Hidden Hideaways (5 page)

Suzie reached into her purse. She pulled out some cash from her wallet. She didn't have much but what the woman had provided was priceless.

“Are you safe?” she asked as she handed the woman the money. “Do you need a place to stay?”

“My palace,” the woman pointed at the motel. “Don't need nothing really,” she eyed the money hesitantly. “It's okay, I don't need that.”

“Take it,” Suzie encouraged her. “Maybe you could get some shoes?”

“Sure,” the woman nodded and took the money. “Thanks,” she glanced between Suzie and Mary. “Don't worry I won't tell. Just don't tell on me.”

“We won't,” Mary promised her.

“I hope you find that sad fellow,” the woman muttered as she walked back up towards the motel. She disappeared in the shadows surrounding the old building. Suzie wondered for a moment how long she might have lived there, uninterrupted until Paul's boat showed up. Then her mind returned to Paul.

“I knew it, he was abducted,” Suzie said quickly as she walked back towards the police tape. “That means he might still be alive.”

“Suzie, I believe Paul is still alive, but you know this woman might not be very trustworthy. She knew the police were here looking for a boat. She might have just made up a story about seeing three men,” she paused a moment, knowing that Suzie might not want to hear that.

“I thought of that,” Suzie admitted. “But it's the best lead we have right now. The only one really. So, we need to use it. If Paul was here, on the sand, he might have left something behind,” she said softly and began looking down at the sand. “To think that he was here, not long ago, probably hoping for help,” she whispered, her heart breaking. She pulled her fingers through the sand and felt something hard beneath it. She pulled it up out of the sand and stared at it strangely.

“This doesn't belong here,” Suzie murmured.

Mary looked at what she was holding up. It was a seashell with rose stripes and a scalloped edge.

“It's a seashell, of course it belongs here,” Mary said with confusion. “There are probably thousands of shells along this beach.”

“But not this one,” Suzie argued. “This one I found on a secluded beach that Paul and I visited together. I gave him this shell to remember our time there. He must have dropped it, to let me know that he was here.”

“Oh, that's a good sign,” Mary said with excitement.

“I bet Paul left this here for me, as a clue to where he was going next,” Suzie said, her excitement growing. “He might be at this very beach! I need to go out there,” she added with certainty. “Paul left this here for me, I just know it.”

“Suzie, I think you're onto something, but how are we going to get there?” Mary pointed out. “It's not accessible by anything but a boat, right?”

“That's what Paul said when he took me out there,” Suzie sighed and shook her head. “I don't know any of his friends well enough to ask them. Besides, it's already getting around town that Paul is a suspect, so I'm sure not many will want to be involved.”

“There has to be a way,” Mary frowned. “Maybe we could charter one?”

Suzie looked out over the water. She remembered seeing the police boat zip across the waves. “That's it!” she suddenly said. She whipped out her cell phone and dialed Jason's number. He answered on the first ring.

“Jason, I need you to do something for me,” she said before he could even speak.

“What?” Jason asked warily.

“I need you to take me out to a certain patch of beach. It's not accessible by land. I'm pretty sure that Paul left me a clue, and I want to follow it,” Suzie explained practically all in one breath.

“Suzie, slow down,” he said quickly. “What do you mean you found a clue?”

“It was a seashell in the sand,” Suzie began to explain.

“There are plenty of seashells in the sand,” Jason interrupted her.

“I know that, Jason,” Suzie said with exasperation. “But this is a special shell. We found them on this particular strip of beach. Paul said they were only found on that beach.”

“It might be a special shell, Suzie, but it's still just a shell,” Jason pointed out grimly.

“Jason, are you going to help me or not?” Suzie demanded with frustration. “There is a witness that saw Paul being forced onto the boat by two men.”

“What witness?” he asked quickly. “Have you reported it to Parish PD?” he asked.

“No, and I'm not going to,” Suzie said sternly. “It doesn't matter who the witness is. They'll just twist it into Paul being a criminal. What if they catch up with him? Do you think they're going to ask questions or shoot first?”

“Suzie,” Jason sighed. “I think we need to talk about this in person. I'll meet you at Dune House in an hour. Okay?”

“Yes,” Suzie said with a frown. She was hoping it would be sooner, but she wasn't going to get anywhere without a boat.

“And Suzie, don't do anything until we talk,” Jason warned her. “You're dealing with Parish PD, if they get wind that you are withholding evidence of some kind they could lock you up for obstruction of justice. Just go back to Dune House and stay there until I get there, understand?”

Suzie raised an eyebrow. She wasn't used to Jason being so forceful. But that only made it clear to her that he was worried about what might happen.

“I understand,” she agreed and hung up the phone. She pressed the shell between her fingers and closed her eyes. “What I wouldn't give to be psychic,” she sighed as she opened her eyes again. “Jason wants us to meet him at Dune House.”

