Authors: Jerri Drennen
“You don’t have to answer. I can tell she is. The woman has a good soul, Trace. You can feel it.”
In his heart, Trace knew Nathan was right, but could she be kind and still put a spell on him? He wished he could be sure.
“She had a necklace that had the same symbol that was on Keith’s wall. What does that mean?”
“It’s simply a symbol, Trace. It was originally used for protection in Wiccan ceremonies. It got turned into something dark later by satanic worshippers.”
“Are you sure?”
“Do your research. You’ll find I’m right.”
“I guess I’m just not up on this dark magic crap. I never worked any of these cases in Chicago. They always called in experts like yourself.”
“Well, I hate to tell you this, but we’ll have a full moon by the end of the week. Top that off with a lunar eclipse and watch out.”
“And that’s significant how?”
“Wiccan and pagans worship the moon. Strange things happen when that moon is full. More babies are born. And, with the darkening of the moon, anything could happen. People get weird. Let’s hope nothing bad occurs, since we already have our hands full with this murder investigation.”
“From your mouth to whoever’s listening above.”
Nathan grinned. “Can I ask you a personal question?”
“Sure,” Trace said, then wondered if he should have agreed so quickly.
“Are you and Regina together?”
“No.” Trace wasn’t really lying, though after sleeping with her, most would consider them dating. But he was too unsure if their attraction was real now.
“I got the distinct feeling the two of you had something going.”
Trace cleared his throat. “I could say the same about you and Regina’s friend.”
“No. That
blonde
has to be the most forward woman I’ve ever met.”
“She’s is gorgeous, though.”
Nathan’s eyes rolled upward. “With wayward feet.”
Trace laughed. It had been a while since he’d—actually the last time had been at Keith’s. The thought instantly sobered him. “So what do you suggest we do next on the Walsh case?”
“I have a few ideas, but I need to check into something first,” Nathan said as he turned toward the door. “I’ll call you later.”
Trace wondered what the man had planned, but he had something to check on himself. He wanted to make sure Regina did as she was told. If she didn’t go home, he was going to have her arrested for obstructing justice or whatever else he could hold her on until this case was solved.
* * *
Regina rubbed at her eyes, weariness hitting her hard. She’d barely gotten a wink of sleep last night because of Trace, and after poring over all these old newspaper articles, she could hardly see straight.
“I think we’re wasting our time, Tiah. I can’t find a thing on Kelly Marley. Maybe her death wasn’t noteworthy?”
Tiah looked at her as if she were daft. “You’re kidding, right? She was a young person from a small town. That in itself is worth writing about.”
“So then why aren’t we finding anything on her?”
“Don’t give up, yet. We still have those papers,” her friend pointed to a stack behind Regina, “to go through.”
Regina sighed when she stared at the pile. There had to be at least thirty dailies yet for them to look at.
Regina folded the paper in front of her and rose to get the stack. If they didn’t find anything in this last set, they would have to call it a day.
She plopped the pile onto the small table and sat. With a deep sense of frustration, she picked up the first and froze. On the cover, the very first article said, LOCAL TEEN VANISHES WITHOUT A TRACE. Regina scanned the article and sucked in a ragged breath. It was about Kelly Marley.
“I found it,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Tiah shot out of her chair and raced to her side. She skimmed the story and then looked at Regina. “What do you think could have happened to her?”
“I don’t know, but we need to find someone from town who knew her or her family. Maybe Sylvia Heart could tell us something. She’s lived here all her life. She surely heard what was going on with this girl’s case fifteen years ago. Maybe rumors of some sort.”
“So how do we find Sylvia?”
“I don’t know, but we need to somehow.”
“Maybe the editor of this paper could tell us,” Tiah suggested.
A smile crept across Regina’s face. “That’s a great idea. Let’s get a photo copy of this article, put these newspapers back, and ask.”
As quickly as they could, they ran the paper under the photocopier, then tucked the newspapers back in the archive section of the building before approaching the man sitting behind a computer, typing away.
“I hate to bother you again, but could you tell me where Sylvia Heart lives?” Regina queried.
