Sandman (11 page)

EIGHTEEN

With Shadowhawk riding shotgun, Thomas drove the two-hour trip to Temecula, where the Bernards lived. Shadowhawk had studied the file the day before, and they discussed the case. He answered her questions the best he could, and was impressed with his new partner’s intellect and insight.

The Bernard’s street was a model of suburbia. The track homes with their meticulously manicured lawns could have been Anytown, California. Thomas was having a bad case of déjà vu, like he’d driven down this same street countless times before.

Shadowhawk pointed out the address, and they pulled up in front of a professionally landscaped house with numerous palm trees. Each, placed strategically around the lawn, had a ring of brightly colored flowers around the base, and raised flowerbeds rimmed the circumference. The house itself was a beige two-story Mediterranean with a beige tiled roof. An overturned bicycle lay in the driveway.

As the detectives walked up the front pathway leading to the door, Thomas realized he was not looking forward to this. There was nothing easy about talking to a man who had just lost his wife in such a brutal manner. His mind flashed back to Victoria.

He mentally shook his head, and rang the doorbell. A little blonde girl of about three answered. She had ringlets all over her head and big bright eyes.

“Hi, I’m Kylie! What’s your name?” came the perky little voice. Just then a man appeared behind her and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Kylie, what have I told you about answering the door? Now go to your room and watch videos while I talk with my guests.” Kylie’s smile faded as she turned and did what she was told.

Thomas looked at the shell of a broken man. His bloodshot eyes were swollen, his pallor almost gray. He was in his mid- forties, but today could easily pass for sixty.

“Good morning, Mr. Bernard. My name is Detective Thomas, and this is Detective Shadowhawk.” He flashed his ID. “We have a few questions we’d like to ask you. We’ll make it as brief as possible.”

Jack Bernard moved aside and motioned for them to come in.

“Let’s go into the living room where we won’t be disturbed. My son Brian is in his room. He hasn’t been out since I told him about his mother last night. He’s ten. Kylie’s too little to understand. Hell,
I
don’t even understand.” He choked back a sob.

He swiped at a tear that had slipped down his cheek and cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, please sit down. Can I get you some coffee?”

“No, thank you,” they said almost in unison.

Mr. Bernard dropped in a chair as if his legs could no longer carry him. Thomas faced him on the couch, and Shadowhawk joined him a moment later. Thomas took out a notebook and pen.

Thomas focused his thoughts, then began. “First, Mr. Bernard, we’re sorry for your loss. I know this is very difficult for you, but these questions are important to the investigation.”

“I understand. I’ll do anything I can to help. And please call me Jack.”

“Okay, Jack, when was the last time you saw your wife?”

“It was the morning of her disappearance. Uh, ten days ago, or has it been two weeks now? I don’t know, everything seems to be a blur.”

“I understand.” Thomas looked down. It was hard to stare at the guy, his eyes were filled with unshed tears. Reluctantly he glanced back up. “Did she work?”

“No, I mean, yes. She is, or was, a housewife.”

“Do you know what her plans were that day?” Thomas asked.

“She, uh…she dropped Kylie off down the street to play with a friend, and then drove Brian to school. She was going to run errands. You know, the grocery store, stuff like that,” Jack said with some effort.

Thomas made some notes before he continued. “They found her car parked at a restaurant called The Hunter right off I-5 in Oceanside. Was she meeting a friend?”

“No, I mean, I don’t know. I don’t understand what Caroline would have been doing in Oceanside. That’s a good forty-five minutes from here. We’ve never been to that restaurant. How would she know it? She usually met her friend Annie at the Soup Plantation here in town. Her time was limited. I can’t see her driving that far.”

Thomas was aware of the sound of Shadowhawk’s pen as she scribbled notes.

“Did she tell you of anything peculiar happening on the days prior to her disappearance? Strange phone calls, someone following her, maybe a man approaching her?” Thomas asked.

“Not that I recall.” Jack rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands.

“Did she have any enemies?”

“No.” Jack answered bluntly. “Everyone loved her, she was the most beautiful person you would ever want to meet. She was a great mother, and wonderful wife. I don’t know how I’m going to make it without her.” He covered his face with trembling hands.

