Dangerous Reunion (Love Inspired Suspense) (10 page)

Kate was never going to forgive him or trust him again. And the peace that her mother spoke of was still as much a mystery to him as it had been six years ago. He’d go to the play tonight, then tomorrow he’d go home and try to deal with his guilt as best he could.

He stopped without warning in the middle of the sidewalk and pressed his palm to his forehead. What was he thinking? He couldn’t go home. He’d promised Kate that he would be there for her until this killer was caught. If he left and something happened to her, he’d never be able to forgive himself.

Maybe they would catch this killer soon. Every day he stayed here brought back too many reminders of the past. And those memories were beginning to break through the barrier he had put around his heart. He couldn’t let Kate see what was happening to him because she would distance herself from him forever, and he doubted he could survive losing her a second time. But one thing was for sure. As soon as they found Doug’s killer, he was getting off this island.

K
ate watched Brock walk away from the police station. She’d tried to apologize several times today for her behavior this morning, but each time the words stuck in her throat. He’d been quiet all day, and she hadn’t pushed him to talk.

It was probably best. No good could come from their becoming friends again. She had to keep remembering how hard it had been to get over him. She didn’t want to go through that again, and she would if she didn’t watch out. Brock might seem different than he was when they were younger, but underneath he was still the same. And he would leave again just like he had six years ago.

With a sigh she pulled her attention away from Brock’s retreating figure and trudged up the steps of the police station. An empty office greeted her. Lisa, always eager to hear about what she’d encountered when she returned from patrol, wasn’t behind her desk. A sob came from the break room behind the dispatch area.

Kate hurried across the outer office and stared into the room that contained a couch, chairs and a small table with a coffeepot on it. Lisa lay facedown on the couch, her body shaking with sobs. Kate rushed to her and knelt beside the sofa.

“Lisa, what’s wrong? Are you sick?”

A soft wail escaped Lisa’s mouth, and she buried her head in her folded arms. She shook her head. “N-no.”

Kate placed her hand on the back of Lisa’s head and stroked her hair. “Tell me what’s happened. I want to help you.”

Lisa pushed up into a sitting position and pulled a tissue from her pocket. She dabbed at the tears that streamed from her eyes. “I—I’m s-sorry. I just needed to take a break. I’ll get back to my desk.”

Lisa started to rise, but Kate put her hand on her arm. “Please, Lisa. Tell me what’s bothering you.”

Tears welled in Lisa’s eyes again. “It’s Doug. I can’t believe he’s gone.”

Kate pushed up from her knees, dropped onto the couch next to Lisa and rubbed her hand across her eyes. “I know. I can’t believe it, either. I keep expecting him to walk in the door with that crooked smile on his face.”

With a sob Lisa dissolved into tears again. Kate put her arm around the girl’s shaking shoulders and pulled her closer. The memory of Doug’s body lying in the road returned, and she squeezed her eyes shut to blot out the image, but it did no good. That scene was still too vivid in her mind, and she doubted if it would dim soon.

They didn’t speak as the tears rolled down their faces. After a few minutes Lisa raised her head, straightened her back and pounded her fists on her knees. “I was so awful to Doug. I’ll never be able to forgive myself for the way I treated him.”

Kate stared at her in amazement. “How can you say that? Doug liked you a lot.”

“I know. He kept asking me to go out with him, but I’d always have some excuse. The real reason was that the only person I wanted was Calvin. I kept telling myself that he was going to ask me out, but I think I knew that wasn’t true. Calvin loves the attention he gets from women. He flirts with every woman who comes in here.”

“I think you’re right about Calvin. He seems to attract women wherever he goes.”

Lisa snorted. “Yeah, and I thought he’d settle for me. But lately I’ve thought he might be seeing someone on the mainland.”

The statement surprised Kate. She’d never heard Calvin mention anyone special. “What makes you think so?”

Lisa shrugged. “He’s been spending his weekends off on the mainland. He’s never said anything, but I’ve seen him boarding the ferry in the late afternoons a lot lately.”

Kate pursed her lips and tried to remember Calvin mentioning going to the mainland. “I didn’t know that. He never said anything. So you think he went to spend time with a woman?”

“Yeah. One day I overheard him on his cell phone, and he was talking to someone about meeting that night at Lakeview Lodge. He said he was expecting a really good time. I kept hoping he’d notice how crazy I was about him. And all that time there was Doug, a nice guy who wanted to get to know me better, and I wouldn’t give him the time of day. Now it’s too late.”

