Undeniably Yours

  “In every photo since May, she’s wearing a watch,” I said, tapping the screen of my iPad. I couldn’t sleep, so I’d been watching news footage of Kira again.

  Lamplight fell across his puzzled face. “What?”

  “She started wearing this watch last month. It’s Gucci. Not inexpensive.”

  “It’s three in the morning, Lucy.”

  “I did a little research. Her birthday is in May. So is Mother’s Day. I’m guessing it was a gift.”

  “I don’t think Ava would have enough money in her piggy bank.”

  I nudged him. “If you were dating me, and I had a kid, you’d buy me a gift for Mother’s Day from the baby.”

  “Gee, I’m a pretty nice guy, aren’t I?”

  Ignoring his teasing, I added, “Especially if her father wasn’t in her life. Either way, I’m guessing it was a gift from Trey.”

  “Did you drink coffee before bed?”

  “Yes.”

  Odysseus went back to running as Sean yawned, stretching his arms over his head. I tried not to be distracted by his muscled chest.

  “I think you’re reading more into it than what’s there,” he said. “She got a new watch. It’s not a big deal.”

  “It is a big deal. I know these things. I’m the psychic one, remember?”

  “You’re the crazy one,” he countered. “You know your abilities had nothing to do with this theory of yours.”

  “Intuition plays a big role in being a psychic, you know. I’m intuit…ing.”

  “And making up new words. How many cups of coffee did you have?”

  I tried to remember. “One. Or two. Or three.”

  He laughed. “How long have you been up?”

  “Not long,” I lied. I hadn’t really slept. Just tossed and turned until the sheet had twisted into an uncomfortable knotted lump. I couldn’t seem to shut off my thoughts.

  Em had called earlier—she was going to spend the night in the cot next to Aiden’s bed. He was hoping to be released in the morning. I was actually feeling badly about not speaking with Preston or Dovie today, a bad case of the guilts. I knew it was best for them to stay out of this case, but…I missed them. Then there was this case. This complicated case.

  Plumping the pillow under his head, Sean rolled to face me. “I thought you already went through the list of gifts Fish gave Kira. He didn’t mention a watch.”

  “Maybe he forgot.”

  “Maybe you’re reaching.”

  I rubbed my eyes. “Maybe. I just want to find her.”

  “You will.”

  “How? If she had on that watch, and it was a gift, yes… Otherwise, I’m not sure. Her house burned to the ground. I’ve already tried sniffing Ava—that didn’t work, though she does smell good. There’s something about that baby shampoo scent…”

  His eyebrows went up. “You sniffed Ava?”

  I smiled at his incredulous tone. “I figured it couldn’t hurt to try.”

  “What about those awards you saw in that box with the blanket? Someone gave those to her…”

  It was an interesting idea. “It’s worth a try. If Nya ever turns up.”

  “She’ll turn up.”

  “You’re placating me.”

  “It’s three in the morning. You need to get up early. Now turn off the light and try to get some sleep.”

  Turned out Jeremy Cross wasn’t avoiding me (yet) and had called back earlier. He was due here at a little after seven to read Scout’s energy. After that I needed to make a quick trip into the city to see Tova Dovell Fisher. When we were through, I was hoping to sneak in another visit with Patty Keefe. Aiden believed it was Cat Bennett holding the keys to this case, but to me it seemed that Nya Rodriguez was proving to be the key-keeper.

  I set my iPad aside, and before I turned out the light, I drew in another deep breath of Cat’s sweater, and again saw darkness. My hopes of finding her alive were dwindling.

  I shut off the lamp and rolled to face Sean. His fingers slid up and down my arm, keeping far from my palm to avoid those little zaps of electricity that happened when our palms touched.

  Moonlight seeped in under the lowered shades, and the air conditioner hummed white noise that usually helped me drift off. But try as I might, I was wide awake.

  It might have been four cups of coffee that I’d had before bed.

  “I’ve been thinking,” he began.

