Colleen Coble (13 page)

“Maybe he didn’t have it with him when he went surfing. It might be here. Is it important?”

“He drove to this particular spot, so his keys were there. Seems odd he wouldn’t have his driver’s license. And there was a packed suitcase in the car, so it appeared he was leaving the island shortly. Ned Springall told me he thought Ben had brought clothes to change into, and then he was heading to the mainland. There’s an outdoor shower at that beach.”

Amy digested the information. On the surface, it didn’t seem earth shattering. “Maybe he forgot it here.”

“Would you mind looking for that wallet when you get a chance? I don’t want to hold you up from church, but give me a call and let me know what you find. Even if it’s nothing.”

“I’ll look after lunch.” Her stomach plunged at the thought. Searching his room had been hard enough the first time, and she didn’t really want to do it again. “One other thing. Have you requested my brother’s cell phone records? I’ve heard he got more calls than usual and had been upset after them.”

The sheriff nodded. “I put in a request for them. Don’t have them yet.” He took a last gulp of coffee, then stood.

“Is that all you’ve got?”

He shrugged. “I’ve sent the surfboard to an expert for evaluation on what kind of shark bit it.”

“So you’re trying to prove he drowned and the sharks disposed of his body.”

His brows came together in a scowl. “I want to get at the truth for your peace of mind. And mine. I don’t want to miss anything.”

“I appreciate that, Sheriff.” She rose and walked him to the front door. “I’ll let you know if I find anything.”

Were her suspicions all just wind in the trees?

T
HIRTEEN

H
eather sat beside Amy next to Libby and Alec with their new baby. The singing swelled to the wood rafters of the small, quaint church. Hope Beach Community Church sat on a hillside overlooking the blue Atlantic, and the sea air blew in through the open windows on the sides. Prisms of color danced on the white walls as the sun shone through the stained-glass window behind the platform.

Heather craned her neck and saw Curtis with his aunt and Raine two pews ahead of her. She had to get a chance to talk to him about hiring her. Appearing here should allay any doubts he had. Maybe she’d suggest to Amy that they invite them back to the cottage for lunch.

Alec and Libby rose and went forward, and the pastor began a baby dedication service. Heather listened to them promise to raise their little boy in the ways of the Lord, and a surprising lump came to her throat. The way Libby and Alec looked at their baby brought a longing to her heart. She doubted her parents had ever had such love in their eyes. She’d been more of a nuisance than a treasured daughter. Anything she’d gotten in life so far she’d had to scrap and fight for. No one had given her a thing. That baby was going to have every advantage, including the security of love.
It didn’t seem fair for some to have so much love and others, like her, to have so little.

She blinked back the sting in her eyes and glanced ahead at where Curtis was with Raine on his lap. Did he feel that kind of love for her? Raine was only his niece, not really his child. When he brushed a kiss across the little girl’s soft hair, she averted her eyes. He probably did love her. Was she doing the right thing?

She remained lost in her thoughts through the rest of the service, struggling through how she felt about what she was about to do. By the time they rose for the final song, she was fixed on her course again. As Amy accepted the hugs and condolences of her friends, Heather slipped past her and stood at the end of Curtis’s pew as he made his way to the aisle.

“Heather, hello.” He shifted Raine to the other arm. “Say hello, Raine. You remember Heather.”

“No.” The little girl regarded her with a solemn gaze, then plopped her thumb into her mouth.

“She’s a little shy,” Curtis said. “This is my aunt Edith.” He indicated the woman behind him.

His aunt smiled at her. She was in her fifties with a great tan and a bright smile. “You must be the young woman who has offered to spell me with Raine once in a while. That’s very kind of you.”

Amy’s voice came from behind Heather. “I’ve explained to her that I’d like to do that myself.” Her voice was a little stiff.

Heather’s head jerked around. “You? Why would you want to do it?”

“Raine is my niece. I’d like to get to know her.”

“Your niece?”

