Gone Before Goodbye (Love &Mystery in the--6-oh-3 Book 1) (23 page)

She held the weapon steady with her clammy hands. At least he was afraid of her. He looked about forty; although, the few teeth he showed when he licked his lips gave him the appearance of someone older. His dirt-stained sweatpants and top hung from his thin form.

Tightening her two-handed grip, she demanded, “What are you doing in my backyard?”

He retreated a step.

“Do you know Lisa?”

He remained mute.

Maybe if he was hungry and she fed him, he’d talk to her. “Do you want to eat? You can have milk or juice. Would you like that?”

A strange glow gleamed in his eyes. He wasn’t quite right, Teagan realized. A shiver of fear passed over her. “If you wait a minute, I’ll bring you a snack.”

The white-haired man whirled around and sprinted to the trees.

“Stop! Do you know Lisa? Did she send you for something?”

The sound of his feet crashing through the bushes faded and disappeared.

“Miss Raynes? Miss Raynes?” the officer’s voice spoke from her cell in her pocket.

****

Noah had joined his team for the raid on the beach, but Teagan’s call changed his plans. He wasn’t sad to miss the night’s foray.

Teagan. His desire for her ate at him no matter where he was. She was always on his mind and blotting out thoughts of her had become an hourly challenge.

He cleared his departure with the chief and headed away from the water. The sting was in less than twenty minutes, but he doubted he’d make it in time to round up the soon-to-be-un-merry men. The chief, Hines, and the rest of the uniforms would handle the action.

Paul had been excited to join the group tonight and hand over his surveillance duty at Teagan’s to another newbie officer. First, Noah would have a few words with this officer about his surveillance techniques. Teagan had been reluctant to discuss the man’s failure to investigate when her security light had flashed on in the rear yard.

The quiet of the night and the dark homes in the village gave him a feeling of being alone in the world. On Teagan’s street, her outside light blazed in the blackness. He drew up beside the cruiser and signaled the patrolman to open his window.

The guy was sweating and avoiding eye contact with him. He reported nothing unusual until Teagan knocked on his window and asked if he’d seen a white-haired man run across her yard.

“I don’t have a view of the rear exit or the woods behind the building that the intruder used to enter and escape from the property,” the officer said, rubbing a hand over his eyes.

The officer’s guilty expression revealed the truth. Noah would bet the man fell asleep. “A good cop stakes out all entrances and stays on top of the situation no matter how mind-numbing. Remember this in the future. Your career depends on your wakefulness.”

“Yes, sir, I secured the point of entry used by the suspect and inspected and found no signs of tampering with the homeowner’s locks.”

Noah nodded and hit the gas. He turned into Teagan’s driveway. More reprimands could wait.

She opened up before he pressed the bell. He didn’t say a word, simply pulled her inside, took her in his arms, and kicked the door shut. He’d wanted to do this since she called him.

“Are you hurt?” he asked, conscious of the tightness in her body.

“A little scared,” she muttered against his chest.

“I’m glad you’re okay.” He released her and stepped away. “What happened? Tell me.”

“I fell asleep on the couch.” She gestured to the other room. “I woke up and found a man about forty with long white-hair trying to break into the cellar.”

“How was he dressed?”

He wore a baggy T-shirt, sweatpants, and gloves to break into my house.”

“Doesn’t sound like we’ll find prints.”

“I guess the new lock held. I hope he doesn’t come back.” She ran her hands through her hair.

“I thought he might have seen Lisa and know where she is.” Her eyes widened with hope. “It’s a wild idea. I imagined she sent him here for food.”

“He came for something.” She was reaching for proof that Lisa was alive.

“I’ll look around outside first.” Noah put on the latex gloves for his search. He crossed to the bulkhead and shone his penlight on the lock. No signs of tampering. The guy was either a professional or had no idea how to break the lock. He scanned the grounds and returned inside to check the cellar.

The wooden stairs creaked as he made his way into the basement. Noah walked back to the center of the cellar. The furniture and trunks seemed untouched. The last barrel lay on its side with clothes and plates scattered on the cement floor. He counted the boxes by the settee. Hadn’t the pile been higher?

The sound of light footsteps on the stairs broke his attention.

Teagan approached and stopped a few feet from him. “See anything important?”

“No, but tomorrow after my men will investigate.”

