Twilight at Blueberry Barrens (13 page)

T
he girls hadn't stopped talking about their day with Aunt Dixie until they were tucked into bed at eight. As Drake prayed with them before bed, he glanced up to see Kate in the doorway. She must have come in to get Jackson. She turned away but not before he caught sight of the tears on her cheeks. What was that about? He focused his attention back on the girls, then kissed them and turned out the light.

He found her in the living room petting the dog.

“Good boy.” She rubbed his head, then looked up at Drake. She moved over so he could sit beside her. The dog lay down at her feet. “Are the girls all right?”

He went back to his seat on the sofa. “They had a great time at Dixie's. She took them to an old swimming hole and let them swim and fish. They're in bed.” Her face was still a little tear-stained. “Are you okay?”

Her eyes watered again, but she smiled and nodded. “It was precious seeing you pray with the girls. Like something from a Norman Rockwell painting.”

His face grew warm, and he looked away. “Your mom and uncle never prayed with you?”

“They never even went to church with me. I don't know
what they think about God. Did Heath and Melissa teach the girls too?”

“Yeah. Heath was two when his dad died, and then Mom married Dad two years later. I came along ten months after that.”

“That's why your last names are different.”

The memories flashed through his mind like reels of an old movie. His parents had taught them well.

“Are they still alive?”

He nodded. “They live in Costa Rica, and I don't get to see them very often.” He glanced at her and saw her tears had dried up.

“I can be back to work tomorrow. Is that okay?” She clasped her hands together on her jean-clad lap. “I mean, you're not going to fire me, are you? I wouldn't blame you if you did. My family is a train wreck.”

How did he answer that when he'd been trying to make up his mind all day? Looking at her anxious face, he knew he couldn't do it though. “The job is still yours.”

Her eyes lit. “Thank you, Drake. You won't be sorry. I'll be ultra careful with them.”

“I know you will.” But what could she do if her uncle suddenly showed up? Maybe he should get her some bear spray like Kevin mentioned. “Do you carry bear spray?”

A smile tugged at her lips and she leaned over to dig in her purse before holding up a can of spray in a triumphant gesture. “Any good Mainer carries bear spray. You never know when you're going to need it. You've seen bears around?”

He shook his head. “Kevin mentioned they like the berries this time of year, so I was a little worried about the girls.”

“I don't have that many berries, so I'm not sure my fields
will be much of a draw. But I'll be watching for them.” Her gaze landed on the computer.

He went to the kitchen to get on the Internet. It was unlikely he'd find clues to Melissa's affair with Wang online, but he wanted to see if there were any pictures of the two of them floating around. She and Heath had gone to many fund-raisers, and Wang was known to try to launder his money that way.

He scrolled through page after page, then finally paused over a familiar face at an event to raise money for Melissa's favorite project, one for battered women. Melissa wore a black cocktail dress that showed off her model figure. Just off to the right stood a figure only partly in the frame. Though he had his head turned a bit, Drake knew it was Wang. The tenseness in the man's shoulders and head told of his interest in Melissa. And standing by the serving table about ten feet or so behind Melissa stood his brother. Heath wasn't smiling and seemed to be staring at Melissa and Wang.

Was this when Heath first became suspicious of his wife? Drake checked the date of the event. March 15, two weeks before the e-mail transcript began. Bingo.

“Research into your brother's death?”

“Yeah.” He showed her the picture.

Kate studied it. “Your brother looks a little angry.”

“Yeah, he probably didn't like the predatory look on Wang's face.”

“How are you going to find out what was going on between them?”

He shut his computer. “I think I'll have to call a lot of hotels and restaurants and see if anyone will talk. Wang is known to frequent sushi places and high-end hotels. If I could just get
enough evidence for probable cause, I'd ask the sheriff to subpoena his credit card statements. And once the employee knows I'm investigating Wang, I probably won't find out much. People are scared of him.”

She chewed on her lower lip, her blue eyes hazy with intense thought. The way her dark-blonde hair fell against her cheeks and neck as she sat there made him want to lean over and tuck it behind her ears. He wanted to get to know what she thought and felt, but it would all have to wait until he found justice for Heath.

She sat up straighter. “I have an idea. What if we look at those text messages and pick out some prime times when she was likely meeting Wang? I can pretend to be his accountant who is upset about some charges on that date. Maybe we can use the fear he generates to get answers.”

He looked at her with new respect. “That's a terrific idea. A woman isn't as threatening as a man, and you can say the charges are too high for a man by himself. The employee might look at the records and report how many were eating, that kind of thing.”

