Wilde One (33 page)

Ainslee pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and frowned. “I’m not in the city. It’ll take me a couple of hours to get there.”

“That’ll be fine. I’m happy you’re willing to accommodate me as I have a couple of other meetings to line up.” He gave her the address and directions to the station. “When you arrive, just ask for me at the front desk.”

“All right, I’ll see you around ten-thirty.” She disconnected then turned to stare at Rocky. “I guess we’re going back to the city. Might as well pack up our stuff.” She glanced around the site with its cold fire pit and single, lonely-looking chair. “I think we’ll get a room for the night. Camping alone isn’t much fun.”

After taking down the tent and stowing it in the SUV, she squared her shoulders and called Griff. Maybe telling him about the Parnell Jones investigation was simply an excuse, but she wanted to talk to him. Needed to hear that special quality that crept into his voice when he said her name. Granted, they had some issues to work out, but if he really had said he loved her… Voice mail picked up. Her grip on the phone tightened as she waited for the recorded message to end.

“Hi, Griff. Sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner. I met up with an old friend yesterday, and then this morning the police called. A detective who has questions about the attack on Parnell. I’m going back to the city to talk to him. He’ll be in touch with you, too, but I guess you don’t have service right now.” She let out a breath. “I hope you’re having fun on the river. Call me.” She clicked the cell off and stuck it in her pocket.

Rocky strolled over to sit by her foot.

She put her hands on her hips. “Or, he
does
have service and is just ignoring my call the way I ignored his. Maybe he’s busy entertaining some hot actress dressed in nothing but a bikini.” She scrunched up her nose, knowing she was being totally unreasonable. “Boohoo, enough with the pity party. Come on, Rocky. Let’s get moving. We’ll go talk to that detective and
then
decide what to do about Griff.”

* * * *

Ainslee clenched her hands in her lap and met Detective Carter’s direct gaze. Brown eyes beneath a creased brow topped by close-cropped gray hair showed a hint of skepticism as he regarded her. The interview had lasted over an hour already, and he showed no signs of ending it anytime soon. The bright light in the small room where he questioned her was giving her a headache. She rubbed her left temple.

“So, you’ve been shot at on more than one occasion? This treasure is actually worth killing over?”

“We don’t know anything for certain about the lunatic’s motives.” She let out a sigh. “Griff and I took the jewelry and artwork in to be appraised. We haven’t gotten the estimate on their value back yet. Also, if they can be rightfully claimed by the original owner, we won’t even get to keep them. The gold brick was valued at a little under three hundred thousand dollars. We cashed it in since there was no way to track where it came from. No identifying marks whatsoever.”

The detective cracked a smile. “So, as far as the gold is concerned, it’s finders keepers, losers weepers.”

“Something like that. Griff is a professional treasure hunter, so he knows the rules that apply to recovering lost artifacts. Everything was recorded legally. The government will get their cut in taxes.”

“I’m sure they well.” His direct gaze never wavered. “I’m interested in finding the party responsible for the attack on Mr. Jones. Based on what you’ve told me, I have to assume the person who took shots at you and Mr. Wilde mistakenly assumed Mr. Jones had recovered the treasure and went after him.”

“That’s what Griff and I figured, but we don’t know who the man is.”

The hand tapping a pen on the desk stilled. “How do you know it was a man?”

“We heard a male voice swear when we were leaving the apartment, after we dug up the box.”

“Could have been Jones. Matches his testimony. He reported discovering the treasure already gone when he reached the location indicated by the clue.”

“Do you think the person responsible for all the violence was in the area and saw Parnell heading back to his vehicle or hotel or wherever, then attacked him?” Ainslee slumped in the hard seat. “I bet the guy was pissed when he realized Parnell didn’t have the prize.”

“You don’t believe the guilty party could be Marietta Damonte?”

“I honestly can’t image she’s physically capable of beating up a man as big as Parnell Jones.”

“Someone struck him from behind and knocked him out cold. He never saw his attacker.”

“Oh.” Ainslee let out a breath. “I’m glad we don’t have the painting and jewelry with us any longer. Although by now, whoever hurt Parnell must realize the game is over.”

“I’d suggest staying alert…just in case. Once we nail this bas—uh, person, you’ll be able to relax.”

