Night Waves (3 page)

Cali turned to head back to her car and spotted something lying partially submerged in the sand at the end of the driveway. She walked over to it and discovered the tip of a piece of paper. She carefully pinched the edge and lifted it. A picture of a black and white lighthouse appeared on the side of the rectangular paper. Cali read the lettering on the front, “Coral Isle Lighthouse admission. Wednesday, August 14th.” Her heart leapt. Serena had been here that day last week. She scanned the rest of the ticket, and her breath caught as she whispered, “Admission for two.” Serena had gone to the lighthouse, and she had not been alone.

With a pounding heart, Cali climbed into her car intending to head straight for the lighthouse, but soon realized she had no idea where to find it. At the corner of the beach road, she stopped and let the engine idle. She could tell Sheriff Justice about the ticket stub, but she was afraid he would try to keep her from going there and asking the staff questions. Deciding she would like to have a chance to check into the lighthouse personally, Cali made a right turn, heading back to the motel to check the phone book for the Coral Isle Lighthouse’s location.

Driving back, Cali’s thoughts ran through a maze of possibilities. Who could Serena have gone to the lighthouse with? As far as Cali knew, Serena didn’t have any friends coming to visit during her vacation. Had she met someone? Had that someone kidnapped her?

A horn blew, jerking Cali out of her thoughts. She looked up, barely in time to stop at a red light. Her hands shook, and she gripped the steering wheel tighter. “Stay focused, Cali, or you won’t be able to find Serena.” The rest of the drive back she stayed alert and forced herself to pay attention to the road.

When she arrived at her motel, she rushed in and found the phone book. Flipping through the pages with shaky hands, she found and circled the number to the lighthouse. She dialed and waited for someone to pick up, but a message came over the line. “We’re sorry; the Coral Isle Lighthouse is closed on Mondays. Please call back.” Cali hung up. Her heart sank at the unexpected delay. She flopped onto the bed as the initial rush of adrenaline from finding the ticket dissipated, leaving her completely drained.

She closed her eyes and took deep, calming breaths, promising herself she would check into it first thing in the morning. She explored the options of what she could do with the remainder of the day, but came up blank as exhaustion claimed her. She hadn’t eaten and her stomach rumbled in protest, but too tired to do anything about it, she curled on her side and drifted to sleep.

By the time Cali woke, the sun had set and faint moonlight seeped into the motel’s small window. She groped through the darkness and flipped on the bedside lamp. As her eyes adjusted, her mind kicked into high gear again, and thoughts of Serena’s whereabouts caused the tension in her muscles to come back in force.

Yawning and stretching, Cali climbed from the bed, stepped to the window, and spotted the calm water in the illuminated pool. It looked refreshing, and it only took a moment for her to decide a swim was what she needed.

Night Waves

Cali stepped out of the air-conditioned room and the thick humidity slammed into her. The salty air clung to her skin and sand rubbed between her toes as she walked across the parking lot to the small, deserted pool. Dropping her towel on a white, plastic lounger, she tucked the room key safely inside the folds.

Sliding into the pool, she noticed the nightlights illuminating her form under the clear water, making her self-conscious, and glad she was the only one in the pool. Cali ducked her head under the refreshing water and swam as far as she dared without taking a breath. Popping out of the water and catching a fresh lungful of air, she continued swimming across the length of the bean-shaped pool. She let the movements calm her and stretch out her tension-filled muscles.

As her energy depleted, she slowed and looked into the star speckled sky. Floating on her back, she let the familiarity of the rising moon comfort her.

“You called?” a deep voice sounded above her head.

Cali nearly swallowed a mouthful of water. She jerked upright and twisted around. Sheriff Justice stood at the edge of the pool, peering down with a white bag stuffed under the crook of his arm. She lifted her eyebrows, trying to make sense of what he said.

“You called asking for me at the station earlier.”

Cali remembered placing the call to the sheriff, and she remembered the kind woman answering the call, but could not remember why she had called.

The pool lights reflected off his face, flickering on the wide jaw-line and angled features. A mirthful smile replaced the grim line she had seen on his lips earlier, and the furrow in his brow had disappeared, creating a magnificent view. Completely at a loss for words, Cali simply stared at his handsome face.

“Remember me?”

“Uh…O-of course I do,” she sputtered.