“And I can ask for verification on the identity because Wang is being audited.” A triumphant smile lifted her lips. “I think it will work.”

“Me too.” He got up and held out his hand to her. “This calls for a celebratory cup of hot chocolate.” She put her hand in his, and he lifted her to her feet. Her soft skin made him want to pull her closer, but he forced himself to step back. “I might even consent to a chick flick over popcorn. I've got Netflix.”

“I vote for
Sleepless in Seattle
.”

“I was thinking more like
The Princess Bride
where at least we have some swashbuckling adventure.”

The eye roll she sent his way lifted his spirits. “You can't tell me you don't like
The Princess Bride.”

“I've only seen it about fifty times.”

He took her arm. “Let's make it fifty-one.”

The dog huffed as if he couldn't believe it either.

* * *

The girls squealed as they ran along the creek on her property looking for minnows, with Jackson on their heels. Kate smiled as she walked behind them. The last couple of days had gone very well between Drake and her. He finally seemed to be relaxing with her in charge of the girls. The sun blazed out of a blue sky, and the heat felt good on her face and bare arms.

Someone called her name and she turned to see Becky Oates walking across the blueberry fields toward her. A small white car was parked along the side of the road. Jackson stiffened, and a low growl rumbled from his throat.

Kate put her hand on his head. “It's okay, boy.” She motioned for the girls. “Stay right here. Don't go any farther along the creek without me. Take the dog.” The girls called for Jackson, but he whined plaintively before he obeyed.

Becky was huffing a bit by the time she reached Kate's side. “I was on my way to your house and saw you out here.” Her purple-tipped hair was more garish in the sunlight than it had seemed in the dimly lit bar. She wore jeans so weathered they were nearly white and an orange shirt that clashed with her hair.

Kate didn't know what to make of the woman's friendly
manner. She was even smiling. “Um, okay. You probably heard I've seen Uncle Paul.”

Becky nodded and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, studded with three diamonds. “Listen, I want to apologize for how I acted the other day. I was a little stressed by everything. The sheriff had been on my case about that Peece woman, too, and I was in no mood for another interrogation.”

“Apology accepted.” Kate eyed her warily. “Is there something I can do for you?”

Becky's smile looked forced. “D-did Paul mention me at all? Hand you anything to give to me maybe?”

“He admitted you were the old girlfriend who had stashed the money and fake passport for him.”

Becky wet her lips. “Did you tell the sheriff I was involved?”

Kate turned to check on the girls. They were picking up rocks and putting them in the pockets of their shorts. “No, it didn't seem important at the time. Should I have?”

“When I put that stuff in there for Paul, I didn't know it was a fake passport. I thought he was just stashing his valuables where they couldn't be found, kind of an unusual lockbox. And it was ages ago, a good year before he was arrested.”

Kate didn't believe the woman's saccharine smile for a second. “I didn't look at the passport either, but I'm sure it was in another name. You haven't seen him or talked to him? Be honest with me. I didn't turn you in to the sheriff.”

Becky hesitated. “Well, I did see him for a few minutes the other night. He showed up with some presents for me in a little trailer he was pulling behind his four-wheeler.”

Kate straightened and took her hands out of her pockets. “Presents? What kind of presents?”

Becky shrugged. “Frozen meat, for one thing. And a bunch of random stuff like blankets and kitchen appliances.”

Kate gaped at her. “He
did
steal the things from Claire's!”

“I don't get it. What things?”

Maybe the town gossips hadn't passed that bit of news around. “Never mind. I thought it probably was Uncle Paul, but we had no proof. Did he leave the area?”

A worried frown crouched between Becky's eyes. “I don't think so. He talked like he'd raid my freezer for meat when he needed it. He headed west through the woods.”

“Did you tell the sheriff any of this?”

Becky shook her head emphatically. “I didn't want him to arrest me for aiding a felon. Until Paul showed up with that stuff, I hadn't seen him. And I was none too happy to see him then. I'm dating someone else, and I don't want to do anything to mess that up.”

“Does Paul know?”

Becky hesitated, then shrugged. “He seemed different—harder and a little scary. So no, I didn't say anything. I just wanted him to leave, so I told him I had to get to work. He dumped the bags of meat in my freezer and left the boxes of stuff in the living room. What should I do with all of it?”

“Call the sheriff. He'll check it out and maybe Claire can get her belongings back.”

Becky bit her lip. “Just what I didn't want to do.”

“You don't have a choice. It will look better coming from you than from me.” Kate heard the girls squeal. Phoebe was splashing water at her big sister. “Do you think he'll go after Claire again?”

