Wicked Tempest: A Kate Waters Mystery (Kate Waters Mysteries Book 2) (23 page)

“Same reason you’re here, Detective.” She stepped closer to him. “Isn’t this Andre’s boatshed?”

Wells had lost his thoughts again to her attire, had let his eyes slip back down, all the way to a huge scar on her thigh the size of a grapefruit.

“Detective?” Thea said, returning his attention to her face.

Wells glimpsed at the shed behind her. “Yes, it is Andre’s, but that still doesn’t answer my question.”

“What were you hoping to find?” she asked.

“Not you,” he replied. His tone implied surprise more than concern.

Thea slinked closer to him. “My best friend was attacked. I suppose I feel like it’s my duty to protect her, find out who it was.”

“And that alone led you to Andre’s boatshed?”

“I have my suspicions Andre is up to something, and what better place to hide it than here.”

His thoughts exactly.

“Are you alone?”

“Yes.”

“How did you know Andre had a boatshed?”

“I followed him one day.” Thea frowned. “Why?”

“Nothing.” Wells stepped around her and over to the shed. On the side, there was a door with a padlock on it. “You didn’t happen to bring a pair of lock cutters with you?”

Thea smiled. “No, I left those in my other purse.”

Wells glanced back at her, his gaze still wanting to fall down the length of her again. “You didn’t bring a swimsuit either. What were you planning to do?”

A small laugh escaped her. “Swim under. Well, working up the courage to do so until you showed up.”

“Afraid of water?” he asked, trying his hardest to conceal his smile.

“I don’t like the cold,” Thea replied. She gestured to his clothes. “What about you?”

Wells bent over and started untying his shoelaces. “I’m afraid of the dark.”

Thea laughed.

And love, he thought again. Of course Thea had followed Andre. That was just like her.

He looked down at the water, where the aluminum walls of the boatshed plunged beneath. He gauged how deep he would have to swim down to get inside Andre’s boatshed. Probably a foot or two. Thea came up to his side. He caught her reflection in the water, her face full of beauty and mystery. He didn’t want to think she had broken into his office, but that thought continued to stew in his mind. Still, if it was her, wasn’t she on the same mission as he? A fellow crusader in the hunt for justice?

He hadn’t liked anyone as much as he liked Thea for a long time, and the risk that came with loving someone again felt just as dark and cold as the water below him.

Before Kate left Suzanne’s house, she helped her settle into the living room with a blanket, movie, and a cup of tea. It put her at ease knowing Suzanne didn’t have the statue or the mark on the back of her neck. For the time being, she was safe from the curse, if it were real. The fact that Suzanne didn’t have the mark only made Kate doubt the whole thing again. More likely than not, someone enjoyed scaring the hell out of them, and the storms conveniently added to the atmosphere. Someone like Thea?

It still didn’t explain the marks on the back of her neck and Brooke’s? There was no way Thea could have made them, and their similarity to the one on the statue was unnerving. Moreover, Kate had sworn she had seen Rán in her bathroom and in the trees of the PNGS parking lot. Thea had no power over these events.

Kate drove through the neighborhood towards her house. Approaching her block, she feared she might have another dead snake on her doorstep, but wasn’t expecting it to be something worse: David’s truck in the driveway. A rush of anxiety caused her to shudder.

Why was he home? To see how she was doing? Hadn’t he just said the other night that she could take care of herself?

Kate’s hands trembled at the wheel. Her foot shook so much, she had difficulty steering her jeep and parking beside his truck. She wasn’t ready to confront him, not after everything that had happened tonight.

She stepped from her car and without conscious effort to do so, began fiddling with the bracelet on her wrist, willing herself to stay calm, that this moment was bound to happen. It was better to get the dreaded talk over with than let it continue to haunt her.

David sat at the kitchen counter when she entered the house. He was going through the mail, some of which had already been opened. He noticed her and stopped.

A warm sensation twisted in Kate’s gut at the sight of him. Her feelings for him came on so strong, they forced her to look away from him. “You’re home early,” she said, as casually as possible, but inside, she wanted to scream and throw her purse at him or at least tell him what a creep he was. Instead, she shoved it down under a thin layer of resignation.

David’s gaze shifted to the bruise on her eye and the slight fattening of her lip at the corner. “A day too late.”

Kate dropped her purse on the table at the entryway and went into the kitchen.

“I need you to hear me out,” he said.

Four days of stubble had grown over his face, accentuating his hazel-green eyes. Kate hated that he looked so handsome, another stab of pain to join all the rest. “Just tell me if you are still in love with Robyn. Did you have sex with her?”

