Not This Time (34 page)

“No. Are you going to break mine?”

“As if I could.” She resisted a snicker, biting her lower lip.

“Oh, you can, sha. Trust me on that.”

Truth shone in his eyes. She let it settle in. “In that case, no, I’m not. I’ll guard your heart, Joe. That’s a promise.”

“I believe you.” The smile didn’t return, but such tenderness and gratitude filled his eyes that it left Beth breathless. He needed that assurance, her assurance. He needed to feel special.

Too tender
. She cleared her throat. “Where in Georgia are we going?”

“Just north of Atlanta.”

Robert met Sara in Atlanta. “Who’s there?”

“I don’t know for sure.”

“Joseph.” She put a bite in her tone.

“Sorry, gorgeous. Keeping as much as possible to myself is in my genes—or I thought it was. With you, I’m different.”

“It’s in your training, not your genes. I’m glad I’m different, but I’m not a
potential enemy, and hazarding a guess, my clearances are probably higher than yours.”

They weren’t, but they were close. “I think it might be Robert’s parents.”

“If they’ve been estranged from Robert for years, what can they tell us?”

“For one thing, they can positively identify their son.” Joe braked for a red light and looked over at her. “And for another, if he is their son, they can tell us if they think he is capable of murder.”

Beth was totally confused. Robert was purportedly a victim. They had no hard evidence he was tied to NINA. “Who do you think he killed?”

“Give me a minute and I’ll tell you.” Joe pulled out his ringing phone. “Yeah, bro.”

Mark Taylor
. He was the only person Joe called
bro
.

Beth’s thoughts turned.
Robert, a murderer? She
couldn’t see it. First, he’d never get his own hands dirty—literally or figuratively; too highbrow for that. Secondly, at the time of the club attack and Clyde’s death, he had already been kidnapped. And he’d reportedly bled out on the mattress in Magnolia Branch before Karl Masson died. That wasn’t faked. It was his blood. Too much of his blood for him to still be alive. So how did a man who’d bled out, bleed out and live? And if he had lived, who was left to be his victim in a murder?

Jeff walked into a crowd at Sara’s and approached Mark, Harvey, and Roxy huddled near the front window.

Mark nodded. “I’ve briefed Roxy and Harvey.”

“Good.” Jeff scanned the living room. Tack stood talking with Nathara in hushed tones. “Does Nathara know?” Someone had to tell Nora’s twin, and he shamefully hoped it wouldn’t have to be him. She wouldn’t take the news well. Movement at the doorway leading to the kitchen caught his eye—Darla coming in through the back door, her phone in her hand. Must have stepped out to make a call.

“No.” Mark glanced at Nathara. “We weren’t sure how you wanted to handle that.”

Figured. “Has to be done to get a search fully operational.” He swung his gaze back to Mark. “Where’s Sara?”

“In the den,” Roxy said. “I don’t know on what, Jeff, but she’s holding back.”

He respected Roxy’s instincts. “Did she say something?”

Roxy shook her head no. “Cop’s gut.”

Jeff had felt it himself. As he and Sara had grown closer, he’d hoped she’d open up to him on whatever she was withholding, but so far she’d kept her secrets. Did she suspect Robert was still alive? Or were her secrets worse? Jeff had no idea, and he wasn’t going to find out standing here. “I’d best get to it, then.” He resisted the urge to go straight to Sara and stepped over to Nathara.

“You look like death warmed over, Jeff Meyers.” She looked up at him. A black rose bobbed at the base of her hat where it met the brim. “What’s wrong now?”

“Nora is missing.” The room went quiet and everyone tuned in. “Her apartment was ransacked. Kyle will be in to get a statement from you on when you last saw her, who was there and—”

“I was there with Nathara,” Tack said. “Everything was fine when we left.”

“Well, things are not fine now.” Jeff didn’t mention the note or the fake Thomas Boudin. “The evidence is overwhelming that Nora’s been abducted.”