Amy smiled at Raine and held out her hands to the child. “I just recently found out.” The little girl reached for her, and Amy took her. “Can you say ‘auntie,’ Raine?”

Raine grabbed at a lock of Amy’s hair. “Mom.”

Amy exchanged a glance with Curtis, and Heather thought her gaze held a challenge. Curtis shrugged and looked away. What was all that about?

Amy nuzzled Raine’s neck and kept staring at Curtis. “Are we still on to go talk to the residents of the condos where Gina lived?”

“Yep. Lunch at the Oyster Café first? Ede, can you take Raine home for her nap?”

“I was planning on it,” Edith said.

Heather interrupted, intent on her goal. “I’m sure there might be times you are all busy, so keep me in mind. I love kids.” She held out her hand to Raine, but the little brat hid her face in Amy’s blouse. “She’ll warm up to me. All kids do.”

Curtis nodded. “Thanks for your offer, Heather. Did you bring your résumé?”

“Got it right here.” She dug for it in her purse and handed it to him. The résumé had been fluffed up a little, but she doubted he would actually call the day care where she’d worked. And even if he did, she hadn’t done anything really wrong there.

Two women approached them, and Amy turned to speak to them. “Hello, Dara, Winona. Not too tired from your day in the sun yesterday to get up early this morning, I see.”

Heather looked over her shoulder and froze. Luckily, the women hadn’t seen her yet.

“Let me know what you think, will you?” she asked Curtis in a low voice. “I have to run.” She had to get out of here before they saw her and gave her away. She couldn’t be sure they wouldn’t recognize her.

He looked startled but nodded. “Sure thing. Hope you’ll come back to church.”

Fat chance. All she wanted to do was forget this place and how it made her feel.

A few wispy clouds drifted lazily across the blue bowl of sky. Curtis and Amy had had a quick bite of lunch together at the café after church before heading to the harbor apartments. He stared at the apartment building. About ten years old, the building was in good repair. The yellow shutters contrasted with the gray shingle siding, an attractive combination. The two-story building held eight apartments. They all looked out on the harbor, a prime location. How had Gina been able to afford it? It was surely expensive. They hadn’t shared financial details, but she’d worked at the fudge shop since she got out of high school. Maybe Ben had paid for it.

“Ready?” he asked.

Amy nodded. “I’ve got what I want to ask all mapped out.”

“We might as well start with the residents across the hall from her.” He held open the main door that led into the large entry where the stairs went to the second floor. “Her apartment was upstairs on the right.”

The interior of the building smelled like fish stew. Someone must have cooked it for lunch, and the pungent odor invaded the enclosed space. Industrial gray carpeting covered the stairs, and the walls were painted a light aqua. Pictures of the island and the sea decorated the walls on the way up the stairs.

“Nice place,” Amy said when they stopped on the second-floor landing.

“Very.” He stepped to the door on their right and rapped on it.

A TV played inside, a comedy with canned laughter. A child squealed, then light footsteps came toward the door. A blond woman in her midthirties opened the door. She had a baby, maybe four or five months old, on her hip. He was chomping on a teething biscuit and had smears of cookie around his mouth.

The woman’s eyes registered recognition. “You’re Curtis Ireland. Gina’s brother.”

He nodded. “That’s right. I think we met at a building garage sale. This is my friend Amy. Afraid I’ve forgotten your name.”

She opened the door a little wider and shifted the baby to the other hip. “Leah Crook. I’ve been meaning to call you. Gina left something with me, and I think you should have it.”

Curtis glanced at Amy, then back to Leah. “What is it?”

Leah stepped away from the door. “Come into the kitchen.”

“Want me to hold the baby while you get it?” Amy asked. “He’s a little cutie.”

“That would be great if you don’t mind.” Leah passed over the child.

“Hey, little man.” Amy took him and shuffled him to one arm. He grabbed a lock of her hair in a messy grip, but she didn’t seem to mind.

