Before Sunrise (24 page)

Phoebe got out and knocked at the door. Tina let her in, but she looked angry. Joseph was lying on the second of the two double beds, sound asleep. Tina's eyes were red and swollen. She'd seen that tender kiss, and she was devastated.

“It was a great dinner, Phoebe,” Drake said at the doorway, smiling at her. “Thanks.”

“You're very welcome.”

“You went to a lot of trouble,” Drake added, staring pointedly at Tina. “But I'm the only person who even had the manners to say thanks.”

Tina glared at him. “I don't need lessons in courtesy from you!”

His eyebrows arched. “Did I say you did?”

“I need to find my suitcase,” Phoebe murmured, looking around. “I've got some notes in it about that art dealer…” She hesitated when she saw all her things piled
in a heap on the floor, including her clothes that had been hanging in the closet and all her toiletries. Her suitcase was there, too, askew.

“This room is way too small for two grown women and a baby,” Tina muttered, without looking at Phoebe. “I'm going to ask Jeremiah to get another room for you. It's too crowded in here.”

Phoebe felt sick at the anger in Tina's dark eyes. She flushed, feeling like an intruder. It was obvious that she wasn't wanted here. She thought of her own little cabin, with her own things around her. At least she wouldn't have to put up with this sort of treatment on her own. Apparently Tina really was crazy about Cortez and furious at the competition. Maybe Cortez felt the same way. Well, Phoebe wasn't going to be used for a scapegoat.

She knelt by her things. “Drake, would you help me carry these out to the car, please? Then I'll get you to drop me by the museum to pick up my car.”

Tina was remembering what Jeremiah had said about Phoebe being a potential target. It was why she was at the motel in the first place. Jealousy wasn't enough of an excuse to risk the older woman's life.

“Listen, I didn't…I didn't mean that,” Tina said slowly.

Phoebe didn't look at her. She was quick and efficient. In a matter of minutes she transferred all her things to Drake's car and climbed into the passenger seat.

Drake glared at Tina. “Tell Cortez I'll take care of her,” he said coldly. “She'll be safer with me than she is with you, and that's a fact, you heartless little brat!”

He turned on his heel and went back to the car.

Tina ran outside to the passenger side, her face frantic. “Phoebe, don't go,” she began.

Phoebe looked at her with furious blue eyes. “I'm going home. I've had it with you and your so-called cousin and your mood swings! I've got a pistol and I know how to shoot it. You tell Cortez I'll take care of myself.” She glanced at Drake who was just getting in the car. “Let's go,” she said curtly, snapping her seat belt into place.

Tina was still calling to her when they drove away. Phoebe didn't even glance her way. She didn't want Tina to see how hurt she was.

D
RAKE PROTESTED
all the way to the museum, but Phoebe was upset and refused to listen. She took out her car keys, unlocked her vehicle, and transferred her belongings to it in a tense silence.

“This is nuts!” Drake fumed, waving his arms. “It's getting dark. And it's still threatening to snow! You can't stay out there all alone with a murderer running loose. He's already killed two people, Phoebe!”

“You taught me to shoot a pistol,” she pointed out. “I can protect myself.”

“Well, I can't,” he bit off. “Cortez will skin me alive if anything happens to you! And Tina won't survive me by five minutes!”

“Something's going on between him and Tina,” she
said coldly. “And it's obvious that she's possessive of him,” she added. “They can't be really related, or she wouldn't be so anxious to get rid of me. Maybe he's having second thoughts, too. He hardly spoke to me.”

Drake grimaced. “Listen, I agree something's going on here that we don't understand. But it's not worth your life.”

She looked up at him. “I'll be okay.”

He drew in a long breath. He reached into his billfold and took out a card. “This is my number at work. You call and they'll call me. I can have somebody at your place in minutes.”

She smiled. “You're a nice man. I really mean that.”

“You just be careful. I don't like the idea of your being out there alone. You could get a room at the motel…”

“I don't want to be anywhere near Tina or Jeremiah right now, thanks,” she bit off.

“Look, maybe we could call Alice. She can shoot, too…”

“Oh, no, you don't. I'm not having Alice and her microscope in my house.” She laughed. “Anyway, I expect to get a good night's sleep. I'm working tomorrow, myself. We have a tour group coming in from Highlands, elderly Floridians on a holiday.”

“They may get snowed in on the way.”

“There are scrapers and sand trucks standing by, even this early in the season,” she reminded him. “Thanks again, Drake.” She opened the door.

“What do I tell Cortez when he comes after me with a skinning knife?” he wondered miserably.

“Tell him I held a gun on you and forced my way out of your car.”