Thomas shoved his pad and pen into his jacket pocket, and stood. “Well, that’s all I can think of for now, unless you have anything?” He looked at Shadowhawk, who shook her head.

“Then, I want to thank you for seeing us. If I have any further questions, I’ll call, but in the meantime…” Thomas reached into his pocket for a card. “Please call me if you think of anything else, no matter how trivial it may seem to you.”

Taking the card, Jack rose and followed the detectives out.

Thomas stopped at the door, “By the way, do you have a recent photo of your wife?” Jack disappeared for a few minutes. When he reappeared, he handed Thomas a photo of a woman on a sailboat caught in mid-laugh, eyes sparkling.

“Thank you,” Thomas said. “Again, I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Just get the bastard.” Jack shut the door with a soft click.

On their way back to Interstate 5, Thomas remained on the 78 freeway and crossed over I-5 to The Hunter restaurant where Caroline’s car had been found. Armed with the photograph, the detectives went inside and asked all the employees if any of them had recognized the woman.

No one seemed to know her, but one of the servers did remember a navy SUV parked in the parking lot when she came to work the day Caroline had vanished. She explained the restaurant didn’t open before five, so it was the only car in the parking lot when she arrived at work around four-thirty. The vehicle was still there that night after the restaurant closed.

As Thomas and Shadowhawk drove back up the coast, they discussed the case. Was this guy picking his victims at random, or did he select a woman and follow her, get to know her routine? Maybe he spent his days cruising up and down the interstate? They surmised her vehicle had been dumped at the restaurant. Did he have a partner?

What did this guy do for a living? Salesman? Drive a semi or tow truck? Where did he take his victims in between? They hashed out numerous possibilities on their way back to the station.

NINETEEN

Meagan and Lilah left the salon around five o’clock Tuesday and drove to Meagan’s house to change since it was on the way. Lilah was up to date on everything Meagan knew about Drew; she’d been keeping her friend informed since the day she’d met him.

“Oh, my, God, this is so awesome! I can’t wait to meet this guy. Is he really hot? Of course he is. He’s in a band, for goodness sake. And he picked
you
out of the crowd. Of course he picked you, you’re gorgeous. It’s just so romantic, I can’t stand it!”

Lilah chatted nonstop the entire way to San Diego. Meagan couldn’t help but smile at her friend’s enthusiasm.

They were waiting in the ticket line when Meagan surveyed the crowd. “Maybe we should have gotten here sooner,” she told Lilah. “Once we get our tickets, we’ll still have to get in that other line to go in and it wraps around the entire building. I’m afraid we won’t be able to get a seat.”

They inched their way forward for another thirty minutes before they found themselves in front of the ticket window where Meagan gave the girl their names. She flipped through several sheets on a clipboard before she stopped and asked to see their identification. After studying each driver’s license, she crossed out their names and left the window. Meagan and Lilah glanced at one another. A moment later the girl reappeared and told them to go to the door; a guy named Bruce would meet them.

Once inside, Bruce, who resembled a body builder, led them to a table in front of the stage. After they took their seats, he handed them each a menu.

“Order anything you wish, your bill has been taken care of. I’ll send your server right over.”

After he’d left, Meagan leaned across the table. “I had no idea we’d get the VIP treatment.” She glanced around the room; only a few scattered tables were occupied. “The paying customers haven’t even been let in yet.”

“This is so exciting! A free dinner, too! I can’t wait to get a load of your new hunk.” Lilah’s eyes sparkled.

“Whoa, he’s not my hunk. We’ve only been out on one date.” Meagan looked down at the menu.

“Maybe, but he’s obviously taken with you, or he wouldn’t have rolled out the red carpet.”

Meagan looked at her friend over the top of the menu. “Ya think?”

“Are you kidding me? How many struggling artists do you know who would be willing to pay the bill for a woman
and
her friend? Strike that. How many men do you know
period
who’d be willing do that?”

“True.” Meagan let Lilah’s words sink in while she decided between the teriyaki chicken and the grilled halibut.

