Lover's Lane (15 page)

22

EVERYONE IN TWILIGHT COVE WAS READY FOR SUMMER, BUT the sun wasn’t cooperating. Typical of California coastal towns in May and June, the sky remained overcast until noon, plunging spring temperatures and moods.

Carly had been in a funk since she’d left for work that morning, and even when the sun finally burned through the low cloud cover, her mood didn’t lighten.

“Hey, cheer up.” Joe handed her an order of soup and date nut bread. “The sun’s out.”

“I’ll try.” Easier said than done. She had been trying to convince herself that Jake’s two-week absence from Twilight wasn’t the reason she was feeling so glum.

For all she knew he could have decided not to lease the rental house after all, but she didn’t have the nerve to ask Tracy or Glenn.

When she got back to the counter, Joe waved her over to the kitchen. She made certain the handful of customers didn’t need anything before she ducked into the next room.

“What’s up, Joe?”

“I’m worried about you,
chica
. You don’t seem like yourself.”

“I’m all right.”

He leaned back against the big dishwashing tub and crossed his beefy arms. “I’m Christopher’s official grandpa now. If something’s wrong, you can tell me. I don’t gossip.”

“I know, Joe.” Holding tight to her feelings was something she’d done all her life. She didn’t know how to open up, even if she’d wanted to.

“Really, I’m okay. By the way, Chris is still talking about the
nopales
you took to school for the kids to taste. They couldn’t believe it was really cooked cactus.”

“I had to come up with something. He was expecting a bullfighter.”

“At least you set the kids straight on that one, even though it meant death to a town legend.”

“Selma thought it would be good for business if people believed a retired
matador
was whipping up their dinners. I let it go all these years, but I couldn’t lie to Christopher’s whole class. They sort of forgot I wasn’t anything special when I unwrapped that prickly pear cactus I’d cooked up and then let them taste it.”

“You
are
special, Joe, to Chris and me. Don’t you forget it.” Moved by his generosity, Carly tentatively put her hand on his shoulder. Exchanging affectionate gestures didn’t come easy if you hadn’t grown up with them.

Just then Selma walked in and she planted her fists on her hips. “What’s going on around here? Isn’t anyone interested in making money today?”

Joe winked at Carly then walked over and slipped his arm around Selma’s shoulders.

“She’s just jealous.” He pulled Selma closer, lowered his voice and thickened his accent. “How about coming over to my place after work? We’ll share a nice bottle of wine. I’ll cook my special chicken mole. Candlelight dinner and pay-per-view. What do you say,
mi amor?
”

Selma lifted his arm off her shoulder, let it drop. “I’m not your
amor
. My long-standing rule is
never
date the cook. It’s one hell of a way to ruin a good business.” She glanced at her watch and reminded Carly, “You’d better leave if you’re going to get over to Avila Beach before Chris’ game ends.”

Carly whipped off her denim apron and headed for the door. “Thanks, Selma. See you tomorrow. Bye, Joe. And thanks again.”

Jake was counting the miles on the way up the coast, calculating the hours until he would finally be back in Twilight. It was Wednesday, and he was just wondering how late Carly would be working at the diner when he glanced into the rearview mirror and noticed a nondescript, gray sedan two cars back in his same lane.

He’d first spotted the Buick in Thousand Oaks on Highway 101 when he’d turned off the 405. The driver had maintained the same distance between them, changed lanes shortly after he did, essentially dogged his tail the whole way.

Nearing an off-ramp, he exited the freeway and headed for Paseo Nuevo Mall on State Street between Canon Perdido and Ortega streets. Another quick check in the mirror told him all he needed to know. The Buick had exited, too, and was still on him, hanging back, pulling behind a red Honda. The driver was a single, white male in a sport coat. His features were hidden behind wide sunglasses, but Jake recognized the shape of his head and shoulders.

Jake circled the parking lot and finally pulled into a parking stall near Nordstrom and got out of the car. He walked straight for the entrance and didn’t look back. As soon as he was inside the door, he pocketed his sunglasses and made a quick right into the men’s shirt section, zigzagged around a few display tables, and then doubled back toward the door.

He paused, picked up a cotton sweater, put it down, and then walked over to a table full of men’s cargo shorts. He carried a khaki pair toward the dressing rooms and stepped inside.

