Night Waves (6 page)

The woman stepped to him and set a hand on his shoulder. “You’re more than welcome. I’m just sorry none of us here could help you find any of the women that have gone missing.” She shrugged her shoulders. “At least the others showed up eventually. This one probably will, too.”

His gaze shot to Cali a second after the waitress spoke the words.

She stared at him. Any of the
women?

Night Waves

Nick handed Jillian enough cash to cover the bill as Cali scooted her chair back and rushed toward the exit. He didn’t include a tip. “Next time, try being a little bit nicer to my companion.” He strode after Cali, ignoring the undignified words coming from Jillian’s mouth.

He easily caught up. “Don’t walk away from me.”

“If I don’t, I may end up saying something I’ll regret later. Or…saying something I won’t regret.” She continued to weave her way out of the restaurant, stepping around a few customers. She slammed her sunglasses onto her face, and stalked out of the protective covering of the awning.

“You sure do rile easily.”

Cali stopped and turned to face him. He stopped and stood at the edge of the patio decking waiting for her reply.

“I rile easily?” She stepped close with her head held high. “You should’ve told me about the other women.”

A sharp gasp erupted, and Nick glanced at a middle-aged woman sitting at a nearby patio table. He assumed she had overheard Cali’s last statement judging from the disapproving look she directed at him.

He ignored her.

“I would’ve thought you’d have figured it out on your own by now…seeing as how you are such an excellent investigative reporter and all.”

Another, louder gasp sounded beside him. This time he didn’t bother to acknowledge the disgruntled eavesdropper.

Color enflamed Cali’s cheeks, and a muscle worked in her jaw before she turned, stalking across the hot sand toward the pounding ocean surf.

“You must be exhausted,” he called out.

She stopped again and whirled around. Fury mixed with confusion in her eyes. He stood, balancing on one leg at a time as he ripped his shoes and socks off his feet, rolled up his pants legs and walked over.

The wind swept a tendril of hair across her cheek, and she jerked it aside as she waited. “What are you talking about?” She posted her hands on her hips.

Nick caught up with her in a few long strides. He shook his head slightly. “You must be exhausted,” he repeated, “from carrying such a heavy load on your shoulders.”

She creased her brow and turned, heading toward the water. He easily kept up with her fast, angry strides. After a moment, she had to make the decision to either stop or walk straight into the ocean. Although probably tempted to see how far he was willing to follow her, she stopped as soon as her feet hit the edge of the water and turned toward him again.

She simply stared with her chin held high. Waiting. Watching. Her pulse pounded at the base of her throat as she took in deep, ragged breaths.

Nick swept his gaze over her. “You’re not the one in charge. The sooner you learn that, the better off you’ll be.”

Her eyes narrowed and she fisted her hands at her sides. “If I were in charge, I would care about the people on my island.”

He tightened his jaw, looked away and drew in a deep breath, trying to reign in his rising temper. He ground out the words, “I wasn’t talking about me.”

“Will you stop talking in cryptic circles? Spell it out if you have to. What are you trying to say?”

He twisted to the side and threw his shoes and socks on the dry sand. When he turned back, he placed his hands on her shoulders, firm enough to keep her facing him, yet gentle enough to keep from hurting her. “I’m talking about God. He is in charge. Not you. Not me.”

The breath left her lungs in a rush. She shook her head. “I-I thought…”

His voice softened. “I know what my responsibilities are Cali. I also know my limitations. You don’t seem to have discovered yours yet.”

A large wave crashed along the shoreline, soaking the edges of Nick’s rolled up pants as it bubbled and churned its way along the sand. He released her shoulders. She swayed. He didn’t know if it was from the pull of the water as it receded back into the ocean, the relentless heat bearing down on her from the sun, or from the truth in the words he had spoken. He put a steadying arm around her waist and pulled her close, keeping her from falling into the rising tide.

His breath caught at the strong sensation of having her pressed against his side, and he fought to keep his mind where it should be.

Let her go.

Yet, his arm remained where it was, wrapped around her waist. She thrust away and stepped back, effectively helping him with his internal struggle. A myriad of emotions crossed her features.

He considered showing her the jagged scar on his left shoulder that provided a constant, aching reminder of his limitations. But, aside from stripping off his uniformed shirt and Kevlar vest in front of several tourists, he had no convenient way of showing her what had happened the night he had thought he could handle any situation alone.

“I understand you want to do everything you can to help find Serena. But, you’re trying to carry a load which isn’t yours to carry.”

“Yeah? And you’re trying to change the subject.”

Another errant wave crashed into them, causing her to stumble again. He started to reach for her, but stopped when she put up her hands in defense.