“He seemed pretty mad when he was talking about justice. I
felt like I didn't really know him anymore. It's hard telling what he might do.” Becky glanced at her phone. “I've got to get to work. I'll call the sheriff on my way there. I sure hope he's not ticked off.”

“He'll be glad you're reporting it now.” Kate watched her retreat to her car.

One of the girls screamed, and Kate looked to where Emma was pointing. A small black bear nosed through the blueberries, but he was a good football field away from them. “He's not going to hurt us. He's more afraid of you than you are of him. See, he's running off now.” She corralled the girls and her dog, then headed for home. She had a feeling they hadn't seen the last of her uncle.

T
he sky was a picture-worthy sight of golds and purples as the sun sank into the horizon. The crimson leaves of the blueberries added to the beauty, and he wished Kate were there to share it with. Shaking himself from his thoughts, he looked through the plants again.

It has to be here somewhere.
He'd been over every inch of his path from the cave to where he'd parked his truck, but his precious trophy pouch was nowhere to be found. He'd spent an hour out here at sunrise, then another hour after he'd seen Kate take the girls to the creek, but he had only blue-stained shoes to show for his efforts.

Could someone have found it? He didn't think anyone would be out here except Kate. Could it be in her house? He stared down the road. The lights were on in the cottage, so she was probably making dinner for those brats and Drake. He allowed his gaze to linger on her back door, and he set out for her house.

He'd just disarmed her security system when he saw the truck lights moving down the road. Though it was unlikely Drake could see him on the back deck, he twisted the doorknob and slipped into Kate's kitchen. It felt like home to him, and he
smiled before moving around the small rooms in search of his pouch. The place was immaculate with nothing on any of the tables in the living room. He continued to the bedroom and found no sign of his trophies there either.

He retraced his steps and had just reached the kitchen when he heard footsteps on the back deck and saw Kate's form through the open window. The door to the basement was behind him, so he yanked it open and rushed into the darkness. The musty scent of the space enveloped him, and he waited for his eyes to adjust to the dim light from the basement window. Old wooden shelves containing home-canned goods lined one wall, and a rusty, dented freezer occupied part of another wall. More shelves held old paint cans and cleaning supplies.

The door at the top of the stairs creaked, and the overhead light came on. Footsteps started down the steps, and his pulse pounded in his ears as he looked around for a place to hide.
There, under the worktable
. He shoved aside the old plastic tablecloth covering it, then scrabbled under the table and pulled the plastic back into place. There was a small gap he could see through, but he doubted she'd be able to see him.

Her shapely tanned legs paraded past his vision and kept him riveted. She walked past his hiding spot to the shelves full of canned food, then put some of the jars in the box she carried. Green beans and sauerkraut. She turned toward the table, and he held his breath as she approached.

His hand went to the gun holstered at his side. He didn't want to reveal himself to her in these circumstances, but the place he'd prepared for her was ready if he had to.

She moved past him to the refrigerator and put several bags of frozen corn and peas into her box. His knees cramped and he
shuffled them. Her head came up at the small sound, and she looked around.

Her blue eyes were wide, and she clutched the box to her chest. “Hello?” The word came out a bit strangled. “Uncle Paul?”

She was so close he could reach out and grab that shapely thigh if he wanted. And he very much
did
want, but he curled his fingers into his palms to stop himself. Her breath came in short, quick spurts, and it made his own chest heave with excitement. She was so close. Would she greet him if he flung back the tablecloth? Couldn't she feel his love and devotion, the power of his desire for her? They could be so happy together. He pictured them cuddling on the sofa while they watched a movie and ate popcorn.

He licked his lips. Then she suddenly whirled and sprang toward the steps. Her feet pounded up the stairs, and there was a click that plunged the basement into darkness. He immediately crawled out from under the table and mounted the stairs as fast as he dared. One creaked a bit and he stopped and waited by the basement door. The back door slammed, and he heard her on the phone telling someone she'd been spooked by a noise in the basement.

Probably Claire. He would have to do something about that unhealthy dependence she had on her sister. All in good time though, all in good time.

* * *

Drake inserted Kate's key into the back door and unlocked it. “It pays to be careful.” She hadn't wanted him to search the
basement, but he'd taken one look at her white face and had insisted on checking it out. There had been too many things going on for him to be comfortable with ignoring it.

Kate pulled Emma and Phoebe against her sides as Drake opened the door. Jackson pressed against her leg and whined as if he sensed her turmoil. “Please don't tell Danny. He'll say I'm crying wolf again. I'm sure it was just a mouse or something.”