He shook his head. He had a bad feeling as he watched her drive away. On a whim, he took out his cell phone and tried to call Cortez. But the man must be in a dead spot, or had his phone turned off. He couldn't reach him and his voice mail wasn't working either. Defeatedly, he got into his own car and went toward his apartment to change for work.

But the minute he got into his uniform, he drove to the sheriff's office to have a word with his boss.

 

P
HOEBE DROVE UP
at her cabin, carefully checking around before she even opened the door. She wondered if the killer was going to be after her next, but even danger was preferable to any more of Tina's cold shoulder.

The first thing she did, after locking all the doors and checking the windows, was to strip her bed and throw all the linen into the washing machine. She hated her bedroom for the memories that haunted her now.

It was crazy. She and Cortez had been closer than she'd ever dreamed they would be one day, yet in a matter of hours they were enemies. He'd said he cared about her, or at least he'd made her believe he did. But why was Tina so antagonistic? Tina had been going around with Drake and Marie had even seen a hot kiss between them. So why was Tina suddenly drawn to her cousin Cortez and treating Drake like dirt? Could Drake be right? Was Tina not closely related to Cortez, and now she decided that she wanted him? It was a puzzle she couldn't quite solve.

Her heart was breaking. Three years ago it hadn't been quite this bad, because she and Cortez hadn't been intimate. Her memories tormented her. Worst of all of them was Cortez walking away from her without a single word or a backward glance.

She went into the living room and turned on the television just as the phone rang. She went to answer it, hoping it would be Cortez with an explanation.

“It's Drake,” came the immediate reply. “I've just spoken with my boss. I'm going to sleep on your sofa at night and work during the day when you're at the museum,” he said firmly. “The sheriff and I agree that you're going to be the person most at risk with a murderer on the loose. He's agreed to change my schedule so that I can look out for you.”

“That's very kind of you both, Drake,” she said, and meant it. Now she wouldn't have to go back to the motel, which Cortez would certainly have tried to make her do. His sense of responsibility was enormous, even if he was full of regrets for becoming intimate with her.

“Since we're both out of favor with our respective partners,” he murmured dryly, “I figure we can look out for each other.”

She smiled. “That suits me. I have a guest room that you can use. Thanks, Drake.”

“What are friends for?” he replied. “I'll see you about seven,” he added.

“I'll fix the guest room for you.”

She hung up and went to work.

 

C
ORTEZ DIDN'T LIKE THE LOOK
of Bennett's sister, or her wide-eyed innocent appearance. Why had Bennett hidden her relationship to Walks Far? And who had attacked Walks Far? Was there yet another person involved in the murders? Did Claudia Bennett know who it was?

There were a lot of unanswered questions here. The anthropologist who'd found the Neanderthal skeleton was dead. So was another, unidentified man. Was Walks Far involved in some museum theft, and the loot in that
cave? Or had Walks Far discovered the man with the loot in the cave and someone had knocked him out and killed the other man? But why take Walks Far back to the work trailer—why not kill him? Surely he would be a material witness against the perpetrator. On the other hand, who was the other man? What was his connection to the hidden relics?

It was going to take a lot of forensic work to answer those questions, and meanwhile, Phoebe would be in more danger than ever before. He'd already asked the local police department to assign a man to keep watch outside Walks Far's room, to insure that nothing happened to him until he could be questioned. He'd keep Phoebe close at the motel, where she'd be out of danger.

Phoebe. He was still fuming about her little tête-à-tête with Drake at her house. The two of them were too cozy. He didn't like it. Neither did Tina, who was obviously jealous of Phoebe over Drake. It wasn't going to be a pleasant evening.

He pulled up in front of the motel. Before he could get out of the car, Tina had her door open and was motioning him inside.

His first thought was that something had happened to Joseph, but the little boy was sitting in the middle of the second double bed playing with toy action figures.

Tina had been crying. Her eyes were red and swollen and she looked miserable.

“What's wrong with you?” he asked. His eyes went around the room. “And where's Phoebe?”

“At her house,” she said miserably.

“You let her go?” he exploded. He jerked out his cell phone and started dialing.

Tina started to speak, but she couldn't bring herself to say what had really happened. She felt guilty.

The phone rang and rang before it was answered.

“Hello?”

Cortez froze. That wasn't Phoebe. That was…Drake!

“What the hell is Phoebe doing there, and why are you there, too?” Cortez demanded.

“Ask Tina,” Drake said icily. “As for what I'm doing here, I'm staying with Phoebe at night until we catch the killer…or killers.”

Cortez scowled, glancing at Tina, who flushed.

