The Black Feather (13 page)

Thad shook his head, instantly regretting the motion when it felt like someone was pounding spikes into his eyes.

“Her bed hasn’t been slept in.”

“Oh my. Shall I go see if my golf cart is still here?”

“I’ll do it. You stay here with Nesta in case she wakes up while I’m gone.”              

Thad found the carport empty. His search around the outside of the house didn’t reveal any clues. He went back to Suzanne’s bedroom. He looked in the closet and the dresser drawers. Her jacket and purse seemed to be the only things missing. Traveling light; or in too much of a hurry to pack? On her own? Or taken? Either way, the grim reality was, she was gone. Again.

He walked out of her room. Liam met him on the landing and held up a small prescription bottle.

“Nesta woke up and found this in the bathroom when she went to take her shower. Sleeping pills.” He popped off the plastic lid. “Some are missing. We’re careful to keep count. As much as I hate to accuse Suzanne, I’d say our girl may have laced the coffee last night.”

Thad  eyed the bottle. “I’d have to say you’re probably right, considering how late we all slept and how lethargic we feel. By the way, your cart is gone.”

“Why would she do that to us?” Liam said, shaking his head at the distressing thought.

“She wouldn’t want to do anything to deliberately harm you unless it was absolutely necessary, which means I was probably her main target.”

“But why do you suppose she felt it was so necessary to go on her own?”

“Good question.

She hadn’t forgotten her father’s warning about not telling anyone his whereabouts. But Suzanne knew they’d all have to find somewhere to stay for the time being. It’d be too dangerous to use her own house. She had in mind what she felt certain would be a safe place, but first she had to find out if the house was empty. She pulled her cell phone out of her purse.

“Heather.”

“Hey, girlfriend. I’ve been thinking about you. Are you okay? You sound kind of weird.”

“Maybe that’s because I feel weird; and to answer your question, I haven’t been okay since I got off our cruise ship in Belize, but let’s not go into that again. You said you wanted to be kept in the loop.”

“I meant it. That’s what friends are for. Has anything happened since we last talked?”

“Yes. Is your parents’ beach house still empty?”

“Why do you want to know? Oh wait, I get it. You and your hot man want to be alone. I don’t imagine you’ve had much opportunity to share a bed at your godmother’s.”

“He’s not my hot man. He’s a backstabbing liar,” Suzanne snapped, cutting through her friend’s chuckle.

“Whoa, what happened? It’d be a shame if you had a lovers’ quarrel. Things were going so well.”

“Well for him. He’s been lying to me, so he can get those phones from my dad and use them to bargain with the Montane brothers for a big fat reward.”

She blew out a breath.

“Busted! Who knew all that gorgeous man flesh would turn out to be the skin of a rat? Are you still at your godmother’s?”

“Thad is. He doesn’t know I left. I’m on a ferry right now.”

“He doesn’t know you’re gone? How’d you shake him?”

“I put sleeping pills in his coffee.”

Heather laughed out loud.

“Hot damn! Good for you. Did Liam or Nesta give you any flack?”

“I had to drug them too. I feel sick about that.”

“I bet.” Heather paused. “But you know, sometimes you have to do things to people you care about that you wish you didn’t because there’s no other way. So you want the beach house for yourself?”

“Not just for me. I need it for my dad and Muriel, too.”

“Oh my gosh! Does this mean you know where they are?”

“Yes, he called this afternoon. They’re staying at a motel in Long Beach. That’s where I’m headed. I’d really appreciate it if you could meet me and take us to your parents’ place.”

“Sure, but I thought you hated his girlfriend.”

“She’s not his girlfriend. I don’t have time to go into it. But she is a friend, and she needs our help.”

“I see. Does your father still have those elusive phones?”

“Yes. I’m taking them to the police as soon as I get to him. Then we’ll have to hide for a while.”

“Okay. Tell me the name and address of the motel.” Suzanne gave her the information.

“Aaron and I will meet you there. You haven’t told anyone else where your dad is, have you?”

“Of course not. I have to be careful who I can trust. Thank you, Heather. I’m more grateful for your help than I can say. Now I owe you another slice of that double fudge chocolate cake.”

“Oh, more than that. You may as well know that I expect to have the whole thing.”

Suzanne knocked on the door of her father’s motel room and waited several seconds. She frowned at the closed door and checked the number to be sure she had the correct room. She knocked again, a little harder this time. She supposed she shouldn’t be too surprised that her father didn’t answer her summons right away, since it was well after midnight.