On the quick count of five he walked back out, cut left and came up behind the heavyset man he’d seen at the wheel of the Buick.

“Jesus, Godes, you’ve gotten sloppy since I left A and P. Seems like you could have done a better job of not getting spotted.”

The other P.I. slowly shook his head and turned around. “Hell, Jake. I tried to tell J.A. you wouldn’t be an easy mark.”

“Why the tail? What are you after?” Jake hadn’t seen Sam Godes since his last day at Alexander and Perry. They’d been hired in the very same month and year, but obviously, Godes was still there. The minute Jake recognized him, he knew that his former employers had put a man on his tail—and he knew why. Still, he wanted confirmation.

Godes shifted, rubbed his hand over his jaw, and looked up at Jake. “Come on, Montgomery. I can’t tell you that.”

“You owe me big time, Sam. I took over all your cases for three weeks when your kid was in the hospital and you’d run out of sick days. I told you then that payback was hell. The least you can do is tell me what gives.”

Sam Godes sighed and shook his head. “The Saunders woman called in and talked to J.A. himself. Said she thought you were on to something, that you may have a lead on the Graham woman and her grandkid. She wanted you tailed. I told the boss I thought it was a big waste of time, but he wanted to keep her happy, so here I am. Why don’t you just tell me what’s up, and I’ll tell them case closed.”

“I’m headed up the coast to visit a long-lost aunt.”

“Give me a break, Montgomery.”

“How ’bout you give me one. Turn around and head back to L.A. and tell them you lost me.”

“Yeah, I
really
want to tell them you gave me the slip.”

“What’s it gonna take, Sam? You gotta give me a break on this one. You still owe me for those three weeks. I need time.”

Godes cocked an eyebrow at Jake. “I’ll take my time, spend my per diem on a room up here, drive back to L.A. tomorrow and tell A and P that you wound up visiting your long-lost aunt.”

Godes was giving him time to put his cards on the table and tell Carly who he really was and maybe even get her to consider meeting with Anna Saunders.

Godes pulled his sunglasses out of his breast pocket. “So, we’re all settled after this one. No more payback.”

“You’re clear,” Jake agreed.

Godes turned to walk away.

“Hey, Sam.”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.”

Jake watched Sam walk away before he tossed the cargo shorts on a nearby table and headed for the door. As Godes started across the parking lot, Jake spotted the Buick parked a few rows away from his own car. His attention was drawn to a slim young African-American woman with a baby carrier in one hand and a Nordstrom’s bag in the other when she reached the door at the same time he did.

She smiled up at him and said thanks as he held the door for her and let her walk out first.

Once he was back in the car, he readjusted his rearview mirror, started the car and backed out of the stall. Godes’ Buick was nowhere in sight. As Jake drove up the on-ramp and headed back onto 101, he passed the woman he’d held the door for. She looked over, recognized him, gave him a smile and a nod as he passed her and headed for the fast lane.

Carly was halfway up the canyon road when Betty Ford broke down. The old gal heaved, shook, wheezed, then died, but thankfully not before Carly pulled over to the shoulder.

The two-lane road was well traveled. It wouldn’t be long before someone came along, but she had told Christopher that she would make it in time to see the end of the game and pick him up. She hadn’t made any arrangements for the Potters to bring him back with them.

With a groan, she pushed the emergency flasher button. There was nothing she could do but let the engine cool and try to start the car again while she waited for help—that and wish she’d budgeted for a cell phone.

Jake checked the directions again, made another left and spotted the ballpark. He parked near Glenn Potter’s car, got out and hit the alarm button on his key ring. The Stingrays were playing on the nearest diamond. He couldn’t help but smile at all the pint-sized players in their official blue-and-gray T-shirts.

He scanned the bleachers. Disappointed when he didn’t see Carly, he sat beside Tracy Potter.

“Welcome back, Jake. We expected you last weekend.”

“I got hung up with work, but I finally managed to get a couple weeks away.”

Time off wasn’t quite the truth. He had a file box full of accounting records from a fraud case to review. With those and a laptop he could work anywhere and express the documents back to Kat.

