Distortion Control (A Makayla Rose Mystery Book 3) (6 page)

Spencer’s fingers squeaked on the bars. “Fine, but I’ll be the one paying you. If I even suspect you’re trying to screw me over, we’re going to have a serious problem.”

Paul’s cold smile made me wonder how well this was going to go. He opened his briefcase once again and pulled out more papers to pass to Spencer. “I’ll let you get away with saying something like that
this time
.”

Spencer glared.

“Couple papers to sign,” Paul said. “What I need from you now is to tell me everything you know and everything that happened.”

“Of course.”

Paul looked at me. “And I need you to remember, Makayla.”

Easier said than done.

After a grueling session where Paul asked question after question, clarifying Spencer’s story—all with the tone of voice as if he scarcely believed it—he clicked his briefcase closed over pages of notes.

“I’m going to question a few people and make some phone calls,” he said. “The first thing I’m going to do is get you released. I think because you were the sheriff, people panicked. Our citizens didn’t help the situation. It’s possible now that a few days have gone by, I can get the decision to deny you bail reversed. I can’t make any promises.”

“I understand,” Spencer said.

Paul nodded and walked toward the exit. I let him go, hesitating to leave Spencer’s presence. I expected him to encourage me to go, but when I approached the cage, he reached his hand out and I laid my palm in his.

“Makayla, I have regrets.”

“Regrets?” His wording amused me. “That’s how you describe ignoring me?”

“I didn’t exactly ignore you,” he explained. “I was still considering my position.”

“Your position?” I’m sure my expression added lots to the conversation. “You are very funny man, Sheriff.”

“When I get out of here—”

“No.”

His eyes widened. “No?”

“No,” I repeated. “Do you think Paul believes you’re innocent?”

“I don’t know if he does or doesn’t. If he can get me out of here, I can take control of this investigation and get myself off. That is what’s important to me right now.”

I turned to go, but he held onto my hand and gave it to squeeze. I turned back to face him. He drew me close, but I kept my head. “This isn’t the time, Spencer.”

“I’ve had a lot of time to think while I was in here,” he said. “About you and about us and about Penelope.”

“There is no us, Sheriff. I have to go. Be strong. It won’t be long.” I shuffled out the door before he could respond and rushed out to my car. I was being a coward, but that was all I could do at the moment.

Chapter Six

When I still hadn’t heard from Ash, even though I had called him and texted him several times, I began to wonder just what was he up to. Was he serious about solving his brother’s case, or was there something darker going on? Okay, maybe I jumped to conclusions, but it didn’t excuse his being missing. I had enough to deal with. I was determined not to leave him alone until I found out what his motives were for coming to Briney Creek.

Since he hadn’t specifically told me he was staying at a hotel, I first called Pattie Lane, the owner of our local inn, to see if he was staying at her establishment.

“Good morning, Pattie,” I said when she answered the phone. “This might sound strange, but I’m looking for Ashton Norwood. I’m not sure if you’ve met him. He—”

“Oh, yes, Ash.” I could hear the blush over the line and knew Ash had been up to what I now knew in such a short acquaintance was his “old tricks.” He had been flirting with Pattie so much that just asking about him caused her to blush. “I-I-I’ve met him. He seems…nice.”

I chuckled. Too late to adopt a casual attitude, young lady. “I agree. Ash is nice, among other things. He’s been working with me to help Spencer, and I lost track of him. Have you seen him? Is he staying at your inn?”

“I wish… I mean… No, he’s not.”

She faltered so terribly, I felt sorry for her.

“I believe he’s staying at the hotel not far from here. If you need it, I can give you the number.”

If she thought I would miss that little hesitation and how she started to say how much she wished he were staying at her inn, she was sadly mistaken, poor thing. I knew the sound of a desperately lonely single woman when I heard one. Of course, that had nothing to do with me, mind you.

“No, that’s okay. I think I’ll just drive around a little and see if I can spot him. Thanks for your help, Pattie.”

“No problem, Makayla. Have a good day. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye.”

I ended the call and moved ahead with my plan to drive around and look for Ash. The challenge was that I didn’t know him very well. I had no idea what might interest him or what leads he might’ve come across to explore. I didn’t know who he had decided to interview or even who he might have already spoken with. Well, aside from a flustered Pattie.

So far all I had learned about Ash was that he was not forthcoming with information. What I heard from Ash was what I had to pull from him after the fact.

Twenty minutes of driving around Briney Creek, subject to the happy waves of every citizen I came across, I determined I wasn’t making any progress. Being unable to see inside the shops or know if Ash met with someone in their home, I couldn’t find him.

