Gone Before Goodbye (Love &Mystery in the--6-oh-3 Book 1) (18 page)

Her senses jumped to alert as his sweaty body heat seeped into her and his hand moved lower. Was he expressing sympathy or something else? She broke free of him and stepped nearer the door, ready to escape inside.

The awareness of her deliberate act flickered in his eyes.

“I don’t need pity, Mr. Taylor. I want leads to bring Lisa home.”

“That’s why I came. Let me finish.” He wet his lips and continued. “I’ve heard the teenagers in the park referred to as the Merry Men. They’d probably like a girl or two in their group.”

“Lisa might be with them.” Was she alive and nearby? But then why didn’t the search dogs locate her?

“I’m trying to determine if the Merry Men existed when my niece went missing,” Vic said. “Kara is a young, impressionable girl. Though it’s tough to believe she’d stay in the woods through rainstorms and our recent heat wave when she has a bed and shelter close by. But I suppose it’s not unthinkable that Kara and Lisa might be camping in the woods.”

Lisa living outside didn’t fit her profile either. None of her clothing was missing from her room. And the girl complained when the temperature sank to sixty degrees or a fly buzzed near her head.

“I’m at the point where I must grasp every possibility. I wanted to know if the police are looking into this teenage group any further.”

“Why don’t you go ask them?” It was a good way to finish the conversation and get Mr. Taylor on his way. The odd little man was a rabble-rouser, but was he also skilled at luring girls to take a ride with him?

He removed his glasses and began to polish the lenses with a handkerchief from his pocket. Vic was in no hurry.

“I’ve approached the police with different scenarios, from the UFO group that meets once a month to the chance my niece became a hooker on Times Square. They assure me they checked them out, but I’ve no proof they did. The longer Kara has been gone, the more I’ve increased the scope of what transpired with her.”

“And you wanted me to do what?”

“You can ask the detective to interview this Robin Hood band. The police don’t listen to me anymore. Frankly, I’m surprised they haven’t talked to these kids already. The paper has run several of my editorials on the loss of revenues caused by the teens feeding expired meters along with my blogs about Kara’s disappearance.”

Teagan kneaded the back of her neck, which was cramping with stress. “When Kara vanished, did the police search the park?”

“Three times. We had so many people, they linked hands and formed a human chain.

They walked the grounds and scoured the overgrown ball field, the boarded lookout tower on the hill, and the far end with the picnic tables.”

“You know the park well.” Well enough to kidnap a girl from it? What was wrong with her? The guy was in distress and seeking help, or was he? She could still feel the dampness from his body pressed against her. She concealed a shudder.

Time to remind Mr. Taylor that she wouldn’t be alone. “Thank you for filling me in. I’ll have to go inside and call the officer who has my car. He should have been here by now.” 

“I should leave, too.” Taylor pointed over his shoulder toward the smoke. “I may be able to learn something from the cops controlling the traffic by the fire.”

“Good idea.” Headlights shone on the street and the vehicle slowed for her driveway.

“My officer has arrived.”

A cruiser followed behind and waited at the curb while the driver of her car climbed out. The officer was set with a ride back to the station.

Vic Taylor’s phone began to buzz. “Excuse me.” He pulled his cell from his pocket.  “Might be a text about the blaze.”

The patrolman spotted her in the light. Teagan waved to him and turned her attention to Vic who was reading his cell’s screen.

“There’s a possibility of a death at the park,” he said, pocketing his phone.

“Dea—” The word stuck in her tight throat.

“Could I bother you for a drink before I go?  My throat is dry.”

“Okay.” She whirled around and trotted into the kitchen. She needed a moment to collect herself. The news of a possible fatality spun in her head. Was it Lisa? She filled a glass from the tap when she sensed him behind her. “Mr. Taylor?” She swung around to find him a foot away and taking in the sight of the appliances like he’d never seen a stove or refrigerator.

“I was going to bring you the water.” She shoved it at him.

“No need. This room reminds me of my grandmother’s house.” He accepted the drink and gulped it down as his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. “Thanks. I hope you’ll speak to the detective and encourage him to check out what I’ve told you.”

She nodded and led him to the front hall while keeping him within her vision. “Before you go, Mr. Taylor, do you know who died at the park?”

“I have no idea.”

