Vendetta (30 page)
“If you need to take a call . . . ,” Nikki said.
“It's nothing.”
“Am I missing something here?” Nikki stopped beside him on the porch, pulled off her gloves and booties, and handed them to one of the officers. “Your phone's been going off every five minutes.”
“It's nobody,” he said.
“You met someone?” she asked.
Jack frowned. “I didn't say anything about meeting someone.”
“You didn't have to. I can see it in your eyes.” Nikki grinned at him as they headed for the neighbor's house. At nine o'clock, the temperature was already rising. It was going to be another hot, humid day.
“Fine. I went to see a different allergist a couple of weeks ago,” Jack said, matching her pace. “We hit it off and have gone out a couple times. End of story.”
“And the real reason you went to be retested. Hmm . . .” She glanced at his profile. “Though I sense a âbut' coming.”
“I don't know yet. She's beautiful. Stunning, actually. But she might be a bit needy. She won't stop calling me.” Jack tugged on the end of his tie. “Back to our case, what do you think?”
“You're changing the subject,” Nikki said.
“You bet I am.”
Nikki's phone rang. Gwen was on the line. She answered the call and put it on speakerphone.
“Carter caught me up on what's going on from this end. I've been trying to trace the Hudsons' phones and finally got a hit on the husband's,” Gwen said.
“Where is it?” Jack asked.
“At a marina about fifteen minutes from where you are. The Royal Harbor Marina. I'm sending you the address now.”
“That's okay,” Nikki said. “I know the place.”
Seventeen minutes later, Jack pulled into the marina parking lot while Nikki got Gwen back on the phone.
“Tell me what we're looking for, Gwen. There are a couple hundred boats, a restaurant . . .”
“Give me a second . . . Take the left pier and head toward the end of the dock. I'll get you as close as I can.”
Nikki hurried in the direction Gwen gave them, with Jack right behind her. The full-service marina would be crowded and noisy on the weekend, especially in the summer, but for the middle of the week, it was fairly quiet. Dozens of boats
filled the slips they passed, primarily small sailboats and a few larger yachts.
She stopped and told Gwen where they were.
“Another fifty feet or so,” Gwen said. “End of the pier.”
Nikki continued down the pier, then stopped in front of the forty-foot boat. “Wait a minute. Are you sure? This can't be the boat.”
“What do you mean?” Jack asked. “You recognize the boat?”
“Yeah.” An odd sense of dread swept over Nikki. “It's the
Isabella
.”
“That's got to be it,” Gwen said. “Looks like it's registered to . . . Tyler Grant?”
Nikki's mind whirled with confusion. “Yes, it's his.” Images of Tyler and her best friend, Katie, flooded her.
Gwen was silent. Jack's initial look of shock turned to concern.
“Tyler's been planning to sell the boat,” Nikki said, “but as far as I know he's not even been back since Katie died. We're here now. I'll call you back in a minute.”
She squeezed her eyes shut and breathed in the damp, sweet smell of the lake. Tyler had inherited the boat from his father. Before his wife, Katie, had died, they'd spent every free day they could out on the water, often inviting her to come with them. Cutting the ties of someone you cared about, even though they were gone, wasn't easy. Which was why selling the boat was another piece of closure Tyler had yet to conquer.
The three of themâTyler, Katie, and their son Liamâhad gone sailing last spring. Everything had seemed perfect. Tyler was home from the Middle East and had promised Katie he wasn't going on another tour. They were awaiting their second child, and Liam had been over the moon with the news of a baby brother. They hadn't decided on a name yet. At four months along in the pregnancy, there had been plenty of time to choose one.
Or so they'd thought.
Katie had been feeling off that week. Tired of feeling nauseated. Tired of feeling tired. Tyler had thought a day on the water would make her feel better. His guilt over that decision had yet to completely fade. He believed
it was his job to protect Katie, and yet he hadn't been able to keep her from dying. She'd slipped, hit her head, then fell over the edge of the boat. By the time Tyler managed to pull her out, she was already gone.
“Nikki?” Jack's voice pulled Nikki back to the present. “What's the connection between Tyler and our missing couple?”
She opened her eyes and shook her head. “None that I know of.”
Which was why it didn't make sense. Why would Mac and Lucy Hudson's disappearance lead them to Tyler's boat? Shoving the questions aside for the moment, she stepped onto the boat ahead of Jack.
She stepped down into the cabin, taking in the details of the familiar room. Michael Grant had spared no expense when he bought the boat over a decade ago, eventually willing it to his son. Cherry cabinetry, leather seating, and an updated drop-down flat screen TV. But none of those things had her attention.
For the second time today, the scent of death filled her nostrils. Her mind tried to process the scene in front of her. Blood pooled on the carpeted floor. And Tyler Grant hovered over a man's lifeless body.
I'm always so grateful to those who work alongside me in the writing of a new story. It truly takes a village.Thanks to my wonderful editors, Andrea, Barb, and Ellen, for helping me take my stories to the next level. To the team at Revell . . . you all rock! Thanks for everything you do to get the word out about my books. A huge thanks to Eric and Janet for helping me with the rappelling scene and ensuring my police procedure is accurate. Any mistakes are all my own! And lastly to my wonderful family, who stands by and supports me while I write. Love you guys!!!
Lisa Harris
is a bestselling author, a Christy Award finalist for
Blood Ransom
, Christy Award winner for
Dangerous Passage
, and the winner of the Best Inspirational Suspense Novel for 2011 from
Romantic Times
. She has sold over thirty novels and novella collections. Along with her husband, she and her three children have spent over twelve years living as missionaries in Africa, where she homeschools, leads a women's group, and runs a nonprofit organization that works alongside their church-planting ministry. The ECHO Project works in southern Africa promoting Education, Compassion, Health, and Opportunity and is a way for her to “
speak up for those who cannot speak for
themselves . . . the poor and helpless, and see that they get
justice
” (Prov. 31:8â9).
When she's not working, she loves hanging out with her family, cooking different ethnic dishes, photography, and heading into the African bush on safari. For more information about her books and life in Africa, visit her website at
www.lisaharriswrites.com
or her blog at
http://myblogintheheartofafrica.blogspot.com
. For more information about The ECHO Project, please visit
www.theECHOproject.org
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S
OUTHERN
C
RIMES
Dangerous Passage
Fatal Exchange
Hidden Agenda
T
HE
N
IKKI
B
OYD
F
ILES
Vendetta
