Dangerous Attraction Romantic Suspense Boxed Set (181 page)

“By the way,” Suki said, breaking into Kate’s thoughts, “I have to go to work today, and I was wondering if you’d like to meet me down at the Underground Tours later. I’ll show you around, it’s pretty interesting. And it’s definitely better than hanging out here all day waiting for the police to call you.”

“I’ve always wondered what it was like down there in the creepy underground. Funny, I grew up here, but I’ve never been. What time should I come?”

“My first tour starts about noon. Why don’t you meet me in the souvenir shop downstairs at eleven-thirty, and I’ll give you a private tour before the others begin?”

“Sounds good,” Kate replied.

“Hey, did you hear anything yet from the police?” Suki asked.

“No, nothing last night. I was hoping they would call this morning.”

No sooner did the words come out of Kate’s mouth than her cell phone began to ring. She picked it up from the table and saw it was Detective Patel calling.

“Hello, this is Kate.”

“Kate, this is Detective Patel. We received a call a few minutes ago from the Boise Police Department. They found a young woman’s body near the river that runs through their downtown. The woman matches Whitney’s description.”

“What?” Kate asked, her eyes widening, looking fearfully across the table at Suki. “Oh, God, please don’t let it be Whitney,” she muttered under her breath
.

“Yes, a dead body and—” Patel started to say.

“Wait. The
Boise
Police Department?” Kate wondered if she had heard him correctly.

“Yes, Boise. Could Whitney have possibly gone to Boise for any reason?” he questioned.

“Not that I know of,” she answered, her voice quivering, “but let me ask Suki. She’s right here.” Kate turned her attention to Suki. “Do you know of any reason my sister may have gone to Boise?”

“Boise? No. What would she be doing there?” Suki looked confused as to why Kate was asking.

Kate returned her attention to the phone. “Sorry, Detective, Suki says she doesn’t know why Whitney would be in Boise, and honestly, I can’t think of any possible reason either, unless…” Kate went silent and her bottom lip began to tremble.

“Unless what?” Patel asked.

“Unless someone kidnapped her and took her there against her will.” Kate’s voice cracked as she could barely get the words out.

“Unfortunately, that’s what I was thinking, too.”

Tears filled Kate’s eyes. “Oh, God,” she sighed.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Kate. It’s very likely that it’s not even her. So let’s slow down and take it a step at a time.”

“You’re right, but I don’t understand why they would think that woman might be my sister?”

“Well, the police got a tip this morning. A lady called saying she saw a young woman that looked a lot like Whitney in the park near the river a couple of days ago.”

“Who said that? Wait…how would someone in Boise know what Whitney looked like?” Kate asked.

“Anonymous caller, and I’m assuming from the television or the Internet. The caller must have seen a news report and remembered seeing someone that looked a lot like the pictures,” Patel explained.

“I hope that person was wrong,” Kate replied, shaking her head.

“So do I, but we need to know, one way or the other. The Boise Police would like you to come down there and take a look at the body. You know, see if it’s your sister. Can you do that as soon as possible, like today?”

“Yes, yes, of course. I’ll get the first flight out of here.”

“Okay then, I’ll call them back and let them know you’re on your way.”

Kate hung up her phone, held it to her chest, and tears began running down her cheeks.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Suki asked, handing her a napkin.

Kate filled Suki in on what Patel had said. She took a deep breath, trying to stifle her tears. “They want me to come down there right away to see if it’s Whitney or not.”

“I’m so sorry, Kate,” said Suki, patting her shoulder, suddenly seeming overly caring, based on her lack of participation in the search for Whitney.

“Thank you, but there’s no need to be sorry yet. Let’s hope it’s not Whitney.”

Suki just nodded.

Kate looked at the time on her phone. “I’d better call the airlines and see when the next flight is. I’m sure Horizon or Southwest must have several more flights going to Boise today.” Kate scurried down the hall to the bedroom and closed her door.

She sat on the edge of the bed, and decided to phone Ryan before calling the airlines. If she had to go and identify her sister’s dead body, she wanted someone with her for emotional support. She had not known Ryan very long, but she didn’t have anyone else to ask. It was too long a trip for any of her L.A. friends, and there was no way she would ask Suki. That girl made her uneasy. There was something oddly familiar about her, but Kate just could not put her finger on it.

