The drawing was done with the simple strokes of a grade school art class. Arms and legs were little more than sticks.
What was disturbing was that the picture, despite its simplistic form, was very real. It depicted a man and a child, his arm around the little girl. Not around her shoulders or her waist. Lower. His smile was little more than a slash of color, and yet it captured a strange sense of evil. The girl was clearly afraid of the man. Studying the crude crayon drawing, Kelsey bit her lip. She wondered if anything she was seeing could prove that Andy Latham had been a child molester.
She doubted that either Sheila’s diary or her old drawing would be enough in a court of law, not without Sheila here to do something about it. Gary Hansen knew just as well as they did that Andy Latham should be locked up, but like he had said, he didn’t make the laws, he just upheld them.
She stashed the picture, the rest of the papers and Sheila’s diary in an overnight bag and grabbed a few more things. She walked back out to the living room with the bag packed.
“What’s that?” Larry asked in surprise, an Oreo halfway to his lips.
Dane was seated in the armchair next to the sofa. He had a large coffee cup in his hands. He looked at Kelsey over the rim of it and replied to Larry. “Kelsey is going to stay with me at Hurricane Bay tonight.”
“Oh,” Larry said.
They all stared at Kelsey.
“That didn’t take very long,” Larry murmured.
“Well, I guess we’ve all known all along that there was…something between them,” Cindy said.
“Still, three days,” Larry said, looking at Kelsey with a shake of his head.
“Three days,” Nate echoed.
“Three days—and how many years?” Jorge said.
“I guess I just never realized before that Kelsey and Dane knew each other so quite well,” Larry said.
Larry looked at Kelsey, still confused. “Did Sheila know?”
“Did Sheila know what? That I’m going to stay at Hurricane Bay tonight because I’m spooked by what happened here?” Kelsey asked, unable to repress a certain irritation that she seemed to have three extra parents judging her actions.
“About you and Dane,” Larry said with a sigh.
“There wasn’t—isn’t—any ‘me and Dane,”’ Kelsey said. “I’m just sleeping at Hurricane Bay tonight.”
“It’s because he thinks one of us tried to kill you with a speargun,” Nate said suddenly, angrily. “And I guess you think so, too.”
“No!” Kelsey protested. “Nate, that’s not it at all. I’m just a little uneasy about Andy Latham or someone sneaking into the yard and watching me.”
“I’m here, too, you know,” Larry said.
“And I live in the other half of the house,” Cindy added.
“You could have come to my house,” Nate said, eyeing her levelly.
“I’m glad I’m not in the middle of this one,” Jorge murmured.
Nate kept staring at Kelsey as he said, “She’s always been in love with him.” He offered her a rueful smile.
Kelsey groaned, dropping the bag and staring at the lot of them. “I’m here, right here, you don’t need to talk around me. Dane made me the first offer, so I’m just going over to Hurricane Bay for the night. I’ll figure it all out from there tomorrow. Is that all right?”
Larry looked at Nate. “He was in the armed forces. And he’s a private investigator.”
“Carries a big gun,” Nate agreed.
“Larry, if you’re feeling protective, I may just stay on this side tonight, in Kelsey’s bed,” Cindy said.
“Sheila’s bed,” Kelsey corrected.
None of them said anything, their silence seeming to indicate that they shared her fear that something bad had happened to Sheila. No one even tried to suggest that Sheila might show up that night.
“There’s a plan. Cindy, who can bench-press twice her own weight, is going to let me feel protective,” Larry said.
Jorge crumpled his pizza plate in his hand. “Well, I know where I’m sleeping—in my own bed. I’ll wish you all good night.”
He nodded around the group, then looked at Dane, who was just walking in from the kitchen. Kelsey was both baffled and curious. Dane nodded back at Jorge, as if the two of them had come to some new understanding that went beyond anything she could begin to comprehend.