“Don’t.”

“Cali, I…”

“How many?”

“What?”

“How many women have been abducted?”

He hesitated only a moment. “Serena’s the third.”

“What happened to the other two?”

Nick had to be careful. He could not give out any more information than could already be found in the local newspapers. “They’ve been found.” The heat shimmering in her gaze turn into ice-cold fear. “Alive,” he added quickly.

Cali let out a sigh and some of the fear in her gaze abated. “When? What happened to them? Who took them?”

Nick nodded politely at a young man walking past them carrying a long surfboard. A mother rounded up her squealing toddler, keeping her from running full-force into the crashing waves. He glanced to the area behind him. The tourists continued filling the beachfront, settling in for the afternoon with beach towels, umbrellas and chairs.

He looked back to Cali and held his hands up. “Not here.”

“Why not here? Tell me. I have a right to know,” she raised her voice, drawing attention from several other people.

Her demand snapped his carefully controlled patience. He stepped close, forcing her to retreat. “Do you? And what gives you that right? Just because you live a privileged life back home as daddy’s little girl does not mean you have special privileges here on my island, and it does not give you the right to know the details of an ongoing investigation.”

Cali backed away. She opened her mouth, and then clamped it shut without saying a word.

Nick turned, grabbed his shoes and socks, and walked away before the moisture gathering in Cali’s eyes had a chance to breach his tight resolve, and make him feel more regrets than he already did.

Night Waves

“Dad?” Cali held her cell phone with shaky hands.

“Yes?”

“I want you to be honest with me.”

“About what?”

“If I wasn’t your daughter, would you have hired me as a reporter for the Brookstone Herald?”

“Why would you ask me something like that?”

“Because I need to know.”

“You’re good at your job, Cali. Don’t ever doubt it.”

“I don’t doubt I’m good at it. But you have to admit, I wouldn’t have been given the opportunity in the first place if you weren’t my dad.”

“Well, it is a family run business. That’s how things work.”

“Yes. But, I’d like to think I’ve earned my position at the Herald.”

“You have earned it. What’s all this about?”

“I don’t know.” She sighed and flopped back onto the bed in the motel room. Thankfully, the cleaning staff had changed the sheets on both mattresses today.

Bye-bye bed bugs.

She rubbed her forehead with her palm. “I think the heat’s getting to me.”

“Or maybe a certain officer of the law is getting to you?”

Cali sucked in a breath as her hand stilled. “How did you know?”

“I’m your dad remember? I can hear what you’re not telling me. Even halfway across the state. What happened?”

“He thinks I’m pampered. He thinks I…” her voice trailed off. He thinks I’m a daddy’s girl. Sheriff Justice’s opinion shouldn’t matter. But it did.

“Pampered? Is that what he said?”

“Not exactly. But he got me thinking about how much you and Mom have helped me out. With my job. With life. I just wonder where I’d be if I hadn’t had so much support.”

“So much support?” He let out a short laugh. “Honey, you’ve been the one supporting me for the last several years. Without you, this paper wouldn’t sell half as well as it does. Did you know our circulation increased by thirteen percent this past quarter?”

“That’s probably because Mrs. Welsby has stirred up trouble over the advice column. People are buying the paper to see what’s gotten her hose tied in knots.”

A raspy chuckle reverberated across the line. “Could be. But I think it has something to do with the new direction you’ve taken with your articles. We’ve had great feedback regarding the new human interest stories you’ve written in recent months.”

“You always know how to make me feel better.”

“I love you, hon’.”

“I love you too, Dad.” She took a breath, preparing to change the direction of the conversation. “I came across some new information today. Seems Serena’s not the only one who’s been abducted on Coral Isle recently.”

“No kidding?”

“No kidding.” Cali stood to pace the room as anxiety filled her once again. “I went to the library and checked out past issues of the local paper. There’s not much information, but I did find out two other women have been abducted recently. One in May, the other in July. One woman was in her mid-forties, the other was a teenager. They don’t appear to be connected in any way, except they were both on the island alone.”

“The teenaged girl was on the island alone?”

“She’d run away from home.”

“I see.”

“But listen to this. They both turned up after exactly two weeks.”

“Turned up?”

“Yes. The abductor released them. The victims said they have very few memories of what happened. Drugs are suspected.”

“What kind of drugs?”

“The paper didn’t specify.”

“They don’t remember what happened to them?”

“I don’t know. The paper was extremely vague. If I’d written the articles, they would’ve been much more detailed.”

“I don’t doubt it. Cali, maybe you should come back home. Let the sheriff handle it. It doesn’t sound safe to be there.”

