Twilight at Blueberry Barrens (20 page)

“What if he smells a trap?”

“I did some research on serial rapists and killers. They often fixate on a subject and imagine there is some kind of personal relationship. I think he'll be all too willing to believe I reciprocate
his affection. They are highly egotistical. I think this will work.” She put more confidence in her voice than she felt. In truth, her knees shook at the thought of facing him on that lonely stretch of rocks, but she couldn't see any other way of making sure this was over.

A new life awaited her, but only if she could remove the threat to the girls. And she was willing to do most anything to have a stab at what beckoned.

S
uch an idyllic scene with the blue water pounding against the rocks. The vegetation along the pink-granite cliffs was thick enough to hide an elephant, and no one could see him from here. His lookout was at the top of Sunset Cove, and he focused his binoculars on the people boarding the boat. Claire, her husband, Luke, and Newham with his entourage of the children, the dog, and Kate. Everyone in one place, all nice and tidy.

His skin felt like a thousand spiders were crawling over him, and he shook himself. This place was getting to him. If he didn't get word soon, he was going to leave this place he was beginning to hate. Even the bars were few and far between out here, and forget about finding a strip joint. He itched to cut loose and have some fun, and it was beginning to feel like he was in purgatory.

He laid down the binoculars when his cell phone buzzed in his pocket. He straightened after a glance at the screen. “Yeah, Boss. You have good news for me?” His pulse ratcheted up at the thought of ending this.

“If by good news you mean do you get to go home, no. Not yet. But I'm ready to give the go-ahead. But first, intercept a package being delivered tomorrow. Destroy it, then eliminate Drake Newham, Claire Rocco, and Kate Mason. And you might
as well wipe the slate clean and get rid of the kids. It's less messy that way.”

He pulled the phone away from his ear a second. Did he hear that right? Frowning, he put the phone back to his ear. “The kids? I didn't think that was ever on the table.”

“Well, it is now! I didn't want to have to do it either, but leaving them is just going to create more headaches than I want to deal with. Make it look like an accident. Be creative. Take them all out at once.”

He wasn't too excited about figuring out a way to handle eliminating so many at once. “I never signed on to kill kids. I've never done it before, and I don't want to do it now.”

“Fine. I'll hire someone else, and you won't get the rest of your money.”

And he was liable to be the new guy's next target to wipe up “loose ends.” He pressed his lips together and exhaled. “Fine, I'll do it. How fast does it need to be done?”

“As soon as you get that package and destroy it. By the end of the week at the latest. I'll give you a hundred-thousand-dollar bonus for making sure there is no ongoing problem.”

A hundred grand more. That put a different spin on it. He wished he knew more of what was going on, but his job didn't involve knowing the motive behind the problem that needed fixing. That piece of information was liable to get him killed, too, and he'd miss out on enjoying the money coming his way.

He took another gander at the boat out on the water. “What if he gets more than one package tomorrow? How do I know which one it is?”

“Then destroy anything that comes,” his boss snapped.

He lowered his binoculars again. “Okay, okay. I'll let you
know when it's over. What about my notebook? I still haven't found it. It could turn up after they're all dead. I don't want the law to come calling a year from now.”

“Once they're dead, you can go through everything before it's hauled away.”

“Maybe. I'll get on it.”

“Fine. I don't need to know the details.”

Probably because he didn't have the guts to do anything himself. He ended the call and dropped his phone into his pocket. Acid churned in his stomach, and everything in him recoiled at the thought of killing kids. What would it hurt to let them live? He could take care of the real problems, and maybe the boss would relent when the threats were gone.

He shook his head and picked up his binoculars. It would be nearly impossible to make it look like an accident and allow the kids to live. They were usually all together. While they'd left the kids with the old woman a few times, there was no guarantee that would happen in the next two days.

His gaze swept over the whitecaps, and he spied the boat with his prey aboard. Kate and Newham sat together in the stern with a kid on each side. Claire and her husband occupied the seats at the cockpit. Aboard the boat would be the ideal time to eliminate them, but this was the first time they'd all gone out together. How did he orchestrate it to happen again? He needed to figure out when they might all be together again.

He reached for his phone and called up the local newspaper. There would be a lobster fest this weekend. Most likely they'd all be there, but there wasn't a good opportunity to eliminate them there without being seen. He put his phone away. Unless an idea came to him, he'd have to arrange for an “accident” at two
separate places. Even if the sheriff suspected foul play, he'd make sure he left no clues.

