Night Waves (5 page)

Cali laughed. “I guess I should.” She hesitated. “Inside where?”

The woman pointed to the right. “Over there. Past that dune.”

Looking closely, Cali’s heart raced. Thank you, Lord. She had found her next destination.

Night Waves

The sight of the well-populated, quaint beachfront restaurant restored Cali’s hope. A large teal and white striped canvas awning provided a barrier to the midday sun, while an array of decorative aluminum patio tables and chairs invited beachgoers to walk up in their swimsuits and sandals to enjoy a casual meal. Cali stepped into the shade, instantly relieved to be out of the direct sunlight. She felt a slight breeze coming from several ceiling fans spinning in lazy circles overhead.

She removed her sunglasses and noticed a handwritten sign that read, ‘please seat yourself’.’ She scanned the outdoor tables and found every one of them full. Her latent appetite awakened and hit full force as her gaze landed on a set of young men. A large, oval plate full of French fries topped with layers of melted cheddar cheese and crumbles of real bacon sat between them, and the smell of the salty fries and freshly cooked bacon made her mouth water. Her empty stomach tactfully reminded her it was time to eat. Forcing her gaze from the sinful sight, she immediately witnessed another.

A tray filled with a wide assortment of foods ranging from fried onion rings and grilled hamburgers to tossed salads and colorful side vegetables sat behind her, ready to be distributed. Cali caught her gaze scanning the tray and forced her focus away from the tempting plates. With nothing more than her keys and Serena’s picture in her pockets, she considered turning around and heading back to her car to retrieve some money for lunch. After a moment, she decided she could wait for food; finding a lead to Serena’s location was much more important.

She passed through the patio and walked inside the restaurant. Standing in the doorway, she let her eyes adjust to the inside lighting. Scanning the interior of the restaurant, her hopes of speaking to the staff diminished as she caught sight of how they scrambled to keep up with customers’ orders. Her only hope in grabbing their attention was to find a table and wait for one of them to come to her.

Cali searched the room, and her gaze landed on several conversation-filled customers as they dined and enjoyed their meals. Then her gaze caught on a familiar face and stopped in mid-scan. Sheriff Justice sat at a corner table, his deep-blue eyes already locked onto her. Her heart lurched into high gear, as if it had an agenda of its own, and she sucked in a deep breath forcing herself not to look away. Considering his profession, he had probably been aware of her presence since the moment she stepped through the door. Most lawmen were keen observers, and it was obvious that Sheriff Justice was no exception.

A deputy sitting across the table from the sheriff turned to see what had captured his boss’s attention. With both sets of eyes on her, Cali felt self-conscious, as she stood immobile in the doorway of the hectic restaurant.

Sheriff Justice lifted his head a notch to acknowledge her, and then waved her toward his table. She wanted to ignore his gesture, to ignore his presence altogether. But, considering every other table was occupied, and she still owed him an apology, her conscience prodded her forward, one leaden step at a time.

As she neared the table, Sheriff Justice stood and pulled out a chair. Her face warmed at the thoughtful gesture, which made her feel even more like her statement the previous night had been out of line. She took the offered seat and settled into it as he returned to his chair.

“This is Deputy Owen,” Sheriff Justice indicated the officer sitting to her left.

She turned to greet the deputy and shook the hand he offered. Arrogance showed through the flashy smile he produced. His palm felt cool against her heated skin, and his gentle grip lingered as he said, “It’s nice to meet you in person.” His smile temporarily widened his long, narrow face as his gaze darted to the front of her yellow tank top then back to her eyes.

Cali recognized his voice as the one she had spoken to over the phone about Serena’s disappearance. He sounded pleasant enough over the phone, but something about him in person made her uneasy. She pulled her hand away, wary of the unusually long greeting.

She glanced at Sheriff Justice. A crease formed across his forehead and his jaw tightened. He leaned forward in his seat. “You need to get back to the station, Deputy.”

“But we haven’t ordered…”

Sheriff Justice’s pointed look silenced the man’s protest. Deputy Owen retrieved his hat from where it rested on the table. “I’ll go and see if any new information has come in regarding Ms. Taylor’s case.” He looked at Cali. “Don’t worry ma’am. We’ll find her.” He took one more glance at the sheriff, stood and strutted away.