“Remember there was a police officer there?” Mary said as they walked back towards the car. “Do you think he will still be there?”

“I don't know,” Suzie frowned. “I hope not.”

When Suzie and Mary pulled into the long, open driveway that led up the hill to Dune House, the Parish PD cruiser was still sitting in front of the porch. Suzie cringed as she knew that this might not end well.

“Remember, Mary, no mention of the woman we talked to on the beach, okay?” she asked with a frown.

“I remember,” Mary nodded nervously. “I just hope it isn't that…”

“Hello ladies,” Officer Brown said as he walked up to the car. They hadn't even climbed out yet. “You two are hard to pin down,” he said as he opened Mary's door for her. Suzie jerked her door open and glared over the top of the car at the police officer.

“I didn't think I needed to be easy to find,” she said.

“Well, I thought you might be a little concerned about your boyfriend,” Officer Brown pointed out, his voice growing colder with every word he spoke. “Unless of course, you already know that he is safe.”

“How would I know that?” Suzie asked as she walked around the front of the car to stand beside Mary.

“Maybe you're hiding him,” Officer Brown suggested as he studied her. “Maybe you think love is more important than a man's life.”

“Paul didn't kill anyone,” Suzie said gruffly. “He is a good man. I am not hiding him.”

“But you wouldn't tell me if you were, would you?” he asked as he held Suzie's bright blue gaze with his own penetrating glare. “So, how do I know you're not lying to me?”

“I guess you don't,” Suzie replied coolly.

“Suzie,” Mary grabbed her hand and gave it a light squeeze. “Officer Brown we have no idea where Paul is. We've been looking for him, that's why we were not here.”

“But that's our job,” Officer Brown growled. “Your job is to be in contact with me, so that if something comes up we can discuss it.”

“Did something come up?” Suzie asked as she pulled her hand from Mary's and folded her arms across her stomach. She was not going to be intimidated by a man who she believed did not care either way if Paul was alive.

“Paul's boat was spotted by the coast guard this morning down near Sunray Point,” Officer Brown explained. “By the time we arrived however, his boat was gone. That should be impossible, considering the coast guard knows every inch of the coast.”

Suzie had to press her lips together to keep from laughing. She knew that Paul was familiar with plenty of places that the coast guard would be hard pressed to find.

“What a mystery,” she managed to say. “Now, you can see that he is obviously not trying to run away like a guilty person would. He is in danger, and needs help.”

“I don't see that at all,” Officer Brown argued. “What I see is a desperate man, who came back to the town he was familiar with, not far from your fine establishment here. Maybe he was expecting you to hide him away inside the bed and breakfast?” he suggested.

“Paul would never do anything to put Suzie in danger,” Mary snapped. It was clear that she was getting frustrated with the police officer's attitude as well.

“Then you shouldn't mind if I take a look around inside?” the officer inquired.

“Do you have a warrant?” Suzie asked and raised an eyebrow.

Officer Brown's expression grew even angrier. “I didn't expect I would need one,” he shot back.

“Well, I'm sorry, Sir, but the privacy of our guests is very important to us,” Suzie said, ignoring the fact that they didn't actually have any guests at the B&B at the moment. “Unless you have a warrant that says you have the right to conduct a search then I'm afraid I am going to have to refuse you.”

“I can't say that reassures me of your innocence, Ms. Allen,” he said and shook his head. “I hope you two haven't gotten yourself into something that you can't handle.”

Suzie stared hard at him and did not say another word.

“Is there anything else, officer?” Mary asked as she looped her arm through Suzie's.

“Not just yet,” he replied. “But I'm sure we'll be speaking again.”

“I'm sure,” Suzie replied. “When Paul is home safe and sound and you look like a fool for hunting him like a criminal!”

“Suzie,” Mary groaned.

“I hope for your sake, that's the case,” Officer Brown said in a sharp tone. Then he stalked off to his car.

“Suzie, you shouldn't have talked to him like that,” Mary shook her head as the cruiser took off down the driveway.

“Oh, I know,” she said with a huff. “But I have to stand up for Paul, don’t I?”

“I suppose so,” Mary said with a worried frown. “I just hope we find Paul soon, before we all end up behind bars.”

“Don't worry, Mary,” Suzie said as she looked at her friend with a warm smile. “I’ve been there before, we can handle it.”

“Nope, not me,” Mary said firmly as they walked up the steps to the porch. “I'll make us some lunch, and something for Jason,” she said as she disappeared into the house. Suzie rested her hands on the railing and looked out over the water. She couldn't imagine eating anything without knowing if Paul was having a chance to eat. She was still staring out over the water when Jason pulled up. He parked his cruiser and stepped out of the car. Suzie was relieved to see that he didn't have his new partner with him.

“All right, Suzie, maybe you can tell me what is going on now?” he asked. He seemed a little ruffled.

“Is something wrong, Jason?” Suzie asked as he joined her on the porch.