The breath seized in her chest, and she pressed a hand to her breast. “You think I could still be in danger?” Her voice rose. “What about Griff?”

“Probably not. It never hurts to err on the side of caution, however.” The detective rose to his feet. “Thanks for coming in and clearing up a few facts.” He glanced at the big, black watch strapped to his wrist. “I have meetings scheduled with Mr. Morris and Ms. Damonte later today. After questioning them, I hope to have a clearer understanding of the situation.”

“Who do you suspect is guilty?”

“I’d rather not say. We don’t have enough evidence to make an arrest, but maybe these next two interviews will yield the information we need.”

Ainslee stood. “I sure hope so. Will you let me know?”

“As soon as an arrest is made, I’ll be in touch.”

“Thank you.”

He cleared his throat. “In the meantime, please stay in the area. I’ll want to be able to reach you if I have more questions after interviewing the others.”

She nodded.

“I wasn’t able to contact Mr. Wilde earlier, but I left a message. If you talk to him, please have him get in touch with me.” He handed over a business card.

Ainslee slipped it into her purse. “I’ll do that.”

“Thank you for your cooperation. And for coming here to talk to me.” Carter rounded his desk and took her elbow. “I’ll see you out. This way.” He led her through a labyrinth of hallways then stopped when his cell phone rang. “Go straight to the exit up ahead.”

“I’ll find my way out. Good-bye, Detective Carter.”

Ainslee hurried down the corridor toward the front counter. A female officer buzzed her through the locked door. Several people waited in the lobby area. Her gaze slid over a tearful woman clutching the hand of a young boy then moved on to a man in a suit talking on his cell. Meeting familiar hazel eyes, her steps faltered.

Ogden Morris pocketed his phone and crossed the room to stop in front of her.

“I thought you were meeting with the detective later?”

“I came in a little early. Did you find the treasure?”

A shiver chilled her. She crossed her arms over her chest. “We don’t have it any longer.”

He snorted. “Yeah, right.”

“Seriously, we don’t.”

“Whatever.” He lifted heavy shoulders in a shrug. “You won, fair and square. Is Wilde still with you?”

Ainslee nodded and tried to edge around him toward the door.

After a pause, he stepped back. “Tell me this much, was it worth the hassle we all went through to find it?”

“I…I’m not sure yet.”

“Well, congratulations.”

“Thanks.” She escaped to the street and let out a shaky breath. She was safe. If Morris was responsible, and she had to believe he was, he wouldn’t follow her. Not straight out of a police station when Detective Carter was expecting him. Still, she glanced over her shoulder a few times as she hurried to her SUV parked a couple of blocks away. By the time she reached the vehicle, sweat dampened her brow despite the cool day.

Once she unlocked the door and slipped onto the seat, Rocky greeted her with enthusiastic licks. Her hand shook as she petted him. “I’m fine. He didn’t come after me.”

The dog gave a sharp bark. After giving her racing pulse a chance to steady, she started the engine and pulled out into the flow of traffic. Stopping at a red light, she tapped her fingers on the steering wheel and waited as pedestrians crossed. A woman with dark, wavy hair wearing a tight, black dress and four-inch heels hurried past her front bumper, a phone pressed to her ear. Turning her head, she met Ainslee’s gaze through the windshield and stumbled. An elderly man walking in the opposite direction steadied her. With a nod and a smile to the man, she reached the sidewalk with a final glance back at Ainslee.

“Looks like the gang’s all here.” When the light changed, Ainslee stepped on the accelerator. “First Morris and now Marietta. What do you think, Rocky? I was going to take you for a walk, but now…” She let out a breath. “Let’s just get the hell out of the city first.”

When a muffled noise erupted from her purse, she fished inside to pull out her cell. Griff.
Finally.
Whipping into a parking spot next to a fire hydrant, she answered it. “I’m glad you called. Did you get my message?”

“Yeah, I did. The service sucks in the canyon, so don’t be surprised if we get cut off. Where are you?”

“Illegally parked on a street in San Francisco, so I’ll have to make this quick.”

His voice was soft. “Everything okay? You sound stressed.”

She let out a sigh. “I’m fine. I talked to the detective, told him everything that happened to us. He wants you to call him.”