She opened the door, and he sped by her. Relief surged through her.

After locking up, she retreated to the living room. Jogger’s snores from the footstool filled the house’s quiet. The past few minutes with Vic Taylor had been odd and disturbing.

Now what? Picking up her cell from the coffee table, she hit Noah’s number and hung up before it rang. When she heard the knock on the door, she ran to it.

A patrolman greeted her. “I waited for your company to leave.” He handed over her keys.

“Officer, could you stay outside the house for a little while just until I’m sure Mr. Taylor won’t come back?”

“That was Vic Taylor?” The young officer’s brown eyes widened.  “He’s the one who wrote in the newspaper about the police not doing their job.”

“You got it.”

“No problem, Miss Raynes.”

She returned to the TV and unmuted the channel. Today, the familiar sales host didn’t bring her comfort. If only this feeling that someone was out there watching her would go away.

The swing of the clock’s pendulum ticked one word: 
A-lone. A-lone. A-lone
.

“Looks like we located Jake Clark’s car,” Hines told Noah as they met below the tennis courts at Pretty Park. “Two firefighters found it while scouting the area for containment. The license plates are gone, but the body is in decent shape. I gave it a perusal, but nothing else.”

Noah swatted at an ember floating through the air near his shirt. He blinked his smarting eyes. The wind blew the worst of the smoke away from the jogging path. “Is it too early to ask the fire chief if the inferno is arson?”

“He can give us his professional opinion. Got your flashlight, Cassidy?”

Noah held up his Police Force 7,000,000, which was used both as a stun gun or a torch. “With a possible arsonist and abductions, it’s time for the big boy. We won’t require flares.”

“And if I get zapped with that, I’d feel like lightning struck me. My flashlight will be enough.”

They crossed the main running route and trudged up the trail with Hines in the lead. Noah tramped past two officers stationed at the bottom of the slope where the streetlights ended.

“I posted a couple more men further up the hill,” Hines said over his shoulder and turned on his beam. Fifteen feet into the woods, he stopped before the white auto that blocked the rest of their trek. Hines beamed his light over the car.

Noah approached for a closer look. Mud caked the sides. A fresh dent marred the front of the hood. Was it caused by hitting Lucy Watson? Paint scratches marked the body. “I’m surprised they could get it this far up on the narrow track. And it’s backed in.”

“Might have been easier to back with rear-wheel drive,” Hines said.

“Scratched the coat to hockey hell.” Noah leaned down to examine the tire tracks. “It’s jammed in here with a log underneath the front axle. You’re right, the model seems like a match for Jake Clark’s missing vehicle.” Noah straightened. “My guess, whoever abandoned the auto stuck it on the hill for us to discover. Maybe the same person set the fire to draw us here.”

“I’m sending the VIN number.” Hines punched in the digits on his cell as he spoke. “I vote Clark abandoned his compact to confirm his alibi. Ready to look in the trunk?” 

“Hines, you’re making my day.” Opening trunks was like unwrapping a surprise package. You never knew what was inside. “We should check with the chief. We might need a search warrant though we could argue an abandoned car near a fire in a public park is suspicious and dangerous.”

“The chief would cut off our heads if a judge threw out evidence inside because we didn’t follow procedure.”

Noah’s wall of protection slid upward, leaving a smaller slice of optimism. “Maybe the arsonist stole the car and left the blow torch that started our inferno in the trunk.” He walked on the edge of the path, dodging the overhanging tree branches. “Not that I’m greedy. A can of gas and matches would be a good find, too.”

He stopped at the car’s rear. A stained cloth hung out of the trunk and over the license plate. “Hines, is that blood on the rag?” Noah dug in his pocket for latex gloves and tugged them on.

“Looks like a matter of life or death,” Hines confirmed. “We better pry open the boot.”

Noah crouched for a closer view. “Forget the crowbar. It’s open. An uneasy sensation rippled through him. This was too easy.

He couldn’t get over the convenience of the unlocked trunk that seemed flagged for them.

Had someone set them up? Was someone watching them, smiling at his or her cleverness at what they were about to find? Thick trees grew close to the dirt trail, hiding them from anyone who wasn’t near. No one could see them.

Teagan’s last text jumped to the front of his mind.

“I got the body,” whispered in his ear as he flung the lid wide.