  “Oh?” There was just enough light to make out his somber expression. Reaching up, I ran my fingers through the hair behind his ear. “About?”

  “Us.”

  “Oh?” I repeated, going still. Why was he so solemn all of a sudden?

  Leaning in, he kissed my wrist, making my pulse jump against my skin. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this…”

  My nerves were shot. “What?”

  Clearing his throat, he said, “I think I agree with your mother.”

  “I…what?”

  Rising up on his elbow, he looked down at me. “Right now this place is fine. I mean, not right this minute, with Ava and Scout, but when it’s just us and Thoreau and the cats and the hamster…it’s perfect. But what about when we have kids?”

  I leaned up on my elbow, too. I kind of loved that he was thinking about our babies.

  “There’s no place for them here,” he added. “We could probably keep them in this room with us for a while, but even then it’ll get claustrophobic fast. You don’t handle claustrophobia well.”

  I knew. “I always thought we’d get a new place when we have kids.”

  “You love this place.”

  I did. “But do you?”

  “I’m happy here.”

  It was the best thing he could have said. Sean had lived in many places—most of them unhappily. “Well,” I teased. “That could be because of me.”

  “Or the view.”

  I shoved him, and he laughed. I said, “My mother is going to gloat.”

  “I know. We don’t have to tell her right away,” he said. “Get some more cookies out of it.”

  “I’m shocked, Mr. Donahue. Shocked. And I like the way you think.”

  “So?” he asked. “Renovations?”

  “I’m in. We may have to listen to gloating and endless talk about baby nurseries, but on the plus side, we could make the shower bigger.”

  “I like that idea.” He grinned.

  Pulling me close, he kissed me. It was a kiss of love, of happiness. It completely chased away all the anxiety I’d been feeling. For the first time all day I was completely at ease. But as his hand slid up my tank top, I pulled back. “Hey, I thought it was time to go to sleep.”

  “Did I say that?”

  “Yes. Yes, you did.”

  Laughing as he leaned in for another kiss, he said, “I misspoke. I meant to say it was time for bed.”

  Jeremy Cross showed up at precisely seven thirty the next morning. I watched him from my perch on a stool at the breakfast bar as he sat on the floor near Scout, who lounged next to the couch. I doubted Jeremy had ever been tardy a day in his life. I bet he had been the kind of kid who arrived to grade school half an hour early to get a head start on his morning work, didn’t participate in the senior prank in high school, and never skipped a single college class.

  I was glad he was prompt. His arrival had been the catalyst I needed to turn off the morning news. Trey Fisher had been interviewed about Kira’s disappearance and had managed to scrounge up a few crocodile tears while waxing on about missing her and begging the public for help.

  It had been nauseating.

  Ava sat with Sean on the couch, reading a book to him in a language I couldn’t understand. Sean, however, kept up his end of the conversation just fine.

  I thought of him doing the same with a child of ours, and warmth flooded my chest.

  Jeremy kept throwing glances at Ava, and I couldn’t help but feel for him, for his devastating loss. “Thanks again for coming by. You sure you don’t want some coffee?”

&
nbsp; “No thanks. I’m at my caffeine max,” he said. Sunlight streamed through the window making the few threads of silver in his dark hair sparkle.

  “What’s your max?” I asked, curious.

  “One mug.”

  “All day?”

  “Yes.”

  “You’re serious?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is it a thirty-six ounce mug?” I questioned.

  Sean chuckled. I had the feeling he was recalling my coffee binge before bed last night.

  “No,” Jeremy said. “Twelve ounces.”

  I’d already consumed twice that amount in the past hour. I needed it, too. My late night was catching up to me. The coffee-before-bed idea definitely hadn’t been my wisest. I’d managed a couple of hours of sleep before I got up, showered, and dressed. As I went about my morning routine, I noticed that my body barely ached.

  I’d been Orlinda-ed.

  In Aiden’s hospital room, I thought she’d only been reading my energy when I felt that warmth from her hand. I’d been wrong. She’d been at work, healing.