It was nice, of course, since they had been friends for a very long time. But it was also annoying as all hell. She felt very much on the outside.
“I guess I’m going, too,” Nate said, rising.
“And we’ll be on our way. I’m about to drop,” Kelsey said.
Nate was standing behind her. “Oh, yeah. I’ll bet you’re going right to sleep,” he said softly.
She stared at him, frowning. “Do you remember that we didn’t sleep at all last night? We came rushing back here because Latham decked you.”
“Thanks for the concern,” he said. He started out the door, then turned back. “Hey, Larry, if Latham really is getting freaky, you two do need to watch it, being here. Make sure you lock up tight.”
“We’ll do a thorough inspection of all windows and doors before going to sleep,” Cindy assured him.
“Of course,” Larry said, “we could all go to Hurricane Bay and be safe.”
“Except that we’re not all invited,” Jorge said. “Good night.” He headed out for his car.
“Good night, and, Cindy, Larry, really do lock up,” Kelsey said.
“I’m on it,” Cindy assured her.
Nate didn’t say goodbye; he just watched Kelsey as she climbed into the Jeep beside Dane. As they left, Cindy and Larry waved from the door. Nate at last lifted a hand.
When the others had left, Cindy looked at the two men. “It’s not actually a surprise.”
“You mean Kelsey going off with Dane?” Larry said.
“Of course. Nate, you’re the one who used to tell me all the time that you thought something went on between them years ago.”
“Yeah,” Nate said.
“So why didn’t they stay together?” Larry asked.
“Who knows? Maybe Kelsey felt she had betrayed Sheila or something like that.”
Larry made a snorting sound. “How could anyone betray Sheila?” he asked.
“Poor Larry.” Cindy put her hand on his arm. “I know she hurt you, but…but I think sometimes that she just must have been…is…so messed up inside that she couldn’t help it.” She watched him, hesitating for a minute. She was about to make a confession. “I…could tell you…”
“What?” Larry asked her.
“Never mind. Let’s take a walk through my place, check it out, lock it up and come back here.”
“You think someone might have broken into your place?” Nate asked.
“I don’t know, but I’ll feel better if we look around. I’m like Kelsey, just feeling a little spooked.”
“Whatever makes you happy,” Larry said.
“Can’t hurt,” Nate told Cindy. “Maybe I’ll hang around on the couch tonight. We’ll all be here then. Would that make you feel better?”
Larry groaned. “Just because I’m usually in a suit doesn’t mean I haven’t got balls, you know.”
Cindy laughed. “Larry, we’re not questioning your manly credentials.”
“Right,” Nate said. “Actually I might stay just because I’m spooked myself, and I’m not sure I want to drive home alone. I had Dane set up cameras and stuff for security at work, but hell…we haven’t locked our doors around here for years. Larry, you can protect me, too.”
“Cool,” Larry said. “Let’s start with Cindy’s place, then.”
They locked the door to Sheila’s place, and Cindy unlocked the door to the other side of the house.
“Want us to hang out in the living room?” Larry asked.
“No, I want you to follow me every step of the way.”
They did. They went through every room, checked out every closet, then made sur
e every door was locked. Just as an extra precaution, they shoved a mop handle against the sliding door in the back bedroom that corresponded with the one where Kelsey had been sleeping. Larry found a broken broom to use for the same purpose off the dining and living area.
“Happy?” Larry asked.
“I am,” Cindy said.
“Okay, now we go through the other side,” Nate said.
They walked through the house together, then secured the doors, taking extra care with the back where Kelsey had slept and where Cindy would sleep that night.
“Am I crazy?” Nate murmured, looking out the window before closing the drapes. “Are we all crazy? Kelsey might have seen a head—or she might have seen a lizard. I might have seen a flash of someone—or it might have been my imagination. We might have seen Latham’s car—and we might not have seen it.”
“We’re all overtired,” Cindy said. “We’ve hardly had any sleep at all.”