More seconds dragged by. She tried to peek in the window, but the drapes were drawn. Someone should have answered her by now. She made a fist and pounded on the door.

“Dad!” So much for trying to do this quietly. “It’s Suzanne. Let me in.”

She moved over to rap on the window, calling out again, only to be met with more silence. She looked around, wondering what to do next. She didn’t have long to think about it when the motel manager came hurrying out of the office.

“I’ve had three calls complaining about all the noise you’re making out here. What’s your problem?”

“I need to talk to the people staying in this room.”

“They obviously don’t want to talk to you. You can come back in the morning to see your friends, but I can’t have you standing out here yelling and disturbing the other guests.”

“You don’t understand. I’m his daughter,” Suzanne said pointing to the door.

“Lady, I don’t care if you’re his fairy godmother. It’s almost one o’clock in the morning. I want you to leave right now or I’ll call the police and have you arrested for disturbing the peace.”

“He has a woman with him. She’s pregnant and . . . and having complications. They phoned me to come here. All I’m asking is that you let me check to see if they’re all right.”

“If the woman’s having complications like you say, then why haven’t they gone to a hospital?”

“They don’t have any medical insurance or credit cards, and they’re short on cash. Please just let me make sure nothing is wrong.”

Suzanne thought he would refuse her when she heard him mutter a few derogatory words under his breath. But he surprised her by stepping forward to knock on the door.

“Sir, this is the manager. We have someone here who is concerned about you. She says she’s your daughter. I’m going to unlock your door. If you’d rather we didn’t enter you room, please let me know.”

He looked at Suzanne and took out a master keycard. “It’ll be on your head if this doesn’t go well.”

“Please just hurry,” she urged, peering over the man’s shoulder.

He swung open the door and flicked a wall switch instantly bathing the room with a harsh light. Suzanne blinked against the brightness and felt her body clench with disappointment when she realized the room was unoccupied. The manager walked over to the bathroom and snapped on another light.

“I think you should see this,” he said, motioning to her.

Suzanne rushed over and stared in horror at a bloody towel on the counter with more blood splattered in the sink and on the floor. Her eyes followed the trail of blood across the floor to the gaping hole that once was the bathroom window. Several pieces of broken glass lay strewed across the floor.

“I knew they made the bathroom windows too big when they built this place. This is the second time this month I’ve had someone go out this way. The last guy didn’t make such a mess of it, though.”

He continued to speak, but the words faded into unintelligible murmurs inside Suzanne’s head.

“I’m sorry. What did you say?” she asked after several seconds had elapsed.

“I said, it looks like your father and the woman should be in a hospital, if all that blood means anything.” 

Thirteen

“Suzie? Are you here?”

Suzanne spun around at the sound of Heather’s voice when she and Aaron came running into the room. They stopped, mouths gaping open, as they stared though the open bathroom door.

“What the hell is going on here?” Aaron yelled.

“That’s what I’d like to know,” the manager said. “Someone’s going to have to pay for this mess.”

“You’re a real sensitive guy, aren’t you?” Heather glared at him while pulling Suzanne away. “You’d better sit down before you fall down. You look kind of green around the gills, hon.”

Suzanne allowed herself to be guided back to the main room where she sank down onto a chair upholstered in an ugly shade of yellow fabric that she imagined must be making her complexion look even worse. Aaron and the manager followed.

“Where’s your father?” Heather asked.

“I don’t know. No one answered when I knocked on the door. Oh God Heather, all that blood.”

“Take a deep breath,” she advised rubbing Suzanne’s shoulder. “Did you find what you came for?”

“I haven’t had a chance to look.”

Heather nodded toward Aaron, and he immediately began opening drawers.

“Just what do you think you’re doing?” the manager demanded, as Aaron headed for the closet next.

“I need to find something that happens to be very important.” Aaron got down on his knees to look beneath the bed and pulled out a couple of small suitcases.

“Stop that right now. I can’t allow you to search a guest’s room. I’m calling the police. That broken window and all the blood tells me something obviously isn’t right here. We may be talking foul play.”

Suzanne gripped the arms of the chair and slanted Heather a look of pure panic.

“You needn’t bother the authorities, sir,” Heather assured him. “The man who was staying here suffers from depression. He’s been suicidal lately. He called his daughter to come here because he realized he needed help. My husband is looking for the pills he threatened to take.”

They all stared while Aaron opened each piece of luggage and dumped the contents on the bed.

“Damn! Nothing here except clothes and a few toiletries,” he said, flinging a shirt onto the floor.

“What about the pregnant woman you mentioned?” the manager asked Suzanne.

