Prelude of Lies (16 page)

“Can we make the office our command post?” The sheriff seemed more nervous than usual. “Tell me everything that happened today.”

Sydney went through every detail. When she got to the part about the plumber the sheriff stopped writing.

“What’s happened? What aren’t you telling me?” Sydney stood in front of him, her hands on her hips.

“I received two calls today. One from some irate woman named Nadine accusing you of holding her daughter here against her will. I know enough of the family history to know who Nadine is.” The sheriff rolled his eyes.

“I knew she’d try something.” Sydney’s fear grew. Was Nadine now holding Daisy for ransom? Was the woman really that crazy? “Who was the other call?”

“The other said he was a reporter. Started asking a bunch of questions about Brookside, Del and you two. They sounded weird, like they were reading the questions instead of asking. You know?”

“Maybe it was a new reporter?” This didn’t sound good.

“I’ve dealt with lots of reporters, Sydney. My gut is telling me this person was not who he said.”

“What did you tell him?”

“Nothing. They knew basic information. I refused to elaborate. The questions were really strange, too. He wanted to know about your pasts, where you lived before and if you were married. I guess that does make good human interest type stories. I’m not buying that. That kind of information is best asked of the person you want to know about.”

“So now you believe us?” Sydney hated that the question came out so sarcastic. She hadn’t meant it to.

“I’m sorry. It’s not that I didn’t believe you. I did, but I thought the trouble was caused by someone who really wanted the casino. Some of the debates in town about the casino are getting downright ugly. I broke up a fight at Kay’s the other day. The young kids all think the change is exciting and see themselves making it big and leaving. The young families are appalled and the older folks are conflicted, because, maybe they want some excitement around here, too.”

“Would those people go so far as to kidnap Daisy and sabotage everything we’ve worked for?”

“I don’t know. Money’s a powerful thing. The guy that hired the kid to scare you thought he was participating in a practical joke, too. We haven’t been able to locate the person he says hired him.”

“Do you really think Nadine would do this?” She told him her impression of her needing a fix.

“Possibly if she were desperate. Nadine’s our biggest suspect. You know there’s a chance Daisy went to clear her head and ended up in a hole or something.” The sheriff didn’t seem to believe that.

“Sure. That’s why some guy saying he was the plumber asked where he could find Daisy.”

Another shout sounded from the woods to their left and Sydney’s hope grew as she ran toward the search party.

Sydney stood over the bones and shook her head. The skeleton was canine. She wondered if this could be the physical remnants of their ghostly visitor and decided once Daisy was safe, they’d properly bury what was left of the dog’s body.

The sun was setting. Each minute Daisy stayed missing might bring her closer to death. No ransom note had appeared yet and her phone stayed mute.

Where was she? Sydney went back to the office, her steps as heavy as her heart. A vehicle stopped near the office. Sydney didn’t bother to turn around. The next thing she knew, a hand grabbed her arm and spun her around.

Nadine.

“Where’s my baby?” Her eyes were wild. Her hair stuck out in all directions and Sydney could swear there was a cigarette butt stuck in the crazy mess.

“For your information, she was a baby thirty years ago. She’s a grown woman now and she does not belong to you. You’re not welcome here.” Sydney turned away.

“How dare you? You’ve poisoned her against me.” Nadine’s screech echoed through the trees.

“Where is she, Nadine?” Sydney spun and closed in, her fists clenched and the question quiet and menacing.

The shock on her face appeared genuine, but Sydney wasn’t convinced. “You little bitch. Why would I kidnap my own flesh and blood?”

“Why would you show up and accuse her of wrecking your life? Why would you decide to come back now, after she’s received half of an inheritance that holds enough potential to see us both into a comfortable old age? You leave your daughter to follow some band and you have the nerve to call me a bitch?” Sydney’s volume increased. The next thing she knew the sheriff stood at her elbow.

“I’ll take it from here, Miss Brooks. Ma’am, I’ll need to ask you some questions.” The sheriff had Nadine by the arm and steered her toward one of the benches.

