Close…
He couldn’t shake the feeling that he murderer was close to them.
Who to trust? Lizzie and Zach—they came from the north and certainly hadn’t been around years ago. But who the hell else? Marshall—who could be playing them all—was from Key West. The question was, when had he been working in the north and when had he been working in the Keys?
Alex?
Key Largo was too close for comfort. He would have been in high school when the model disappeared, but Victor would have been in high school then, too. That didn’t exonerate either of them.
Jay.
For that matter, Jack had been around, too.
So…hell! That left the ghost hunters in the he-could-trust-them category.
He gritted his teeth, willing himself to go to sleep. It had been a long day and he was dead tired.
Dead…
He woke with a start the next morning when Genevieve cried out.
She was sitting up, soaked and shaking.
He leapt out of bed, turned the light on and rushed around, lifting her up and into his arms.
The smell of seawater was sharp and strong.
She stared at him with wide eyes.
“We have to go back!” she cried, and threw herself against him, trembling. The salt and the sea seemed to sink into his flesh, along with a stinging blast of ice-cold dread.
18
Genevieve tried hard to be reasonable—especially since she couldn’t explain her desperate urge to return to Key West so quickly.
She told herself that at least Thor didn’t seem to be feeling repelled by her.
He didn’t even comment on the salty scent of the sea or the dampness that seemed to descend upon them nightly. Since he was choosing to ignore those very weird occurrences, she told herself, she could control the desire to leave long enough for them to take a motor boat out for a few hours to search for any sign of Marshall.
Despite their night, they were up early, thanks to her nightmare.
Maybe the ghost’s directive had simply been meant to get them up and moving.
Thor was patient. “I understand,” he’d said very softly, holding her as she had trembled when the woman in white and the pirates had faded into puddles around her. “But we’re here. It’s a long drive back. We can rent a boat, cruise around for a few hours and still be back by five. All right?”
Sheerly for the fact that he hadn’t gone running, she had agreed that they could take the morning. As they drove to the marina, she made phone calls. Bethany was a bit perturbed at being awakened.
She woke Jay up, too. He sounded exhausted and disgusted.
Nikki Blackhawk was the only one who sounded not only cheerful but determined. “I’m not sure how much we’ve helped so far, but a teaser ran today for the story on the Marie Josephine and Anne, Aldo and the pirates. I think Anne would be pleased to see the way Helen is handling it. And I’m sure Gasparilla would like the world to know he didn’t kill Anne.”
“So you think the ghost is Anne?”
At that, Nikki hesitated. “I still don’t know,” she said.
“But you’ve seen her?”
“In a way. The thing is, just as only certain people see ghosts, only certain people are either seen or acknowledged by ghosts. This woman wants you to know something. So just do what you have to do up there. I swear to you, we’ll be combing the streets, along with the police, looking for Audrey.”
As she hit the end-call button on her phone, Genevieve had to smile. Despite her dreams, they were certainly living in the modern world. Thor was on his phone. He had already spoken to Jack and left a message for Sheridan; he had been speaking with Brent Blackhawk while she had been talking to Nikki.
“All right?” Thor asked her.
She nodded thoughtfully.
At the public marina in Coconut Grove, Thor was able to rent the speedboat he wanted. It was a perfect day to be out on the water; the seas were calm, there was a slight breeze, and the sky was almost crystal clear. Of course, that could change quickly, but for the few hours they needed, it looked as if they would have perfect conditions.
They turned off their phones, so they wouldn’t be interrupted, and headed north first, circling Key Biscayne, following the Intracoastal Waterway at a barely legal pace, then turning back. Downtown Miami was striking from a distance, the buildings towering above the ocean, all the hardships and sore spots of a major metropolitan area hidden by the distance.
Thor seemed irritated with himself as they passed marina after marina with no luck, and when he turned back, he told her, “I don’t know why, but I was certain we’d find Marshall here, even though I know someone might have called in using his name.” Her eyes widened with alarm, and he quickly added, “I’m sure he’s just fine.”
Genevieve was worried for Marshall, but also pleased they were turning back, because she still felt driven to return to Key West as quickly as possible.
Then Thor said, “The river.”
She almost groaned aloud. Checking out the Miami River could add hours to their day.
But she forced herself to stay silent, though she was chafing inwardly, anxious to head back.
Suddenly she found herself standing, gripping the console, as they passed through a residential neighborhood that took up both banks of the river.
“That’s it!” she exclaimed. “That’s Marshall’s boat!”
“Where?” Thor demanded.
“Right there…at that really weathered-looking dock. Behind the house that looks as if it’s gutted. Thor, that’s it! I’ve worked on that boat for years. That’s her. I know it is. Take a look at her. She’s a working dive boat, not a pleasure craft.”
He cut the motor to idle, slowly steering closer.
Genevieve gasped.
There was Marshall. Sunglasses on, hands laced behind his head, he was stretched out on the deck, a bottle of Scotch by his side.
She felt fury swell inside her. Before Thor could warn her to be quiet, she cried out in anger, “Marshall Miro, you son of a bitch!”