“All right, well…there’s my bunk,” Nate said, indicating the couch. “I guess you two are beat.”
“Exhausted,” Cindy agreed. “But…not quite ready to sleep. I shouldn’t have had that coffee. I’m wired.”
“I know how to cure that,” Nate said.
“How?” Cindy asked.
“Let’s have another beer.”
“Great. Then we can sit around and talk about old times,” Larry said dryly.
“If we have two beers, who knows what I may wind up telling you,” Cindy said.
“Something scandalous?” Larry asked.
“Low down and dirty,” Cindy said.
“I’m on my way for the beers,” Nate told her.
“I wish you would tell me what went on with Jorge,” Kelsey said. “You came in the first time as if you wanted to throttle him. You came back in later as if you were his best buddy.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Dane told her, pulling onto the road to Hurricane Bay. “Jorge just explained a few things, that’s all. No one is off the hook yet.”
“Off the hook? Dane, I know that I’ve been the one pressing to find out what happened to Sheila, but I think you’re becoming paranoid.”
“Kelsey, have you forgotten that someone shot at you with a speargun today?”
She turned in the seat, staring at him. “There were lots of boats out there today. You didn’t even catch the names of all of them. And let’s face it, most of the problems down here are caused by tourists who don’t know what they’re doing. And if someone around here is guilty of any of this, it has to be Andy Latham.”
“I’m sure he is guilty of something. But that doesn’t explain a lot of the things that have been going on. I didn’t really look at all the boats out there today—I was too anxious to hook up with all of you—but I think I would have noticed Latham’s boat. It’s a floating cesspool.” Dane shook his head. “Besides, I can’t see Andy Latham having the intelligence to track you down, take a speargun and manage to hide himself so well.”
“If he is the Necktie Strangler, he’s certainly demonstrated his intelligence,” Kelsey said. “He’s managed to dispose of his victims so that they don’t surface until it’s almost impossible for the police to get evidence from the bodies.”
Dane brought the car to a halt and turned off the engine. “All right, I’ll grant you that.”
“And if anyone was running around the yard tonight, it must have been Latham. Nate was almost certain it was Latham’s truck he saw.”
Dane looked at her. “Okay, Latham is the prime suspect. Now we just need some proof. Or at least something that connects him to the victims.”
“If we find Sheila and she’s been…” Kelsey’s voice faltered.
“Yes, if we find Sheila,” he said simply. “Here, give me your bag.”
He took the small canvas bag she had brought and exited the car. Kelsey followed him to the back door and noted that he now locked both the bolts.
“You’re worried about something out here?” she said.
“I’m just worried in general,” he told her.
As soon as they were inside, he was careful to lock the door again.
She had paused just in the entry. “Make yourself at home,” he told her, walking past her.
“Strange, isn’t it? I do feel at home here.”
“Because it hasn’t changed a hell of a lot, probably.”
“Yes, but we’ve all changed, haven’t we?”
“Maybe. And maybe not. Want something to drink? Are you hungry? Hell, I guess you’re exhausted. I am.”
“Yeah, I’m beat. And I know where the kitchen is,” Kelsey said. She hesitated. “Where do you want me?”
“In my room,” he said ruefully. “I get the impression you’re still not really sure you trust me.”
She took the bag from him. “Miss a chance to inspect your bedroom? Not on your life.” She started for the stairway in the front, then paused. “You’re going to let me go up there without supervision?”
“I have a few calls to make,” he told her.
“All right. Who are you calling?”
“I promise I’ll tell you if anything pans out, how’s that?”
“I don’t think I can beat an answer out of you, so I guess it will have to do.” She hesitated, watching him.
“Yes?”
“If you take too long, you know I’ll be asleep.”
A slow, rueful grin cut across his face. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Kelsey went up the stairs.
The threesome at the duplex were actually on their third beers when Nate urged Cindy to make good on her earlier remark.