Recalling Ryan’s number recorded in her phone, she punched the call button.

“Hello, this is Ryan Wilson, Keller Williams Realty. How can I help you?”

“Ryan, this is Kate.”

“Kate! What a nice surprise.”

“I need your help,” Kate said.

“You sound serious. What is it?”

“I have to fly to Boise as soon as possible, and I’d like you to come with me, if you can.”

“Boise? Why? What’s going on?”

“Detective Patel just called me and said the Boise Police contacted him this morning. They have a body they want me to identify.” Her throat tightened and her voice began to crack. She swallowed hard to relax her throat and regain her composure. “They think it might be my sister.”

“Oh, Kate. I’m so sorry. I don’t even know what to say.”

“Say yes,” she pleaded. “Say you’ll come with me. I don’t want to do this by myself.”

“Okay. Yes, I’ll come with you. I’ll just need to change a few things around.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be a bother. You probably have clients to see today.”

“No bother. I’ll just have my assistant reschedule a couple of appointments for me, nothing earth shattering,” he said, looking over his calendar, “and then I’m out of here. When is the flight?”

“I haven’t called the airlines yet. I wanted to talk to you first, to see how many tickets I needed to get.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll call them. I have a bunch of frequent flyer miles I can use. After I book something, I’ll let you know when I’m coming to pick you up.”

“Okay,” she replied weakly, wiping a stray tear away with her hand. “I really do appreciate your help.” Kate was glad she didn’t have to go through this alone, realizing that if she hadn’t met Ryan by chance on the plane, she would be.

“No problem. I’m pulling up the airline reservation websites right now. I see a direct flight leaving Seattle in a few hours. Hang on.”

Kate listened to the sound of Ryan tapping on his keyboard, and then he was back on the phone.

“Okay, I booked a couple of seats on Southwest. The flight leaves in about two and half hours. I’m going to run home and change out of this suit, so I’ll be at your place in about forty-five minutes.”

“I guess I’d better jump in the shower then. I’ll be ready by the time you get here,” Kate assured him. “And Ryan…”

“Yes.”

“I want you to know you’re a godsend.”

* * *

The comment about Kerry Park had struck a nerve with Suki—remembering how her parents used to go there to enjoy the view, while she and her brother played on the playground equipment on the terraced level below. Under different circumstances, she would have told Kate so.

What am I going to do now?
Suki was flustered at this unexpected turn of events. Her palms began to sweat and her head throbbed, making it hard for her to think clearly.

The plan had been working perfectly—until now. One quick call to Ethan, that’s all it would have taken. I could have let him into the storage room before she showed up. He could have taken care of her there, and I wouldn’t have had to see it. Suki began to pace the kitchen, frustrated at the possibility of something disrupting her plan. I had an alibi, and nobody was going to find her for a long time.

“Ethan’s going to be furious.” Suki ran a hand through her hair. Kate’s leaving would totally screw up Ethan’s plan to kill her today. She knew he would certainly be angry about that, maybe even mad at her for not trying to stop Kate from going.

Racking her brain, Suki tried to think of something quick, anything she could do that would keep Kate in Seattle, but her mind went blank. There was nothing. Nothing short of doing the deed herself—right here and now. Only, Suki knew she didn’t have it in her. Ethan would have to do his own dirty work.

She glanced down the hallway, to make sure Kate was out of earshot, and then she phoned her brother. Maybe after he cooled down, he could tell her what to do before Kate was out of her grasp. The phone rang several times, but then went to voicemail.

“Ethan, call me back. Kate’s leaving town in a few minutes and I don’t know what to do. Where are you? I need to talk to you right away. Call me back!”

Suki continued to search her mind for answers, wondering what she could do to keep Kate in town. She decided she would try to overtake her and tie her up. Then her brother could decide what to do with her from there. Rummaging around the kitchen, she found an extension cord in the junk drawer and tiptoed down the hallway to Whitney’s room.

As she was trying to decide whether to knock or burst in, she heard Kate talking on the phone. She put her ear to the door and listened.