Teagan woke determined not to let Lisa’s disappearance and a stalker steal her life. She spent the afternoon at the school’s summer workshop on Best Reading Strategies to keep her mind occupied, and pretended she felt normal. She arrived late to avoid questions and braced herself during the break to accept the sympathies and questions of the other teachers. At home, she flipped through the pages of notes and hoped by opening day, she’d be able to absorb the methods and teach them.

She called the hospital and was connected to Lucy’s nurse, who told her that the doctor would allow visitors, even though, Lucy remained unconscious. The rain poured down the rest of the day while she worked on the Remember Lisa Page and expanded her list of stores to contact about putting up Lisa’s flyer.

By evening, humid air trapped the smog that rolled across the yard. Teagan hoped Noah wasn’t driving around tonight. Thank goodness for the two fans she’d found in the attic. They kept the bedroom livable.

She glanced at the clock on her nightstand. It was almost midnight, and she hadn’t heard a word from Noah since the afternoon.  At least the news reported the fire was out at the park.

She picked up her aunt’s phone lying next to the book she’d been attempting to read. The quiet in the house yanked on her nerves. Her thumb hovered over Noah’s number plugged into the contact list.

Jogger sprang off the spread and sat near the bed meowing at Teagan.

“You can’t be hungry, can you?” Her stomach felt like she’d consumed rust remover. Just the thought of a trip to the kitchen made her queasy. If only she could sleep, maybe she’d wake fit and hungry.

She opened the door, and Jogger raced from the room. The empty house lay beyond. Closing the door, she stared at Noah’s number, and debated calling him again. She just wanted to hear his voice.

A piercing screech broke the hush. Teagan spun around, dropping her phone. Was that horrible noise Jogger? Unable to move, she waited, straining to hear another sound. The shriek had come from downstairs.

But nobody was there to hurt her cat. Her stomach cramped.
Do something
.

She scooped up her phone and pocketed it. On unsteady legs, she crossed to the bureau and picked up her .38 Special. Gripping the unloaded weapon, she peeked into the hall.

The nightlights burned in the empty corridor. She wet her lips and in a loud whisper called her pet. Leaning forward, she listened for the pad of the cat’s paws or a meow. The silence in the house roared in her ears.

She crept to the stairs. No sign of Jogger in the hall. Maybe she smacked into furniture in the dark. No. Cats can see in the night. Maybe she had a heart attack and was lying on the floor dying. The idea pushed Teagan forward. She stole down the steps, her mouth went dry. Halfway, she paused again. The grandfather clock chimed the hour.

The familiar musical ding reassured her. She was overreacting. Lowering her gun, she walked into the living room and snapped on the light. The space looked the same as usual except no Jogger on the footrest. The cat must be in the kitchen.

She whirled around and scanned the furniture and bookcase. She could have sworn the cat’s cry came from the living room. Where was Jogger? Teagan’s head throbbed with worry and alarm. She’d become a paranoid flake cake.

Massaging her forehead, she entered the kitchen and froze. Someone was in Lisa’s chair. No, couldn’t be.

Sweat popped out on Teagan’s forehead.

As she inched forward, the small functioning part of her brain warned the almost human figure was too small to be Lisa. What or who was at the table? Teagan halted. An oblong, faceless head rested on a midsection. Stumps protruded from where arms would go. Legs without feet jutted from the lower portion of the trunk. The entire form was encased in a dark brown shell. A rancid odor of something burnt permeated the room. As Teagan struggled to make sense of the scene, a worm wriggled out of a hole, a hole where an eye should be. The pieces whirled in her mind and fell together. A burnt human corpse sat in Lisa’s chair.

She gasped. Nausea rushed up her throat. She darted to the sink and vomited. No. No.

Reeling with shock, she wiped her mouth with a shaking hand and stumbled into the living room. 

Noah. He’d come. She fished out her phone and blubbered her fears the minute he answered.

“Slow down, Teagan,” he said. “Try again. What happened?”

She swallowed, and forced a string of words out of her tight throat and answered his questions with yes or no. Finally, he spoke the magic phrase. “I’m on my way. I’ll alert my men. In the meantime, I’ll contact dispatch for the patrol. I bet they’re closer than I am. Stay on the line with me.”