Something rustled down the edge of the cliff, and he grabbed his binoculars and melted back into the brush. Peering through the branches, he saw a man dressed in camo approach with binoculars around his neck. The guy fiddled with something, and a drone rose into the air and hovered over the landscape. From the angle of the drone, he suspected he was watching the Rocco boat too. Frowning, he remembered the other time he'd seen a man watching Kate's residence. Could it be the same man? What if he could use this guy to cover up Kate's death?

It would pay to follow this guy and see what he was up to.

* * *

The tension eased from Drake's shoulders as he inhaled the calming scent of the salty air. The day couldn't be more perfect for a cruise on the water. The boat rode the gentle waves with ease, and the gulls swooped low to snatch the bits of bread the girls threw to them. Kate sat close, so close he could feel the warmth emanating from her side. The girls sat on a bench with the dog between them.

He smiled down at her. “Excited?”

Her cheeks were pink from the wind, and she had the hood of her blue sweatshirt up over her blonde hair. “I haven't been out to the Petit Manan Lighthouse for ages. I used to beg my uncle to take me out on his lobster boat, and he often gave in at the end of the summer just to shut me up.” Her smile faded, and she turned to look out over the sea.

He draped his arm around her shoulders. “Still no sign of your uncle?”

She shook her head and turned back toward him. “I keep waiting for him to show back up. I know Luke won't relax until he's back in custody.”

“Does the sheriff think he got out of the country? Maybe he'll never be recaptured.”

“The sheriff is working with the Canadian authorities, but there's been no sign of him.” She rose and leaned over the side of the boat. “Look, puffins floating in the waves!”

The girls squealed and went to stand beside her. Drake followed and peered over her shoulder. A puffin, looking very much like a parrot, rode the waves and suddenly disappeared into a curl of water. It emerged a few seconds later with a fish in its beak, which it gobbled down, then began to preen itself.

“Pretty cool little guy.” He shifted so he could watch her. The soft, rapt expression in her blue eyes made him smile.

She glanced up and her cheeks colored. “I'm obsessed, aren't I? Did you know they are loners at sea, then come home for months and stay with one mate? They're so hardy too. No matter what man and nature have thrown at them, they've managed to survive. They're a little awkward at takeoff and landing but are so nimble and agile in the water.”

“Once they're in their natural element, they aren't the ugly ducklings they appear to be?” he suggested.

She nodded. “Maybe that's it. I'm fascinated with them.”

And he was fascinated with her. He wanted to find out the reason for every smile, and he wished to be the one who brought out the dimple in her cheek and the light in her eyes. Her courage humbled him. She'd faced so much adversity but still had the
energy to help others and keep on trying to overcome what life had dished out to her. He doubted he'd ever find her with the covers pulled over her head wailing for help. She liked standing on her own and solving problems. She'd been quick to want to fix his lack of discipline with the girls.

He swiveled his gaze to the girls. Her firm but loving hand with them had made a huge difference. He couldn't remember when he'd last broken up a fight between them, and just this morning he'd found Emma combing Phoebe's hair. She was taking her role of big sister seriously. And it was all due to Kate's influence. She'd been good for all of them.

Kate pushed the hood off her hair and leaned against him. “You've got a strange expression. What are you thinking?”

“About how alive I feel here. When I look back at my normal life, it feels like a dream and I've just woken up. I actually have time to feel something other than the next responsibility. I'm not working every night.”

“You'll be going back soon. Another couple of weeks, and the girls will be starting school.”

“Maybe I'll enroll them in Folly Shoals.” The words were out before he'd realized the idea had formed in his head.

Her eyes widened, and she caught her breath. “What do you mean?”

“What if I bought a house big enough for everyone, and you kept the girls during the week? I could fly up every weekend to be with all of you.” Her smile faltered and he realized how it sounded. “I'm not saying we live together. I would never suggest something like that. I care too much about you. But it would give us time to explore where this relationship is going. The girls are thriving here. I don't want to yank them out of this special
place and put them in a fast-paced Boston school. I think we all belong here.”

She twirled a strand of hair around her finger. “But how could that work, Drake? You'd be living one life and we'd be living another. You'd have a foot in both worlds, and I think that's an impossible way to exist. You'll never be able to fully live in the
now
.”

Maybe she was right, but the thought of going back to Boston wasn't tenable.

But the thought of not working on a new drone, not following the passion he'd pursued for so many years, made him swallow hard.

