Chapter 2

Matt had spent the better part of the afternoon on the phone with Sheriff Thompson. The whole case was an inept mess. No one seemed to know what was going on in regards to the investigation. He didn’t want Jessie involved in this case, but telling her no wouldn’t be easy. Their relationship was still recovering from their fight over the holidays. Why he had acted the way he did was a total mystery to him. Hell, he was jealous, plain and simple. His brothers kept hitting on her, the guy staying at the Inn wouldn’t leave her alone, and like a chump he had agreed with her father when he lectured her about the bookstore. No wonder she hated when he lectured her. What was even worse, he didn’t agree with what her father was saying. A case of nerves was his one and only plausible excuse. It wasn’t a good one. His apology had better be fine-tuned. Maybe he should ask her not to get involved and not tell her. If he knew his girl, he was too late anyway.

He smiled when she answered the phone. “Hi, sweetheart. Can I take you to dinner or bring it to the house?”

“What do you have in mind?”

“How about I pick you up in twenty minutes and we’ll figure it out. I’m getting ready to leave work now.”

“Sounds good, I’ll see you soon. It’ll give me time to fill you in on what I’ve found out about Adriana so far.”

Matt groaned inwardly. “Sure, that would be great. See you in twenty.”

Now what should he do? She was already involved. He was going to have to do some pretty fancy maneuvering on this one. There was more to the case as one of the deputies had suggested. Matt considered the conversation he had with the deputy earlier in the day.

“Ever since we started investigating this case,” Deputy Johnson stammered. “Strange things have happened.”

“Strange like how?”

“Well…” He hesitated. “All of our reports on her have disappeared. The legwork, interviews, and the man-hours we put in are gone. I’m not only talking about paper files, but our computer files on the case are wiped out.”

“Are you sure you didn’t just misplace them.”

“Of course, I’m sure. They’re flat out gone.” Matt had heard the officer’s exasperated sigh over the line.

“What else?”

“We’ve noticed strange things like—I don’t know how to say it without sounding ridiculous—just your usual dolls with pins stuck in them, dead chickens, and basic vandalism using blood. It’s hard to believe even for me, and I’ve seen all the crap. Hell, it’s been chaos around here ever since we started the investigation. Every day we come across some other strange occurrence. The evidence suggests a cult ritual or voodoo. Whoever is messing with us, knows what he’s doing.” The deputy cleared his throat. “What I’m trying to say is this isn’t kids stuff or a juvenile prank.”

Matt had heard the fear in the deputy’s voice. Johnson was afraid and cops rarely were. It made him wonder what Johnson wasn’t telling him.

He pulled his car in beside hers. She was standing outside waiting. He smiled as she hopped back and forth trying to keep warm in the frigid night air. Bundled up from head to toe, she was a beautiful sight. Her gloved hand started waving the moment she saw him. He wanted to protect her, but he didn’t have a clue what he was protecting her from or what they were dealing with yet. Face reality, Matt, she doesn’t need you to babysit her.

She popped her head in the door. “Hi.”

“You know you don’t have to stand out in the cold. I’d be happy to come to the door for you.”

“I know, but I was too excited to sit still and wait.” She flashed him a smile. “Did you talk to the sheriff’s department?”

“I did.” Boy was he ever in trouble. At fault were those eyes and that smile. Jeez, I could use a little help, here. A diversionary tactic was in order. “Before we talk about the case, I want to say something to you.”

“Sounds serious, what’s up?” She pulled the seat belt across herself but held the buckle in her hand. “Did I do something wrong?”

He shook his head. “I owe you an apology.”

“For what?”

“Some of the things I did while your family was here.” He paused, taking her hand in his. “I didn’t agree with what your father was saying about buying the bookstore. Any business is a risk, but you’re a smart woman, and I knew you had considered it thoughtfully.”

She looked puzzled. “For heaven’s sakes, why would you agree with him? He still brings it up. He’ll continue to use it against me.”

