Storm Surge (3 page)

He started moving toward the ladder, impatient, no doubt, to be back at his work. “I’m sure there are other people in this town better able to answer your questions.”

“Maybe there are, but none of them were available today.” Perhaps she was paranoid, but it was as if they’d gotten wind of her intentions and vanished, decided to take a holiday rather than talk to a stranger. Paige took a step after Liam and stopped, her head jerking up to view the second floor window. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you had someone helping you. I shouldn’t have interrupted.”

Pausing, Liam followed her gaze. “What are you talking about?”

“Up there,” she said, “in the window.”

He took a few steps back from the ladder in order to gain a better view of the upper storey. “I don’t have anyone helping me, Paige. And there’s no one up there.”

“But—”

Coming to stand beside her, he crouched until his head was level with hers. She could smell his body’s musk, the evidence of salt air and labor in the sun. She held her breath.

“It’s just a reflection of the clouds. See?” He straightened. His warm, hard forearm grazed her shoulder. “I’ve got to get back to work. Tomorrow you ask around again, and if you get nowhere, I’ll see what I can do. Not everyone in this town is willing to open up to an outsider.”

“At one time, I wasn’t an outsider,” she wanted to say. Instead, she strode away from him, heading for the beach. She remembered to call over her shoulder as she stepped down into the sand, “Permission to walk?”

“Permission granted,” he said without a touch of humor.

The light cast by the single bulb in the bedside lamp was insufficient for the task at hand. Apparently, people who rented the tiny cottage did not read. They slept, or engaged in activities that did not require illumination. Paige possessed no chance of either.

Sleeping from sunrise until noon probably didn’t help her insomnia, nor did her frustrating afternoon. The recollection of Liam Gray shirtless in the late-day sun was the biggest obstacle to slumber.

Now there would be a complication she did not want. A man like him would already have a woman in his life anyway—a gorgeous woman without baggage and who didn’t require a stepstool to kiss his mouth. Paige considered the many other ways of reaching that part of his body but dismissed them, tossing the paperback onto the nightstand. Overthrown, the novel skittered off the wooden surface to the floor with a loud slap. Something slammed against the bed’s undercarriage and then darted out, dark and low, across the room.

Scrambling onto her knees on the narrow mattress, Paige bit back a shriek.
Was that a freaking rat?
Grabbing the lamp, she angled it down to illuminate the painted floor. Various hiding places existed: under the dresser, behind the small stove and refrigerator in the kitchenette, back under the bed, the bathroom. Paige chewed her lower lip as she considered the animal’s likely route. She had no choice but to go looking for it.

And when she found the darned thing? Paige leapt off the mattress in the door’s direction. Landing at a run, she flew toward the handle and yanked the door open. With any luck, she could chase the animal out.

Paige pawed through her purse for the small LED flashlight she kept. Once found, she clicked on a focused beam and began a cautious search in all the places she’d envisioned a rat hiding. Finding no success in the main room, she walked with soft, guarded steps to the bathroom and flicked on the overhead, filling the room with light. “Last place,” she announced in an attempt at bravado, “unless you ducked out when I didn’t see you— Oh, hello.”

On older cat was curled behind the pedestal sink, yellow eyes wide and pupils dilated, flecks of gray around its muzzle and tufted in ears that laid flat against its head. Paige dropped slowly to her knees, clicking off the flashlight.

“Hey, how’d you get in here?”

The cat blinked once, ears flicking forward from the defensive. It issued a small chirp as it began to unfold from a tight ball.

“You haven’t been in here since I arrived, have you?” Paige tried to figure out when the cat might have slipped inside. Surely, she would have heard if the animal had shared the room with her since her arrival late the night before. Where had it come from? “Are you wild, buddy, or someone’s pet?”

A brief knock sounded on the open door. “Paige, is everything all right?”

Paige leaned back to view Liam filling the doorway, the night sky black behind him. His wet hair was skimmed back along his head, the white T-shirt he wore splotched with damp. Not rain. He must have showered.

“If you were planning to be my white knight, you’re a little late.”
God, Paige, stop flirting.