  Jeremy had been sitting next to Scout for a good ten minutes now, letting the dog adjust to his presence. Sean and I had filled him in on the latest developments in both Dustin and Kira’s disappearances, including the news that Dustin’s father might be involved and that Cat Bennett was missing.

  Reaching out to pet Scout, Jeremy said, “I’ve been assured that the surveillance footage for the ATMs where Kira’s accounts were accessed will be available today.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “It’ll be nice to know if it is Kira. Because if it’s not, then someone else is using her debit card. We need to figure how it was obtained.”

  “Yes,” he said, agreeing.

  “Do you have a theory?” I asked, probing. Although he now specialized in animal communication, he’d once been a leading behavioral profiler for the FBI. I suspected he had a wide range of psychic skills, but I had no clue exactly what kind. He was a man of mystery.

  “No.”

  My probing skills were clearly inferior to his evasion tactics.

  He rubbed a hand over Scout’s head slowly, soothingly. Scout rolled onto his back and offered up his belly. His tail thumped gently.

  “He’s happy to be with Ava, but he despises the cats. Apparently Ebbie keeps hissing at him every time she walks by, and he’s not pleased that Grendel keeps eyeing his food.” Jeremy glanced at me. “Grendel also requests a new brand of cat food. He’s grown tired of what you’ve been giving him.”

  I looked at Grendel, sitting oh-so-innocently in the bedroom doorway, his tail swishing. “You poor thing.”

  Ignoring me, his eyes drifted closed.

  Scout whined.

  “He’s concerned for Kira,” Jeremy said softly. “She was scared when she left him with the neighbor.”

  Spellbound, I watched the way Jeremy worked with Scout, gently touching, maintaining eye contact. It fascinated me.

  “I asked him about the phone call she received,” he said.

  We’d told him about the phone records showing someone had called Kira from the Bennetts’ house.

  After a second, Jeremy said, “The call that sent Kira into a tailspin came from someone named Lillian.”

  “Lillian?” I repeated.

  “That’s who called. She made Kira very upset. She kept saying the name.”

  Sean looked over at me. “Have you come across anyone named Lillian?”

  It didn’t sound the least bit familiar. “No.”

  Jeremy’s shoulders relaxed, and he roughhoused with the dog for a moment before saying, “That’s all Scout knows.”

  Lillian? I was stumped. “I don’t even know what to do with that information.”

  “Go back to the beginning,” Jeremy said, “and question everyone you’ve come in contact with about Lillian. Someone has to know her.”

  I groaned. The last thing I wanted to do was backtrack. Going back to the beginning seemed counterproductive, but if it needed to be done, I’d do it. Because I couldn’t help but feel that at this point in the investigation, time wasn’t just working against us…it was rapidly running out.

  19

  The smell of smoke still stubbornly clung to the city streets, which had apparently also been bypassed by yesterday’s storms. However, there was once again rain in the forecast, and I was hopeful that today would be the day rain cleansed the city…and my bad memories.

  Because I was so early for my appointment with Tova Dovell Fisher, I decided to drop by the Porcupine and get a cup of coffee. I’d hit virtually no traffic on the way downtown, which was a miracle of epic proportions. I almost wanted to play the lottery to really test my luck.

  The restaurant was jumping as usual, with almost every table full and waitstaff hurrying about. Raphael looked up from wiping the counter and smiled. “Look at you with only one crutch.”

  “I’m downsizing,” I said, leaning across the counter to kiss his cheek. “I’ll be roller-skating in no time.”

  “I’ve seen the way you roller-skate. You’ll end up with another broken foot.”

  “I’ll keep the crutches handy.” I slid onto a stool, dropping my tote bag on the stool next to mine. “I’ll have room to store them soon. Did you hear about my mother’s plans to expand my cottage?”

  “Ah, yes. She and your father were discussing it here the other day.”

  “By discussing do you mean fighting?”

  “Debating,” he countered, setting a coffee mug in front of me.

  “That explains why she was avoiding him yesterday.”