“I never spent much time down here.” She moved around, scanned the concrete floor, and finally shook her head. “I’m glad I changed my locks.”

“It’s time to go high tech, Teagan.” How professional was this white-haired man? Noah slid his arm over her shoulders, and they walked together to the stairs where he stepped aside for her to go first.

She sank onto the chair at the table, and he sat in the chair beside her. “Now that he’s gone, I’ll admit he looked frightened, hungry, and dirty. He had the odor of the homeless. Even from the rear steps I caught a whiff of a body denied soap, water, or deodorants for too long.” She wrinkled her nose. “I remember it well.”,

“Any possibility, he was a friend of Travis Bodell?”

“I never saw them together. Why?”

“They both were wandering in your backyard.” Noah’s phone buzzed. A text from Hines popped up on his cell’s screen.

In position.

Noah texted back. Good mojo. 

“My team will be out in the morning. You know the drill. I’ll take you to a hotel for the night, and don’t argue about leaving. You can come back when it’s safe. I’ll let the patrolman know he’s off duty. Do you need to pack a bag?”

“I’ll call Matt. He offered—”

“No.”

She startled and he realized how loudly he’d spoken.

“Don’t bother the priest. I have a better idea.” Forty-five minutes later, Noah walked into the station and into the chief’s office where Hines was already seated.

“Nice of you to join us, detective. What happened with the break-in at Teagan Raynes’ house?”

“A homeless man was attempting to break into Miss Raynes’ home. He escaped. I secured the home and found no evidence of tampering with the lock. Miss Raynes is at a friend’s place for now. I’m interested in the fact that Travis Bodell took one of Miss Raynes’ silver bowls to sell from the basement, and maybe this guy was interested, too.  He chose the cellar for entrance. Travis was fencing his on the web.”

“We’ll look for a connection at the pawn shops and online.” The chief tapped his fingertips on his desk. “We brought in six teenagers tonight, four males and two females, from the sweep. We’re in the process of separating them for questioning. Remember, if they ask for a parent to be present during the interview, we oblige. Otherwise,” he closed his hand into a fist, “apply pressure.”

“Sir, what happened with the search at the Clark residence?” Noah asked.

“We found nothing to connect Grant and Clark. The men took some fibers and combs, but we’re shooting in the dark there. Go interview the kids.”

Noah and Hines rose when someone knocked on the door. The chief signaled for them to sit before he barked, “Come in.”

Paul entered, swallowed, and glanced around. “Sir, I have good news.”

“Spit it out.”

“The blond boy we’re holding knows something about Lisa Grant.”

The chief scowled. “Did he tell you?”

“No.” Paul gulped. “He wants the charges against him dropped in exchange for his information.”

The three men swapped raised brows of surprise.

“Is his father a lawyer?” Hines asked.

“Maybe his old man gets arrested a lot and taught his son the ropes,” Noah added.

“I d-don’t know,” Paul stuttered.

“Ignore them,” the chief ordered. “Hines and Cassidy suffer from a case of weak humor. Put the boy in the room across from my office.”

“Yes, sir.” Paul turned and left.

“I’d let the Meter Feeder kid stew awhile, but since we’d like a couple of hours sleep, find out now if he’s telling the truth.” The chief gestured for them both to leave.

Outside the boss’ door, Hines turned to Noah. “I’d hoped to go home to Chelsea tonight. It’s not looking good.”

“Don’t worry.  She won’t be lonely.”

Teagan sipped her tea while Chelsea Hines placed warmed muffins on a plate and slid into the chair across the table.

The last thing Teagan wanted was food. The strange gleam in the white-haired man’s eyes kept flashing in her mind. Her home was no longer a safe haven.

Chelsea picked off a piece of the baked goods and dropped it on her plate. “If you change your mind and feel hungry, grab a bite. You know who’s likes to cook? Noah. He used to work at a grill when he attended Granite Edge College. He’s invited us to dinner a few times. Lasagna is his specialty.”

“I’m not much of a cook. The microwave is my best friend.”

Chelsea put her muffin on the saucer in front of her. “Denny should be home soon. A lot has been going on with his case, but he doesn’t talk about it. Sometimes I worry we’ll run out of things to say to each other because his life is his work.”

“Must be nerve-racking never knowing what’s happening with him.”