“I'll come and bring Phoebe back here,” Cortez began at once.

“She won't go,” Drake said curtly. “Tina threw her out of the room. No way is she going to sink her pride enough to walk back in there. You can tell your cousin for me that I'm through competing with you. She's welcome to you and vice versa.”

“What the hell is going on?” Cortez demanded.

“I told you. Ask Tina. I'm not on duty until tomorrow morning. You can contact the sheriff's office if you need backup.”

The line went dead.

Cortez turned to Tina after he closed the flip phone, his eyes narrow and cold. “All right,” he murmured coldly. “Spill it!”

Tina bit her lower lip. Tears were threatening again. “Drake and Phoebe were just sitting in the car for the longest time, laughing and talking…I just lost my temper. I piled her stuff on the floor and I said something like we needed more rooms.” Her face fell, ashamed. “She packed and left, and Drake said he'd drive her to the museum to pick up her car. I tried to stop her,” she added quickly. “But Drake was just hateful!”

Cortez stared at her uncomprehendingly. “Tina, there's a killer on the loose,” he said slowly. “Phoebe's going to be the main target. Drake is a good lawman, but he's young and he hasn't had a lot of experience with murder cases. With the best of intentions, he could cost Phoebe her life.”

She started crying again. “I know. I'm sorry!”

With a long, rough sigh, he pulled her into his arms and rocked her. “Damn!”

“I love him,” she choked. “But all he ever talks about is Phoebe this, Phoebe that. He's infatuated with her. I think maybe she feels the same way about him. They're really chummy for people who are just friends. When they were sitting in the car, he kissed her. They were wrapped up like lovers!”

He'd noticed that they were friendly, but a kiss was something else again. He felt wounded. It was more painful for him than Tina might imagine, because she didn't realize he'd rekindled his romance with Phoebe. He couldn't tell her, either, not now, when Drake was going to be staying under the same roof with her. It would kill his pride to admit what a fool he'd been.

“What are we going to do?” she wailed.

“We're going to get some sleep,” he replied. “Then, tomorrow, we'll see.”

She wiped her eyes. “If anything happens to her, I'll never forgive myself.”

His heart skipped, painfully. “If Drake's there at night, he can protect her,” he replied, as much as he hated saying it aloud.

“What about during the day?” she groaned.

“She'll be at work six days out of seven. On Sundays, I'll talk with Drake and see what we can arrange.”

Tina looked up at him through tears. “You could ask
her to come back. I'd promise not to make any more trouble.” Her lips made a thin line. “It's not her fault that Drake likes her more than me, after all.”

He didn't reply. He had enough trouble without borrowing more. “Phoebe will be all right,” he said.

“Sure she will,” she agreed.

Neither of them believed it.

 

P
HOEBE COOKED SUPPER
for Drake and they watched television until almost midnight. Neither of them was in the mood for sleep, but fatigue eventually, caught up with them.

The next morning, Phoebe woke to the delicious aroma of scrambled eggs and bacon that Drake had whipped up for them.

She smiled as they ate breakfast, thinking how considerate her new roommate was. Then she dressed and drove in to work, pulling into the parking lot precisely at eight-thirty. She was comforted by the knowledge that Drake had followed her in his own car to ensure that she arrived safely. After personally escorting her into the museum, he departed for his police shift.

It had been a little disappointing that Cortez hadn't even phoned to check on her the night before. She hadn't really expected it, though. They hadn't parted as friends,
and God knew what Tina had said about their argument. Then she remembered that Drake had kissed her forehead in the car. She grimaced. It might have looked much more ardent than it really was, and Tina would probably have told Cortez about it. Maybe they laughed about it and decided that they were better off together. She shut off the memory. It was like a closed chapter of her life. She'd better start thinking of it that way. Even more, she'd better start watching her back. There was still a killer on the loose, and she could identify the bogus art dealer.

Marie had obviously heard something, because she was very careful to be upbeat around Phoebe. So was her assistant, Harriett White.

The senior citizens' group arrived promptly at ten, and Phoebe took them around the museum herself, just to avoid being in her office. It reminded her too well of the passionate kiss she'd shared with Cortez. The problem was, everything reminded her of Cortez.

 

C
ORTEZ HAD DELIBERATELY
stayed away from the museum. Tina's talk about the kiss Phoebe and Drake had shared had hurt his pride. He was spoiling for a fight, and he didn't want to make things any worse than they already were.

He drove to the hospital after he got up to check on Walks Far. The man was still unconscious, but there was
nobody at his bedside. Perhaps Bennett and his sister had been up all night. That was a charitable estimate, he decided.