His smile broadened. “Sorry I couldn’t call you back earlier. We had a beach rescue that took several hours to resolve. I’m on my way home now, and I thought I’d stop by and see what you called about.”

“OK,” she answered, but she still couldn’t remember specifically why she called. Feeling like a bumbling idiot, she closed her mouth and ducked under the water. She wracked her brain as she sprang from the side of the pool and swam underwater, trying to come up with the answer. Lifting her head, she blamed exhaustion for not remembering.

Sheriff Justice followed and met her at the shallow end of the pool. After wiping the dripping water from her eyes, she grasped the edge and waylaid his question with one of her own. “How did you know where to find me?”

“It’s a small island. It wasn’t hard.” He shrugged as if the answer didn’t matter. “I brought drinks and a sub-sandwich. You can have half of the sub.”

Cali started to shake her head, but when he sat on one of the lounge chairs and pulled out the sandwich, the smell of hot pepperoni, salami and melted cheeses made her mouth water.

“You need to eat.” Sheriff Justice leaned forward and handed half of the sandwich and a napkin to her. He settled into the lounger and took a big bite of the other half.

She didn’t argue. “Thanks.” She leaned forward to keep any crumbs from landing in the water and sunk her teeth into it, savoring the strong, salty taste. After a few bites, guilt swarmed through her. Serena was probably hungry and scared, while she swam in a pool and ate dinner next to a handsome sheriff. She set down the sandwich on the napkin and dusted the crumbs from her hands.

“Not eating won’t help you find her.”

Cali’s gaze automatically shot to his. He had read her mind perfectly.

“You have to take care of yourself. Or, you can’t take care of anyone else.” He said the words smoothly, as if he spoke or heard them often.

“I understand the concept. But, it’s hard when I feel like I should be out there searching for her.”

“I have people out there searching. Trust me to do my job, Cali.”

She didn’t want to start an argument now that he appeared to be in a more relaxed state than he was in at the office, so she kept her tone neutral. “It’s not about trusting you or anyone else. It’s about me doing what I can do to find her. I can’t sit back idly wondering what’s happening to her.”

“You’ve already helped by answering Deputy Owen’s questions, and mine.”

Her eyes widened. “That’s why I called you. I wanted to give you more information about Serena.”

“What kind of information?” He took another large bite of his sandwich.

She lifted one shoulder. “I know her. I could help you in deciding where to look.”

“Where we look is determined by the evidence we find.”

“So, where has the evidence led you so far?” She asked as she began eating again.

A slow smile spread across his lips, but his features became guarded. “Nice try. Do I need to keep reminding you I can’t tell you the details?”

“Can’t or won’t?” She shoved away from the edge of the pool to tread water. When his eyes roamed over the length of her, she remembered the pool lights acted like spotlights on her body. Embarrassed, she swam back to the edge.

Sheriff Justice looked away as if caught doing something he shouldn’t, finished the last bite of his dinner, crumpled the paper wrapper into a ball and set it aside. “If I think you might have information about her that would help in a specific circumstance, I’ll call you.”

“Did you know Serena’s a vegetarian?”

He didn’t answer.

“Did you know she likes to go horseback riding?”

He still didn’t answer.

“Did you know she enjoys sitting on the beach at night and watching the stars come out?”

“Cali.” He leaned forward, laced his fingers together and lowered his voice, “I understand what you’re trying to do, and I appreciate it. But, we have information you don’t have.”

“And I have information you don’t have. Why won’t you let me help?”

A jaw muscle twitched. “Tell you what. Write down everything you know about her. Things you think will help us find her. Drop it by the station tomorrow, and I’ll take a look at it.”

“I can do that. But it’s still not the same. If you take me with you—”

“You don’t give up do you?” He unlaced his fingers and leaned back, crossing his arms. “Taking you with me is not an option.”

Convinced she had reached an impasse with him, she redirected the conversation. “I went to the cottage today.”

“The cottage?” He took a swig from a bottle of water while passing an unopened one to her.

Cali took the offered drink, and then drank half of it when she discovered how thirsty she had become. “The cottage Serena rented.”

Sheriff Justice’s brow furrowed as he bolted from his seat, took a step toward her, and held his hand out. A grim line of determination slid across his lips. “You need to get out of the pool. It’s time we had a serious discussion.”

“Fine by me.” Cali lifted her hand.

