Grayson shifted on the sofa. “What if she’s perfectly happy the way she is? Brenna, I mean. She could be married and happy. Have you thought of the disruption you’ll be bringing to her if you find her?”
Shauna’s green eyes looked a little sad. “Do you wish we’d never found you, Grayson?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “My life is pretty topsy-turvy right now.”
She looked down at her hands. “If we find her, we’ll check out her situation before we talk to her. Just like we did with you.”
He knew she was hurt, but he wasn’t sure how to heal the sudden awkward silence. “I think I need some air.” He rose and rushed for the door. He snatched his laptop off the counter on his way out.
Chapter 17
The kitchen is still the heart of the home. Good food, laughter, and warmth never go out of style.
—HAMMER GIRL BLOG
The sea breeze lifted Ellie’s hair as she stepped out onto the back deck and followed Grayson down toward the water. Maybe she should have let Shauna go after him, but after all the intense time they’d spent together, she had reacted on instinct.
Poor guy. Ellie had heard most of the story, and she tried to imagine how she would feel to hear such a horrific tale and not able to remember it.
He stood under the shade of a tree and skipped a rock out over the calm waves. A seagull scolded him overhead, and several passengers waved from the ferry chugging by. She automatically waved back as she moved to join him at the gently lapping water.
She let the salty scent of the sea wash over her and relax the muscles in her shoulders. “You okay?”
He shrugged and tossed another rock. “Just something I have to get used to. Every time I think I’ve accepted all of it, I get hit with something new. Hearing Shauna recount that day made me feel like I had a boulder on my chest.”
“Or a piece of concrete.”
He turned to stare at her again. “You think it was a memory?”
“Shauna said you were trapped. It would make sense.”
“I guess so.” He ran his hand through his hair, and it stood on end. “So now I guess I meet a new nephew. I’m not sure I’m up to all this unknown family.”
“Shauna will understand if you ask her to postpone it.”
“He’s probably already on his way. I like kids. It’s not that.” He settled on a rock and stretched out his long legs. A gull landed nearby, then hopped closer to see if he had any food. He finally looked up. “You have a calming way about you, Ellie. Thanks for coming out here with me. I didn’t really want to be alone, but I didn’t know how to tell Shauna how it all made me feel.”
Heat ran up her neck. “You’re welcome.” The gull swooped away when Ellie joined him on the sand. She sat cross-legged, then picked up a stick and threw it into the water. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
He shook his head. “Coming out here to listen was enough. There’s really nothing anyone can do. It’s a new world I have to get used to. And I’m fine, really. Shauna is great. I can see how much she loves me, but it feels so odd not to love her back. I think I can, but it’s going to take some time.” He picked up a small pebble off the sand and rolled it around in his fingers. “So much about my life growing up is clearer now. It explains the distance I always felt from my mother. She treated Izzy with so much more warmth. I always thought it was because I was male, but it wasn’t.”
“How about your dad?”
“He was great—when he was home. Being in the navy meant he was out to sea a lot. When he was home we’d go fishing, play ball in the yard, go to the beach. He tried to make up for his absence with lots of fun.”
“Have you talked to your sister about this?”
He nodded. “She didn’t believe it at first. She offered to come here, but she’s got kids and a writing career. I can handle it, but it’s been a shock.”
“Does it make it worse to stay here? I’ve got a house we just finished and it’s on the market. Even if it sells immediately, you’d be able to stay there for at least another month by the time all the financing and inspections are done.”
“Good of you to offer, but it’s not the house. It’s just everything. I need to be concentrating on finding the cocaine and your sister, but the personal stuff keeps inserting itself. I have to focus.”
She nodded. “And nothing is easy about all of it. I happened to think of something, though.” She told him about the confrontation with the woman over the mah-jongg tiles. “I haven’t opened the box of tiles yet.”
She told him about her slashed tires after the sale. “It’s probably not related, but I’m trying to look at everything.”
“I don’t like it. You also had that break-in. For all we know, it’s all related to Mac’s death.”
Her throat closed, and she looked away. “We don’t know she’s dead.”
“Ellie—”
She shook her head when he reached toward her. “I know I’m being ridiculous to cling to hope, but I can’t just give up on her.”
His big hand came down on hers. “If anyone understands this, it’s you. We’re kind of in this together.”
His touch sent warmth up her arm to lodge in her neck. “I guess we are.” It was difficult to step away from the intensity in his blue eyes.
He wiped his hands on his shorts and turned to where he’d set his laptop down. “I wanted to take a look at the whole EMP bomb thing.” He opened his computer. “I’ve been on the trail of a terrorist who sells drugs to fund his organization. He’s here in the area, and we think Mac took the drugs for him. I want to see if he’s been implicated in any kind of EMP threat. His name is Tarek Nasser. Ever heard of him or met him?”
Terrorist? “Y-You think Mac was part of a terrorist cell?” Bile tinged the back of her throat. “Mac is not a terrorist! I’ve never heard of this guy.”
“Good, because he’s a bad dude—brutal and likes torture.”
He must have realized how the news hit her because he looked up quickly. “There’s no doubt she took the drugs. At first I assumed it was for the money, but the files about the bomb add another layer to investigate. I have to look at everything. I’m sorry.”