“No. I am not in love with Robyn. I love her, but there is a difference.”

“Jesus, David.” Kate shifted away from him, unable to face him. She couldn’t believe he was pulling that card. Hot anger and heartache overcame her. “I’m such a fool.”

David’s chair squeaked across the floor when he stood up and walked to her side. He wanted her to look at him. He came up next to her, too close.

“It’s not like that, Kate.”

“I suppose you’re going to explain—”

“Robyn has breast cancer,” David said, silencing her in mid-sentence.

Kate stared up at him and recognized a pool of hurt in his eyes. All the mix of emotions that tangled inside her thrashed about even more.

“It’s severe,” he added. “She’ll have to undergo chemo after the surgery, and even then, she might have only months to live.”

Kate couldn’t find her voice. It was buried, somewhere beneath a storm of hurt and shame. A falling sensation gripped her, as though she were on a bungee cord being reeled backwards, trying to grasp at what he was telling her.

“That’s why I went to see her,” he continued. “I didn’t tell you, because…one, I’m stupid. I admit that. Two, I was afraid you would get jealous, and tell me that you didn’t want me to go. And I had to go, whether you wanted me to or not. So, I just didn’t say anything. I thought I could save you the heartache after everything you’ve been through, are still going through, since Jev’s death. I regret what I did. I regret hurting you.”

No words emerged from Kate’s cacophony of thoughts, only the soured feeling of deceit, the kind that made her want to run away and hide in the dark. She turned from him again and leaned on the countertop, struggling to process it all. She didn’t want to speak until she could make sense of things, but a flood broke through her, and she couldn’t stop it.

“You know, first I have to go through the emotions of you lying to me, and possibly cheating on me with your ex-wife, and now I feel like a jerk on top of everything because she has cancer. Here I am, the starved-for-attention, jealous girlfriend.” Suddenly, Kate was infuriated. She tried to haul back her emotions, but they ran free as wild horses. “Why did you give me that necklace? Did you buy it out of guilt? You can take it back. I don’t want it.”

“I was wrong,” David said. “I should have been up front with you. I was originally planning to go to Arizona, that was no lie, but two weeks ago, Robyn called me up, told me the news. I changed my plans at the last minute. I’m sorry, Kate. I really am, but Robyn needed me. I felt obligated to be there for her.”

“Needed you more than me. Those were your words. Isn’t that what you said to Nick? That I’m a big girl and I can take care of myself.”

David shook his head, and Kate knew she was right. Tears burst through, despite her will to keep them back. She imagined falling from a high-rise building, somersaulting through time and space. “But I did need you,” she said, pointing to her bruises. “Somebody attacked me in our house. I thought I was going to die.”

David went over to her. “I know. I’m sorry.”

Kate couldn’t handle being physically close to him. She didn’t want him to touch her. She stepped back from him. “I don’t know what to say or feel,” she said, struggling to swallow down the lump caught in her throat. She walked back to the front door and grabbed her purse. “You know what, David? Nick was wrong, and you were right. I can take care of myself.”

***

Wells stripped down to his boxers, which wasn’t so bad considering Thea wasn’t much more dressed herself. She watched from the corner of her eye until she saw a big round scar in his side. “Looks like we’ve both been through hell and back.”

“Gunshot wound,” Wells replied.

Thea pointed to her leg. “Lightning strike.”

“Lightning?”

“Two years ago, on Sauvie’s Island.”

Wells thought about her wound, wondering if she had gotten Lichtenberg’s Flowers from the lightning strike, wanted to lift her hair at the shoulders and look at the back of her neck, but if it had happened two years ago, chances were that the mark would have faded by now. He hid their clothes behind a power box a few feet down on the dock, and then pulled two thin rods from his key chain and fastened them to his watch. He walked back to Thea, up to the edge of the dock.

Thea flipped on the waterproof flashlight she had borrowed from Kate. “Ready?”

“Apparently, not as much as you,” he replied. He glanced around the docks one more time, assuring himself they were still alone. “I’ll go first.”

Thea smiled. “Isn’t it age before beauty anyway?”

Wells leaned in to her. “That does seem to be the case.” He bent down and placed one hand on the dock as he jumped in. The cold of the river seized his breath. He let out a gasp.

“That sounds painful,” Thea said.

“Only for a second,” Wells told her, still panting.

“Or two.” Thea handed him the flashlight and slipped into the water. She let out a huff of air. “Oh, you’re not kidding.”

Wells reached for her hand. “We might not have much time. Follow me.”

The two of them swam to the side of the building. Wells used his foot to feel for the edge. He found an area near the outer corner. “I say we go under together, holding hands.”