 They ordered their dinners as the crowd wandered in and filled the seats around them. The waiter had just left when Drew appeared. He bent over Meagan, kissed her lightly on the lips, and claimed the chair next to her. “I’m glad you could make it. Are they treating you okay?”

“Everything’s great, thank you.” Meagan beamed at Drew. In black from head to toe, he looked like Johnny Cash. His long-sleeved shirt buttoned up the front, and his black jeans and belt matched his black snakeskin cowboy boots. He was, indeed, hot. She felt herself blush.

She wondered if her feelings could be influenced by the attention he was lavishing on her. “This is the friend I told you about.” Meagan smiled, remembering how he thought she would be bringing some guy she was dating.

Drew’s eyes came to rest on hers, and he smiled as if reading her mind, then he turned his attention to Lilah. He extended his hand across the table to shake hers.

“It’s nice to meet you, glad you could come.”

“Thank you for including me. I’m looking forward to seeing you perform.”

Drew’s smile widened. “Hope you’re not disappointed.” He stood, and glanced down at Meagan. “I’ve got to get to work. I’ll come by for you after we’ve finished, then we’ll see what San Diego has to offer.” He lifted her chin and kissed her lips as delicately as before, then disappeared.

Meagan’s heart leapt.

Lilah pressed her hands down on the table and leaned forward. “On a scale of one to ten, he’s an eleven, and he obviously adores you. You’d better go for it in a big way, or I’ll kill you!”

Meagan laughed. Lilah was right. The guy
was
definitely attentive.

A few minutes later, the lights dimmed and the girls turned toward the stage. Their table was literally at his feet. Drew smiled down at Meagan as he sang the first song, his eyes, once again, riveted on her. Occasionally, he averted his gaze, but only briefly, before his focus returned to her and stayed.

Meagan was embarrassed by the attention. She glanced around the room and noticed the angry stares she was getting from other women. She tried to ignore them, and just enjoy the show, but she had to admit it was distracting.

Once the band left the stage, the house lights came up.

“Wow, he’s got it bad for you.” Lilah grinned at Meagan.

“Stop it.” Meagan blushed.

“They were really good. I’m going to go buy their CD.” Lilah took off toward the entrance.

She made it back by the time Drew arrived at their table.

“Sorry to keep you ladies waiting. I had to change. It gets rather warm up there under those lights.”

Meagan gave Drew the once-over. He looked like he was wearing the same clothes. “What’d you change, your socks?”

Drew laughed. “I ripped a shirt one night when I was setting up some equipment. I had to borrow one from one of the guys. It was a bit tight, so now I keep an extra set of clothes handy. Come on, ladies, your chariot awaits.” Drew led them out the back door of the club to a black limousine.

Meagan raised her brows. “What’s this?”

“I don’t know the area and could only assume that you didn’t either, so I thought I’d hire an expert.” Drew opened the door and let the ladies pile in before he joined them.

Once everyone was situated, he grabbed a bottle of champagne from a nearby ice bucket and opened it while he addressed the driver. “So, where are you taking us, Ben?”

The limo driver’s eyes appeared in the rearview mirror. “I thought I would take you downtown to the Gas Lamp District where you could have your pick of places to eat, drink and dance.”

“Sounds great, lead on.” Drew poured the champagne into three flutes and passed them around. He raised his glass.

“I would like to propose a toast. Thank you for gracing me with your presence. I’m lucky to have not one, but two lovely ladies at my side this evening.” Drew raised his glass.

“The pleasure is all ours.” Meagan raised her glass. “Ditto!” Lilah raised her glass.

They all clinked before taking a sip.

The evening sped past at warp speed. Meagan didn’t want it to end, but she had to work the next day. Luckily, she’d danced more than she drank, so driving would not be a problem. Drew was a gracious host. He danced with Lilah almost as much as he danced with her. Not that her friend needed to be occupied. She had more than her share of men vying for her attention.

They were sitting at a table in Johnny Loves when Meagan took off one of her high heels and started rubbing her foot absently. Drew surprised her when he grabbed it with both hands and pulled it onto his lap for an intense massage. Self-consciously, Meagan glanced at Lilah across the table, her friend raised her eyebrows, smiled and shrugged.