Drake shoved open the door and stepped inside. His gaze went to the security system. “The alarm is disarmed. Did you forget to engage it when you left?” He turned back toward the door so he could see her.

She shook her head. “It must have already been disarmed when I came for the food. I forgot all about it.” She glanced around. “I left the window in the kitchen open too. I have to quit doing that.”

“You're sure you turned it on before you left this morning?”

She hugged the girls closer to her. “I-I'm not sure. This dratted chemo brain. Turning it on hasn't gotten into my muscle memory yet, so maybe I forgot to do it.”

And maybe the guy had figured out how to disarm it already. “I'll check with the alarm company. They'll be able to see today's history.”

Her eyes went wide. “Oh! I have an app on my phone that does that.” She let go of Emma and dug in her monstrosity of a purse and pulled out her phone. She swiped it on, then scrolled through the icons. “Here it is.” A few moments later she gasped. “I activated it at eight o'clock when I went to your cottage. It was deactivated a few minutes later and never turned back on.”

“It's possible it was a glitch, but I don't like it.” The girls both looked a little scared. Unfortunately, there'd been no option but
to bring them down here. “Luke and Claire should be here any minute. I'll have Luke check out the house with me. You and Claire can take the girls back to the cottage.” He went back out onto the deck with her.

She slipped her phone into her pocket, then slung her purse over her shoulder and clasped hands with the girls. “I think I'll take them back to the cottage now. I've got bear spray.”

He started to protest, then heard tires crunch on the gravel driveway. Luke's big truck came into view, and Claire leaped out of it before it had stopped rolling. “Looks like the cavalry has arrived.”

Claire's cheeks were pink, and her hair lay unbound on her shoulders as if she'd just taken it down. Tail wagging, Jackson went to greet her and she rubbed his head, but her frown stayed in place.

Before Claire could voice her concern, Kate held up her hand. “Don't freak out, Claire. It's probably nothing, and I'm wishing I didn't even call you guys or say anything. If this gets back to Danny, he's going to ignore me the next time I call.”

Drake motioned to Luke as he got out of the truck. “It appears someone might have turned off the security system after she left the house this morning. It doesn't hurt to check it out. Better safe than sorry.”

Kate motioned to Jackson, then took Claire and the girls down the road to the cottage. Drake nodded for Luke to follow him back into the house. “She heard something in the basement but convinced herself it was a mouse or a coon that had gotten in. I didn't want to scare her, but I'm concerned about the alarm being disabled. I told her maybe it was a glitch, but I really doubt that.”

Luke still wore his Coast Guard uniform. “Claire did a lot of research before she bought the security system. This alarm was supposed to be the best out there. I doubt it would have that serious of a glitch.” He went to the basement door and opened it.

“I wasn't sure where the basement was. Glad you know.” Drake peered past Luke's shoulder when the man flipped on the light. “Not finished or anything.”

“No, just an old country basement.” The first step creaked under Luke's feet.

Drake followed him down and grimaced at the stench of dampness and old wood. He had to duck once he reached the dirt floor. “Close down here.”

“Yeah, these old basements don't have much headroom.” Luke peered through the murky light. “Did she say where the sound came from?”

“South side of the steps.” Drake turned to face a decrepit wooden table under a dirty window. “Not much over here.”

An old plastic tablecloth hung dispiritedly on the table, its red color faded to nearly pink. Several bottles of cleaning supplies sat atop it as well as a metal painting tray and several brushes. He moved each item to see if a mouse hid underneath, though he doubted a mouse could make enough noise to frighten Kate.

“Check under it,” Luke suggested.

Drake pulled the tablecloth up and piled it on the table's surface, then went down on one knee and peered under it. His gaze landed on a scuffed-up area in the dirt. Was that the indentation of knees? “Take a look at this, Luke.”

Luke knelt beside him and pointed. “Look there. That might be where his shoe dug into the ground. And this looks like knee prints.” He pointed out the area Drake had noticed.

Drake rose and dusted his hands off on his shorts. “There's no way of knowing if someone was just down here and made those marks or if they've been here for a while, but the chances are good someone was in here.”

Drake frowned as a piece of paper caught his eye by the stairs. In two steps he was in front of it and scooped it up. “It's a receipt for a soda at the minimart. And it's dated for last night. Kate doesn't drink soda.” He waved the receipt. “I think this is our proof. We need to tell the sheriff about it.”

“I can drop it off to Jonas on my way home.”

Drake nodded and handed it over to Luke. “Let me know what you find out.” He didn't like the idea of Kate staying here by herself, but he knew her well enough by now to realize she'd insist on staying in her home.