The older man looked up from his keyboard and frowned. “Can I ask why you’re looking for Sylvia?”
“I need to ask her if she knew anything about this.” She stuck out the printed article, and he glanced at it.
“Why are you interested in Kelly Marley? The girl has been gone for fifteen years. They declared her dead years ago.”
“Did you know her?”
“It’s a small town. Everyone knows everyone. Kelly was a pretty little thing. Head cheerleader all through high school. Very popular. As I recall, she dated Rayland Grimes.”
“Really, because a few of the ladies at Cut-n-Curl said she went to prom with Keith Walsh.”
The old man rubbed at the whiskers on his chin. “I guess I don’t remember that. Is that why you want to talk to Sylvia?” He shook his bald head. “She wouldn’t know. She was in the hospital around that time.”
“Really?” Regina wondered about that, since the woman hadn’t looked well the first time she’d met her.
“I think Carol Evans could probably tell you a thing or two. Kelly and her daughter went to school together. I think they were both on the cheerleading squad.”
“You mean the woman who owns the department store?”
“Yes. That’s her.”
“Thank you. I appreciate all your help.”
Regina and Tiah left Groves Daily and headed for the woman’s shop. As they crossed the street, Regina caught a glimpse of Trace. “We need to hurry. The sheriff is going to catch us,” she said to her friend, whose eyes widened at her quickened pace.
When they entered the shop, the two had to suck in much needed breaths.
“Are you two all right?” Carol walked toward them.
“A bee was chasing us.” Regina was a terrible liar. She hoped the woman would believe the story.
“Sorry to hear about that, but it’s nice that we are actually seeing bees this year. Last summer nothing grew right, since there were so few of them.”
“Why is that?” Tiah looked at Regina strangely.
The woman shrugged. “I think they’re all dying out. I believe the scientists think it’s a virus that’s killing them.”
“Wow, I hope things improve for the insects,” Regina said.
“Just think of what no bees would mean,” Carol said, frowning, “no pollination. No flowing trees or plants would survive without them. We would eventually all die of starvation.”
Regina shuddered.
“What brings you ladies in? I got a brand new shipment of summer dresses today, and they are simply delicious.”
“I’d love to take a look, but I came in to ask you a few questions, if that’d be all right?”
“Of course. What do you need to know?”
“The man over at the daily newspaper said your daughter went to school with Kelly Marley. Is that true?”
The woman’s face whitened. “Why are you interested in Kelly?”
“I heard she dated the man who was murdered and was curious.”
Carol shook her head. “No. Kelly wasn’t allowed to date. Her parents were very strict.”
“Really? The man over at the paper thought she was dating Rayland Grimes at the time of her disappearance.”
Any remaining color in Carol’s face drained away. She cleared her throat and stepped back, busying her hands with a rack of scarves. “Kelly wouldn’t have ever dated that man,” she said after a few moments. “Every girl in high school stayed away from him after …” She shook her head. “I’m busy. I don’t have time to talk about this.”
Regina could see Mrs. Evans was scared, and she wasn’t going to push the issue. “It’s okay. Can we take a look at those dresses?”
The woman sighed. “Of course. Come with me.”
Regina followed her to the back of the store, Tiah trailing behind. Somehow she had to find out why the girls had been afraid of Rayland fifteen years ago. It might be the key to something. At least, that was her hope.
* * *
Trace blew out a breath and stepped from the Groves Daily on his way to the department store. He was furious with Regina for not listening to him, even though this thing with Kelly Marley now had him wondering. He planned to look into it once he got back to the station. But Regina and her friend needed to stay out of it.
Outside the storefront, he tamped down his anger before walking inside. For a few seconds, he stood by the door, allowing his eyes to adjust to the lighting.
“Sheriff Langston, what brings you in?” Carol came toward him.
“I’m looking for Ms. Moon. Have you seen her?”
“Her and her friend are in the back trying on some dresses.”
Trace’s anger dissipated. The two were in the store to shop, not to ask Carol questions. Now, he felt like a heel.
He walked to the back, a sudden urge to see Regina overwhelming him. But was this yearning real or something she’d conjured?