“You didn’t have to make him leave,” Cali said, but felt a sense of relief that he had.

“His pride will recover.” He held out a menu.

Cali shook her head. “I’m not staying for lunch.”

A challenge sparked in his eyes as he set the menu in front of her. “If you didn’t come here for lunch, then why are you here?”

She swallowed a lump forming in her throat. He would not like the truth, but she found it impossible to skirt around. “I came to find answers.”

Sheriff Justice leaned closer, crossing his arms and placing them on the table. “I told you to stay out of this investigation.” His determination showed through his unwavering blue-eyed censure.

“I know.” Cali began to feel trapped. She set her jaw, shrugged her shoulders and defended herself. “But, someone has to do something.”

A corner of his mouth lifted. “Your confidence in my abilities is overwhelming.”

Taken aback at his direct appraisal, she said, “Look. I’m only being honest. I think you could be doing more to find her.”

“More?”

“Yes, more. How much time are you wasting here having lunch when you could be out looking for her?”

“I’m not wasting time by being here.”

A young, bleached-blonde waitress appeared at the table. Her mouth turned into a syrupy smile as her focus landed on the sheriff. She set a glass of water in front of him. “What can I do for you, Sheriff? I mean…get for you?” she purred sweetly.

Good grief. Cali held back a sigh. The way the twenty-something woman fawned over him instantly annoyed her. She couldn’t pinpoint why it bothered her, but it did. She recognized the sheriff’s appeal, but the way the girl flirted with him was nauseating.

He acknowledged the waitress then looked directly at Cali. Nodding his head he said, “Ladies first.”

Cali shook her head and slid her chair back preparing to leave, knowing she didn’t have a way to pay for her meal. Sheriff Justice placed his large, warm hand on her forearm to keep her from leaving. “It’s my treat. Order what you’d like.”

Finding no way to make a graceful exit without causing a scene, she relented. “All right.” She pulled her chair back to the table and glanced at the daily specials on the menu. She looked at the waitress, who eyed her sullenly. “I’ll take the chicken salad croissant sandwich with fries.”

Sheriff Justice ordered a turkey club sandwich with fries, and the woman turned to leave, swinging her hips side to side a little more than necessary. Cali turned back to meet the sheriff’s tight expression. A small part of her was glad he had completely ignored the waitress’s attempts to gain his attention.

He leaned back and clasped his hands in front of him. “So if I’m wasting my time here, aren’t you wasting yours, too?”

“No. I came here for something more than food.”

He quirked an eyebrow.

“I wanted to find out if anyone who works here has seen Serena. Since this place is so close to the cottage she rented, I have a feeling she might have come here a time or two. Maybe she came here with someone. Maybe with a man. I have so many questions…”

“Speaking of questions, I have one for you. How many times did you talk to Serena while she was on vacation?”

Cali felt a pang of guilt. “Once. And only for a few minutes. I had a deadline on an article. I should’ve taken the time to talk longer.”

“Did she mention meeting anyone?”

She sighed heavily. “You know she didn’t. It’s in the report. Deputy Owen already asked me.”

“I know he did. But sometimes when I ask someone a question, they don’t have a complete, detailed answer until they’ve had time to think it over.”

Cali knew that to be true from her experience as a reporter. “That’s why I always give people I interview my card. They often call me later with details they’ve forgotten.”

“So you see why I asked.”

“Yes, I do.”

The waitress appeared and refilled Sheriff Justice’s glass of water. Funny how
she didn
’
t bother to ask me what I wanted to drink. Sheriff Justice must have noticed too, because he spoke up and asked the waitress to bring another glass of water.

Once again, startled by his thoughtfulness, Cali felt heat climb her cheeks. She still needed to apologize, but wasn’t quite ready to do it. Looking for a distraction, she caught the waitress’s attention and read the name on her tag. “Jillian.” Cali lifted Serena’s picture from her pocket. “Have you seen this woman before?”

Jillian’s big, brown eyes darted to the picture briefly. Looking back at Cali she said, “Yeah.”

Cali sat straighter as her heart leapt into overdrive. She gave the young woman her full attention. “When?”