“I just had to lie to my boss to persuade him to let me use the boat,” he said grimly. “It's not something I like to do.”

“You got the boat?” Suzie asked happily.

“You said you needed it, didn't you?” he asked as he met her eyes. “But we can't use it until later this afternoon.”

“What?” Suzie asked. She was getting more frustrated by the moment. “But Paul could be anywhere by then!”

“Suzie, what did you expect me to do, steal it?” Jason frowned. “It's in use for marine patrol until this afternoon.”

Suzie sighed and nodded. “I know, I'm sorry, Jason. I just can't believe that someone took him. What could they want from him?”

“I don't know,” Jason shook his head. “But I can tell you this,” he paused a moment and lowered his voice. “I couldn't leave it alone, so I ran Trent's name through the system. Turns out it is a false identity. I also had a friend of mine in another department run Trent's driver's license photograph through a facial recognition program and we got no matches.”

Suzie's eyes widened at his words. She hadn't expected him to do so much, especially after the spat Jason and Paul had over breakfast. “Did he find anything?” she asked.

“Not much,” Jason replied. “Not even a name. But there is absolutely no record of him ever working as a deckhand before. I have a feeling he didn't get on the boat to earn some money from Paul. He must have had other intentions.”

“Other intentions,” Suzie repeated softly. Her mind was spinning as she processed the new information.

“Jason, good to see you,” Mary said as she stepped out onto the porch. “Are you hungry?”

“Starving,” Jason replied with a sigh of relief.

“Come inside and eat something,” she suggested. “You look like you've lost even more weight,” she chastised. Jason was slender to begin with.

“I've been running,” he admitted.

“Must be that new girlfriend,” Mary said with a slight smile.

“Ah well,” Jason blushed almost as red as his hair.

“How is Dr. Rose?” Mary asked.

“Dr. Rose,” Suzie repeated interrupting their conversation. “Is she working the case?”

“Most likely,” Jason replied, relieved to have the topic changed. “Parish uses her on most criminal cases because she has the most experience in forensics.”

“I want to go see Trent's body,” Suzie said sternly.

“Do you really think that's a good idea?” Mary asked hesitantly.

“If Paul left the shell for me to find, then maybe there is another clue on Trent's body,” Suzie pointed out. “We already know that Trent isn't who he claimed to be. We know he wasn't on that boat to work for Paul. So, we need to figure out what he was doing there, and who he was. If we find that out, we might be able to predict where Paul has been taken.”

“I don't know,” Jason frowned.

“If we can't get out on the water until this afternoon, I have to do something.” Suzie said as she locked eyes with him.

“Suzie, I can't really get involved,” Jason began to say.

“No, you can't get involved,” Suzie agreed. “But I can, and I'm going to, with or without your help, Jason.”

“All right,” he nodded and pulled out his cell phone. “I'll give her a call and find out. But I can't promise you that she'll let you in.”

“I'm sure you can work something out,” Mary said with a slightly hidden smile. Jason flicked his eyes in her direction as if he'd been caught in some kind of criminal act. Before he could question what she meant, he turned away.

“Hey it's Jason. I know you're busy. Are you working the Trent Baker case?” he asked. He nodded a little as she replied. “Right well, I'm not working the case, it's not in our jurisdiction, but it involves Paul. Suzie wanted to know if she could come take a look at the remains.”

He paused and reached up to scratch at the back of his neck. “I know it's against procedure,” he agreed and glanced over at Suzie. “Great, okay I'll tell her,” he continued, his tone of voice giving no hint of her response. He cleared his throat and turned away from the two women again.

“Love you, too,” he murmured before hanging up the phone.

“What did she say?” Suzie asked. Mary's eyes were wide as she had overheard what Jason said.

“She said you can come take a look, but you have to be in and out, and you can't touch the body,” Jason said sternly.

“And that she loves you,” Mary added with a sweet smile.

“None of that,” Jason warned as he wagged a finger at Mary.

“How long have you been dating?” Suzie asked with surprise. “Isn't it a little soon to be saying things like that?”

Jason blushed again. “I guess not, if it's what you feel,” he mumbled. “I'll be back later to take you out on the boat,” he added and hurried down the steps.

“But Jason, your lunch!” Mary called out.

“I have to go,” Jason hollered back before taking off in his cruiser.

“He just didn't want us to grill him,” Mary huffed.

“Don't you find it a little bit odd that they are already saying those things?” Suzie asked.

“Not really,” Mary shrugged. “Kent told me on our second date,” she rolled her eyes. ”Not that he meant it.”

Suzie frowned. She had no question in her mind that she loved Paul, but she had never dared to say it. Now, she might never have the chance.

“I'm going to see Trent's body,” Suzie said and started down the steps.

“But lunch?” Mary called out. Suzie was already at the car.

“Save me something?” Suzie asked with an apologetic frown.

“Sure,” Mary nodded and sighed as she stepped back into Dune House.