When he reached the changing area, Regina stepped from behind a dressing room in a skimpy little number that had Trace’s jaw dropping. The sexiest part about the sight was that he now knew what was beneath the dress, and the vision stirred his body to life.
Her eyes widened when she saw him. “Trace.”
“If you don’t buy that dress, it’d be a shame.” At the moment he could care less if this emotion he experienced was fabricated or not. He wanted her. Too hell with anything else.
“You like it?” She studied her image in the three-panel mirror on the wall.
“I like what it’s covering.”
She gazed at him, the gray of her eyes turning to liquid pewter.
“Thank you,” she said, turning when Tiah stepped from behind her curtain in something quite demure for her. Maybe she was trying to tone down for a certain agent. Trace wasn’t sure clothes would work to snag Nathan, not after her friend’s overzealousness the night before.
“What do you think?” Tiah asked Regina, doing a double take at the sight of him. “Sheriff. Did you come by for a reason?” Tiah glanced at Regina.
“I came by the shop, but you weren’t there. I stopped at Groves Daily and learned you’d been in asking questions about this Marley girl. You two are not detectives. You need to stay out of this investigation.”
Regina placed her hands on her hips. “I have a vested interest in getting this case solved, since you seem to think I had something to do with it.”
Trace stared at her. Her determination was clear. “I don’t think you killed Keith, Regina. However, I do think your arrival to Grove set something into motion.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know, but ever since you opened shop, this town hasn’t been the same. I mean, the dead birds, the rock thrown through your window, and the burnt doll in your sink. The most pressing thing I’d had before you moved here was a stolen bike that I found out later was taken by the boy’s best friend as a prank.”
“I guess I didn’t know I had moved to Pleasant Town when I closed my eyes and pointed to Groves on the map.”
Trace snorted. “I’m sorry you think this is amusing, Regina. A man is dead. A friend of mine, at that.”
“I don’t …
“Who was sheriff before you moved of Groves eight years ago? Tiah asked, cutting in. “How did you get the job here?”
“I applied for it and got it.”
“But how did you find out about the opening?”
“The sheriff at the time was a friend of my ex-partner. He said he was leaving Groves, and the town was going to need a new sheriff. I wanted to get away from Chicago for personal reasons. It was the perfect fit.”
“Do you know why the sheriff left?”
Trace shrugged. “What’s the difference?”
“I don’t know, Trace,” Regina said. “But I want to learn what the circumstances were surrounding this missing girl. They never found her. Don’t you think that’s strange?”
“I’ll look into it if you promise not to ask around town. Can you do that?”
“Okay. I’ll stay busy at the store. But you have to tell me what you find.”
“Deal. Now both of you buy those dresses and then go home.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Regina paced the length of the living room, too antsy to sit. It had been hours since she and Tiah had parted ways with Trace.
“You’re so going to wear yourself out, Regina.” Tiah stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips. “Heck, you’re wearing me out just watching you.”
“Why hasn’t he shown up, yet? I want to know what he found out about Kelly.”
“You wearing out the carpet isn’t going to get him to come any sooner.”
Tiah was right.
Regina moved to the sofa and plopped onto the cushions. She needed to get her mind off this and on something more constructive.
Isis jumped into her lap and looked up at her with eyes that melted her heart. She rubbed at the kitten’s head, feeling the tension leave her body. Since she’d had him, he’d always made her feel better. Perhaps that’s why he came to her door. Maybe he’d known she needed him.
She brought the fuzzy ball to her face and nuzzled him. She loved his sweet smell—almost as much as Trace’s. Too bad Trace had never made her feel at ease. Just the opposite. He had her on edge every time he came within twenty feet of her. But she loved him, and there was no denying that. He’d worked his way into her heart, and she wasn’t sure how long it’d take to get over him. When he’d showed up at the department store and had ogled her in the dress he’d talked her into buying, she’d just about died. He’d almost acted as if nothing had happened between them, like he wanted to drag her into the dressing room and make love to her. At least that’s what his eyes had said, but then, maybe she’d imagined it.