She struggled to catch her breath. “You’re wrong, Grayson. You have to be.”
“I hope so.” He looked back at his computer and began to type.
She watched him scroll through pages of information and tried to think of anything Mac might have said that would indicate she’d gotten involved with terrorists, but there was nothing. She loved her job and her students. She was passionate about sailing. Mac had shown no signs of being interested in some kind of radical theology.
“Ah.” Grayson straightened.
“What is it?”
“One of the CIA operatives in Korea said he suspects North Korea of partnering with Nasser’s group to set off a coordinated attack. He suspects they intend to use an EMP bomb.”
The words fell like a boulder on her heart. “You’re thinking it makes sense because of Mac’s visit to Korea. And her specialty in Asian language and culture.”
“You can see it too, can’t you?”
She shook her head. “I can’t believe Mac would do that.”
“I know it’s hard to accept, and I could be wrong.”
“But you don’t think you are.”
He shook his head. “Could we go to your house and look at those mah-jongg tiles when we’re done here?”
She managed to nod, but she wanted to bolt for the house. What had Mac gotten involved with? She couldn’t deny any longer that her sister had taken the drugs. What other secrets did Mac have?
How did an uncle talk to a nephew he’d never seen? Grayson eyed the five-year-old, who had followed him into the kitchen. Grayson set down the pizza boxes and opened the first one. The scent of tomatoes, cheese, and garlic made his mouth water.
The boy’s grandmother had brought him over an hour ago, and she’d been curious but kind. She’d left Alex wit
h his mom and had gone home to get the dogs and cat. It was about to be a circus. Maybe he should reconsider Ellie’s offer to use one of her houses, but he was too far into this to back out now.
“Plain cheese, buddy?”
Alex nodded, his turquoise eyes somber. “Are you going to live here forever?”
Cute kid, and he looked a lot like the picture of his dad on the fireplace mantel. Grayson slid a slice of cheese pizza onto a plate. “Well, it’s hard to say how long I’ll be here. I work for the Coast Guard, and they tell me where to go and for how long. You probably know that, right?”
Alex nodded and accepted the paper plate holding the pizza slice. “You don’t look like Mommy.”
“No, I don’t.”
“I look like my dad. Maybe you look like your mom or dad.”
“That’s probably true.” Gosh, the kid had him scrambling for answers. Grayson hadn’t even seen pictures of his birth parents. Maybe Shauna had some. The things he didn’t know kept slamming into him.
Ellie’s smile was wide as she came to help him. “I’ll fix drinks.” She touched Alex’s head. “Hey, little man, you’ve grown a foot since I saw you last.”
He stood taller. “I’m going to be tall like Daddy and Zachster.”
“I’ll bet you are.”
“Do you think I should call Zachster Dad? He’s going to be my dad now, isn’t he?”
Grayson suppressed a grin as his gaze locked with Ellie’s. Let her be in the hot seat for a while.
She wrinkled her nose, a very cute nose, at him before smiling down at the boy. “I think you need to talk to your mom and Zach about that.”
“Okay.” He wandered back to the seating area where his mom and Zach sat with their pizza and iced tea.
Grayson handed her a slice of pizza. “You handled that well.”
“Always refer questions to the parents.” Her bright smile flashed before she bit into the pizza. “I’m starving. Have you tried it yet? It’s wood-fired, and it’s better than any other pizza I’ve ever had.”
He grinned and took a bite. The Italian spices and Canadian bacon hit his taste buds at the same time as the tasty, wood-fired crust. “It’s pretty good.” Something about the flavor brought a vision of a ferry moving past in the sound. “How long has this pizza place been around?”
“As long as I can remember. I think it opened in the sixties.”
It was like being two people. He knew who he was—Grayson Bradshaw. Son of a navy officer, older brother of Isabelle, and Coast Guard criminal investigator. The path of his life had run back to Japan, then forward to a series of places in the US. He knew what he wanted from his career, and he thought he knew his family inside and out.
He’d been wrong.
Life wasn’t one long ribbon of known events. There were frayed areas he didn’t understand, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to try to tie them all up in a neat bow. It had been easier before Shauna showed up.
“Could we go talk to Dylan tonight?”
He lifted a brow. “We? I’d rather you didn’t get involved in this. He could be dangerous.”
“I thought you doubted he was guilty of anything.”
“I do, but I’d rather not take any chances with your life.” He frowned as something Rosa said came to mind. “What’s this about a break-in last night? You never told me exactly what happened. Did you see anyone at all?”
Her golden eyes lost their teasing light. “I heard someone outside my house last night. Splitting the screen with a knife.”
He tried to cover his alarm. “Did you call Burchell?”
“No, but I called 911. A couple of deputies, Rosa included, checked things out. They found a set of footprints outside my window and the cut window screen.” She took another bite of pizza. “I would guess the sheriff got a report on it, though he didn’t say anything when we talked to him today. It’s probably not related to Mac’s disappearance. Just some random Peeping Tom.”
“You can’t know that. You should stay with a friend for a while.”