“How did she know Daisy’s missing?” Sydney let the door slam behind her. She felt like banging it again, or kicking the chair and screaming at the top of her lungs. She ended up doing all three.

Where was her sister?

CHAPTER 15

Daisy shivered against the metal floor. Her arms ached and her throat was raw. Where was she? The last thing she remembered was talking to the plumber.

Only now, she didn’t think he really had been the plumber.

Why did the thought make her laugh? She was becoming delirious, no doubt. It was either sweltering or freezing. She’d had a sense of night, but couldn’t see the sky.

Sydney would be insane by now. She’d have the National Guard searching for her and probably knock on every door. Why didn’t that comfort her?

Probably because she was starving, freezing and had to go to the bathroom so bad she could barely move. Oh, whoever did this was going to get their ass kicked once she found a way out of here.

Just when she was considering using a corner of the metal box to relieve herself the door slid open and for a moment, the sun blinded her.

“Come on now. Let’s go,” a gruff voice commanded.

“Go to hell.” She stepped back, wondering if baiting the person offering her freedom was really a good idea.

She moved before he could shut the doors on her, trying to adjust her eyes at the same time she contemplated which direction to run. Before she could take off, his hand gripped her arm, digging into her skin and causing her to yelp.

“Get your hands off me, you moron.” When was she going to learn not to taunt the person who could end up killing her?

“Shut up.” He dragged her with him, swinging her into an ancient outhouse. “Do your business quickly.”

He slammed the door and dust rained down on her. Trying not to think about what kind of creepy crawlies probably inhabited the tiny stall with her, or about the possibilities termites had structurally damaged the wooden platform, her bladder demanded she follow his instructions.

She opened the door and checked the area. Her captor didn’t seem around so she stepped out. Again, just as she prepared to run, he grabbed her.

“No way.”

“Why did you do this?” She tried to wrench her arm away, not caring that his grip tightened.

“Why not?” His vague answer and obnoxious laugh made her want to kick him.

Weighing her chances, she pretended to fall, her shoulder popping with the impact. He didn’t let go. Damn. And ouch.

“Where are you taking me?”

“You’ll see. My boss is eager to speak with you.”

“Your boss? What is he, like a gangster or something? What would he want with me?”

“Shut up. Just shut the fuck up.” He yanked her arm and Daisy thought it might have come out of the socket this time.

“Why should I? This is stupid. Why didn’t your boss just ask me to talk to him? Did you really need to lock me up to freeze my ass off all night? What kind of moron would treat someone so badly? This is insane. What the hell? Your boss has a lot of nerve. I want answers. This is fucking ridiculous,” she railed, seemingly unable to stop herself.

“Why do you have to talk so much? Maybe I should put you back,” he growled.

“Maybe you should take your hands off me. Maybe you should go fuck yourself. Maybe you should let me the hell go!” She wrenched her arm, kicking out with her foot at the same time.

Her kick connected with his kneecap and he released her as he bent over with a squeal of pain. A second kick caught him in the nose with a crack and a spurt of blood. Good. Without looking back, Daisy ran into the woods, hoping like hell she’d run into the guys she was certain Sydney had searching for her.

She ran with everything she had. Her lungs burned and tears streamed down her face. Where the hell was she? With her luck, she’d run right into a bear or get lost in this seemingly endless forest.

Finally, she found a trail and after a quick left and right, took off to the right on pure instinct. She had no idea how far she’d gone when the path widened to reveal a gravel road.

Could she really have made it back to the campground?

A man shouted, and she fell to her knees. The last thing she saw was Sydney’s face, surrounded by Marshal, Graham, and Tucker.

Sydney paced the tiny front porch. Was Daisy ever going to wake up? They had no idea where she’d run from or how far she traveled, just that her face was scratched up, her arm was horribly bruised and her wrists were raw. Sydney’s anger grew with each step.