Marshall jerked up as if yanked by the hair. He looked at Genevieve with disbelief, then confusion, and then, to her amazement, abject fear.
“Marshall!” she cried again.
Thor had cut the motor. They drifted closer. Genevieve didn’t wait. She raced forward and leapt to the other boat.
“Genevieve!” Thor shouted. “Wait! Damn it, wait!”
Marshall had leapt to his feet. He was in a pair of khaki trunks, no shirt, and she headed straight for him.
“Wait!” Thor yelled again. He threw a line to Marshall’s boat, racing after her.
She hit Marshall. Hard, both fists pounding against his chest.
“Genevieve!” Thor reached her, dragging her away, before Marshall could strike back.
But Marshall clearly didn’t intend to hit anyone. He didn’t protest Genevieve’s wild rage in any way. He edged back, insisting, “I won’t go back. I will not go back, do you understand? Damn it, why couldn’t you just have left me alone?”
Genevieve stared at him, her anger drained by the sheer astonishment that seized her. “Marshall, what the hell are you talking about?” she asked. “We’ve been worried sick. We’ve been—”
“I called. I said I had business,” he protested.
Marshall was a big guy, his size and musculature emphasized by his shaven head and tattoos, but despite that, he looked absolutely terrified.
“You sure as hell better explain yourself better than that,” Thor snarled.
His fingers were knotted into fists at his sides, and his tone had aroused something in Marshall, too, because suddenly he was bristling, as well. The air filled with a sudden rush of testosterone. She kept her position between the two men, hoping to keep them from coming to blows.
“Calm down,” she said, and glanced at each man in turn.
Marshall let out a long sigh, lowering his head. “There’s no way I can make you understand. I
barely got out with my life.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Thor demanded.
“There’s something in the water,” Marshall said. “Something that doesn’t belong there. It tried to drown me,” Marshall said. “It almost succeeded.” He pointed a finger at Genevieve. “It’s all your fault. Why the hell couldn’t you just leave me alone?”
Genevieve opened her mouth, but words wouldn’t come.
“Marshall, is this you talking—or the Scotch?” Thor asked.
“I didn’t start with the Scotch until I encountered whatever the hell is down there.”
“What was it?” Thor demanded.
“I don’t know,” Marshall said, staring at them defiantly. “I never saw it.”
“You’re not making any sense,” Thor said.
“You had no right just to disappear. I thought you were one of the best men in the Keys.”
“Once,” Marshall said, shuffling his feet.
“Please,” Genevieve said. “I don’t understand.”
Marshall stared at her, shook his head, winced. “There was something in the water. It kept tugging at me. It dragged me under. Let me up, dragged me under again. There were weird sounds, and…shit, you can’t smell in the water, but I could smell decay. It was trying to kill me. I mean it. I’m not going back there…at least not for a long, long time. Not until someone finds out what it is and kills it or…exorcises it or something. Don’t you understand yet? It was trying to kill me. And you brought it on, Gen. You brought it on when you went down and saw that…whatever.”
Thor stared at him, his eyes narrowed. “Don’t blame Genevieve,” he said. “Blame the project, but don’t blame her.” He caught her hand. “Let’s go.”
“Let’s go?” she echoed questioningly.
“You heard him. He’s not coming back. And we have to go back. Just one word of advice, Marshall—lay off the Scotch. You feel like you can handle things again, you know where we’ll be. Genevieve, let’s go.”
They returned to their rented boat. Thor had tied on to Marshall’s with so much haste he’d caused some minor damage to the hull, which they would have to pay for.
Either he didn’t notice or he didn’t care.
He was obviously struggling to obey the speed limit as they headed back down the river. He stared straight ahead. She went to stand by him.
“He’s really terrified,” she murmured. She had worked with Marshall forever. She was angry, disappointed, hurt. But she still found herself defending the man who had been her boss—confident, professional, assured—for so many years. “And honestly, this isn’t like Marshall. I’ve seen him face a million threats and I’ve never seen him cave like this.”
Thor didn’t look at her for a moment, but when he did, he smiled ruefully. “I don’t care what a guy looks like. Or a woman, for that matter. We all have some point deep in our psyche where we can be afraid. In Marshall’s case…who the hell knows what went on? But it isn’t your fault. You didn’t cause any of this.” He hesitated, staring straight ahead again. “I don’t believe in ghosts,” he said. Yet, the words were like a line in a script, like something he had said over and over that no longer held any conviction. “But if there were ghosts out there…” He shook his head. “I’ll start over. I don’t think anything intended to harm Marshall. Whatever happened, it just touched that raw edge deep inside where any human being can be vulnerable.” He fell silent again for a second, then offered her another smile. “Hell. We found him. He’s alive and well. We’ll just tell the others that. That he felt he needed some personal time. That’s kind of the truth.”
“What if something down there did try to kill him?”
“I don’t believe it,” Thor said simply. “I do believe a flesh-and-blood murderer is out there, and because of that, we need to be…not afraid, but wary. I believe that…that there are questions that have to be answered.”
