Not This Time (33 page)

Joe parked his Harley in the grass off the side of the road. “Get in the car and scoot over, sha.” She did and Joe slid in behind the wheel. “Go, Jeff. Nora’s at risk.”

Jeff pulled out, calling for backup.

At first chance, Joe whipped Beth’s car around and followed Jeff. “We’ve got a lot of talking to do.”

“Yes, we do. But not now. Focus.” Beth spoke her deepest fear. “The fake Thomas has to be NINA. Maybe Karl Masson.” And he’d been in her car. She shivered.

“NINA, maybe. But he’s not Masson.”

Something in his voice had her looking at him. “How do you know?”

“Masson is dead. That’s why I’ve been tied up. I found his body in the cove.”

Could this mess get any more twisted? “What happened to him?”

“Shot. Hank Green is examining his body now.”

“Did you shoot him?”

“No.”

“There’s a but after that no.” She sensed it. “What is it?”

“I can’t say right now.” He spared her a glance. “When I can, I’ll tell you.”

“Is he the reason the funeral was delayed?”

“No. It was another attack. Chemical dispersants. Preliminary reports are that it’s the same chemical used in the club attack. No secondary confirmation yet. We caught it before they could activate.”

Which meant NINA likely did both. Beth clasped Joe’s hand, squeezed tight. “Why is NINA playing with us like this?” Beth thought a second. “This show of force means they want something from one of us and they’re not getting it. It’s an intimidation tactic to incite fear.” Beth sighed. “It’s Sara. I know it is. They want information she can access at Quantico.”

“NINA can get to Quantico direct. It doesn’t need Sara. It has operatives and tentacles everywhere.”

“Some people can get to some things at Quantico. Sara and I can get to everything.”

“That does make targeting either of you efficient for them.”

“Yes, it does.” Beth’s mind reeled, trying to make all this logical. “Sara’s scared. But even for Robert she wouldn’t give them anything.”

“So maybe these attacks are window dressing, proving they can kill anytime they choose.”

“Sara said that—at the club right after the attack. It makes sense, Joe. They’re driving home the point.”

“Missing groom on the cake. Sara admitting she’s in trouble, keeping secrets, taking herself out of Quantico. Robert murdered …” Joe rubbed at his neck. “It all fits. The thing I want to know is, which of them isn’t giving NINA what it wants? Sara or Robert?”

“Could it be either?”

“It could.” Joe looked up at the Towers. “Or maybe it’s Nora.”

“Nora?”

“Raven is active in the village, Beth. Specifically from Nora’s apartment.”

“Nora is not Raven,” Beth said. “No way.”

“I pray you’re right.”

Two patrol cars pulled in and stopped behind them between the two rows of parked cars. Kyle jumped out, yelled over. “Stay put. Don’t want you shot by mistake.” He ran into the building.

Jeff’s Tahoe door stood open and he was nowhere in sight. Apparently he’d already gone into the building.

Beth felt queasy. “You don’t think Nora’s there, do you?”

Joe looked over. “If she were, the fake Thomas wouldn’t have come out without her.”

Her chest went tight. “Unless he … hurt her.” She couldn’t make herself think
killed
much less say it. In her mind she imagined the imposter stealing Jeff’s Tahoe and taking off. “Are you armed?”

“Always.”

“Watch Jeff’s vehicle.” Beth began filling Joe in on events, and he shared his with her.

They’d just caught up when Jeff came out and walked straight over to the driver’s window of Beth’s SUV.

His face was pasty white. “Nora’s apartment’s been trashed. Clyde’s pocket watch was on the floor, and someone at some point was restrained in a chair in Nora’s bedroom. Under her pillow—”

Beth couldn’t help herself. “Where’s Nora?”

Jeff didn’t meet her eyes. “Gone.”

NINA had taken her. She shot Joe a look of sheer terror. He’d known—and been right.

“Stay calm, sha. We need clear heads.” Joe clasped Beth’s hand, held it on his thigh, then looked back to Jeff. “What was under Nora’s pillow?”

“A scrap of paper—a note.” Jeff’s grim expression darkened. “It said,
I’m sorry
.”

Beth frowned. “Sorry about what?” Couldn’t anything be straightforward and easy?

Kyle sprinted up to Jeff. “He’s nowhere around, Detective. Units are still looking, but we’re coming up dry.”