Having Daisy back and not knowing who took her or why was almost as bad as when she was missing. Almost. Sydney hadn’t spoken to anyone since Nadine’s visit. She’d filled the sheriff in on what Nadine had said, but after that found she had nothing left to say.

Marshal had tried to talk to her. So did Jace. But she’d shaken her head and backed away. They seemed to understand. Each had hugged her, but hadn’t asked for anymore from her.

She was grateful. They’d done so much for her and Daisy the past few days. Stuff they hadn’t asked for nor expected. Sydney wished she had even a smidgen of her former sense of humor. Right now, she felt nothing.

The door opened and the EMT taking care of Daisy stuck his head out. “She’s awake.”

Sydney moved to go inside, only to be stopped by a badge. “I need to ask her some questions.”

“Then you can wait until after I make sure she’s okay.” Sydney moved around him. His hand closed around her wrist.

“Procedure, ma’am.” He tried to seem sympathetic. Or at least she thought that was what it was supposed to be.

“I don’t give a crap. Get out of my way.” She gave him her best menacing glare, but he didn’t move.

Thankfully, the EMT intervened. “She’s asking for her sister. She doesn’t believe she’s safe.”

Sydney quelled her urge to stick her tongue out at the sour faced officer and rushed to her sister’s bed. “Hey, sleepyhead. You sure have a way of getting out of work.”

She kissed her cheek, heartened when Daisy laughed in response. “They told me I was home, but I couldn’t be sure. I guess it’s the unfamiliar paint. Where am I?”

“In our soon-to-be conference room. The guys painted it for something to do while we waited. The cops kicked us off the search team.” She went to her knees on the floor and hugged Daisy with a sob. “I was so freaking scared.”

“Well, lucky for me I was out of it for most of the time. When I came to this morning I was pissed, so I didn’t really get scared.”

“Don’t say any more, Miss. I’ll take your statement in a moment,” the guy who’d stopped Sydney at the door said.

“Not without my sister here you won’t. I don’t know you, so no, you don’t get to talk to me without someone present I’m comfortable with.” Daisy sat up, obviously in the same temper she’d escaped with. She winced when she moved her arm and despite not really wanting to know, Sydney moved the sleeve of her loose-fitting shirt, almost crying when she saw how awful the bruises there were.

“What the hell?”

“I swear the guy was trying to snap my fucking arm in half.” Daisy tried to hide the pain.

“How’d you get away?”

The click of the door brought both of their heads around. Sydney’s discomfort increased with the man’s presence. She’d seen his badge, but that didn’t mean he was really one of the good guys.

“I’d be more comfortable if you left the door open. It’s kind of close in here. I’m a little claustrophobic,” Sydney lied.

“Fine. I understand.”

For the next hour, she sat in shock while Daisy told her story time after time. After the fourth round of questioning, Sydney couldn’t take any more.

“Excuse me. I know you’re just doing your job and all, but in case you’ve forgotten, my sister is the victim here. She didn’t do anything to precipitate this. Why are you treating her like a criminal?”

“That’s not my intention, ma’am. I just need to make sure I have all the facts.”

Daisy yawned. “You had them all the first time. Why would I lie about being kidnapped?”

“Stranger things have happened.”

“Not to me.”

“I think you’ve drained her brain enough for right now. Let her rest. I’d like to talk to you outside though.” Sydney stood, not caring how angry he looked.

“Good. I have some questions for you too.” He preceded her out the door after a brief standoff.

On the porch, she spun on him. “Why would you question her like that? That’s insane. She’s innocent.”

“Are you? Some folks think maybe you arranged this to take the inheritance for yourself?”

The idea was so ridiculous Sydney laughed. “What folks? What are their names? Like I’d really want to be burdened with the campground to run by myself.” She didn’t care that she’d shouted.

“No. So you can sell it and be a rich young woman.”

“Oh. Now you’re pissing me off. Why don’t you find the real criminals instead of badgering innocent women?” She got in his face, knowing she needed to back off, but she was unable to stop herself.