Kate chewed on her lip and nodded. Lisa’s words brought to mind how she’d felt since Brock came to the island. He said he wanted to find peace and to be her friend, but she hadn’t been willing to meet him halfway. Maybe tonight she would have an opportunity to apologize to him for her behavior today. He didn’t have to volunteer his time to help out the department, and she needed to remember that.

Lisa pushed to her feet. “I need to get back to work.” She walked to the door but stopped and turned back to face Kate. “Oh, I have some messages for you. One from Sheriff Baxter. He called this afternoon.”

Kate followed Lisa into the outer office and stopped beside the dispatch desk. “I was hoping we’d hear from him. Did he have any news about fingerprints or DNA from the envelope in Doug’s car?”

“No, he said the lab in Raleigh is backed up and won’t have the results for some time. He wanted to let us know that there haven’t been any new leads in the burglary ring that’s operating on the mainland. The last robbery occurred last week at a home in Swan Quarter. The method of entry was the same. The occupants were gone overnight, so the thieves had time to completely go through the house. They even opened a safe and took a lot of jewelry from it.”

“That sounds like they knew what they were looking for. Did Sheriff Baxter give you a description of any of the jewelry?”

“Yes. He wanted you and Calvin to be on the lookout for any items that might find their way into the pawn shop here.” Lisa picked up a stack of papers from her desk. “He faxed these pictures to us. The lady whose house was burglarized had insured her jewelry, and she had pictures of all her pieces.”

Kate flipped through the papers. Pictures of jewelry, cameras and assorted video equipment filled the pages. She gave a low whistle at one photograph. “Look at this bracelet. The description says it has one hundred sixty-seven diamonds and twenty emeralds on it. The diamonds and the emeralds each have a seven-carat weight. It says this bracelet is valued at over twenty-five thousand dollars.” She glanced up at Lisa. “How would you like to wear that on your arm?”

“Not me. I’d be scared I’d lose it. Sheriff Baxter said the owner was really upset over that bracelet. It’s been in her family for nearly two hundred years. She was thinking of putting it up for auction at Christie’s in New York, but she hadn’t been able to part with it.”

Kate laid the pictures down. “Well, the owner has lost it now. Maybe we’ll get lucky and it’ll turn up somewhere. This burglary ring is about to drive Sheriff Baxter crazy.”

“Why does he think it’s a ring?”

“There has to be more than one person because in the past there have been two robberies at the same time, but they’d be miles apart in the county. Our deputies are all over the place trying to catch these guys. It sounds like this time it might have taken more than one robber if the house was searched as thoroughly as it seems.” She shook her head. “I sure hope these guys don’t show up on Ocracoke. We’ve got enough to contend with right now without adding burglary.”

The front door opened, and they both turned as Calvin entered. He flashed a smile in their direction. “I expected to see you two dressed like pirates. The tourists are already beginning to show up for the festival, and they’re decked out in some cool costumes.” He stopped beside Lisa’s desk and let his gaze travel over her face. “What about you? Do you have your outfit for tonight?”

Lisa glanced at Kate and bit down on her lip before she answered. “I’m wearing the same one I did last year.” She handed Calvin the stack of pictures. “I know you’re about to go on duty, and I don’t want to detain you. But you’d better look at these pictures before you do. Sheriff Baxter wants you to keep a lookout for any of these items that might show up at the pawn shop here.”

Calvin flipped through the pictures, then laid them on her desk. “I’m going to be patrolling the festival area tonight. Maybe I’ll see you there.”

Lisa shook her head. “I doubt it. I’m going to see Emma in the play. Then I plan to go right home.” She glanced down at her desk and picked up a memo. “One other thing I didn’t tell you, Kate. Sheriff Baxter spoke with Clay Phillips about backing up Calvin on patrol tonight. He’ll be there from six o’clock until the booths close.”

Calvin shrugged. “I doubt if I’ll need him. The only problems we ever have at the festival are caused by tourists who have had too much to drink over at the Blue Pelican.” He turned to Kate. “Anything else you need to tell me before I take over?”

“Make sure you keep in touch with Clay, and call if you need him. I’ll have my cell phone, too.” Kate turned to Lisa. “Before you leave, make sure that you route the local calls as well as the 911 emergencies from the mainland terminal to my cell phone for the night.”

Lisa nodded. “I will.”

“And Calvin, I’ll relay anything to you. Do you have any questions?”

“No, it’ll just be business as usual. Have a good time, and tell Emma I’ll try to get over to the theater to see her. But I may be too busy.”