  Grabbing the coffee carafe, he filled my cup and smiled. “Time apart isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Let the dust settle.”

  Aside from me, no one was more aware of the nuances of my parents’ relationship than Raphael. “Let Dad transfer money into his secret account?”

  He laughed, then his eyes sobered as he examined my face. “You’re doing okay?”

  “I’m good.” As good as I could be, I supposed. My mind was a mess, trying to make sense of the insensible. Who in the world was Lillian? Why had she called Kira on Thursday night?

  But I didn’t want to worry Raphael too much, so I said, “Healing quickly.” Thanks to Orlinda.

  “My trips to the hospital to visit you are becoming alarmingly common.”

  I agreed. “I think I should get frequent patient points.”

  “Or at least speak with your father about a better health care plan.”

  I smiled. “Or hazard pay.”

  Laughing, he said, “Imagine that conversation.”

  I sipped my coffee. Dad would surely have another heart attack. Money and women were his downfalls.

  “How’s Aiden? Sean?” Raphael asked.

  “Much better. Aiden’s to be released this morning, and Sean did a little work with me yesterday.”

  “No luck with finding the reporter?”

  “Not yet. I have a meeting in a little bit, another lead.” I explained how complicated the case had become.

  A group of four entered the restaurant and Raphael said, “Be right back.”

  My phone rang, and I dug inside my tote bag. A shiver of uneasiness rippled through me as I answered.

  “I dropped Dovie’s phone in the pool,” Cutter said. “She has it sitting in a bag of rice, so you have two, maybe three days, before she has access to the Internet again. She’s pissed.”

  “Are you sure that’s from the phone and not from Preston’s attitude?”

  “No.”

  I laughed. “I owe you.”

  “I know.”

  I smiled. I rather liked having a little brother.

  “Oh, and for God’s sake, have your mother call Dovie on the house line. She’s suspecting something’s up because she can’t reach Judie. I can only do so much.”

  He took after my father in more ways than one. “I’ll tell her.”

  “How’re things up there?” he asked.

  “Frustrating.
Lots of leads, mostly dead ends.” I winced at the phrase.

  “I have faith in you.”

  Feeling sappy, I smiled. “Thanks, Cutter.”

  “Gotta go,” he said and hung up quickly.

  I dropped my phone in my bag. The sleeve of Cat’s sweater stuck out, and I reached over to tuck it back, but on a whim, I pulled it out to try yet another reading.

  Lifting it to my nose, I breathed in, fully expecting to see nothing at all. I nearly fell off my stool when an image came into focus.

  I blinked, trying to decipher what I was seeing. There wasn’t much light, only a single bulb dangling from a bare beam and a few shafts of sunlight coming through a small dusty window. A blue hydrangea bush, its limbs sagging from the weight of the blooms, sat directly in front of the window, blocking any further views.

  As I could only see through Cat’s eyes, I silently begged her to look around, to give me more information.

  She was lying in bed. Nearby a washer and dryer sat side by side. There was a tiny windowless bathroom in the far corner. Duct work and pipes ran through joists above her head.

  The space, I realized, was an unfinished cellar.

  “Lucy?” Raphael asked.

  I held up a wait-a-sec finger and tried to stay in the moment with Cat.

  But, her eyes closed, and all I saw was darkness once again.

  Feeling like a bloodhound, I sniffed the sweater again and again.

  “Lucy?” Raphael asked, reaching out to touch my hand.

  I blinked. “She’s alive.”

  “Who?” he asked. “The reporter?”

  “No. I mean, I don’t know if she is, but this is someone else. I have to go. I need to call Aiden.”

  “Do you need me to do anything?” he asked.

  I reached for my crutch. “No, but thank you.” I grabbed my wallet to pay for the coffee and he waved me off.

  “Go on. I’ve got this covered.”

  I gave his cheek another kiss. “Thanks.”

  “Try to stay out of the hospital,” he called after me as I rushed to the door.

  Over my shoulder, I said, “I’ll do my best.”