As far as the Potters or anyone else knew, he was a self-employed business consultant. Completing the rental application had given him pause, but he’d used the standard, “self-employed,” gave them a couple of bank account numbers, and asked that they keep all information confidential.

“I have a great partner.” Greater than he knew. Kat hadn’t minded taking over, doing things just the way he would do, loving every minute of being in charge. He had a feeling she was just humoring him, certain that he’d come dragging back with his heart in pieces, but since he had no intention of handing his heart over to Carly or whoever she was, that wasn’t even a possibility.

“Glenn said he’d heard from the owners,” he told Tracy.

She nodded and dug around in her purse. “They agreed to a six-month lease and half the rent on the house as long as you’re still willing to make it livable. Glenn had a lock-smith up there. Here’re the new keys.” She handed over two shiny keys on a Potter A#1 Realty key ring. “You can move in whenever you want. They really don’t seem to want much to do with the place. Glenn described what a disaster it was, but I don’t think he did it justice. I can’t imagine why on earth you want to stay there.”

“So you’ve seen it?”

“Glenn drove Matt and me up there last weekend. I’ve never seen such a mess in my life. It’s a teardown, Jake.”

Tracy hadn’t let him down. He’d known exactly what she’d say about the place. Just then Christopher spotted him.

“Hey, Jake! Hi! Jake, hi!”

Jake smiled and waved just as the last Stingray at bat struck out and ended the game. The kids ran off the field and Matt and Christopher walked over to the bleachers.

When Chris climbed up and sat as close as he could get, took off his cap and brushed his hair back, Jake was again reminded of how much the boy resembled Rick, not only the way he looked but the way he moved. He had no idea who Carly Nolan really was or what she was up to, but there was no doubt that Chris was Rick Saunders’ son.

“I didn’t know you were coming back today.”

“I didn’t either, until this morning. Where’s your mom?”

Chris frowned. “Late, I guess. She’s
never
late, though.”

“We’ll take you home with us,” Tracy said just as her cell phone went off. “Maybe this is Carly now.”

Chris and Jake listened expectantly as Tracy’s eyes widened.

“Oh, no! She’s what? Are you sure? Maybe she was
poisoned
. Stop crying, Paula. We’ll come home right now. If it gets any worse, call the vet.”

Chris suddenly grabbed hold of Jake’s hand, his little face drained of color.

Tracy snapped the phone shut and shouted to Glenn.

“Vet?”
Jake closed his fingers gently around Christopher’s hand, but not without noting how fragile it felt. “What’s up, Tracy?”

Tracy efficiently gathered up her things—camera, blanket, purse, water bottle. Glenn hurriedly lugged ball equipment to the car.

“That was my next-door neighbor. Our Pekingese, Willa, was out in the yard howling, so Paula walked over to see what was going on. Willa is violently ill, poor baby. We’ve got to get home. I can’t tell you the money we’ve got tied up in that damn designer dog.”

She was off the bleachers, her arms full, headed for the car. “Come on, Chris,” she called over her shoulder. Matt was already trailing in her wake. “We’ll take you home.”

Chris still had a death grip on Jake’s hand. He looked up, his eyes imploring, “I’m not s’posed to.”

“You’re not supposed to what?” The kid was still shaken up from Tracy’s phone call. So was Jake for that matter.

“I have to wait here. Mom said not to leave till she gets here. I know she’s on the way. She
never
forgets. I’m only s’posed to ride with her unless she tells me. I’m scared something’s happened to her, Jake.” His bottom lip started to quiver as tears filled his eyes.

“Chris, come on! Hurry.” The Potters had the car loaded. Glenn was climbing into the driver’s seat.

Jake took Chris by the hand and walked him over to the car. “He says Carly told him to wait here.”

Tracy leaned out the window. “It’s okay this time, Chris. This is an emergency. Willa’s sick, and we’ve got to hurry. She might have eaten something poisonous.”

Chris tugged on Jake’s hand. “Maybe you can stay with me till my mom gets here. Please, Jake?”

It was a no-brainer. He wasn’t about to refuse, but he wasn’t sure the Potters would leave Chris alone with him.

“I’ll wait with you, if it’s okay with the Potters.”

If Carly failed to show, he could always drive Chris to Twilight himself. He wasn’t going to panic over what might have happened to Carly. She was probably stuck at work or already on the way.