Kate headed to the door. “I’ll tell her. And Lisa, we’ll save a spot for your lawn chair at the play.”

When Kate stepped onto the street, she could hardly believe the number of people who had already arrived for the opening of the festival. She was about to get in her squad car when Emma’s voice rang out above the crowd. “Kate, wait.”

Emma ran down the sidewalk toward her. Kate smiled as Emma came to a stop in front of her. “What are you doing here? I thought you and Betsy were going to wait for me at home.”

“Betsy is over at the booth she and Will Scott are sharing. He picked us up so he could load Betsy’s paintings in his van. Brock’s over there now helping them put Will’s pottery and Betsy’s paintings out.” She grabbed Kate by the hand. “Come and see.”

The mention of Brock sent a guilty reminder of what their day had been like. She didn’t want to see him now. Kate pulled away from Emma and shook her head. “I need to go home and change clothes. I’ll be back for the play, though. Tell Betsy I’ll bring the lawn chairs.”

“Okay.”

Kate stared after Emma as she rounded the corner onto the street where the artists had set up their booths. Brock had told her he was going to help Will with his booth, so she shouldn’t have been surprised that he was also assisting Betsy. Perhaps
surprised
wasn’t the right word.

Ever since Brock had come back, he’d made an effort to make her sisters like him. He’d charmed Emma right off by telling her about her mother. His connection to the mother that she barely remembered had made him a hero of sorts in Emma’s eyes.

Then he had made Betsy believe he was only concerned about Kate’s safety. Now he was helping her set up her booth. If his intention was to trick her into forgiving him by making allies of her sisters, it wasn’t going to work.

If she didn’t watch out, he would have them begging her to forgive him, and she wasn’t about to let that happen. She had taken care of Betsy and Emma since their mother’s death, and she had protected the island residents from those who broke the law. She didn’t need Brock Gentry’s assistance in either job. After the play tonight, she would tell him she didn’t think they needed to spend time together anymore. It was becoming too uncomfortable for her.

It would be best if he would go back to Nashville and deal with his past choices as best he could. If he wasn’t around anymore, maybe she could get her life back to normal.

At ten minutes before seven o’clock, Brock stopped at the rear of the Hurricane Theater and let his gaze drift over the outdoor performance area where tourists were treated to musical and theater entertainment all summer. Tonight it looked as if half the visitors to the island had chosen to come see
Blackbeard’s Last Stand.

Lawn chairs dotted the grassy area in front of a wooden platform stage that rose about two feet off the ground. Large hurricane lamps with a candle in each sat at the four corners of the stage, and curtains hanging on a wire across the back of the stage provided a backdrop. A primitive table and crudely fashioned wooden chairs sat in the middle of the stage to give the impression of what an island home might have looked like in the early 1700s.

Brock stood on tiptoe and searched the crowd for Kate. He caught sight of her sitting in a lawn chair in the front row. Lisa sat on one side of her and Betsy on the other. To Betsy’s right he could see Treasury with an empty chair beside her. He shook his head in disbelief. Kate had positioned him as far from her as she could.

Pasting a smile on his face, he sidestepped the occupied chairs scattered about until he arrived next to Treasury. He dropped into the empty seat and laughed. “I didn’t know if I would make it through the crowd or not.”

Treasury reached over and patted his arm. “You’re right on time. The play should start any minute.”

He leaned forward and stared toward Kate, but she appeared not to notice his presence. After a moment he settled back in the chair and waited for the actors to take their places. The day that had started so badly hadn’t gotten any better. He needed to do something about that. He would find the right time after the play was over.

Out of the corner of her eye Kate saw Brock sit down next to Treasury and lean forward to stare at her. She kept her attention directed to what Betsy was saying and didn’t look at him. When Lisa talked about Doug earlier, Kate had almost decided to ask Brock to forgive her attitude today. Now that she’d had time to think about it, she knew she couldn’t. It would be best for everybody if he left the island. She would tell him that after the performance.

A cymbal clanged backstage, and one of the actors stepped through the center opening in the curtains to the middle of the stage. “Avast, ye landlubbers,” he called out. “And welcome to the home of Edward Teach, better known ’round these here parts as Blackbeard the Pirate. ’Twas November 22, 1718, that Blackbeard sailed out t’ battle the ships of Lieutenant Robert Maynard and met his doom off the shores o’ Ocracoke. Tonight we fly the Jolly Roger again as we take you aft to that moment in history.”