“Hogwash. Who would kidnap an old, worn-out housekeeper?”

Is that what Nathara thought of her sister? Nora was many things, but there was nothing worn-out about her. She kept a fine house and nurtured everyone who needed it. There wasn’t a stray in the village she didn’t watch over. If Nathara didn’t know that, she didn’t know her twin. Maybe she was as mean as a snake. “I’ll keep you posted on developments.”

She frowned. “At least tell me if there were signs she was hurt.”

Finally, a humane response. “No overt signs, no.” Jeff addressed the group. “An unidentified male was seen running from the Towers on foot. We’ll have
a description and maybe photos shortly.” He frowned. “I need help on this. We have limited resources, and they’re already stretched to the max.”

“An unidentified male?” Nathara stared at the floor. The color leaked from her face. Nora would have been in full swing, assigning everyone duties. How different they were …

Peggy Crane stepped forward. “I’ll get Crossroads ramped up. Route the calls in to us. We’ll get teams organized to search. They’ll be ready to go when you give us the word.”

Tack rubbed at his neck. “I’ll get down to Ruby’s and get the word out. Peggy, fax me the description over there. I’ll get us some recruits and disperse the information.”

Darla stood beside Peggy. “I’ll call Hank. Peggy aside, no one spreads the word as fast as Hank Green.”

Darla was wrong about that. Hank was no slouch, but Megan, the waitress at Ruby’s, was twice as quick as anyone else in the village. Jeff glanced at Roxy. She was already on the phone with the FBI team working the club attack and the thwarted cemetery attack.

“Jeff?” Sara stood at the den door. “What’s going on?”

Mark touched Jeff’s sleeve. “Go talk to her privately. I’ll handle things out here.”

Jeff nodded, then joined Sara. His throat was thick. Her hair was pulled up and little wisps of it trailed down her neck. “You were resting?”

“Pretending to.” She stepped back into the den. “I just needed a few minutes alone.”

After he told her what they’d learned, she’d need far more than a few minutes. Man, but he hated bringing her more worries. “Sit down, Sara. We need to talk.”

“I heard you say Nora’s been abducted.” Sara sat on the edge of the sofa and clasped her hands in her lap, her back stiff. “Do you think they … hurt her?”

They
, not
he
. “It doesn’t appear so.”

She swallowed hard. “It’s NINA, Jeff.”

He took a risk. “I’m leaning in that direction.”

Sara looked him right in the eye. “That wasn’t a question.”

His heart rate sped. “Are you ready to tell me what you’re keeping from me?”

Her gaze shifted to the floor. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Apparently, not yet. Disappointed, Jeff waited. Silence was a powerful tool. She’d fill it with something. Hopefully, some insight.

“Where’s Beth? She and Nora are so close. She’s got to be frantic.”

“She’s with Joe. They’re checking something for me.”

“I hurt her, Jeff. She’s the sister of my heart, and I’ve hurt her badly.” Tears glossed Sara’s eyes. “She’ll deal with whatever comes—Beth always deals with whatever comes—but I told her to stay away from me for a while. I’m not strong like her. If she’s close, I’ll never stand on my own feet, and I really need to do that right now.”

“Because of Robert?”

Sara hesitated. “Partly, but not just because of him.”

A crack. Finally. “Why, then?”

“It’s time.” She looked from the floor back to him, a wealth of sadness in her eyes.

He let the silence stretch between them, then tried to prepare her. Did she have her inhaler? He didn’t see it. “You know Robert’s dead, right? The blood—”

“I know that amount of blood loss makes survival impossible.”

“Keep that in mind with what I’m about to tell you.” He waited for her nod, then went on. “A man named Paul Clement claims he has proof Robert is alive. He wants a million dollars for it.”

A sharp breath escaped her. There was no joy, no upset, no other visible sign of any emotion. Just the sharp breath. “Do you need your inhaler?”