“That’s so kind of you, Detec…” she paused suddenly. “What’s your real name?”

“You don’t know? I thought someone of your sly nature would know that already.”

“Sly nature?”

Wells smiled. “Orwin Jay.”

“Jay. That’s nice.”

The cold from the water thwarted the heat Wells would have felt from the dazzle of her smile. Shelia never called him Jay, always Orwin, and Wells liked the change. “On the count of three,” he said.

“One, two, three,” Thea said.

She sucked in a deep breath and the two of them ducked under the water, into a cold, wet curtain of black that not even the flashlight could penetrate. Wells pulled her along, shining the flashlight in front of them. Thea held onto his hand tight. When they came to the edge of the shed, Wells put his hand on top of her head so she wouldn’t scrape it. They swam underneath, and came up to the surface, behind the boat inside Andre’s shed. Wells grabbed the ladder at the back of the boat, taking in the make and year of it.

Wells could feel Thea close behind him. He moved the light just enough to see her face, her wet hair slicked back, enhancing the green in her eyes.

“There’s a ladder that goes up to the dock over there.” He led her around the boat and then motioned to her. “Ladies first.”

“You just want to check out my tush.”

“I promise I won’t stare.”

Thea’s expression inferred a question of trust, but she climbed the ladder anyway, glancing back just before she reached the top. Wells made sure to have his eyes elsewhere.

“It’s rather nice being in the company of a gentleman.”

Wells hoisted himself up. “Only when I’m on duty.”

Thea gave a small laugh. “Right.”

Wells stepped up the ladder. Though spring had arrived, the temperature was still about a cool 58 degrees. The two of them rubbed their arms for heat.

“Not a whole lot in here,” she said. Wells waved the light along the inside walls. Three long shelves lined one of the walls. They were mostly bare, except for a red can of gasoline, a few buckets, rope, and two large nets. Silver poles with hooks on the end hung on the walls.

“What exactly are we looking for?” Thea asked.

“Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe a bag of dead snakes.” He waved the light into the boat. There was a locked drawer under one of the seats. Wells gripped a hold of the boat railing and pulled himself up. He stepped onto the boat, then turned around and reached for Thea’s hand to help her up.

“At least I have these,” Wells said, referring to the lock-picking pins he unfastened from his watch. He stuck two of them into the lock and gave it a jiggle.

“Looks like you’ve done that a couple of times,” Thea said.

Wells glanced back at her. “Actually, I learned it from my daughter.”

Thea smirked. “How old?”

“Nineteen going on thirty.”

“My kind of girl.”

The lock clicked open and Wells reached inside. He pulled out a folder and shined the light over the contents, mostly bank receipts, records, and titles. He aimed the flashlight into the cupboard space and dragged out a leather bag. “Here,” he handed Thea the flashlight. Wells unzipped the bag. Though he didn’t necessarily think he would find anything he might regret discovering in front of Thea, he instinctively held his breath. Inside were bundles of $100 bills.

“It’s not a bag of snakes, but something just as incriminating,” Thea said.

***

The graveled parking lot at the end of the Willamette Moorage Park was empty when Keith pulled in at 10:45 p.m. He punched Andre’s name into the database on his console to pull up his license and vehicle registration, but came up with an error message. Keith slapped the side of it, reentered Andre’s name, but had no luck.

“Maybe the division could hold off on fucking new uniforms until the equipment functions first.”

He stepped from his patrol car and paused to look around. Thickets of blackberries, two dumpsters, not much else. A raccoon shuffled off down the gravel road like a getaway bandit. Keith hoped he would catch an upright, two-legged one named Andre tonight.

He opened his bag, making sure he had all he needed: gun, knife, mace, and lock cutters. There must have been a reason why Wells was investigating Andre. Keith suspected Andre was somehow involved in Brooke’s and Jim’s deaths, maybe even Kate’s assault. After all, Nick said something valuable had been stolen from her. What else could it be if it weren’t the statue? Kate knew Brooke. The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. Andre had to have the statue.

He walked down the path to the river and came to three sets of docks. Records showed Andre Singer rented boatshed number 17. Keeping his eyes focused on his surroundings, Keith walked to the shed. He thought he heard someone talking and paused at the door.

It was quiet until Canadian geese honked from somewhere across the river. Keith set his bag down and pulled his lock cutters out. He snipped the lock, and wondered if Andre would even report the break-in.

***

Wells sifted through Andre’s bag, making sure only money was in there and how much. “This is definitely something, a six digit figure of something” he said, “but probably not anything directly related to Kate.”