A Deadly Love (22 page)

“Does your hot dog taste bad, Dad?”

He dragged his gaze away from the tilting curve of Brooke’s full lips. “No, it’s fine.”

“You had a weird look on your face.”

“Your dad was probably thinking about something that just came up.”

She knows, all right.
The laughter in her voice added a new dimension to the torture. With care he lifted her feet, wrapped them in the towel, and placed them on the blanket. Jumping up, he set his plate on the log behind him and turned his back. “I’m going to walk down to the water.”

Otis lunged across the sand and snatched the remainder of the hot dog off his plate, swallowing it in a gulp.

Zack stared. “Wow, he’s fast.”

“Good thing I wasn’t hungry.”

“Not for hot dogs,” Brooke said beneath her breath.

Stifling a groan, he tugged at his jeans and limped down to the ocean.

****

Teasing Dillon was a double edged sword. Payback for the emotional turmoil his hot and cold attitude had put her through seemed like fair revenge. But knowing he was about to explode heated her blood past the boiling point and turned her insides into a quivering pool of Jell-O. At least she didn’t have to worry about hypothermia with a raging case of lust to keep her warm.

She packed up the remains of their lunch and stowed it in the picnic basket, then sat back on the blanket to watch father and son turn buckets of sand into an impressive castle. When Dillon took off his shoes and socks and waded into the ocean to get water to fill the moat, she grinned. The man did love his son.

He dropped the bucket and met her gaze. “It’ll be your turn to warm my feet when we finish this project.”

The heat rising in her face had nothing to do with the dying fire. She stood and tucked her hands into her jacket pockets. “I think I’ll take a walk.”

His eyes gleamed mischievously. “Have fun.”

He was enjoying her discomfort. She jogged down the beach, the wind whipping her hair around her face. She tasted salt on her lips and listened to the sea lions barking from their rocky perch offshore. Overhead, sea gulls swooped and dove in the cold winter air. It was a perfect day. She didn’t want it to end, didn’t want to go home to the reality of the missing women. Thinking about Stephanie sent her spirits plummeting, and a tear ran down her cheek. She wiped it away with her sleeve. She had to believe they would find her before it was too late.

She turned back, running at a comfortable pace. Zack had abandoned the sandcastle. He raced madly about with the dog, scattering seagulls in every direction. Dillon doused the fire with a bucket of seawater and smiled at her as she dropped onto the blanket. “Good run?”

She nodded, her breath hitching in her chest. “Are we getting ready to leave?”

“We can stay a little longer.” He sat next to her and pulled her close to his side.

She leaned her head on his shoulder. “This was a terrific idea. Thanks for inviting me.”

“It wouldn’t have been nearly as fun without you.” His breath stirred her hair. “Thanks for having patience and giving me a second chance. I probably don’t deserve it.”

Twining her fingers through his, she rubbed the calluses on his hands. “I know the timing isn’t great. We both have a lot on our minds.”

“That’s putting it mildly.” He let out a deep sigh and tightened his hold. “Having you around helps. I thought it would add to the pressure, but it doesn’t. Knowing I’m going to see you at the end of the day makes the nightmare we’re living bearable.”

Happiness flowed through her like liquid sunshine, filling her with warmth. She turned her face and brushed her lips across his neck. His pulse beat strong and steady. “This is what I wanted.”

Laughter rumbled in his chest. “Holding hands on the beach?”

“Building a relationship with substance.” She nodded toward the sandcastle. The incoming tide crept closer. A rogue wave crossed the moat and ate away a portion of the wall. “Without a solid foundation everything crumbles.”

“I suppose it does.”

“There’s no reason to rush this, Dillon. I’ve done that before and ended up nursing a broken heart.”

“Does that mean you’ll turn me down if I ask you to go away with me next weekend?”

Her battered heart turned cartwheels in her chest. “I could possibly be persuaded. What did you have in mind?”

“Gail’s parents fly into Eureka on Friday night. I’m meeting them Saturday morning to drop Zack off for a visit. If you came with us, we could spend the weekend together.”

“You’ve known about this for a while. When did you decide to ask me?”

“About two minutes before you suggested taking it slow.” He slid his hand under her jacket and splayed his fingers across her abdomen. Her stomach quivered. “My timing was never great.”

