Man from Half Moon Bay (17 page)

Jordan nodded. “The possibility is there. The police seem to think he studies his victims carefully and would have known Penny was your friend as well as your employer. If Kemp was clever, he’d try to use her for information or hostage purposes.”

“He’s not clever.” Sara pulled on her sweater to try to ward off the chill that was creeping through her. “But he does have a certain animal cunning.
He
is
an animal. If you’d seen the pictures of what he did to those poor women. Oh, Lord, Penny!”

“I hope to heaven the police are wrong,” Jordan said. “But we can’t help Penny from here, and it’s you we have to worry about now. You’re his primary target, and he may have forced Penny to tell him where you are.”

“Not Penny. She’d die before she’d—” Sara broke off, and covered her mouth with a trembling hand. “He’ll kill her, Jordan. Maybe he has already.”

“We don’t know that.” He pulled her to her feet. “But we do know this island isn’t safe for you any longer. Go back to the house and tell Cam we have to leave.”

“All right,” she said numbly. She left the cabin and moved dazedly toward the gangplank. She heard Jordan’s footsteps on the deck behind her as he followed her. Then the sound of his footsteps stopped abruptly and he gave a low exclamation. She turned to look at him and saw that he was gazing out to sea, vigilance tensing his every muscle. “Is something wrong?” She followed his gaze and saw a small sailboat on the horizon.

“No,” he said quickly. He crossed the distance between them in three strides, then his hand was beneath her elbow, propelling her down the gangplank. “It’s just a fisherman. Hurry and get to Cam.”

She found herself hurrying down the pier, swept away by the urgency in his voice. She glanced back as she reached the shore. He was still standing
there watching her. “Hurry,” he said again. “Get to Cam.”

She nodded and started at a half trot up the hill.

Get to Cam.

The words repeated over and over in her mind. Even through the bewilderment and horror that clouded her thinking she was aware there was something wrong with his phrasing.

She reached the summit of the hill and started down the other side. Why hadn’t Jordan told her to go for Cam instead of get
to
Cam? It was as if he didn’t mean her to fetch Cam but was sending her to Cam for safety.

The fisherman.

Her pace faltered as a bolt of sheer panic flashed through her. How could she have been so thickheaded? What fisherman would risk this wild surf in a flimsy sailboat? But Kemp would risk it. Kemp wouldn’t care; nothing would stop him.

Jordan would die for you
, Penny had said.

“No!”

Sara whirled and tore back up the hill. Her breath was coming in painful gasps as she reached the summit and paused to look down at the pier. The sailboat was tied up but there was no sign of an occupant. She couldn’t see Jordan either. Her gaze desperately searched the pier before moving to the shore.

Steel glittered in the sunlight.

Two figures were struggling on the rocks—Jordan and the man at whom she had stared in
fascinated horror during those months in that New York courtroom. A sob of terror broke from her throat as she started running down the hill. Kemp had a knife. What if he killed Jordan before she managed to reach them?

He’d die for you.

No, Jordan mustn’t die. She had to stop Kemp before he killed him. But she was still so far away.

“Kemp!” she screamed. “I’m here!”

Did he hear her? The two men were still struggling, and as she watched, Kemp’s knife was creeping toward Jordan’s throat.

She screamed his name again. “Kemp!”

He heard her! He lifted his head and saw her.

“Sara, don’t!” Jordan’s desperate voice.

Kemp hesitated, his knife poised over Jordan’s throat. Then he was off Jordan and running toward Sara.

She hesitated. Which way? Fear and uncertainty froze her in place.

“Run, Sara!” Jordan was on his feet, dashing after Kemp, trying to reach him before the man reached Sara. He mustn’t do that, Sara thought frantically. Kemp might reverse his moves any second. She turned left and ran down toward the shore, trying to lead Kemp away from Jordan.

The rocks were so slippery. She had fallen once. What if she fell now? Kemp was right behind her. She could hear him cursing.…

Tears were streaming down her cheeks. She didn’t want to die. Was this how those other
women had felt before he plunged his knife into their flesh? What if she fell?

“Bitch. Bitch. Bitch.” Kemp’s litany pounded on her from behind. “Die, bitch. You’re going to die. You and that other brown-haired whore on the boat. Bitch. Bitch.”

She slipped. Recovered her balance. Kept on running.