Joe interrupted. “He said an Angola con named Paul Clement had proof Robert is alive. He wants a million for it.”

“You know anything about that?” Jeff asked.

“Nothing. I think it was bogus. Just something he could confide to Beth.”

“Run it anyway, Kyle.” Jeff looked at Joe. “If this guy is no longer in disguise, we could trip over him. If Clement exists, could he be testing the waters himself?”

“Possible.” Joe looked back at Beth. “Did you find a full-face photo of Robert?”

“No. I searched through everything at Sara’s, scoured the village, and even asked Miranda Kent if she had one on file.”

“Who is she?”

“A columnist for the local newspaper,” Beth said. “But nobody in Seagrove Village has a single photo of him that shows his whole face.”

Joe’s eyes glazed. He’d expected that; it was clear in his expression. She turned to Jeff. “What can we do about Nora?”

“I’ve put out an APB.” Jeff rubbed at his neck. “We found something else in the apartment. A pin—the kind you wear on a coat—was stuck in Nora’s pillow.” He touched a fingertip to his lapel.

“Nora wears pins all the time on her coat—not that she’d need a coat in June.”

Jeff’s eyes sparkled. “What’s on them?”

“Flowers, swirls, different things like that.”

“Have you ever seen her wear one of an animal or …”

“No—wait.” Beth searched her mind. “She had a dove on her hat at the club.”

“You’re sure it was a dove?”

“I think so. It—oh, wait. That wasn’t on Nora’s hat. It was on Nathara’s.”

“Jeff,” Joe interrupted, clearly out of patience. “What was on the pin?”

Jeff hesitated as if debating whether or not to reveal that information.

Joe pushed. “It’s a raven, isn’t it?”

His eyes somber, Jeff nodded.

Raven
. “Like NINA’s Raven? But Nathara is at Sara’s. It couldn’t be her pin.”

“It could, but either way, it doesn’t mean anything other than whoever trashed the apartment used it. You’re sure it’s Nathara’s and not Nora’s?”

“Nora wouldn’t wear a bird,” Beth said. “When we’re on the balcony and the gulls get too close, she goes inside. She’s scared of birds.” Beth frowned, scanned her memory. “But there was definitely a bird on Nathara’s hat. I remember it.”

Joe withheld comment.

He said Raven was at Nora’s, and that could be true. “Nora isn’t Raven.” She looked to Joe and saw what she most feared in his eyes: doubt.

“Hard to imagine, but Raven is ruthless and capable of anything.”

“Nora’s not. Nathara, maybe, but never Nora.” Beth faced Jeff. “I’d ask for your opinion, but you don’t speculate.”

“She took Nora, or had her taken.” Regret flooded Jeff’s face. “Or … worse.”

Joe groaned and stared out the windshield.

That petrified Beth. “What could be worse?”

Jeff struggled to meet her gaze but didn’t utter a word.

Beth pushed. “Answer me, Jeff. What could be worse? Nathara wouldn’t kill her twin. She does care about Nora.” She did, right? She was here to take her to an eye specialist.

Still silent, he looked away.

“Why won’t you answer me, Jeff?”

Joe sighed. “Jeff thinks Nora is Raven.”

Jeff barked orders into his phone, then turned to Beth and Joe. “I’ll go tell Sara and Peggy about Nora. Peg and Ben will mobilize the Crossroads folks to help search. Joe, can you do anything to save time on running down this Clement? Bogus or legit, we need to know.”

Joe texted someone, then said, “If he’s authentic, you’ll have a file with photos on your cell in a few minutes. What about Nathara?”

“We can’t keep Nora’s disappearance from her and run a respectable search.”

“Confide in Peggy. She’ll watch Nathara and keep her from causing trouble.”

“Good idea. Peg can spot a liar at fifty paces. I’ll brief Mark too, of course.”

“Very good idea.” Joe nodded. “You know that we’re not going to get to the bottom of all this until we find out who Robert Tayton III really is.”

“I know.” Jeff sighed.

So Robert wasn’t Robert—or Joe doubted he was. “How are we supposed
to do that? Sara knows next to nothing about him and she knows more than anyone else.” Beth looked at Joe. “Have you rattled every bush?”