“Why? Did you require rescuing?”

Hell, was he flirting back? She studied his face as he stepped inside. No, probably not. “I have a visitor.”

“What?” He appeared truly shocked, eyes flying wide before his brows lowered into a frown.

“A kitty,” she said.

“If you have a cat in there with you, it’s probably mine.”

Paige frowned. “What does your cat look like?”

“Black.”

“Oh.” Paige stood. “Come have a look then.”

She stepped back to allow him into the bathroom. He smelled like soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and a hint of sawdust. She supposed that came from his jeans. Attempting to ignore the flipping of her stomach, she watched to see how the cat reacted to him.

Liam dropped to one knee on the white tile floor. “Shadow, what are you doing?” After a languorous stretch, the cat ambled over to him and climbed into his arms. Liam rose again, his head inches from the low bathroom ceiling, his shining black hair backlit by the bulbs in the glassless fixture.

“Shadow? You named a black cat Shadow?”

He shrugged. “Not very original, I know. I found him and took him in, and the name fit. He hasn’t complained.”

Paige reached out and scratched the animal behind the ears. The cat responded with a throaty purr. “How long has he been gone?”

“Yesterday. He wanders but always comes back at night. I was out looking for him when I…when I saw you on the beach last night. Well, I guess it was technically this morning.” His gruff tone had softened. Paige wondered if that was the cat’s doing. She pictured this broad-shouldered individual searching the night for his foundling pet and felt a sharp, visceral pull low in her abdomen.

“I’m glad you two have been reunited.” She restored the flashlight to her purse. “Did you come over here only looking for him?” Paige fastened her purse, fingers hovering over the zipper tab, wondering if there’d be any chance he’d say no.

“Yes, and I saw your door was open.”

She sighed. His rumbling voice reverberated through the room. Paige faced him, crossing her arms over her breasts. The cat cuddled in his sturdy arms in no way detracted from his rugged good looks. Light from the kitchen lamp glinted off his scar. Paige tapped her jaw line. “What happened?”

His expression changed. “You really don’t have any boundaries, do you?”

Paige jerked a shoulder in dismissal. “I didn’t mean anything. Sorry.”

Liam shook his head. “It’s fine. I have to get going.”

“Want something to drink? I have…well, bottled water is all I have right now. I need to get to the grocery store.” She laughed, trying her best to make it not sound as though she’d invited him for something more.

“It’s late,” he said. But he didn’t move.

She met his gaze dead on, trying to figure him out. She’d never met a man she couldn’t sum up in about two seconds. No, that wasn’t true. She’d never bothered with a man she couldn’t sum up in two seconds. There was a vast difference. That practice said a lot about herself she didn’t like. The fact she was still contemplating Liam said even more about him.

Her breath rushed out. “You’re right. It is. I won’t keep you.”

He nodded, the cat in his arms purring loudly. “How long do you plan on sticking around?”

“I cashed out my savings and took a leave of absence. I need answers to many things in my life.”

He nodded. “Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“You’ll see me tomorrow.”

Her skin warmed. She followed him in silence to close the door behind him. Standing a moment on the threshold, she allowed the breeze off the water to dry the tiny perspiration drops from her brow as he walked away. Down by the water’s edge, a soft glow caught her eye. She turned. A light bobbed at the height of a man’s hand at his side, as if someone carried a lantern.

Paige stepped out for a better look, pulling the door shut to block the light from inside. Yes, someone was there, moving at the surf’s edge. The lantern cast a golden glow over a man’s left side as he strode in a straight line toward the far side of the beach. Nearer, she could hear Liam as he made his way homeward, his thunderous voice subdued in one-sided conversation with Shadow. Didn’t he see the man? But he continued speaking to the cat, unperturbed. A neighbor, she supposed. Not an outsider, like her.

* * * *

Paige headed back to town in the morning armed with her list of residents. Maybe, with the earlier hour, she would find some of them at home. And if these didn’t pan out, she’d go to where people hung out and ask general questions there. Somewhere she’d find a lead. If not, she would speak to Liam.

First, though, she needed a blasted cup of coffee.