She stood next to him, not replying at first. Then she said. “We’ve found Marshall. Now we have to find Audrey.”
He was quiet. She knew he was thinking they might never find Audrey, and that, if they did, she might already be dead.
They made Genevieve’s house before dark.
As they pulled into her driveway, Thor turned on his cell, which immediately began to ring.
“Where have you been? I’ve been trying to reach you for hours.” It was Sheridan, and he sounded irritated.
“Driving,” Thor said flatly. “What do you want?”
“I read another one of the letters, and it’s too damn close to what that reporter rushed ahead and insinuated in the paper. If you’ve been on to something that you haven’t been sharing, you are entirely outside your contractual bounds.”
“We’ve given you everything we found,” Thor said.
“You have to get back down there,” Sheridan said.
“As soon as I have police clearance.”
Sheridan let out an irritated snort. “Can they cordon off the ocean? There was no reason for the dive to stop.”
“A corpse is a good enough reason for me, Professor. Is there anything else?”
“Can you get over here immediately?” he demanded.
Thor maintained his temper, grimacing at Genevieve as she arched a brow at him. “I’ll run by. I’ll check with the police first and see if they need more time.”
“More time? It’s an ocean, for God’s sake.”
Sheridan was probably right; Thor was simply in the mood to buck him.
“Are you off to see Sheridan?” Genevieve asked after he’d hung up.
“You want to come?”
“No,” she said emphatically.
“I won’t be long,” he told her.
“Just go now, and then you can get back fast. I’m going to call Bethany, find out what everyone is up to, see if they’re meeting later for dinner.”
“I’ll go in with you first.”
“It’s okay—I threw everyone out and locked the house,” she reminded him.
“I’ll go in with you first,” he repeated.
She smiled.
They went through the same routine they had followed the first time. Thor didn’t really believe anyone was lurking inside, ready to assault Genevieve, but he had a feeling that something was brewing and it was getting closer and closer to an explosion.
Her house, as he had expected, was empty.
“Sure you don’t want to just come with me?” he asked.
“We went through the house, and I’ll be fine,” she assured him.
“Don’t go off without me,” he commanded.
She shook her head. “I won’t. I’ll be waiting.”
She walked him back to the door, smiling. He wasn’t sure why, but he hesitated. He felt as if his breath locked in his throat. He wanted to hold her, to refuse to leave her. He drew her into his arms instead and kissed her tenderly. When he eased his hold, she whispered, “What was that for?”
For the fact that I love you…
But he didn’t say the words. He wasn’t sure he’d ever before felt the way he did about her now. He had cared about women before, been deeply involved several times.
But he’d never been in love, never felt as he did now.
“Nothing. I’m going to get moving. Get this over with. It’s been a long day, but you’re right. I’d like to have dinner with the others, find out if anything they found out puts a new light on things. At least we can tell everyone Marshall’s alive and well. In fact, you might as well get started on that right now. We probably should have called earlier. I was just so…”
“Mad?”
“Yes. And…hell, never mind. I can’t explain it. I’ll hurry.”
He didn’t need to explain. He knew she understood. He lifted a hand to her as he walked away and slid behind the wheel once again.
She smiled and waved.
He turned the key in the ignition, then he almost turned the car back off. Something was nagging at him, but he couldn’t
put a finger on it.
Reluctantly, he drove away.
Genevieve watched Thor go, wondering why she had actually been anxious for him to leave.
She locked herself inside, lowering her head pensively.
She knew why.
She was going to try to summon her ghost, and he wouldn’t understand.
How to go about it?
She should call Adam Harrison, she thought. She should call him and the others immediately, just as she had told Thor she was going to.
But she was feeling the same sense of urgency that had plagued her all day. Yes, they had found Marshall, and Marshall was okay.
And Audrey, she somehow knew, was not.
Her heart was pounding as she went to the sofa and sat, closing her eyes and doing nothing but concentrating, trying to find out if it was possible to communicate with the dead, with the woman who had sought her out.
Please, don’t let Audrey be dead already, she prayed silently.
She leaned back and closed her eyes.
Tried to relax. To clear her mind.
Easier said than done.
And so she let her thoughts free.
Help me. Please. You said to beware, but of what?
Or of whom?
Please, don’t let me be responsible for Audrey’s death. You can help me.
Please…
At the police station, the desk sergeant spoke to Thor, then asked him to wait while he made a call.
Jay was apparently out on the street somewhere. Detective Suarez walked out to speak with Thor instead.
“The sergeant said you’ve spoken with Marshall Miro,” Suarez said.
“That’s right. He’s taking some personal time. He’s docked up on the Miami River. I’m assuming the property belongs to a friend, or maybe he owns it himself.”
“Well, there you go. Your friend and co-worker is fine.”
“Yes. I’m much more worried about Audrey.”
Suarez made a ticking sound of impatience. “She’s probably off somewhere having fun, too. But I’ll keep my eyes open. You know, your friend Victor was the last one seen with that hooker.”
Thor discovered he disliked Suarez. The “hooker”—even if they didn’t have an identity on her—deserved more in the way of respect.