Nick secured her by the wrist. He lifted her out easily with one arm, and set her directly in front of him. The pool water ran in rivulets down her skin, tempting his eyes to follow their descent. He already had a good idea of how well she filled out the swimsuit she wore from seeing her in the water. But now, with mere inches separating them, there was no room for doubt. She looked amazing.

“Sheriff?” she asked as she crossed her arms.

Broken out of his trance, he turned and grabbed her beach towel from the chair. Her room key dropped out and clattered to the concrete. Nick tossed the towel to her and turned to pick up the key, giving himself a moment for a mental shake.

Coral Isle’s recent abductions gave him enough to worry about without adding any complications to the mix, and his attraction to Cali Stevens was definitely a complication. Clenching his jaw, he tucked the key into his pocket and turned back to face her. He crossed his arms and set his feet wide apart, trying to look more intimidating than he felt.

“You went snooping around Serena’s rental cottage?”

“Not snooping. Investigating.” She tucked the towel around her, tilted her chin higher and tapped her right foot.

Nick took a step forward. She retreated. One more inch, and she would be in the pool. “You put up a brave front Cali. But, you’re not as fearless as you’d like me to believe. Are you?”

“W-why do you say that?”

Nick lowered his eyes to the base of her throat. “This,” he pressed his finger on her pounding pulse, “gives you away.”

A slight blush rose up her cheeks. She tightened the towel and edged back again, losing her balance. Nick reached an arm around her waist, pulling her forward. She landed against his chest. Her eyes widened as she sucked in a breath.

Nick had the sudden urge to keep her pressed against him, which both confused and irritated him. He pulled her away from the edge of the pool, and then stepped back to put some distance between them. “You should be more careful.”

“You put me in the position to fall.”

“You put yourself in a position to fall. You should never have gone to the cottage, Cali. It wasn’t a smart move.”

“Oh, yeah? What if I told you I found something that may help us find her?”

“What?”

“I found a ticket stub. I think she went to the Coral Isle Lighthouse last Wednesday. And she wasn’t alone.”

“You think so?”

“Yes. It was a ticket for two admissions.”

“I know.”

Her brows lifted. “You do?” she asked in a high-pitched voice.

“Yes. She went with a neighbor who had rented a cottage next door to her.”

“Did you interrogate this neighbor?”

“Well,” Nick rubbed his hand across the scratchy stubble on his jaw, “I didn’t exactly handcuff the elderly woman and haul her to the station, but I did ask her questions.”

“Elderly woman?” The hope in Cali’s eyes dwindled, and he felt a twinge of regret.

“Yes, elderly. She and Serena went to visit the lighthouse together. It was no big deal.” He tilted his head and lowered his voice, “Cali, I know you think you’re helping, but the man who took her is dangerous. You need to stop snooping around before you get hurt.”

“Tell me what you know about him.”

“I know you don’t want to cross paths with him.”

“That’s original.” Cali flipped her long hair behind her shoulders and began tapping her right foot again. “Why don’t you tell me something I don’t know?”

Nick clenched his hands into fists and crossed his arms. Shaking his head, he said, “You have no idea what this man is capable of.”

“If you tell me, then I’d know wouldn’t I?”

He ground his teeth and sighed as his irritation grew. “It’s getting late. I’ll walk you back to your room.” He turned on his heel and picked up the water bottles, napkin and the sandwich wrapper, dumping them into the poolside trash can before facing her again.

“So that’s it? You won’t tell me anything?”

“No. I can’t tell you anything. Not yet.”

Cali looked away, took in a deep breath and walked past him out of the pool gate. He let her lead the way back to her rented room. Stopping in front of the door, she wrapped her arms around herself and studied her toes.

Nick slipped the key into the slot and turned it, opening the door an inch. When she moved to step inside, he caught her slender arm in his grasp. “Stop snooping, Cali. Don’t put yourself at risk.”

Her full lips tightened. “I can take care of myself.”

“Yeah? That’s probably what Serena thought, too.”

A brief flash of pain crossed her eyes before they became guarded.

“Listen Cali, I’m only trying to keep you safe. It’s my duty to protect you.”

Renewed determination swirled in her eyes along with a spark of anger. “Yeah? Well, don’t do me any favors. It was your duty to protect Serena too. And look what happened to her.”

Night Waves