“I have no real defense except to say, I was trying to fit in with your family and feeling nervous about it. The worst part is, I was jealous of my brothers and that other guy. Ah, hell, I have no good excuse, just bad judgment, and I’m sorry.” He could see her shaking her head.

“You know your brothers were only flirting with me to bug you. They aren’t interested in me, and the guy at the Inn was a little tipsy, that’s all.”

He winked at her. “Yeah, well you believe that if it makes you feel better. I know my brothers. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have let them get to me.”

“Look, any guy who will say he’s sorry is okay in my book. We’re good, and I’ll add the points back that I took away from you when you did it.” She turned in her seat and clicked her seat belt.

He laughed. “I just knew you did something like that. I could feel you were upset with me, and that I wasn’t living up to your expectations.”

“It’s all in the point system. Now drive, I’m hungry.” She grinned and pointed at the steering wheel.

The Waterfront Grill was a nice quiet place for them to talk. The host took them to their table. Matt pulled her chair out for her.

“So what did the sheriff say?”

Matt sat back in his chair and was careful how he answered. “I can tell you right now, no one has a clue what’s going on. It’s a mess. They passed me from one person to another and shuffled me from department to department. There was no new information and no leads at all. What did you find out?” The server handed them each a menu and left them to look it over.

“Adriana grew up in Rocky Pointe but went to college at NYU. I found out that while she was in college, several times she had called the campus police about someone stalking her. There was no name given. She had also turned over a couple of bizarre, rambling love letters he had mailed to her. The campus police had no suspect and never made an arrest.”

“That’s interesting,” Matt replied. “I wonder why Adriana didn’t know who he was. Usually, a victim has some idea of who the stalker is or least a description.”

“If she did, it wasn’t in any of the reports I saw.” Jessie took a sip of her water. “I thought it might be a good idea to visit the Rocky Pointe Bank and see if someone might have seen a strange person hanging around. What do you think?”

“Sounds like a good place to start.” Matt cupped her hand in his. “I can’t believe you found that all out today and the sheriff’s office didn’t have any of that information.” Matt frowned. He decided to let her run with it and to not say anything for now. He would find a way to keep a watchful eye and be close if she needed him. “I can help you all weekend at the store. I have this one off. How’s that sound?”

“Perfect,” she said as she examined the menu. “Sadie called and asked me to go with her next week on vacation. I mean, all expenses paid, who could turn that down?” She gave the waitress her order.

Speaking of perfect, at least for the next week he wouldn’t have to worry about her. He could look into a few things while she was gone. When the server left, he reached across the table and took her hand again. “So where is this vacation going to happen?”

“It’s a surprise. Did I mention Katie is going, too?” He shook his head. “All Sadie would say is that it will be warmer than Blue Cove. At this point, I’m just happy to get away.”

“I’m sure you’ll have a great time.”

“Anywhere will be delightful. It’s always a great time with Katie and Grams.” She took another sip of water. “Will you miss me, maybe just a little?” she asked with a flirtatious smile.

“What do you think? Who is the one that can’t go a day without calling you or dropping in to see you? The question is, will you miss me?”

“I’ll have to think about it. Since I’ve added all your points back for the apology, yeah, I’ll miss you.” She patted his hand. “I think you should know I don’t really have a point system.” She grinned at him.

The server set their food in front of them and then left. “What do you think about Adriana?” Matt asked, his tone serious. “I know you well enough to know you’re already starting to formulate something in your mind.”

“I learned a few things. I know what Evan told us, and I believe him. I also know she had a stalker in college who disappeared. I talked to her friend Kathy who had no new information, and she’s struggling with Adriana’s disappearance. She feels guilty for not reading between the lines when Adriana talked to her.”

“Did you ask her about the Foster’s relationship?”

“Of course I did.” She rolled her eyes at him. “I learned all the right questions to ask in Investigative Reporting 101!”

Matt grinned at her. “Sorry, sweetheart.”