“I could ask Jason to come stay. He’d do it.”
A startling sensation swirled in his chest. Jealousy. He managed to push it away. “One man without a gun is hardly likely to deter terrorists.”
Her chin came up. “No, but I’m not helpless either. I want to follow any trail Mac left. While I don’t think my sister was part of any terrorist plot, I have to know the truth.”
“I’ll keep you informed of anything I find out.”
She lifted a brow. “I don’t like the way you said that. You trying to get me out of your hair?”
“Of course not.” He grinned and reached for another slice of pizza.
“Liar.” She smiled. “It would kill me to sit on the sidelines while you try to implicate Mac in a major crime. There has to be someone on my sister’s side. I’ve heard of way too many cases where law enforcement gets fixated on a certain line of investigation and convicts the wrong person.”
“I wouldn’t do that, Ellie.” He poured himself a cup of coffee. “I believe there are more layers to this than we realize. Who did your sister take the cocaine for? Nasser, like I suspect, or someone else? It hasn’t hit the streets yet, and no one has seen it since it was stolen.”
“How do you know it hasn’t hit the streets yet?”
“It was cut with Fentanyl, which is an opioid that greatly increases the risk of overdose. And we haven’t seen those kinds of deaths yet. Maybe Mackenzie took it to keep it out of Dylan’s hands. Maybe it was for another reason, but I need to start thinking outside the box.”
“I agree!”
He held up his hand. “That includes you too, Ellie. You’re too quick to excuse your sister. Let’s both agree to assess every angle. We both have had tunnel vision in our theories. Chances are, we’re both wrong. Deal?”
When she nodded, he had to resist the urge to hug her. Where had that impulse come from?
Chapter 18
One of my favorite things to run across during construction is old newspapers inside the walls. It’s a peek into the people’s lives from that era.
—HAMMER GIRL BLOG
Grayson couldn’t remember the last time he’d been at a woman’s house this often. Most dates he’d been on through the years were dinner and a movie. Ellie’s place with its soothing colors was beginning to feel a bit like home.
Ellie came through the garage door holding a box. “Here are the mah-jongg tiles. I put them in the toolbox in my truck and forgot to take them out.”
She joined him on the sofa and handed the box to him. “Mah-jongg is Mac’s favorite game.”
“I’ve never played it.” He turned the box over and examined it before he lifted the lid. The tiles looked similar to dominoes in shape and material, but instead of dots, the graphic on each tile was Chinese characters and symbols in red, green, and blue on an off-white background.
“Bingo.” He reached for a paper folded in half and taped to the inside of the top of the box. “I hope this isn’t just instructions.” When he unfolded it, his heart rate picked up.
Ellie lifted a brow. “A Peanuts cartoon?”
“I suspect it’s steganography. A message encrypted into a picture.” He smoothed out the paper, then snapped a picture and uploaded it. “I’m sending it in to be looked at. The FBI has a program that will decipher it. I think we’re on to something, though. Steganography is often used by terrorist cells. Most people would have looked at the cartoon and laughed. If we had the pass code to decipher it, we’d know something sooner.”
Ellie’s eyes widened. “Wait a second. Mac taught me a lot about these tiles, and the top row is a little unusual, almost deliberate.” A frown crouched between her eyes. “Mandarin is read from right to left and often runs vertically, then to the left.” She touched a green tile at the upper right. “This is the green dragon, which means ‘to begin.’” She ran her finger down to the next tile, a red one. “This is the red dragon. It often represents hitting a target o
r achievement.”
“So the first two tiles might mean ‘begin hitting the target.’” This felt important, almost momentous, like they’d stumbled into something huge.
Ellie continued to frown and study the tiles. “The next ones are the duck and peacock bamboo tiles. They stand for an enduring partnership and success.”
“Between North Korea and ISIS?”
“There’s no way of knowing that.” She touched the next tile. “This is the pine tree circle tile. It means ‘firmness’ or ‘strength.’ This next tile is the insect circle tile for ‘busyness’ or ‘a short time.’”
“Short time? Like maybe whatever they are planning will be soon?” He knew he was guessing, but headquarters would know more. He snapped a picture of the tiles and the way they were laid out, then sent it off too. “Anything else? This might be an indication of their intent, but I’d sure like to find a pass code.”
She took off her glasses and set them aside, then continued to study the tiles. “Have them try ‘east wind heaven’ in some combos. There’s a blank tile, then those two and another blank. It might mean something or it might be nothing.”
“Will do.” He shot off the request, then put his phone away. “You’re really something, you know. I wouldn’t have even thought to look at the combo of tiles.”
“It might not lead to anything,” she warned him.
“I know, but we have somewhere to start at least.”
She caught her full lower lip between her teeth. “I’ve been trying to think of what we can do to investigate Mac’s activities lately. She became really interested in ham radio and has been learning about it from our former coroner. I don’t know what triggered her interest because it came out of the blue about three months ago.”
“It’s a place to start. How about you talk to him tomorrow?” Ham radio might be something the terrorists used to communicate in cryptic messages. “I’d go with you, but I have a conference call with headquarters, and I’m hoping they’ll have some information about the mah-jongg tiles.”