Yesterday she’d spotted a place called the Caffeine Café and headed there. Standing in line at the coffee shop, Paige eavesdropped on the conversations around her in blatant curiosity. For thirteen years, this town had been her home. She might very well have been acquainted with certain patrons, but doubted she would recognize them now. People changed in time’s passage, teenage boys even more than girls. Still, something in the dialogue around her could strike a chord of memory.

At the register, she ordered a large coffee and paid, taking a welcome swig as soon as the kid behind the counter handed the cup to her. She held the spiral tablet in her other hand and flipped it open while turning around. Someone jostled her elbow. The notebook fluttered to the floor.

“Here, let me get that.”

Paige caught a glimpse of a police uniform and close-cropped sandy hair as the man who had spoken stooped to pick up the notebook. It had fallen open to the list, and she could see him browsing over the names as he stood. She held out her hand, palm up to hasten the notebook’s return. “Thank you.”

The man—badge pinned to a shirt strained by the bulletproof vest beneath—hesitated before dropping the pad across her fingers. Despite her annoyance at the officer’s inquisitiveness, she realized an opportunity had fallen into her lap.

“Are you on duty?” she asked. “I need some information and I—Dan? Dan…Stauffer?”

He frowned. “Yes. Do I know you?”

Probably not
, she thought, but plunged on. “I’m Paige Waters. You were a couple of years ahead of me in school. I was a freshman when you were a senior.”

Her last year spent at Alcina Cove High, she hadn’t finished the semester out, ending up in a place midyear where she knew no one. If she remembered correctly, Dan had always considered himself a charmer. She’d been too young and unexceptional to catch his eye, but with recognition she also recalled the stories of his reputation as a ladies’ man.

“Paige Waters? Oh, right, you and your mother left town rather abruptly. Don’t remember the reason why, though. Something personal, I heard.”

Stunned he had recalled her that quickly, Paige eased past the congestion at the counter. With a gesture that Dan should join her, she headed for a table and took a seat. Stauffer followed. He sat across from her and leaned his forearms on the tabletop.

“You said you needed some information. What’s up?”

Now that she’d come to it, Paige wasn’t sure where to begin. She could sense him sizing her up and she wondered if his womanizing behavior had persisted all these years later. Paige spun the coffee cup between her palms in a slow circle on the table, feeling the liquid’s heat through the thick paper.

“My mom passed away almost three years ago. And then I received a letter from an attorney in January of this year notifying me my dad had passed away, too. I think it took a while for the attorney to locate me. My dad had no property, nothing to pass on. He’d had a house—our house—but I found out he’d sold it. The notification just said he died at sea. I don’t know the exact circumstances. I tried researching online but, oddly enough, couldn’t find anything. I came back to find out what I can about his life, and my mom’s, too. Perhaps you might be able to give me some assistance?”

Dan shifted in his seat, his vest creaking, handcuffs on his belt clanking against the metal tubing of the chair. “I don’t get it. What do you hope to accomplish, digging around like this?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to dissuade you. I’m just trying to understand what you want me to look into. Do you think they were involved in something the police would know about?”

The paper cup jerked in Paige’s grip.

Keep your mouth shut, Paige.

But Mom...

“Of course not. I thought you might have some way to uncover more details about my father’s death. I don’t even know where his ship went down.”

Considering her a moment, Dan finally nodded. “Makes sense. What was his name again?”

“Waters, same as mine. First name Edwin.”

“Okay. I’ll see what I can do.” Wheels turned visibly in his expression. She guessed he’d already begun formulating ideas as to why she wanted to know. During her final days, Debra Waters, in her delirium, had hinted all had not been as she’d let on since their flight from Alcina Cove. There had to be a reason Paige’s father had written her from his life. Maybe he plain hadn’t cared enough to do otherwise once he’d driven his wife away. Or possibly some of Debra Waters’ ramblings hadn’t solely been the result of opioids and cancer.

“Where are you staying while you’re here?”

She hedged, hesitant to share the information. Wouldn’t he think it suspicious she’d rented a place next door to her old home? “Do you have a card?” she asked. “I’ll write my cell number down.”