I pulled to the side of the road and parked my car. At least today it wasn’t raining. The sun peeked through the clouds, but the temperature was a chilly forty-five degrees. I bundled up tighter in my jacket and started walking.

Along Vineberry were little storefront shops that sold souvenirs and other trinkets produced locally and of interest to tourists. Unfortunately, with it being winter, the street was not as busy as it had been in the summer time. Most shops were either closed during this cold season or the hours open were truncated.

Peeking into the windows didn’t produce a glimpse of Ash anywhere. I decided I needed a better, more deliberate plan of locating the man rather than wandering around. Retracing my steps to Main Street, I headed in the direction of David’s jewelry shop. I had been putting off talking to him, and I suspected he was doing the same with me. Now might not be the best time for our heart-to-heart, but I meant to have it soon.

Just as I reached his side of the road, I spotted a man who I thought was Ash at the other end of the block. His long legs moved at clip that would soon distance him from me if I didn’t pick up my pace. I sped up, tucking my hands into my pockets to keep them warm, and was glad that I had decided to wear sneakers today rather than the more professional pumps I wore to the studio. I could keep up with Ash as long as he didn’t run.

Moving close to the line of buildings, I managed to close much of the gap between Ash and myself. No one could accuse me of being a good private investigator or a good spy. In broad daylight, if anyone happened to spot me, they might get a nice laugh.

At one point during his flight, Ash pulled his cell phone from his pocket and held it to his ear. I bristled. So, his cell phone was still working? He had definitely not answered my calls or my texts. To be sure, I removed my phone from my pocket to see if maybe he was calling me back now or texted me. No, my screen remained blank.

In the next instant, he disappeared from my sight. I sucked in an increasingly painful breath and took off running toward the corner where I had seen him last. When I got to the end of the block, I stopped cold and flattened myself against the wall. I scanned my surroundings. Thank goodness no one was nearby…scratch that.

Across the road, my neighbor Opal stood frozen and staring at me. She was the elderly woman who was never disturbed by Talia’s music choices because she was deaf. I ducked my head and offered her an apologetic smile and a tiny wave. I couldn’t see her face clearly, but something told me Opal had just marked me down as another town weirdo.
Wonderful.

Since this wasn’t the first time I had been looked at strangely, I didn’t let it get to me too much. Having no time to reassure Opal, I dismissed her from my thoughts and peeked around the corner. Ash was nowhere in sight. I darted around the bend and took a quick scan of the street. Nothing.

I hurried down the block a short way, but this was one that dead-ended into the trees. There weren’t many options of where to go. A couple of the shops in this block had never showed activity to my knowledge, and the one or two places that looked like private houses had never shown any life all the time I had been living in Briney Creek. There was nowhere Ash could have gone.

I started along the short road toward the trees and hesitated to believe he had gone that way. If he had, why? Was he chasing someone? What was he up to? With no other plan or idea, I continued on. Before long my feet transitioned from paved road to gravel and dirt. I stopped and swallowed. The shadows pulled at me, inviting me into the foliage. I resisted.

“You’re getting fanciful, Makayla,” I whispered. “Pull yourself together.”

I glanced behind me and seeing no one, I started in. This was insane, and I had no reason to wander farther. I should be thinking of who I needed to speak with regarding Spencer. If nothing else, I should harass Pete to do something, or wait for Paul to make headway into getting Spencer released.

My feet kept moving.

Birds in the tops of trees tweeted, and to me that was a good sign. Every horror film I had ever seen, and I admit there weren’t that many, indicated when the wildlife grew quiet, danger lurked. For a moment, I wondered how true that was. Nevertheless, I delved deeper into the woods and pushed branches aside as I progressed.

Overhead, the day seemed to grow darker and much more menacing. I kept checking behind and around me. Wanting to feel like I knew what the heck I was doing, I squinted at the dirt. No evidence of anyone having gone before me was visible, which made me feel silly for looking.

Out of nowhere, I began to feel like I was being watched. My throat dried, and I swallowed to try to wet it. Another glance around. I cleared my throat. “Ash?” I cried. “Are you out here?”

No answer.

“Bad man with ill-intentions?” I called to ease my nervousness. I gave a little chuckle, and a branch cracked nearby. I squeaked and spun around. Through a thin trail, I caught sight of the road and civilization. Somehow, it made me feel safer.

Poor decision, Makayla,
I chided myself.
Get out of here and just wait for him to call you.

As I took a step back toward the road, dizziness assailed me, and I dropped my forehead into my hand. I shut my eyes and reached blindly to find a tree trunk to lean on. A flash of something flitted through my mind. Was I remembering? Had I been here, at this spot before?