“Oh, um, she’s . . .”

“The pregnant woman is his girlfriend. She’s a little mental herself,” Heather explained, rushing to fill in the awkward silence.

“They sound like a lovely couple.” He pointed to the bathroom. “I’d still like to know who’s going to pay for that damage.”

“I will,” Aaron said “Why don’t we go to the office while my wife takes our friend outside? I’m sure you’d rather not have a fainting woman on your hands.”

The manager looked at Suzanne where she sat, pale and shaking.

“All right.”

Heather tugged Suzanne to her feet.

“Let’s get out of here. The smell of blood is starting to make me nauseous.”

The cool night air brought back some of the normal color to Suzanne’s cheeks. She sucked in a deep breath, anxious to free her nostrils from the room’s sickening stench. She stumbled into the car and turned to Heather as soon as they sat down.

“I can’t believe how fast you came up with that story about Dad.”

“I can lie with the best of them when I need to.”

Her comment reminded Suzanne of Thad’s glib tongue. She forced the comparison away knowing it was mean-spirited to compare her loyal friend to a good-for-nothing false friend like he turned out to be.

“What do you think happened to my dad and Muriel?” 

“Something or someone must have spooked them, which isn’t too surprising since they seem to have a small army of people chasing them.”

“I’m worried. I can’t help thinking all that blood must mean one or both of them suffered bad cuts.”

“I know. They might need stitches. I’ll have Aaron swing by a couple ER rooms in the area. We shouldn’t hang around here too long in case the guy changes his mind and ends up calling the cops.”

“God forbid. I guess it’s a waste of time to go to the beach house now.”

“Aaron and I decided that wouldn’t be a good idea anyway because you’re too closely connected to us. We have another plan in mind, and I’d say it’s a good thing considering what just happened here.”

Suzanne frowned at Heather.

“What is your plan, and am I going to like it?”

“I don’t know if you’ll like it or not, but I strongly suggest you consider what we propose. We’ll hide you where no one would think to look and wait for your dad to get in touch with you again.”

“I may have lost my last chance for that ever happening.”

“Why? He’s going to want to talk to you if for no other reason than to tell you what happened here.”

“Not if he thinks I’m the one who gave away his hiding place.”

“Suzie, I . . .” Heather said, but stopped and caught her bottom lip between her teeth.

“What?”

Heather shook her head and looked away.

“Nothing.”

Suzanne pressed her forehead against the car window and stared at the
No Vacancy
sign hanging in the manager’s office window. The red neon reminded her of the blood smeared bathroom. She closed her eyes wishing she could block out the awful scene. Her father probably needed help more than ever now, but how could she help him if she couldn’t find him?

Thad would know what to do.

But asking him for assistance would be like inviting him to help write her father’s obituary.

Thad jumped down from the helicopter and jogged across the tarmac. His brain hummed with the few facts he’d managed to glean from Suzanne’s latest stunt. Someone called her at her godmother’s and she had a lengthy conversation with them. Unfortunately, he didn’t know who that someone was. But if he had to guess, he’d say it was probably her father.

He went through her room again looking for the phone he’d given her, but came up empty handed.

He’d also discovered all the money he carried in his wallet had disappeared. Suzanne had probably helped herself, while he was passed out on the sofa.

Thad decided she must have left the island last night, considering the timeframe from when he last saw her and until he awoke this morning. Liam went with him to check with the man named Dewey. He insisted he’d neither seen nor helped her in any way. Thad’s only clue was Dewey telling her about the people named Martinez in San Pedro.

Nothing came of that, but he hadn’t expected it to. A man and woman on the run wouldn’t be dropping clues to their whereabouts like Hansel and Gretel’s breadcrumbs. The phone call Suzanne took at her godmother’s had to be the catalyst that threw her into flight mode. Drugging him wasn’t such a surprise, but Thad knew she had to be pretty desperate to leave without anyone knowing, when she chose to drug Liam and Nesta as well.

He had her house checked. She hadn’t shown up there. Thad had no idea where Suzanne might be. But he knew someone who probably did.

Thad stood on the porch of the modest bungalow and rang the doorbell. He studied the front of the small house while he waited. The two terracotta pots of bright red germaniums standing on either side of the black door lent cheery color to the stark white walls and black trimmed window frames.

He heard the click of a lock seconds before the front door swung open.

“Hello, Heather,” he said and smiled.

No smile in return. Not a good sign for a guy hoping to get some information.

She glared at him.

“What do you want?”

“I’m sure you already know the answer to that. Where is she?” he asked, dropping all pretense that this might be a friendly visit.