“All but one. Sam turned over a lead, but Masson’s murder interrupted checking it out.”

Kelly Walker would be able to sleep peacefully again, knowing Masson wasn’t still stalking her. That’d make life easier for Ben and her.

Jeff leaned closer to the car window. “Who do you think Robert really is?”

“He could be Robert Tayton. It’ll take a fast trip to Georgia to know for sure. Beth’s coming with me. We’re taking Ben’s plane. Be back as fast as we can.”

“Wait.” Beth put a hand on Joe’s sleeve. “What about the funeral? Sara will need—”

Jeff interrupted. “There’s little sense in having a funeral for a man who could be alive. I don’t believe it—blood isn’t mutable evidence. But I’ll talk to Sara about postponing until we verify Clement.”

“Watch her.” A few days ago, this news would have elated Sara. Now Beth had no idea how Sara would react. “First sign of an attack—”

“I’ll contact Harvey Talbot.” Jeff slapped the car frame at the lowered window, his neck crooked so he could peer in. “Roxy’s got the FBI tied up at the cemetery, but Mark and Ben will guard Sara. If she’s in trouble, odds are strong it’s NINA trouble. With her Quantico connections, they won’t mess around—and, yes, Beth, that’s a warning to you too.”

“She’ll be with me,” Joe said again.

Jeff stared at Joe a long second, took note of Beth’s hand on Joe’s sleeve. “Got it.”

His reaction proved he wasn’t half in love with Beth anymore. Jeff had fallen—and, Beth feared, fallen hard—for Sara. Oh, but she hoped they didn’t both wind up brokenhearted again. Sara was either still married or a new widow. Neither boded well for Jeff and her, and she needed a break. Time to heal and restore. Time …

Maybe she’d already had time. Her reactions had been strange for some
time. She wasn’t in love with Robert anymore; Beth felt certain of that. Had Sara already mourned her marriage not being what she hoped it would be? Robert not being the man he professed to be? She did wish she could go back …

Stop, Beth. You’re reading too much into this. Or you could be
.

“Call if you find Nora,” Beth told Jeff. “I don’t feel right about not staying here to search for her, but I know this is necessary.” Others could do anything she could do in the search, but she had special insights that could help Joe. “We’ll hurry.”

“Try not to worry.” Jeff backed up a step. “She means a lot to me too.”

“Sara or Nora?” Beth asked.

“Both.” He didn’t hedge or look away.

Regret speared through Beth, and she spoke before thinking and censoring herself. “I wish Sara had married you instead of Robert.”

Jeff didn’t respond, but what could he say? Remorse flooded her. Jeff’s face went red and Joe’s lip curled. He was amused. Well, she shouldn’t have done it but she had. At least it’d been honest. “I’m sorry, Jeff. I was out of line.” Not perfect, as apologies go, but also honest.

“No problem. Actually, I’m flattered. When it comes to Sara, you’re selective.” His expression softened. “Check in when you can.”

“We will,” Joe said.

Jeff left in his Tahoe and Joe backed out of the parking slot. “Did you forget for a second Sara has a husband and Jeff half thinks you killed him?”

“I’m not used to being considered a suspect. I thought it and it spilled out before I could stop myself.” Beth sighed. “Open mouth and insert fo—leg, actually. Up to my kneecap.”

Joe’s eyes twinkled. “But you meant it. Are you playing Cupid now?”

“No, that’s Peggy’s specialty.” Beth snagged her sunglasses from their overhead holder and tapped them into place on her nose. “They’re good together. That’s all. Sara’s different around Jeff. She talks.”

“She doesn’t talk otherwise?”

“Not like she does with him. She used to be crazy about him. I didn’t know it until recently, but I think she still is.”

“Because she talks to him?”

“Because she looks at him like I look at you.”

He rewarded her with a smile. Lifted their clasped hands and planted a kiss to her knuckles. “He’s a lucky man, then.”

“Provided he doesn’t break her heart.”

Curiosity replaced Joe’s smile. “Are you still worried I’m going to break your heart?”

More than worried. To the bone scared of it—and even more afraid because he could. How had he gotten that kind of power over her when she knew from the first look he was a woman magnet like Max? It didn’t make sense. Actually, it did. He wasn’t like Max and he was perfect for her. Her heart knew it. Her head was just having trouble catching up. “Are you?”