“I don’t know about that. We can make the weekend whatever we want it to be.”

His breath stirred a tendril of hair over her ear and sent an arrow of feeling straight through her. “Keeping my hands to myself wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.”

She grinned. “Why am I not surprised?”

“Dad! Dad!” Zack ran down the beach, his arm stretched out before him. “I found a sand dollar, and it isn’t even broken.”

Dillon gave her waist a squeeze before pulling his hand out from under her shirt. “Think about it and tell me what you decide later.” He stood. “Let’s see it, Son.”

While they packed up the buckets and shovels, Brooke studied the way his broad shoulders filled out his jacket, how his thigh muscles flexed beneath the denim of his jeans. She swallowed, certain she wouldn’t have to think very hard about her decision.

****

Dillon set the bag of groceries on the table and frowned at his grandfather. “Why haven’t you answered your cell phone?”

“I turned the damn thing off. Those FBI agents keep calling, and I don’t want nothing more to do with them. This way they have to hike out here to see if I’m home.”

“I thought you already talked to them.”

Jesse leaned back in his chair and rubbed his gnarled knuckles, cracking each one in turn. “I did.
Twice
. And they searched my home.” He snorted. “Like I could hide anything in a cabin this size, even if I wanted to.”

“What were they looking for?”

“Not the missing women, that’s for certain. The short one, Polk, started going through my drawers, and I kicked him the hell out. Told him I knew my rights and not to come back without a search warrant. That really pissed him off. His face turned so red I thought his head would explode.”

Dillon pulled a container of oatmeal out of the grocery bag, put it in the cupboard, and sighed. “I bet.”

Jesse’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Nothing to find, but I didn’t like his attitude. He said I probably buried the evidence.”

“He’s just talking, Grandpa, trying to rile you.” He caught an apple before it rolled off the table and set it in the fruit bowl. “They don’t have a shred of evidence against you.”

“Of course they don’t. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

He put a carton of eggs and a package of sliced ham in the refrigerator and shut the door. Leaning back against it, he frowned. “If they’re still questioning you, it must mean they’re no closer to finding the killer. They’ve got less than a week left.”

Jesse’s brows beetled across his forehead. “What do you mean?”

“Next Saturday is a full moon. So far, every woman was abducted or killed on the night of a full or new moon.”

“Jesus.” He whistled between his teeth. “Did the FBI tell you that?”

“Actually Detective Watkins and I figured it out for ourselves. I can only assume he shared our theory with the FBI.”

“So you don’t think anything else will happen before next weekend?”

“God, I hope not.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Gail’s parents will be in Eureka on Saturday. I’m dropping Zack off for an overnight visit. Brooke is coming along for the ride.”

Jesse studied him for a long, silent moment. The unblinking stare made Dillon squirm like a school boy.

“What’s with the accusing look?”

“Are you taking her with you because you want to spend time with her or to keep her safe?”

“Does it matter?”

“I bet it would to her.”

Dillon folded the empty grocery bag and stuck it under the sink. He stared out the window at the lengthening shadows. “Maybe a little of both.”

“I like Brooke, and I’ve seen the way she looks at you. Don’t break that girl’s heart.”

“I don’t intend to. We’re working things out.” He turned. “Anyway, shouldn’t you be worrying about my feelings? Maybe I’ll be the one to get hurt.”

“You do just fine protecting yourself, at least you have ever since Gail died. I’d like to see Brooke put a chink in your armor.”

Dillon smiled. “I’d say my armor has a few new dents.”

“Glad to hear it.” Jesse stood and patted him on the shoulder. “You haven’t forgotten Zack is spending the night with me on Wednesday?”

“He’s looking forward to it. I have a dinner meeting scheduled with some government officials about expanding logging operations onto federal land, and I don’t know how late it will last.”

“Damned government makes you jump through so many hoops it’s a wonder anything gets done.”

“You won’t hear me arguing, but please don’t antagonize the FBI agents if they show up again. It’ll only make the situation worse.”

“I’m not making any promises,” Jesse grumbled. When Dillon opened his mouth, his grandfather held up his hand. “All right already, I’ll try not to say anything that’ll get me thrown in the clink.”

“Try hard. Goodnight, Grandpa.”

“I’ll see you and Zack on Wednesday.”