He pulled her closer until her cheek rested against his chest and he could rest his chin on her head. “This is the now I am interested in exploring. It will work out, Kate. I don't know yet just how, but we'll figure it out together.”

She pulled away and tipped her head back to look into his face. “And just for the record, I love the girls. If you really need me to keep them while you figure out what you want to do, I'm here for them. And for you.”

Warmth settled into his abdomen at the assurance in her face. He cupped her cheek with one hand. “You're one of a kind. It's going to be okay.”

K
ate had never had anyone actually flirt with her before, not with the intensity Drake was beginning to show. She couldn't decide if she liked it or if it terrified her. And his suggestion about her caring for the girls had given her pause. Could that even work out?

She took the empty hot chocolate mugs to the kitchen while Drake carried the girls into bed after their movie. Jackson followed her. She looked down at her dog. “He keeps my head spinning, boy.” The dog woofed as if he understood.

She heard his footsteps behind her as she stood at the sink and rinsed the cups out. “Did either one of them wake up?”

“Nope.” His arms slipped around her waist, and he nuzzled her neck. “You smell good.”

Her pulse did a slow roll, then sped up to keep time with her breathing. What did she say? How did she handle this attraction? A deep ache built in her belly and spread up to her chest.

Oh, to be able to have the assurance to turn and embrace him.

She forced a light tone to her voice. “I was thinking about that notebook again. What if it's a code, and we can crack it?”

“What brought up that idea?” When his embrace dropped away, she felt cold and bereft. She curled her fingers into fists to
keep her hands from reaching up around his neck as she turned to face him. “It was such a busy time the other night that I wondered if we didn't check it out well enough.”

He gave her a crooked smile. “Moving too fast, huh?”

“Like a bullet train. Give me a chance to catch my breath.”

His grin widened. “I'll try.”

She moved past him to the counter where the notebook still lay in the bag. “Let's just take another peek.”

“I've played with codes in high school. It was a great brain exercise.”

“I've seen the ones you make the girls.”

He pulled out the notebook, then carried it to the table. “Do we have a lined pad anywhere?”

“I have a small one in my purse.”

“You carry the entire contents of the Free World in your purse.”

Smiling, she went to dig out a pen and pad. The way his gaze lingered on her when she stepped back into the kitchen warmed her all the way through. “Here you go.”

He took the pad and flipped it open. She laid the pen beside it, then pulled up a chair beside him. “Is there a trick to it?”

“We're going to look for the shortest words first. They are likely to be things like
a
or
I
and we'll look for patterns. The most common letter used in English is the letter
e
, followed by
t
and
a
, so that will help us too. And we'll look for double symbols that might represent things like a double
l
or other common double letters.”

“That sounds easier than I expected.” She looked down at the leather cover. “It looks well used.”

“I noticed that too. Let's see if there are any engraved names on the back.” He flipped it over and ran his hand over the worn
surface. “Nothing.” He turned it over and opened the front cover. “AB. Mean anything to you?”

She tried to think of anyone she knew with those initials. “Nope.” She leaned past him to turn a page. The last thing she wanted right now was to look at this thing now that it appeared to be nothing more than trash. She flipped the first page and began to read through it. “It's all numbers.”

He straightened. “There's a common code using numbers and letters that the Greeks devised. It's called a square cipher.” He drew a grid consisting of five columns and five rows, then filled the reference along the top and bottom with the numbers one through five. In the boxes he jotted down the letters of the English alphabet starting with the letter
a
in the first box. “Each letter is represented by two numbers—the column on the left is the first number, and the row across the top is the second. So the letter
s
is represented by the numbers 43. The
i
and
j
are merged into one, and
q
is omitted as well.”

“You think it's something that simple?”

“I suspect the owner of the notebook tried to muddy up the meaning enough that anyone who happened to glance in it would think it was gibberish. Let's see if this works.” He grabbed the pen and began translating the words.

Her eyes widened as he wrote down words like
target
and
shot
. “We should call the sheriff. I think this belongs to the murderer.”

Drake's jaw was like granite as he wordlessly flipped to the back and jotted down the translation of the final entry.

Location: Folly Shoals, Maine
Target: Heath and Melissa Emerson
Outcome: Death

Her vision blurred, and she fought tears. She turned to take Drake's hand. His eyes were wide and shocked in his white face. His hand trembled.

“I'm so sorry, Drake.” She clung to his hand, trying to convey the depth of her sympathy.

His breath came in short gasps, and he pulled her onto his lap, then clung to her like a buoy in rough waters. He buried his face in her neck, and she let him.

