your cell's on, you call him.”

So that was the situation. Alec had never trusted newcomers, and he had a special reason to dislike Gerard; not only was the ex-cop now married to Alec's clinic doctor, whom Alec had dated in high school for two years, but Alec likely perceived Gerard's rehab center as a threat to the town's job market and security.

“We need his help,” Nick said.

“He's good with a gun, I'll give him that,” Alec said. “And that little gal could end up anywhere.”

“As if you know what to expect from her,” Sarah said.

Alec winked and grinned at her. “That's because I knew her...sisters.” Again, that quizzical gaze that had obviously made Sarah uneasy in the diner.

“So you'll get Gerard?” Nick asked.

“If you'll consider working for me at the clinic, should we need a new doc in the near future.”

“You have a doctor.”

“Megan's expecting in about seven months. I think she'll leave before that, as soon as they get the infirmary up and running again.”

This wasn't the time to talk. “I'll think about it.”

“Then I'll think about hunting down the man whose efforts to rehabilitate some losers from a big city might destroy this town.” Alec gave Nick his number, then gave a casual salute as he rushed along the pathway, taking bites of his sandwich.

“Wow,” Sarah said. “I take it Alec doesn't like Gerard.”

Nick gently nudged her toward the huge old wooden mill and the old iron bridge beyond, then followed as she quickstepped away from him past an old oak.

“It would seem he's a little bitter,” he said. “Alec's always had the attitude that this is his town.”

“Of course he does, since he and his mother own half the businesses.”

“He takes pride in Jolly Mill. Always has.” He reached her side and kept up the swift pace. “That's not necessarily a bad thing.”

“Alec's probably not the only one who feels the way he does about Gerard.” She looked up at him, her face flushing slightly from exertion. “Small towns don't take to change quickly, but do you think someone from here would have committed murder on the cliffs to run Gerard off?”

“Only someone crazy, and though some of our citizens are eccentric, I don't know any sociopaths.”

“We don't know everyone in town anymore. I'd love to find out who called Edward out of the building just before the explosion.”

“At first he thought it was a church member weeping, though he didn't recognize the number.”

“Man or woman?”

Nick shortened his steps and took her hand. “He thought it was a woman, but only because those who have called him sobbing are typically of the female persuasion. He couldn't identify the gender. He didn't hear deep, gut-wrenching sobs, just truncated breathing, quick and filled with emotion.” Nick led her toward the old grain mill that had been established before the Civil War. “The explosion hit before he could get a word from his caller, and for some time afterward he was stunned.”

Sarah stepped up on the wooden walkway that skirted the land side of the mill. She peered through the windows into the deserted building and tried a door. It was locked. “Has anyone looked at the reports Chaz filed?”

“I got a look at them. His words were so precise and to the point as to be shorthand. Gerard spoke with his father, and Judge Collins said his son was unlike himself lately.”

“You don't think he was involved—”

“Not actively, but I think his youth made him susceptible to a threat, and obviously the threat was real. Someone probably convinced him his family would be in danger if he reported the truth.”

“Yes, but who? Did you ever see him talking to anyone from town?”

“I'm not the one to ask.”

“You've been here the past three weeks—you must have seen something.” Sarah took Nick's hand briefly as she reached the other side of the walkway and stepped down into the grass. Her hand didn't linger. “All I knew about the explosion was that it was from a gas leak.”

“I believe that was a misdirection.”

“Our parents weren't killed by a gas leak explosion?”

“I'm not saying they weren't, I'm just saying I doubt Chaz's story. Because of the threat, I don't think Chaz wrote down his real findings. I think someone suspected that Gerard's infirmary nurse saw the act.”

“You truly believe that?”

“I'm just working through it logically.”

“You think she might have seen someone, or said something to Chaz or even the killer that marked her for death?” Sarah was reading his mind, as she often had all those years ago.

“Pure supposition, but yes, and Gerard agrees it could have been the case.”

“So we're talking about collateral damage?”

He hated the expression, because it meant someone took life very lightly, but wasn't that true? That was the nature of murder. “I doubt that poor nurse was the object of our killer's hatred. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time. But unless our killer was simply in a rage against people in the ministry, some of our loved ones might also have been collateral damage.”

Nick saw goose bumps rise on Sarah's arms, and she hugged them close to her stomach. She wasn't a member of any police force and wasn't accustomed to the seedier side of life. She was a kindergarten teacher whose most difficult job until three weeks ago was handling a problem child. She didn't need to be involved in finding her parents' killer.

“What a nightmare,” she muttered as she picked up speed again.

“Exactly. Now that I think about it, I don't see a lot of people resenting Gerard for his move here. He's pretty much proven himself this past year. He hires locals to teach new skills to those who can no longer find jobs in their fields, so he has less opposition than he might have had, since this area's in a job slump, too. He either helps the families relocate where their skills are needed, or they learn a new trade. I see nothing to oppose, and none of his families have caused trouble.”

Sarah walked a few seconds in silence. “Are you sure about that?”

Nick frowned at her.

“Sorry,” she said. “Do we know for sure he didn't bring a killer in? How well does he screen the newcomers?”