She gritted her teeth and stopped pacing. Taking in a deep breath she said, “I have to find her.”

“I knew you were gonna say that. Listen, your mom just came in. Want to say hi?”

Cali didn’t have a chance to respond before her mother said, “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were leaving. What’s going on with Serena?”

“I know I should’ve called. I’m sorry. About Serena? It’s complicated. I’ll let Dad fill you in on it.” She didn’t have the energy to go into the details with her mother, or to deal with her reaction when she found out about the abductions. Guilt nibbled at her for leaving her father with the arduous task, but it was not enough to make her change her mind.

“Oh, I’ll never stop worrying about you. Are you eating enough? You don’t sound like it. You know how worn down you get when you don’t eat properly.”

“Mom. I’m fine.”

“Are you getting enough sleep?”

“Yes.” Cali listened to her mother’s worries and advice for a few more minutes before saying goodnight.

She flipped her phone closed and sank onto the bed, wondering if Sheriff Justice was right about her expectations. After living her whole life in a small town, around people who cared about her, maybe she did take certain things in life for granted.

Her thoughts strayed in multiple directions before she decided to flip on the television. Her mind needed a break as much as her body did. The mental stress had worn her down along with the hot, humid weather.

After discovering the remote control had been nailed to the end table sandwiched between the beds, it didn’t take long to loop through the whole eight channels of reception on the TV. The only one that caught her interest was the local weather. A newscaster stood in front of a large map of the area, pinpointing the white, swirling storm threatening the East Coast. The forecaster made a general guess at when and where the storm could hit, but it was too early to be concerned about it. Right now, her focus had to remain on finding Serena.

She turned off the television and listened to the monotonous sound of the air-conditioning unit rattling in the window. As hard as she tried to unwind, her mind kept running in endless circles. Even with her father’s reassurances, Sheriff Justice’s words haunted her. Maybe his statement had more truth to it than she cared to admit.

Did she live her life expecting special privileges? She could see how the sheriff had formed his opinion, especially since she had walked into his office a stranger and demanded everything he knew about Serena’s disappearance. Humility rose from somewhere deep inside, bringing with it another spurt of guilt.

Her tense muscles didn’t relax until she prayed for guidance and for Serena’s safe return. Snuggling deep under the covers, she didn’t try to fight sleep. Although it was barely seven o’clock, she soon drifted off into a dreamless oblivion.

What seemed like minutes later, her cell phone rang.

She flipped it open without looking at the caller ID. “Hello?” Her voice sounded low and raspy.

“Did I wake you?”

She bolted upright. “Sheriff?” Hearing his clear, deep voice caused an unexpected wave of goose bumps to travel up her arms. Not the creepy kind of goose bumps. But the good kind. The kind that made her nerve endings feel alive. An odd sensation considering she was still mad, even if his earlier words did have a ring of truth.

“Yeah. It’s me. Sorry to call so late.”

Cali automatically glanced at the bedside clock before she wiggled back under the covers and cleared her throat. “Is it ten-thirty already?” The darkness outside the window agreed with the time on the clock. “I must’ve fallen asleep.”

“I won’t keep you. I just wanted to let you know I’m holding a press conference tomorrow afternoon regarding the abductions. It’ll be on the local channels. You’ll have some of the answers you’ve been waiting for.”

Her heart pounded and she came fully awake. “So you do have more information?”

“A little. But not enough.”

“Can you tell me now?”

Sheriff Justice hesitated and blew out a breath. “No.”

“Why?” She had a feeling she already knew the answer. “Is it because I’m a reporter? You don’t trust I’ll keep it to myself?”

“We aren’t the only two people involved in this. Too much is at stake. You’ll have to wait until everyone else hears about it tomorrow.”

Cali felt a tinge of disappointment. “What can you tell the public tomorrow you can’t tell me now?”

He sighed. “Cali…”

Her newfound humility returned and she said, “Never mind. Forget I even asked. Sometimes I forget I’m not in my hometown, and you have no reason to trust me. You have no reason to treat me different from any other stranger on the street.”

His voice softened, “I was out of line earlier today on the beach. I’m sorry.”

Although she wanted to remain angry, the sincerity in his voice weakened her resolve. There hadn’t been many men in her life willing to apologize without being forced into it, and she appreciated his offer.

Cali ran a hand through her tangled hair. “I’m sorry, too.”

He lowered his voice close to a whisper, “And for the record, I don’t think of you as a stranger.” He disconnected, leaving her alone with his intimate words echoing in the lonely, old motel room.

Night Waves