He finally stiffened. “This proves Heath didn't do it.”

* * *

The morning sun had begun to lighten the horizon when he parked in his hiding spot and walked the last quarter mile to Kate's house. The air smelled of dew, and he zipped up his jacket against the early morning breeze. He liked this time of day when no one was out and he could train his camera on her windows without fear of being seen. He found his spot and settled in, then focused on Kate's living room window. Any second now he'd be able to see her beautiful face and form.

There, the light came on and she drew open the drapes. He smiled. The white shorts she wore showed off her long legs, and the light-blue top hugged her figure. He liked it when she wore her hair up like today. He knew she'd done it just for him too. He could imagine pressing his lips against the curving sweep of her neck and up to her jawline. He quickly snapped pictures of her as she moved around the room fluffing pillows.

She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. But she belonged to him. He didn't like her job being in such close
proximity to a single guy. And those kids took up way too much of her attention. He'd be glad when Newham left town and went back to his own life. Just a few more weeks now, and he'd have Kate to himself. Maybe it would be time to knock on her door once he knew no one was around.

She rinsed her coffee cup, then exited the front door with her dog, pausing to drop an envelope onto the mat on the porch. Frowning, he focused on the white square. He couldn't quite make out who it was addressed to, but he intended to find out. He shrank back into the bushes as she walked along the road to the cottage. She passed near enough that he caught a whiff of the vanilla scent she wore.

Once she was inside the cottage, he stared across at the front door. The windows of the cottage were positioned so no one could see her house from inside, but there was always the chance someone might come out. He decided to risk it.

He dashed across the road and up the steps, then grabbed the envelope and ran around the side of the house just in case. Panting, he peered around the edge of the house. No movement at the cottage down the road. Perfect.

He flipped over the envelope. His breath hitched in his chest when he read the block words on the front. TO MY GIFT GIVER. Could she actually have responded to his gifts? His hands shook as he ripped the flap off and pulled out the paper inside. Handwritten
.
She'd sent him a
handwritten
note.

Dear friend,

Thank you so much for your sweet gift of chocolates. How did you know I love DeBrand truffles? And you picked my favorite kind! I'm in awe. I also loved the pictures. Could we
meet? I would love to thank you in person. If your answer is yes, keep this letter. If you don't want to meet me, leave the opened letter back where you found it. If I don't see the envelope, I'll meet you tonight at seven on the shore under Mermaid Point. I hope you say yes!

Much affection,

Your Kate

Your Kate.
His pulse jumped at the warm greeting. He'd hoped his gifts would win her over, but that she would reciprocate his feelings was almost too much to take in. He folded up the note and the envelope and stuck them in his back pocket. Of course he was going to meet her, though the thought of revealing his identity to her terrified him. What if she didn't like his type? Every woman had a “type,” and he hadn't had much luck in the romance department. He'd tried to get up the courage to ask her out ever since she got well, but she'd been obsessed with her sister. He'd have to put a stop to that.

Surely she wouldn't reject him when she'd gone to so much trouble to reach out to him. She was lonely too. Her mom and uncle were in jail, and all she had was her sister. She probably looked at Claire and wished she had a happy home too. He could give that to her. They didn't need anyone but each other. He hadn't wanted to kill the last one, but he'd been afraid she'd seen his face in the hotel room.

Maybe he would finally have a place to be on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Somewhere other than at his mom's place filled with smoke and coarse jokes. Someplace he felt wanted and welcome. He could just picture Kate bustling around the kitchen
preparing a turkey and pumpkin pie just for him. The happy thought was nearly overwhelming.

Then his smile faded. This was a little too pat, wasn't it? Could it be a trap?

He sneaked another look around the end of the house. The coast was still clear, though he longed to just walk right up the road and knock on the door. He could hold up the envelope and tell her he got her note and didn't want to wait until tonight. Then if it was a trap, he would have foiled it.

But no, he had a job to do today, and so did she. He could get the picture he took of her beside a puffin nest. Even if she was trying to trick him, he could win her over. He could frame it to match the black frames on her walls, and she'd squeal with delight. Maybe she'd throw her arms around his neck and kiss him. His face warmed at the thought until saner thoughts prevailed. He needed to be on his guard.

The sun was fully up by the time he skirted the edge of the woods and made it to his car. He stashed the note and envelope in his glove box, then turned on his car and pulled out onto the road.

Just in case this wasn't all it seemed, he needed to be prepared.