A hoarse snarl of triumph behind her. He sounded closer.

He
was
closer. Running faster.

“No!” Jordan’s shout. “Kemp, you bastard. Me!”

Jordan meant Kemp was to take his life instead of hers, she realized through a panicky haze. He must know Kemp was going to catch her or he wouldn’t sound so frightened. Kemp was too fast. He wouldn’t stop. He never stopped.

A startled scream pierced through her raw terror. Was she screaming? No, it was someone else. Jordan? She risked a frantic glance over her shoulder. Jordan had tackled Kemp and, as she watched, Kemp lost his balance and toppled into the sea with a tremendous splash.

She stopped, her breath coming in shuddering gasps.

Kemp was struggling wildly, his arms thrashing to keep himself above the surface. His pale blue eyes protruded from his chalky face as his gaze fastened on her with hatred. “Bitch,” he shouted. His mouth filled with water and he choked and gasped, but as soon as he could breathe he shouted it again, “Bitch!”

He was jerked beneath the surface of the water as if pulled by the tentacles of a giant octopus.

He didn’t come up again.

Jordan was beside her, enfolding her with trembling arms. “Sara! My God, why? He almost killed you.”

Her arms slid around him and held on to him with all her strength. She burrowed her head into his shoulder. “He’s dead, isn’t he? The riptide …”

“He’s dead.” Jordan’s voice was trembling as much as his body. “It could have been you in the water. It could have been you.” His lips were pressing frantic kisses on her temples and cheeks. “You almost fell …”

She released him and turned to look at the place in the water where Kemp had disappeared. “I’m glad he’d dead,” she whispered. “I’m glad he can’t hurt anyone else. All those poor women …” She stiffened as the memory of Kemp’s words returned to her. “Penny.” She turned and started back to the pier at a dead run. “We’ve got to find out if he’s hurt Penny!”

“What do you think?” Penny touched her cut, swollen lip gingerly as she gazed ruefully at her bruised face in the hand mirror. “Do I look like Muhammed Ali or Sugar Ray Leonard? I think Leonard. Ali never got this beat up in his entire career.”

“Don’t joke.” Sara took the hand mirror and laid it facedown on the kitchen table. “I feel guilty
enough knowing that it was my fault Kemp did this to you.” She gently applied salve to Penny’s cut lip. “I was so afraid he’d murdered you. When we found you tied up on that sailboat, you looked absolutely beautiful to me.”

Penny made a face. “You looked pretty good to me too after looking at nothing but Kemp’s ugly mug for almost forty-eight hours.”

“How did it happen?”

Penny shrugged. “He was more crafty than we all thought. He knew the New York police had set him up and he decided to make sure he didn’t fall into the trap. He showed up at
World Report
pretending to be a maintenance man and scouted around until he found out you’d left town and I’d been the one Mac told to handle getting you away. Then he paid a visit to my apartment and managed to get a key from the super by masquerading as an inspector from the gas company, sent to check on a reported leak.”

“How could he do that? Your apartment usually has great security.”

“His face,” she said simply. “He has the most ordinary face I’ve ever seen. He looks like the man who picks up your garbage or checks you out at the grocery store. He was very convincing whatever role he played.” She tried to smile. “However, he didn’t appear quite so ordinary to me after he’d worked on me for a while. He wanted to know where you’d gone and became quite upset when I told him to go to hell. Unfortunately, when
he searched my apartment he found the receipt from the helicopter service.”

“Dammit, Penny, you should have told him where I’d gone and let me take my chances.”

“It wouldn’t have done any good,” she said wearily. “Then he would have taken great delight in slitting my throat. Until he was sure he knew where you were, I was safe. The phone practically rang off the hook that first day, and I was hoping Jordan would realize something was wrong and be on guard.” She looked at Sara inquiringly. “Where is Jordan? I haven’t seen him since the two of you brought me up to the house.”

“He’s down at the launch. He and Cam are radioing the police to tell them about Kemp.” Sara stepped back and gazed at Penny’s face in discontent. “That’s all I can do. You really should see a doctor.”

“No,” Penny said as she quickly stood up. “I’ll be fine. I’m going to take a shower and wash my hair before I radio Mac.” She turned away with a shiver. “Kemp was … I don’t know if I’ll ever feel really clean again.”