“Does he have any suspects?”

“He wouldn’t say.” She shifted on the seat. “I ran into Ogden Morris when I was leaving the police station. He congratulated us on our victory, but he looked pissed.”

“Did he follow you?” Griff’s voice rose. “Does he know where you are?”

“No, I made sure he didn’t. Anyway, he had an appointment with Detective Carter. He couldn’t just blow the man off. Besides, what good would following me do? We don’t have the treasure, and I told him that.”

He let out a breath. “Good.”

“Uh, Morris isn’t the only one I saw. Marietta walked right in front of my car when I was at a stoplight. I don’t know who was more surprised, me or her.”

“She saw you?”

“Yep, we made eye contact, but she was on foot. I had intended to bolt straight out of the city when you called.”

“Stick with that plan. Shit! I should be there.”

“I’m fine, Griff. Honestly.”

“I thought because we unloaded the treasure, we’d be clear of any danger. Now I’m worried.”

“Don’t be. I’m going to go find a nice safe room with a view somewhere. The detective wants me to stay close in case he has more questions. Maybe I’ll drive north across the Golden Gate Bridge. No one will have a clue where I’m going since I don’t know myself.”

“You’ll call me when you get settled? A couple more days, and I should be able to leave Utah. The crew did a lot of filming this morning. I wish…” He hesitated then cleared his throat. “Ainslee, we need to talk. I should have told you—”

“Crap! I see a cop in my rearview mirror. I have to go. I don’t want to get a ticket.”

“Call me. Promise?”

“I will. Bye.” She dropped the phone and squeezed back into traffic. When a car up in front of her ran through a light just turning red, the patrol car whipped past her in pursuit with lights flashing.

Maybe her day wouldn’t end so badly after all.

Two missed calls. Perched on a rock above swirling white water, Griff checked his phone for service and swore. Not even a single stinking bar. When he waved the cell over his head, the display crept up to one.
Perfect.
He slammed the hand not holding the useless device down on the rock. Twenty yards away, camera technicians filmed a twilight scene with Blake Benedict and a young ingénue playing the part of his daughter. The rest of the actors milled around some distance from the shoot, talking in lowered voices.

Sawyer seemed to be enjoying himself. A smile curved his brother’s lips as he chatted with one of the actresses, a totally hot brunette with mile-long legs. Another of the women, a petite blonde with impressive curves that more than filled out her bikini, had given Griff a few encouraging glances during a hair-raising ride down the river that day. He hadn’t even been tempted.

With a sigh, he jumped off the rock to follow a rough trail that wound in a series of switchbacks up the cliff face and hoped he wouldn’t break something coming back down in the dark. He’d climbed for several minutes before he found decent service. A miracle—five freaking bars! He slid onto a rock and pressed the callback button for Ainslee.

She answered on the first ring, her voice breathless. “Griff?”

“It’s me. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I took a walk down the beach with Rocky then ran on the way back when I realized how late it was getting. We’re almost to the car now.”

“Where are you, exactly?”

“I rented a room for the night at a lodge overlooking the ocean in a little town called Rockpoint. Splurged, thanks to the big, fat check I deposited yesterday.”

“Good for you. No troubles?”

She laughed. “Not unless you count sneaking Rocky in and out of the lodge. They don’t allow pets. I decided tiring him out so he’d sleep soundly would be a smart move, which is why we’re down at a beach north of town.” She hesitated before speaking again. “What’re you doing?”

“Staying very still so I don’t fall off the cliff. It’s the only place I could get cell service.”

“Oh, my God, Griff!”

“Probably a slight exaggeration.” He grinned. “Good to know you care.”

“Of course I care.” A long sigh echoed through the connection. “We need to talk about a few things when you get back.”

“I agree. I miss you.”

“You do?” Her tone was light. “I would have thought you’d be too busy with all those actresses to notice I’m not around.”

“I’m not joking, Ains.”

“I miss you, too.” Her voice sobered. “A lot.”

He hesitated for a long moment, gathering his thoughts. “I know I haven’t been great about telling you how I feel.”

“An understatement.”

He winced. “Honestly, I haven’t been serious about any woman since Johanna. Haven’t wanted to be.”