“That's one question Alec's been asking. All I can say is that Gerard Vance is one of the best judges of character I know, and he's bringing in mostly families in which both parents lost their jobs and couldn't make house payments.”

“So you think Gerard's a better judge of character than you are?”

The question stabbed at him. “What does that mean?”

She shrugged. “You always seemed to be able to read people well.” She sounded slightly out of breath as they rushed toward the bridge.

“I once thought I had some powers of observation, but I've apparently lost them if I ever had them to begin with.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I used to be able to tell if a patient was faking pain for a fix of narcotics. I moonlighted in the E.R. and learned the drill. But when one of my clinic patients decided to sue me for something completely out of my realm of influence, I was flummoxed.”

“I'm so sorry. That had to be hard.”

“Even though I won the case, I lost faith in people.” How many hours had he and Sarah spent down here along the creek, sharing thoughts, dreams, hopes for the future? Maybe returning to this place stimulated the need to talk. “When my marriage fell apart, that did it for me. I don't feel capable of completing this investigation, but no one else was doing it.”

“I know you're capable, Nick.”

Nick touched Sarah's shoulder. “Alec's suspicious right now, but don't forget he's a war vet. He doesn't trust easily after what he's seen and experienced. His problem with Gerard is the rehab center. Alec's nervous about the homeless Gerard's bringing to town. I think they'll eventually work things out.”

Sarah gave him a brief smile. “I'm glad you're investigating. I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here.”

“I do. You'd have come and collected Emma and taken her safely home. I'm the one who talked you into staying.”

“I don't have that much control over Emma. And speaking of whom...” She cupped her hands beside her mouth and called up the hill. “Emma! Sweetie, are you up there? Emma!” Her voice echoed once, then fell silent.

They listened. No answer.

“She said you never wanted to return here,” Nick said.

Sarah walked beside him in silence for a moment. “I was the one who didn't want to leave when my family moved to St. Louis. If we hadn't, things might have been different.” Again, she looked up the hill. “Emma?”

“And yet you didn't want to return.”

Sarah didn't reply, but her steps slowed.

Nick watched her. Questions arose that had aggravated him since they'd received word of Emma's birth nearly nine months after their move.

“What if someone's attempting to turn the rest of Jolly Mill against Gerard?” Sarah said. “Hit the innocent, let others blame Gerard for placing the innocent in harm's way to begin with, and he gets run out of town.”

Nick shortened his steps to match hers. “I think you and I both need to get acquainted with Jolly Mill again. We've been gone too long to know this place intimately anymore.”

“Then we'd better do it quickly, or we'll have more friends in harm's way.”

Nick glanced at his watch. Dad would be out on the creek by now. He seldom took his cell phone with him fishing, but perhaps today was an exception, with the Russell girls in town. Nick pulled out his phone and hit speed dial. The phone only rang twice before Dad answered.

“Nick, I'm with the Coopers.” His voice held the heavy load of compassion and angst that often affected him when a church member died.

Nick slowed his steps at last. “So you know.”

“Yes. The sheriff's here.”

“I'm not sure you're safe.”

“I'm safe, but I'm not sure about you. Where are you?”

“Chasing Emma. We're near the old bridge. Alec was with Sarah and me until we separated to search. We're about to cross the bridge and go up the hill. Isn't that where you think she'd go?”

Dad groaned. “Why didn't I just cancel my fishing expedition and take her myself? She's a feisty one.”

Nick hesitated. “That's what you used to say about Mom.”

“Yes, son, I know. She puts me in mind of your mother.”

“I asked Alec to find Gerard, but I think I'll have to do the calling, with the bad blood between them.”

“Then get him called.”

“Yes.”

“Keep Sarah calm.”

“I know, Dad. Take care of the Coopers. See you in a short time, I hope.” As soon as he disconnected, he turned to find Sarah crossing over the bridge ahead of him.

He caught up with her and took her hand. “Dad's worried about you.” He tugged gently to slow her down.

She glanced up at him, and he saw moisture in her eyes. “How old was Chaz?”

“Early twenties. Very early. Probably twenty-two. Dad could tell you, I'm sure.”

“I can't help thinking he was probably six or seven when I lived here. He was probably one of those little children who rode their bikes up and down the streets when the roads were gravel.... They loved to skid their tires.”

“Yeah. I know.”

“What kind of monster could have done this to him, Nick?”

“We'll figure that out as we go, but your cousin didn't say anything about a wound of any kind on Chaz?”

“He appeared to have drowned.”

“That's a different M.O.”

“Oh, please don't tell me you think there's more than one person doing the killing,” Sarah said.

“That's not my forte. We need Gerard. I'm not a cop. We're in over our heads.”

“You think?” she drawled. “So what's his take on it?”

“Now that they've found Chaz, I don't know.”

“My cousin John is in line for a promotion to detective. Maybe we could use his help, too. He's already offered to take time off and come join us.”

“I heard you tell him no.”

“He has no authority here.”

“Agreed, but keeping close phone contact would be wise, I think.” He paused a moment. “We've got some climbing to do.” He nodded toward the hillside past the bridge.