Leah led them to the kitchen. “Coffee is fresh if you want some. I’ll be right back.”

“What could it be?” The baby started to fuss a bit, and Amy jiggled him until he quieted.

“She seemed pretty serious about it all.” He tried to think of what Leah might have that would be important, but nothing had seemed to be missing from Gina’s things.

She studied his face. “Are you okay?”

“It feels weird to be poking into Gina’s privacy. I know we have to do it, but she was always a little reserved about sharing personal details. Even with me.” He couldn’t even remember how she and Ben had gotten hooked up. Likely she’d never told him.

“I understand. I hate poking through Ben’s room too.” She rubbed her forehead. “But we have to get to the truth.”

“
If
someone harmed them. I’m still not convinced.” He didn’t want to believe it. The kind of hatred that would end in murder
didn’t seem to go with his smiling sister. She’d never hurt anyone in her life.

A shadow flitted across Amy’s face, and she opened her mouth but closed it again when Leah came back into the room. The woman glanced at the baby, but Amy smiled and continued to sway. “He’s fine.”

“Here it is.” Leah opened her fist and revealed a red flash drive.

“That’s it?” Curtis reached for it. “Any idea what’s on it?”

Leah nodded. “She said it was her banking information, and she wanted the backup in a safe place. I never looked at it, of course. In fact, I’d forgotten I had it until I was looking for a rubber band in the desk drawer last week.”

Banking information
. His fist closed around the drive. The contents might explain how she was able to afford this place. He held up his hand. “When did she give this to you?”

“Five days before she died.”

He exchanged a glance with Amy, who was leaning over to brush her lips across the little guy’s soft hair. “What did she say about it?”

Leah shrugged. “Just what I mentioned. That she wanted the backup in a safe place.”

The baby nestled against Amy and put his thumb in his mouth. She shifted him a bit. “Did you see anything unusual going on at Gina’s apartment?”

Leah tipped her head to one side. “Unusual?”

Amy nodded. “People you didn’t recognize, arguments, anyone skulking around. That kind of thing. And did Gina seem upset in any way?”

Leah frowned. “She and Ben had a huge fight a few days before her death. I nearly called the sheriff.”

“What happened? I’m Ben’s sister, by the way.”

“The midwife?” She nodded at her son. “No wonder you’re good with kids. He’s asleep.”

Curtis looked down at the child and smiled. Amy had a special touch with children. She’d be a good mother someday. “Did Ben strike her or anything like that?”

Amy shot him an offended glare, and he looked away. Ben was no saint, no matter what she thought.

Leah shook her head. “I don’t think so. There was a lot of shouting, and I heard things crashing like someone was throwing stuff. And there was some dude in a suit who came to see her the morning she died. She threw him out.”

“Threw him out?” Curtis couldn’t imagine his petite sister throwing anyone out.

“Well, not literally. She blocked the door and wouldn’t let him in. I heard her say, ‘You know better than to come here. What if someone saw you?’”

“You didn’t recognize him?” Curtis asked.

“No, but his car was a big black Mercedes. You could tell he had money from that suit he wore.”

Amy shifted the baby. “Any idea where he was from?”

Leah looked a little shamefaced. “I have to admit I looked at his car. I was taking the kids to the beach, and I took a peek at the license plate as I went past. It was a North Carolina plate.”

That didn’t tell them much. The flash drive bit into Curtis’s palm. But the information on it might.

F
OURTEEN

C
urtis’s office was through double French doors off the living room. Amy liked it from the first. Nautical books and Coast Guard manuals lined one wall. Several plaques showed off awards he’d won. She wanted to peruse them at leisure, but he gestured her to the desk where he’d booted up the flash drive on his MacBook.

“They’re Quicken files. Like Leah said, it appears to be bank information.” He opened the Quicken program, and numbers flashed onto the screen. He scrolled down to the bottom. “Holy cow, she had over two hundred thousand dollars in this account. It was opened with three hundred thousand.”