“No. I’m fine.” Her hands stayed folded in her lap. “Who is Clement?”

“We don’t think he’s credible. No one has unearthed even a remote connection.”

“A scam artist.” She frowned. “Do you think Robert’s alive?”

Jeff didn’t hesitate. “With forensics verifying the volume of blood and that it was Robert’s? No, Sara, I don’t.” He clasped her hand. “I don’t see how he could be.”

She squeezed his hand tight, but her voice sounded weak. “I’m not so sure.”

Her hand was ice-cold, but her breathing was steady. “Why?”

She covered their clasped hands with her free one. “I’d tell you, but then they’d probably kill you.” A tear trickled down her cheek.

Beth was right. Sara was keeping secrets. Deadly ones. “Do you trust me, Sara?”

“Yes.”

“Then be honest with me.”

The war raging inside her showed in her swift expressions. “I can’t. I want to, but … Don’t you see? I’d just be replacing leaning on Beth with leaning on you. I have to lean on me.”

“I understand what you’re saying, but this isn’t the time to stand alone.” She was wrong. “We’re dealing with NINA. You know more about that organization than I do. I shouldn’t have to remind you what they’re capable of doing and how far they’ll go to get what they want. Villagers have been put in lethal jeopardy twice in the past week. Nora’s missing and Clyde Parker is dead.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” She let out a charged sigh. “They could have killed everyone at Roxy and Harvey’s ceremony—and, I suspect, at Robert’s funeral, if you and Mark hadn’t intervened. I know what they’re capable of doing. Believe me.”

The truth slammed into Jeff and he stilled. “What have they done to you?”

No answer.

“Sara?” He clasped her hand. “I can help. But I need to know the truth. Nora’s life could depend on it.”

Sara slumped, seemed about to reveal what she’d hidden, but a second later stiffened, eased her hand from his and said … nothing.

Jeff prodded, tried every technique in law enforcement and in his personal
repertoire. He pleaded, coerced, and even begged, but Sara still held her silence … and took off her shoes.

Jeff looked down at her feet. Swollen. Bruised and battered. Shock pumped through his chest and fell to outrage. He took a moment to reign in his temper, another to bury it, and then finally looked up at her. “Who?” He didn’t trust himself to say more.

Tears spilled down her face. “Robert.”

Jeff opened his arms. She leaned into them and wept.

17

M
idflight, Beth looked over from the right seat to Joe, piloting the plane. “This trip—Robert’s parents—it’s the other case you were talking about when you came to see Sara as Boudin.”

“Yes.”

“Are you going to tell me about it?”

“I am, but first I need processing perspective.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Sara. I need to get inside her head.”

“Good luck.” Beth sighed.

“Just give me your impressions on her behavior lately.”

“I’ve told you most of it already,” Beth said. “In a word, she’s acted bizarre.”

“In what way?”

“You know about the terrace messenger.”

“I do?”

“No games, Joe. I know he was you.”

“How? You never saw me.”

He was worried his disguise had failed. “Smell. Your skin has a distinct smell. Your cologne has a distinct smell and your mints have a distinct smell.”

“I can’t do anything about the skin, but the cologne and mints—I’m as hooked on the mints as I used to be on cigarettes.”

It was chewing gum, then mints. “Might consider letting them go. You don’t need them anymore.”

“Could be dangerous, all right.” He fished a couple from his shirt pocket and put them in a pouch near his hip. “Guess it’s time.”

Beth smiled and stroked his arm. “You know Sara warned me to protect myself and SaBe from her, and to protect her from herself, if I could.” When he nodded, Beth went on, hoping to convey everything in some semblance of order he could grasp. “The really bizarre stuff started at the river, when we were making the money drop for Robert’s abduction. She admitted she was hiding something but wouldn’t talk about it. I tried everything, even guilt, but she’s nothing if not stubborn. Still, I got the feeling she was trying to protect me and SaBe.”