“You bet.”

****

The phone rang just as Brooke pulled a pan of cookies out of the oven. She set them on the counter and stretched to reach the extension. “Hello.”

“It’s me.”

Her heart stuttered then beat a little faster at the sound of Dillon’s voice. “I thought you’d be here by now.” She turned her mouth away from the receiver. “Zack, no, they’re too hot. You’ll burn your fingers.”

“Are you busy?”

“We’re making chocolate chip cookies. Zack wants to take some to his great-grandpa.”

“About that...” He let out a long sigh.

“Problem?”

“Lately it’s one thing after another. One of my men had an accident in the woods, and I drove him to the hospital.”

“Is he okay?”

“Yeah, but he needed a few dozen stitches. I’m still in Crescent City. If I come home now, I’ll never make it back to my meeting on time.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take Zack to Jesse’s.”

“I don’t want you out in the woods alone, especially in the dark. Why don’t you call Harley to see if he can take him?”

“Harley has enough on his plate. It isn’t dark yet. If we hurry, I’ll be back before it is.”

“Ah hell, I’d better come home and take him myself.”

“Don’t be silly, Dillon.”

“If anything happened...”

She heard the frustration and fear in his voice and gave in. “It won’t, but if it’ll make you feel better, I’ll call Harley.”

“Thank you.”

“I hope your meeting goes well.”

“So do I. I owe you, Brooke.”

She lowered her voice and turned to face the wall. “I’ll think of a creative way to collect.”

He laughed. “You do that.”

She was still smiling when she hung up the phone.

“Was that my dad?”

“Yep, he’s stuck in Crescent City, so I’m going to take you to your Grandpa Jesse’s. I’ll call Harley. Maybe he can come with us.”

The boy lifted a cookie from the pan and blew on it. “Why?”

“Don’t you think it’ll be fun?”

“I guess. I like Harley. Can we finish the cookies while we wait for him?”

“Of course. I’ll put the last pan in to bake before I make the call.”

Harley wasn’t in his office, and he didn’t answer his cell phone. Brooke left a message and hung up. Biting her lip, she looked out the window. There was still a little daylight left. If she walked fast—

“Grab your backpack, Zack. We need to head out.”

His brows lowered over accusing golden eyes. “You said we could bring the cookies.”

“We will. Just not the last batch. They need time to cool.” She piled cookies in a zip lock bag, then hurried over to the kitchen doorway and yelled up the stairs. “Grandma, I’m taking Zack to Jesse’s.”

June’s voice floated down. “I thought Dillon was coming.”

“He got held up.”

Floor boards creaked, and her grandmother stared over the railing, her blue eyes full of worry. “Is that a good idea? It’s getting late.”

“I left Harley a message. I’m sure he’ll show up at the cabin to walk me home.”

The lines in her face eased. “Good idea. Bye, Zack. Have fun.”

Struggling with his backpack, he heaved it onto his shoulders. “I will. Bye, Grandma June.”

Brooke slipped on her jacket and grabbed the cookie bag while Otis scrambled out from under the table to join them. As they headed into the woods, long shadows stretched across the lawn. Overhead, a blue jay squawked from a branch in a tall fir tree.

“Did you remember to put your homework and library book into your backpack?”

Zack nodded, bent, and threw a stick for the dog. Otis tore through the huckleberry bushes after it. “How come you’re walking so fast?” he asked.

She slowed her pace slightly. “Sorry.”

He slipped his hand into hers and looked up with a smile that tugged at her heart. “Dad said you’re coming with us this weekend.”

“Is that okay with you?”

“It’s great.” He took a couple of skipping steps. “I didn’t like it when you guys were acting weird around each other.”

Her lips curved. “Have you ever had an argument with a friend, and it took a while to stop being mad?”

“Yeah, when Brad lost my new baseball, I wanted to kill him.”

“But you’re still friends, right?”

He kicked a fir cone and nodded. “Dad said I had to get over it and move on.”

She squeezed his hand. “Sometimes grown-ups have problems, too, but they work them out eventually.”

“I’m glad you’re not mad at each other anymore. It made Dad cranky.”

Knowing she wasn’t the only one suffering filled her with guilty satisfaction. It wasn’t that she wanted Dillon to be miserable... “It bothered me, too.”