“Thank you, Penny,” Sara said quietly. “I know the words are inadequate, but they’re all I have to give you. I only hope someday I can repay you.”

“I don’t want to be repaid, it was my choice to help you.” Penny said, glancing back over her shoulder. “And I’d do it again. I learned something very important in the last forty-eight hours.”

“What?”

Penny smiled crookedly. “That there are no sanctuaries except those we have within ourselves.”

Sara watched Penny leave the kitchen, then turned back to replace the salve in the open first-aid kit on the table. It was over. It was difficult to believe the deadly threat that Kemp represented was in the past. He had haunted her for such a long time.

“How is she?”

Sara turned to see Cam standing in the doorway, his face clouded with concern. “She says she’s fine but it’s not true. I think that monster did more damage to her mind than he did to her body.” She closed the first-aid kit with a firm click. “Penny’s a survivor. It will take time, but she’ll work her way through it.”

“And you’ll be there to help her,” he said gently.

“You bet I will. All the way.” She turned to smile at him. “Why didn’t Jordan come with you?”

“He’s getting the launch ready to leave. He told me to come and tell you—”

Panic zipped through her. “Leave!” Her eyes were suddenly flashing with anger. “Hasn’t there been enough trouble without Jordan deciding this is the time to sail off into the sunset?”

“Sara, I didn’t say—”

She wasn’t listening to him. “I can’t believe it. Well, I’m not about to let him go off and …” The words trailed behind her as she ran from the room.

•   •   •

“You’re not leaving.” Sara strode down the pier, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “Do you hear me, Jordan? I’ll be damned if I’ll let you leave me.”

Jordan turned to face her, startled. “How’s Penny?”

“She could be better,” Sara said curtly. “I don’t want her to be alone right now, so I can’t be bothered to chase you halfway across the world. You’ll just have to stay with me.”

A faint smile touched his lips. “How militant you’re being. What if I don’t choose to stay? Will I be chained to your wrist like a diplomat’s briefcase?”

“If necessary.” She blinked back tears of anger and exhaustion. “I’ll do anything I can to keep you here. It’s stupid of you to even think of leaving me when you love me. And you do love me. Why don’t you admit it?”

“I love you,” he said obediently.

“You’re so damned frightened that I’m going to be hurt—” She stopped and tried to steady her voice. “Well, if you don’t stay with me, I’ll get Penny and Mac to give me the most dangerous assignments they can dredge up. Beirut, investigative reporting, drug running.”

The smile disappeared from Jordan’s face. “The hell you will.”

“And if they won’t do it, I’ll quit and go to work for a magazine that will.”

“Suicide assignments?” Jordan asked grimly.

“Not suicide. I’d try my best to stay alive. I told you I wasn’t like your mother.” She took a step
closer, her eyes glistening like misty emeralds as she gazed up at him. “I’m strong enough to stand alone, but I’ll be damned if I want to. So I’m going to exert a little muscle. The only way you’re ever going to know I’m moderately safe is if you’re by my side.” The tears that had been brimming were now running down her cheeks. “Penny said the only sanctuary was within ourselves, but that’s not true. If you love someone, that can be a sanctuary too.
You’re
my sanctuary, and my safety, and the place that gives me pleasure and strength and—” Her voice broke. “Do you think I’ll ever let you take that away from me?”

“Evidently not.” Tenderness softened the hard planes of his face, and the way that he was looking at her was beautiful. He took her into his arms. “You’re a very formidable lady.”

“Only when I’m driven crazy by a stubborn, muddled man who—”

His fingers on her lips stemmed the tirade. “Stop maligning me. I was
not
leaving you. I only thought we should get Penny off the island to see a doctor. You’ve won.”

She went still. “I have?”

“If you call living the rest of your life with a man like me any kind of victory. You’ll probably regret it next month or next year.”

“I’ll never regret it.” Her gaze searched his face. “Why?”

“Kemp,” he said. “I’d never seen you that close to death, even when you fell and hit your head. It was something I’d always dreaded, my worst nightmare,
and there it was before me. I knew then that if you lived, I’d never be strong enough to let you go again. I’d always have to be wherever you were, right next to you to try to help you and keep you safe.” He paused before adding haltingly, “And happy. Lord, I’ll try to keep you happy, Sara.”