“When the sheriff showed me her picture yesterday. And when he showed me her picture again today.”

Cali parted her lips, but the questions she had formed in her mind lodged in her throat, leaving her mouth hanging wide.

Apparently, the waitress enjoyed seeing her squirm because she scoffed, “What’s the matter? Did the law man beat you to the investigation?” Jillian turned on her heel and sashayed away again. With wide eyes, Cali turned to meet the sheriff’s unreadable expression.

He leaned forward. “Did you really think I was only here for lunch? I want to find Ms. Taylor…Serena as much as you do.”

Embarrassed beyond reason, Cali found it hard to look him in the eye. She looked at the table, discovering a tiny breadcrumb on the tablecloth. She swiped it away, giving herself a moment to recover. He lifted his glass of water and took a long swallow before setting it back on the table. Her gaze followed his thumb as it caressed the condensation from the crystal-clear glass he still held. A bolt of awareness shot through her, making it difficult to remain focused on the words of apology she had formulated. Gathering her courage, she began to speak, but the waitress intervened when she returned with their food.

After setting their plates on the table, Jillian turned her back on Cali. “Is there anything else I can get for you Sheriff?”

Cali resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

“Not for me. Cali?”

“I’d like a bottle of ketchup, please.”

Jillian walked away without a word.

Cali took a bite of her fries then reached for the salt. “Do you come here often?”

“Not usually. Why?”

“The waitress seems to be rather fond of you.”

A deep chuckle rumbled from his chest and a striking smile landed on his face. “I’ve been in here a few times recently, and she’s been my waitress more than once. She’s never acted like this before, but this is the first time I’ve been here with a woman. I think she’s jealous.”

Cali wasn’t sure why that statement sent a spiral of satisfaction through her veins, but it did. Looking for a diversion from the unexpected emotion, she took a bite of her croissant. After swallowing she asked, “So, how did things turn out with Old Man Kingsley?”

His eyebrows lifted. “How do you know…? Oh, Helen,” he answered his own question as if he should have known to begin with. “It wasn’t so bad. This time I didn’t even have to arrest him.”

“Did he shoot at you?”

“No. He’s mostly talk.” He ate a French fry before taking a bite of his thick, layered sandwich.

“Mostly? How did you calm him down?”

“I gave him what he wants.”

“You’re removing the speed bump?”

He grinned. “No. He just wants someone to listen to him. Really listen.”

“That’s all?”

“When he gets upset about something, he spouts off about his latest annoyance, and I listen. By time he’s done talking, he’s burned his own aggression out. I usually don’t have to do anything else.”

“You must have a lot of patience.” She lifted her napkin and patted her lips.

His gaze followed her motions. “It takes a lot of patience to do what I do.”

“I imagine it does.”

Cali had barely eaten a third of her sandwich before Sheriff Justice finished his and dug into his fries. Between bites he commented, “Brookstone isn’t too far from here. I’m surprised you haven’t come here on vacation before.”

“How do you know I haven’t?”

“Your dad told me.”

Cali choked on the food in her mouth. She looked for a glass, but since Jillian had conveniently forgotten her drink, she had nothing to help ease her spats of coughing.

“Take mine.” He scooted his glass over.

She hesitated for a fraction of a second before taking several sips of water. When her coughing eased she asked, “My dad told you? When?”

Finished with his fries, he set the napkin on his plate and set it aside. “When I called him this morning.”

“You called my father? Why?”

He shrugged. “I was hoping to talk him into bringing you home to Brookstone.”

She straightened, and her muscles tensed. “And?”

“And, he says he’s always encouraged you to make your own decisions and stick by them.”

Grateful for the support, her tension eased, and she beamed. “That’s my dad.”

His expression turned serious. “Even though he also wishes you would come home.”

Her smile faltered. “You both can forget it. I’m not leaving.”

He started to say something when Jillian magically appeared with the bill. “I hope everything was all right.” She set a bottle of ketchup in front of Cali and then immediately took both plates from the table.

“You have impeccable timing.” The words slipped from Cali’s lips before she could filter them.

“I’ve been told that before.” Jillian turned her syrupy smile on Cali.

“I’ll bet.”

Sheriff Justice gave a loud cough. “Thank you, Jillian.”