“I am. I have to investigate the obvious first. I need to know everyone who’s in residence here.” His tone softened, but his face remained grim.

“I thought you gathered that information already?” She really didn’t like this guy.

“I did. I need your opinions on them.” He flipped his notepad open, his pen poised just above the page.

Sydney listed their names, even the guys from Tucker’s crew. She really didn’t think any of them were behind Daisy’s kidnapping and told him so.

“That’s quite a few men for only two women.” A red haze blurred her vision at the undertones in his statement.

“You’re a real funny man, you know that? Get your mind out of the gutter.” She itched to slap his face for his innuendo.

“You mean to tell me you have the grandson of the woman trying to take this campground from you in residence and you don’t think there’s anything weird about that?” He raised a brow.

“No. Just because his grandmother embodies pure evil doesn’t mean he does. I believe him. He’s given me no reason to doubt him.” Hopefully, her tone would end that line of questioning.

“I’ve seen the way he looks at you. Don’t you think he’d tell you whatever you wanted to hear? He gets to sabotage your plans, maybe a sweet piece of ass, and his grandmother wins. I wonder what she’s promised him for his role.” Forget the slap, Sydney had to force herself not to punch him.

“A sweet piece of ass? Are you freaking serious? I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that. For now. If you ever say such a thing again I’ll report you to your superiors.”

“We’ll see if my information matches yours.” Why was he so snide and smug?

“Knock yourself out.” She meant that literally.

“Here’s my card. My cell number is on the bottom. If your sister remembers anything else, call me right away. I’ll be back in the morning.” He turned and stepped off of the porch.

Sydney kicked the wooden bench to her left, immediately regretting her show of temper. Damn that hurt.

What the hell? The guy was supposed to be on their side. Supposed to help find out who kidnapped Daisy and so far all he’d done was make assumptions and cast aspersion on their characters. She’d never call him, even if Daisy came up with the name of the people who’d taken her, but she would be having a discussion with his superiors. The way he’d treated them was ridiculous.

“You okay?” The EMT watched her limp back into the room.

“Yeah. I wish I could have kicked him in the head.” She sank onto the couch.

“He’s gruff and kind of an asshole, but he does good work. I’ve seen the results.” He turned back to Daisy.

Sydney was losing her mind. “If you say so. He’s not my favorite person right now. I don’t want to have to talk to him again.” She leaned back, fatigue making her sigh.

“Daisy’s going to be fine. She’s sleeping again. You should be able to hear her call from here.”

“Thanks. You went above and beyond for us. I know she should have gone to the hospital, but she was adamant. When will the results of the blood tests be back?” She got comfortable on one of the new couches in the waiting area and wrapped the fleece blanket that had been hanging over the back around herself.

“Doc put a rush on them. He wanted to make sure whatever she was given will clear her system quickly. Expect headaches. If she has a headache that gets too bad, take her to the ER no matter what she says. I’ll be back in the morning.” He left, and panic climbed through Sydney.

They were alone in the cabin. What if this crazy asshole decided to come back for Daisy?

She stood and went to the door. Marshal stood with his back against the sign. Sydney almost screamed, but he silenced her with his lips. Melting into him, she allowed the physical needs of her body to override her common sense. His chest was solid against her and he tasted of coffee and sunshine. When he finally released her, guilt shattered her need and she rested her head on his chest.

Lifting her chin gently, he locked eyes with her. “Daisy’s fine. There’s nothing wrong with a little physical release in times of stress. Go to sleep. The campground is well-guarded. I called in a few of my part-timers. They’re taping and patrolling at the same time. Rest easy. The bastard won’t take her again. You have my word.”

Sydney touched his face, realizing how easy it would be to give in to her hormones and let him take her away from this nightmare for a few blissful hours.

But then, Jace’s face swam into her head and guilt was her new best friend. How had this happened? She’d gone from having no one in her life to dealing with the very real prospect of making a choice between Jace and Marshal.

How would she do that?