“He can tell me a little.” Chelsea fell silent, and then bit her lip. “I’m sorry. You’re under much more stress than I am.”

“It’s been tough, but I work on keeping the faith that Lisa will come home soon.” She rarely added the word soon, but tonight it sounded right. “I appreciate you letting me stay at your place this late at night. You’re not a social worker, are you?”

“Me? No. I manage a dental office, boring stuff. And Noah’s never brought anyone here.”

“I guess most people have family nearby that they crash with.”

“Consider me your adopted cousin.” Chelsea gave Teagan a wide smile. “Wait.” She left the room and returned in a few minutes. “Here’s my card. I had them made up as a joke since Denny had some, but turns out I use them. Call my cell whenever you like, and you have the best detectives looking for Lisa. I’m biased, but it’s true. If anyone can find her, they will.” Chelsea’s card could be useful and why reject an offer of friendship? “I’ll put your number in my phone now.”

Her hostess beamed while Teagan plugged in the digits before pocketing her cell. She was a pretty woman when she smiled.

Chelsea ran a finger over the rim of her mug. “I’m sorry, but I’m a nosey person. You might as well know. Can I be blunt?”

“Do you mean about Lisa’s disappearance?”

“Ah, no, I was wondering if you’ve known Noah for long.”

Teagan shrugged. Guess it was normal for Chelsea to speculate since Noah dropped Teagan, a complete stranger, off when everyone was asleep. “We went to camp together when we were kids, but we didn’t hang out. He was a counselor, and I was a lowly camper.”

Chelsea folded her arms on the table and leaned forward on them. “Teagan, I was watching out the window. I saw you and Noah kiss before you came inside.”

“Oh.” Teagan felt her cheeks warm. They’d kissed several times, reluctant to part. What should she say? How good a friend was this woman to Noah? She’d gotten out of bed and opened her home because Noah called and told her Teagan needed a place.

Chelsea reached across the tabletop and patted her hand. “I apologize if I embarrassed you. I was just surprised and glad. Noah deserves to be happy. I’ve been trying to match him up with friends, but he’s a challenge. His family’s deaths were traumatic. He seems hard, but he’s not. I remember him as gentle with his wife and child, and he loves Denny, though he’d rather be shot than admit it.”

She knew Noah’s family.

A cell phone rang. “Denny.” Chelsea jumped up from her seat. “Excuse me.”

Teagan glanced at the kitchen. The compact room contained a table and chairs for four. Did Noah sit in one of these seats when he visited? Once the case ended, they’d have no reason to see each other. He would go the way of other men in her life, and Chelsea would invite more friends to dine with them and Noah.

The idea sent a wave of disappointment through her, but she’d adjust. She always did. People came and went. She was beginning to fear Matt was right about waiting until the investigation wrapped to examine her feelings for Noah, if he was still around.

Her thirst vanished. She picked up her cup and poured the tea down the sink’s drain.

Chelsea could fill her in on Noah’s wife and child.
No, don’t open the door.
She didn’t need to hear how much he loved his dead wife.

Her hostess’ slippers shuffled against the tiled floor. “Denny is hung up for another hour at the station. I didn’t get a chance to mention you’re here. I hope he doesn’t wake you when he comes home. He usually doesn’t work this late.”

“Don’t worry about it. In fact, if you don’t mind, I’m going to bed now.”

Chelsea tilted her head and scrutinized her. “I bet you’re tired. Let me show you where we keep the towels.” She led the way to the linen closet by the bathroom.

Teagan followed her. “Have you and Denny been together long?”

“We met through a friend when Denny first joined the force. He proposed three months later and told me he’d been waiting. He was afraid I’d think it was too soon, but I knew right away he was the one. We said our vows at Christmas. Law Enforcement has a high divorce rate, but we’ll prove them wrong. We’ve been married ten years already.”

“I’m sure you will.” A decade seemed forever to Teagan.

Chelsea pulled out a towel and washcloth and gave her a tour of the two-bedroom condo. “You won’t get lost.” She flashed a warm smile when they’d finished. The woman was easy to be around.

Teagan’s guard slipped. She should ask how long Noah had been married. Right? It would fit into the conversation. She glanced at the leather furniture in the living room, pretending to be interested in it while she debated how desperate she’d look to ask questions about him.