Ryan.
Well, that changes things.
She returned the cord to the drawer and decided that while Kate was on the phone, she would call her brother again. She was sure Ethan would be furious with Kate’s sudden departure, but she needed to alert him to the change of plans.

“Hullo?”

“Ethan, did you get my voicemail?”

“Uh, no. Sorry, I was, uh…”

“Were you out scoring drugs?”

“Never mind. What’s going on, Sis?”

“There’s been a change of plans. Kate’s leaving in a few minutes to go to Boise.”

“What? Why?”

“The police called this morning and said the Boise Police want her to look at a dead body they have in their morgue. They think it might be Whitney.”

“You know it can’t be her.”

“I know, but I couldn’t tell Kate that. I was going to knock her to the floor and tie her up, but she was on the phone with that guy she met on the plane. It sounds as if he’s going with her and he’s probably on his way to pick her up. I tried to think of something else, but I just couldn’t think of anything that would keep her from going. I’m so stupid!”

“You’re not stupid,” Ethan said evenly.

It’s probably the drugs making him so calm
. She knew her brother should be more upset about the change of plans than she was, so she was glad he wasn’t giving her a tongue-lashing.

“Just settle down,” he told her in a relaxed voice. “Kate will come back to Seattle when she finds out it’s not her sister.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“We’ll have to come up with a different plan. When’s she leaving?” he asked.

“I’m not sure but it sounds like soon.” Suki peered down the hallway to make sure Kate couldn’t overhear her conversation.

“I’m on my way over, and we’ll come up with something. She’s gonna pay for what she did to Mom and Dad—one way or the other. Call me after she leaves, when the coast is clear.”

“Okay.”

* * *

Ryan had dropped a few files on his assistant’s desk on his way out, but she had stepped away. As he walked out of the elevator, he pulled out his phone and called her.

“Hey, Becky, something’s come up and I had to leave for the rest of the day, a personal emergency. Can you get signatures on those addenda I left and forward them to the other agents? I put a few sticky notes on the rest with instructions.”

“Sure,” she answered.

“I may be out tomorrow, as well. I’m not sure. So, I need you to rearrange the appointments I have on my calendar. If you could go in and check my Outlook to see what I have going that would be a big help.”

“Okay. I’ll see if Sid can take some of those appointments for you.”

“Great,” he said.

“What’s up?” she asked, a hint of concern in her voice. She had worked for him for the last three years, long enough to know it was not like him just to take off like that.

“I need to fly to Boise this afternoon.”

“Didn’t you just get back from Boise yesterday?”

“Yes, but I met someone on the plane and—”

“A
female
someone?” she interrupted.

“Yes, a female someone. She’s in a bit of a jam and I need to help her out.”

“She must be something pretty special for you to just drop everything.”

“I’m not dropping everything, just needing to rearrange my plans.”

“Still, she must be special,” Becky said.

“She is. We had dinner together last night, and I think we really connected. She needs my help, so if I can—”

“Don’t worry about a thing, Boss. Sid and I will hold down the fort while you’re gone.”

“Tha—”

“Hang on a sec. I think you’ll want to hear this.”

“Hear what?” he asked. He was just about to repeat it when he realized what she meant. In the background, he heard Vanessa’s voice. He listened to the exchange.

“I was looking for Ryan. Is he around?”

“Sorry, just missed him.”

“Appointment?”

“No.”

“When will he be back?”

“Don’t know.”

“Today?”

Ryan thought that Vanessa sounded like she was getting irritated with Becky’s evasiveness. He smiled to himself. He knew Becky didn’t like Vanessa—she made no secret of it.

“Probably not.”

“Did he go to Boise?” she asked, her voice laden with disgust.

“Can’t say.”

So, it must have been Vanessa that called in the tip.

He heard Vanessa snort, “
Humph!
” Then he pictured her throwing her long dark tresses over her shoulder, adjusting her fitted suit jacket—eyes narrowed, lips pouting—and storming out. The sound of a slamming door followed by Becky’s evil giggle confirmed it.

“Hey, Boss,” Becky came back on the line. “So, what were you about to say?”