“Suzanne’s not here if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“I’m sure she isn’t. That would be too easy. But I do think you know where I can find her.”

“You’re wrong.”

“Your attitude says otherwise.”

“I don’t care what my attitude says. Even if I knew where she was, I wouldn’t tell a louse like you.”

Thad tugged on his earlobe.

“So I’m a louse now? What has Suzanne been telling you?”

“What makes you think she’s been in touch with me?”

“Maybe it’s the fact that you’re acting like a mother bear protecting her cub.”

“Of course I’d be protective. Suzanne is my friend.”

“Yes, I’ve noticed how friendly you can be, especially the day we all had lunch together and your hand somehow kept finding its way under the table to my crotch.”

Flames of color streaked Heather’s cheeks.

“Shut up!”

“Tell me where she is and I just might do that.”

“I told you, I don’t know. The last time I heard from her she was at her godmother’s, and you were with her. Now you’re telling me she’s gone and you can’t find her? Some bodyguard you are.”

“I’m here to correct my shortcomings. Every minute Suzanne is out on her own puts her in danger. You’ll help me keep her from harm if you really are her friend.”

“You’ve got a lot of nerve coming here whining to me about your mistakes. You blew your chance to protect her. I wouldn’t trust you to keep my dog safe. Now get away from here and don’t come back.”

“I’m not going anywhere unless it’s where Suzanne is. Now tell me what I need to know.”

“You can go to hell!”

He slapped his hand against the door when she started to shut it.

“I’ll be taking you there with me if anything happens to Suzanne.”

“You’ll have to find her first, won’t you?” Heather sneered.

The screaming woke her. Again. Suzanne shot up in bed, drenched in sweat, her heart pounding. No need to wonder who emitted the ear-splitting screeches. She already knew, and she had the aching throat to prove it. Hopefully the yelling didn’t wake up any of the other guests in the inn.

Moonlight streamed into the room, bright beams cutting through the darkness. Suzanne climbed out of bed on shaky legs, abandoning any attempt to fall back to sleep. Experience told her it’d be a waste of time to try. The nightmare hadn’t varied in the three nights since she began this latest venture.

Images of her father covered in blood, crawling over broken pieces of glass, begging her to take the phones continued to plague her. She tried, but she could never get close enough to grab them. A faceless woman stood weeping in the background. Was it Muriel?

Other people came. Faceless. Menacing. Suzanne didn’t know who they were, but she had a pretty good idea when they started throwing black feathers at her. She didn’t want to stay, but her legs refused to carry her away. She stood there helpless, not knowing what to do, so she screamed until she woke up.

She padded across the room on bare feet to shove the window open and made herself take in deep gulps of sea air. She’d spent hours in the car with Aaron after leaving the motel. They drove along the Pacific Coast Highway heading ever further north stopping each night in a different seaside town.

Aaron held onto the car’s steering wheel as though it was a life preserver in a storm tossed ocean. He spent almost as much time looking in his rearview mirror as he did keeping his eyes on the road in front of him. Suzanne couldn’t say that she blamed him. She felt edgy, nerves hanging by ragged threads.

Aaron finally decided to let her stay at this particular inn. The building stood on a high cliff, but she could still hear the waves below. Sometimes she could even feel the remnants of sea spray if the wind blew in her direction.

They were both too mentally and physically exhausted to have a normal conversation by the time he left. Aaron’s last words were strict instructions to contact him as soon as she heard from her father. He made her register under an assumed name and told her not to call anyone but him or Heather. He also warned her against talking to people insisting that every stranger could be a potential threat. She’d felt alone before, but now she felt completely ostracized from society.

Suzanne knew she would be enjoying this pretty inn and the scenic location if she didn’t have to be here under such distressing circumstances. Her room was cozy and the owners friendly. Their smiles when she checked in were warm and welcoming. The woman offered her a little dish of mints wrapped in shiny green paper decorated with tiny white flowers. Suzanne didn’t know why, but that little bit of kindness made her want to cry.

Her stay here reminded Suzanne of the time in Belize. That place had a different kind of beauty, which she’d also been unable to appreciate because of the events that brought her there. But she did have the luxury of being able to talk to people then. People, mainly as in Thad.

She pressed fingertips to her tired eyes. Her weary brain cautioned her not to think about him. The conflict flared up inside her, as a reminder of the disparity between them. She trusted. He lied. She gave. He took. Greed. So many people all wanting the same thing. Strange how money could twist lives into a pretzel of need and wanting so strong nothing else seemed to matter.