“C’mon,” he pressed. “I’ve confessed my horrendous dating experiences. The time I got that really hot model into bed and passed out from too much booze. Then the obvious, of course—that I couldn’t keep my wife a full month. And Larry has told us all how he caught his pecker in his zipper on his first date with that art assistant. Come on, Cindy—you got us going on guy talk. You’re going to have to join in. And this should be different—I mean, you’re not likely to tell us you couldn’t get it up.”
“No…” Cindy said slowly.
“Jeez, come on,” Larry prodded. “Nate and I only spilled the far-from-macho beans to get you talking.”
“All right.” Cindy stared at them. “I had a thing with…another woman.”
“Whoa!” Nate said.
“I wound up really humiliated.”
“What happened?” Larry demanded.
“Who with? It wasn’t Kelsey, was it? Or wasn’t she telling the truth when she said she’s not gay?”
Cindy shook her head. “Not Kelsey. And, Nate, dammit, quit worrying that you weren’t a good lover and that’s why your marriage didn’t last. I think it’s obvious now what made Kelsey tick all the time.”
“A better man,” Nate said.
Cindy shook her head determinedly. “A different man. That’s all, Nate. A different man.”
“Hey, hey, hey. Enough of the rah-rah for Nate. Come on, Cindy. Do we know this broad you slept with?”
“Oh yeah.”
“Who?” Nate demanded.
“I know,” Larry said, eyeing Cindy over his can of beer. “Sheila.”
“Sheila?” Nate exploded. “How did she fit you into her schedule between men?”
Cindy smiled. “Oh…we were doing this same thing one night. Sitting here, drinking wine. We just started talking, kind of like this, about men. I was telling her about all my bad dates, lousy relationships. I had just been out with this guy who sold T-shirts wholesale. The entire time we were doing business, he was as nice as could be. We go out for dinner, and right off he wants to head for his hotel room.”
“Let’s get back on topic here. What happened with you and Sheila?”
“She gave me the speech about her own life—saying I might as well get what I could out of a guy, because they were all like that at heart.”
“I wasn’t. I loved her,” Larry said.
?
??She said you loved her too much,” Cindy told Larry.
“Maybe.”
“Come on, Cindy, get to the good part,” Nate urged.
“I’m not even sure where it started,” she said. “I guess we decided that, on the whole, the male of the species was a total louse. Except for gay guys. They’re great but unavailable. She said that was why women often preferred other women. They were nicer, sensitive…decent. The next thing I knew, she was rubbing my shoulders. She said I needed a hot bath. We wound up in the bath together with a ton of bubbles and more wine, and when we got out, she started drying me off. And she…well, she just touched the right places, and I was really drunk, and then…the things she could do…”
“Yeah, we know,” Nate said huskily.
“Well, anyway, we slept together. I woke up with a terrible hangover, feeling ridiculous and uneasy. Sheila started laughing and telling me not to worry about it, she wasn’t getting into anything permanent with me—I had actually been an experiment. She just wanted to prove to herself that she could seduce anyone, male or female. I was pretty pissed off—and big time embarrassed. I don’t think we spoke to each other for days after that. But she was always so blasé about everything. In a week it was as if it had never happened.”
“That was probably a record,” Nate said. “I doubt if she ever remembered any guy she slept with for more than a week.”
“Except for Dane,” Larry said.
“Her thing with Dane was weird,” Cindy said, shaking her head. “She wanted him, but she would push him away when he tried to get too close.”
“She knew she couldn’t be what Dane was looking for,” Nate said. “Partly because she was Sheila…and maybe she even knew he’d had a thing for Kelsey all those years. And this time around, she knew he had been in love with that woman in St. Augustine.” He was quiet for a minute, then said, “Okay, Sheila drank with you and sympathized about bad dates. I’m doing the same thing. And I’d sure love to get into a tub with you and a bunch of bubbles. What do you think?”