“Kathy told me Adriana loved Evan. They seemed to have a healthy marriage. Adriana was excited about the baby and was already planning the nursery.” Jessie grabbed her notes from her purse, giving them a quick glance. “She also told me that Adriana was coming here to talk to her about a problem she was having with another man, but she had no idea who he was. Adriana wouldn’t talk over the phone about him. She was afraid someone might be listening. Kathy didn’t press her and now she wishes she had.”

“No other details, I take it.”

“No, but Adriana had a stalker once.” She pursed her lips, her fingers tapping on her cheek. “What’s to say that he hasn’t come back? Adriana’s missing, but so far, there’s no ransom note, which leads me to lean toward a stalker, someone infatuated with her. She’s alive. I can feel it. She’s scared, but I don’t think he plans on hurting her, at least not yet.”

“What do you mean by not yet?” His voice sounded gruff.

“You know better than anyone obsessive people are often irrational. It won’t take much to send him out of control if she doesn’t cooperate with his plans.”

“That puts it in another light doesn’t it?” He frowned, his body tensing. “Jess, I can’t tell you what to do. I’ve learned that the hard way, but I wish you would stay out of this. If you’re right, this man is obsessed with her and, therefore, dangerous. I know you’re a strong woman. You were doing this kind of reporting before I met you, so I’ll leave this up to you. As much as I want to protect you from everything, I know you can take care of yourself. Promise me that you’ll be careful.”

“I will. I know when I get involved in a case I can be stubborn and I’m not good at taking orders. Who knows, there might not be anything for me to do. I can’t go anywhere if I don’t know where I’m going, now can I? Besides, we’re in this together.” She held the warm cup of coffee in her hands before she took a sip.

The rest of the evening was pleasant. They parked at the Yacht Club and Marina. Repairs and renovations on the Marina had moved ahead in the weeks since the bombing, and Matt wanted to show it to her. He spent a little extra time kissing her after he took her home. His excuse was he wouldn’t see her for a week. He kissed her once for each day she would be gone and for anything clever he could think of in the heat of the moment. Her response told him what he needed to know. She was into him and the sexy little groan she had made almost tipped him over the edge. It was getting harder to walk out the door and leave her. The truth was he couldn’t seem to get enough of her. Reality and the cold air hit him when he stepped outside. Damn, he was going to miss her.

****

Jessie watched him walk away, slowly closing the door. The air outside was cold, but she felt downright hot. His lips did magical things to her. There was no one who came close to making her feel the way Matt did. He had better be a patient man. She sighed. It was probably a good thing to go away for a week. Otherwise she could forget her dreams. All rational thought disappeared when he kissed her.

Jessie took off her coat, hung it in the closet, and sat on the couch. There was something strange about this case. She found herself pulled into the vortex of it even though she hardly knew any details. The fact that Adriana was taken was only a small part of it, not to her husband, of course, but to the dark figure that Jessie had seen grab Adriana. Someone involved was very powerful, but not in a normal way. An elusive dark shadow crossed her mind whenever she thought about Adriana. He wanted to erase her and create someone new in her place. Jessie shivered at the thought. They had to find Adriana before he accomplished his goals and she was lost to Evan forever.

How long she sat there thinking, she didn’t know. Finally, she shook her head and stood up. She got a glass of water and headed for bed. The first shiver hit. The temperature in the room said 68. She got in bed with her clothes on, pulling her blankets tight around her. The blanket couldn’t warm her from the chill that reached deep in her, running along her spine until she shivered out of control. It was not a healthy feeling of cold. Jessie saw Adriana, deathly quiet and still. She went from cold to hot, in a moment, a smothering heat that stunned her. Panic seized her, pushing her not too gently toward the edge. Her heart raced at a frantic pace. Jessie knew Adriana was in the trunk of a car. She remembered all too well the fear she had felt. Please, oh please. I need to see something. Jessie took deep breaths trying to calm the panic she was feeling. Adriana’s eyes flew open, and Jessie’s body relaxed. As quickly as she had come, Adriana was gone, replaced by a dark shadow bending over the trunk. In her heart, Jessie knew it was more than a man. Something else was involved, but she couldn’t begin to explain what it was.