Straining to recall—against the doctor’s orders of letting it happen naturally—I willed the image to come to the forefront of my mind. A niggling something wavered at the edge of my memory as if it teased me. Try as I may, I failed to recall, and my head began to hurt, so I let it go.

When I started forward again, a rustle in the underbrush made me freeze. I listened for the birds. They were chirping, but perhaps not as close as they had been before. I wasn’t sure if this was a bad sign. Time to skedaddle.

Something heavy fell on my shoulder, and I screamed. Whatever it was, I was too terrified to turn my head to investigate. I tried to run, but it dragged me backward. I lost my footing and fell to the ground. Refusing to be a victim a second time, I kicked out behind me.

Turn around, Makayla. Get a good look at him and then get up and run!

I licked my lips, sucked in a breath, and swiveled my head. Wouldn’t you know branches tangled in my hair, ripping several strands painfully from my scalp and making it hard to maneuver? I jerked downward to try to get free, and it seemed at the same time my assailant aimed a blow at my head. His attack brought black material into my line a sight, but the strike also made my vision double. My head was still spinning from the flash of memory.

I fell flat in the dirt but scrambled to gain my footing. Blood pulsed in my ears, so I could no longer hear a thing. Another heavy hand on my shoulder, and I rolled over, prepared to fight for my life. Ash knelt at my side. I pushed at him, but he caught both my hands in his.

“Makayla, stop!”

I was sick with fear. “You hit me.”

“I didn’t. I
wouldn’t
.”

Since I didn’t have the strength to push him away, I submitted to his pulling me to my feet and brushing dead leaves from my hair. I tried to look into his face to see the guilt that must be there, but he kept his chin lowered and his gaze hooded.

“
Someone
hit me,” I insisted.

“I heard you scream. When I got here,” he insisted, “you were on the ground. Are you sure you weren’t hallucinating?”

Was it a hallucination, or a memory of what happened to me? Everything felt so real. In fact, my head still hurt where the person hit me. I ran fingers over the crown of my head, and my blood ran cold. This wasn’t my imagination. A small lump had risen in the spot that hurt the most.

I opened my mouth to tell Ash about my proof but recalled scarcely any time had passed between my attacker knocking me to the ground and him kneeling over me. Sure, I was confused, but was I that confused?

“Are you okay?” He raised fingers to my cheek, but I ducked away before I thought about it. Doing so brought his hand into view.

“You’re bleeding, Ash!”

He covered his hand. “It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing. We need to get it checked out to make sure you don’t need stitches.”

He harrumphed, but I pushed him until he agreed, partly because the gash on his hand looked serious and partly because I wanted the doctor to take a look at my bump as well.

While we rode to the hospital in my car, I wondered who I might talk to regarding my suspicions. I could hardly tell Spencer his brother might have attacked me. Paul would be glad of the excuse to dump Spencer’s case. Well, maybe, depending on how bad he needed the money. For now, I decided to keep it to myself and keep my eyes and ears open.

At the emergency room, I joined Ash when the triage nurse directed him to the back to see the doctor. He did indeed need a stitch or two.

“Makayla,” the nurse said, when she looked at Ash. “Can you excuse us, please?”

I blinked at her. “It’s just a stitch. I can’t be back here?”

She didn’t bother explaining. “If you’ll either go out front or over there in the waiting area, that will be great.” She pointed the direction she wanted me to go, and I lingered, expecting Ash to say it was okay for me to stay. He said nothing. In fact, he had avoided eye contact since I met him in the woods.

Frowning, I headed toward the front. I would talk to my own doctor about my bump later. At the double electric doors, I glanced back at Ash and the nurse. The woman seemed to be speaking to him in a serious tone, and Ash’s face was like cold steel. The charming smile was absent, and while I couldn’t see his gaze very well from my distance, I suspected there was little warmth to be found there.

A shiver ran down my spine. I left the hospital and headed to my car. By the time I made it home, my cell phone was dinging. Ash was calling. When I didn’t answer, he texted.

“I’m sorry. Call me.”

I hesitated, but the truth was, I didn’t want to face the investigation alone. My bravado was just that—an act—and I wanted to clear Spencer’s name. He deserved all the help he could get. Besides, the fact was there was someone out there who meant me harm.

I called Ash’s phone. “You’re ready to stop ignoring me and take my calls?”

“I had to follow some leads, and I’m used to working alone.”

I said nothing.

He groaned. “You’re angry.”

“This is just your brother we’re dealing with. Nothing major.”