Chapter 20 #3
“Not until we find Susan Whittier and have enough to arrest Ned and his Brazilian cohorts. I know she’s alive and I know Ned is hiding her away somewhere.
” She raised her chin and returned his frown.
“I’m a big girl. No need to worry.” She paused, then said, “Are you going to ask Dane if he’s all right too? ”
“I know. It’s terribly chauvinistic of me to be concerned for you. If my wife knew, she’d scold me. Consider the matter closed.”
She sighed. The man was not at fault. She looked away and wished the tension that kept her from apologizing would pass. Dane was right about the chip on her shoulder. But knowing was a far cry from conquering.
She turned back to Chauncey as they pulled in the drive. “Your wife is a lucky woman.” Then she jumped from the Jeep and trotted to the door. Dane wasn’t back yet and she headed straight for his bedroom.
The close air in the room slammed her when she opened the door, and then the sight of the messed bed, the lingering musky smell of their sex, slammed home the memory of that morning and the night before until she was dizzy.
Forcing herself forward, she closed the door behind her.
No way would she be able to explain her change of mind to Chauncey if she came back out of the room to nap on the couch.
The smell of Dane surrounded her as she sucked in the air and pulled off her clothes.
Dropping onto the sheets, she breathed in the heady smells of raw male and sex and closed her eyes.
What the hell was she doing? Since when did she lose all her self-discipline and get distracted by a man?
And that man? He was not her usual type—not young and cute and buff and easy.
There was nothing easy about Dane Blaise, she thought. Mercifully, it was her last thought before she fell asleep.
Dane pulled up in front of his house halfway onto his front lawn.
He got out and walked past Chauncey’s vehicle in his short driveway as the wave of anticipation in his gut made him think of Shana inside.
Made him think of Shana last night. Forcing himself to slow his steps, he went in the back door and found Chauncey sitting at the table with a bowl of peanuts and a glass of water.
No Shana. He didn’t ask. He knew where she was.
“I’ll set up the monitor on the table. We can watch in here.”
Chauncey said, “I hope you don’t mind I helped myself. Starving. All I could find is peanuts and booze. How do you live?”
Dane snorted and went about disconnecting the monitor and bringing it onto the dining room table along with all the wires.
“She sleeping?”
Chauncey nodded.
Once Dane plugged the last cable into the back of the small monitor on his dining room table, Chauncey scraped his chair around to get a better view, leaned forward and pushed the button.
The screen sparked to life showing the bright third floor office of the American Invitational Surfing competition, with the sun still glaring in the windows as it lowered in the sky.
The room was empty of any occupants yet and Dane looked at his watch.
“They should be there any minute. Jean Luc better keep his word.”
“I hope they don’t suspect him and throw him in whatever hideaway they have Susan Whittier in,” Chauncey added. “Don’t you think you should wake Shana? She’ll want to see this—right?”
“She needs to see it,” Dane said. “so she knows what she’s up against in case this thing goes into tomorrow’s competition.
” He looked at his watch again and did not look forward to going into the bedroom to wake her.
Then he’d have to see her sprawled half naked in the bedclothes, gorgeous and sleepy and tempting.
On the other hand, he’d be damned if he’d let Chauncey go in there and see her like that.
He turned and walked down the short hall.
Before he touched the doorknob, he rapped his knuckles on the door.
“Wake up. Time for the show, Shana.” He paused to give her a chance to respond.
Nothing. Swearing under his breath, he turned the knob and opened the door a crack to let himself in.
The shade was down and the light was dim.
Her hair splayed across the pillow and the tangled sheets left her long legs bare.
Taking a deep breath and taking her in as if she might disappear like a fading picture on a TV screen, he went to the bed and sat on the edge.
She would be disappearing from his life.
Soon, he reminded himself. The shifting mattress caused her to stir and she started awake, turning to him instantly and clutching the pillow with suddenly alert eyes.
“Jeez, Dane… what is it?”
“Time for the show. Dress fast and get out there. Be ready to go when it’s over.” He paused and watched her relax her alarm, but she didn’t move, waiting for him to leave. So he did.
“We’re on,” Chauncey called as Dane walked back to stand behind him and watch the monitor over his shoulder.
The sound was less than ideal, but maybe that was because there were a couple of people talking at once as the men came into view.
Jean Luc played host, seating the men and getting them drinks.
One of the Brazilian brothers refused to sit and walked around looking at things, including a close-up of the surfboard where the camera was hidden.
“Shit. He’s close,” Dane said. “I hope Lynch hid the camera well.”
“I hope he shows up soon so he won’t be dealing with a bunch of drunk men,” Chauncy said.
Shana joined them, standing over Chauncey’s other shoulder.
“Feeling refreshed?” Chauncey asked.
“Yes. Thank you.” She hadn’t looked at Dane and he made up for it by staring at her. Until they heard a distant knock in the video and the men on the screen went silent. That kicked up Dane’s pulse a notch.
They all barely breathed while they watched the scene unfold.
* * *
“Police. Captain Lynch. I have some questions for you.” They heard Lynch before they saw him.
Dane keyed in on Ned and watched his face go tight as he squinted his beady eyes.
Jean Luc looked his usual cool and charming self as he ushered Lynch and two of his men into the room.
The Brazilian brothers didn’t even rise from their places on the couch.
Lynch looked at the men sipping their drinks and said, “This is the place of business for the American Invitational Surfing Competition?”
Jean Luc chuckled. “Of course, we are celebrating after our first successful day. What can I do for you, officers? I’m afraid Tamara took us all by surprise today—”
“We’re not here about Tamara.”
“Glad to hear it—that bi—girl is crazy,” Ned said. “I wouldn’t believe a word she said.”
Dane looked at Shana and smiled.
“Could he be any more obvious?” she whispered.
“We got nothing from her, right?” Chauncey asked. “So everything Lynch says is a bluff?”
“Pretty much,” Dane confirmed. “He may earn some stripes here today if he plays his part well.”
“He will,” Shana said with a convincing firmness.
He turned his attention back to the scene with a kick to his pulse, anticipating the bomb that Captain Lynch was about to drop on the crew.
“I’m here investigating the disappearance of a young woman named Susan Whittier.” Lynch looked around at the men.
Lynch had stood with his back to the camera so the others would be facing him, and therefore the camera. Jean Luc looked surprised and was the first to respond.
“I met this young woman last week—a lovely young lady. I’m sorry to hear she’s missing. Why do you ask us about her disappearance?”
Ned squinted at Jean Luc. The two Brazilians, Aldo and Bento, looked no more than amused. One of them said, “You won’t need us for this interrogation. We arrived yesterday for the event and have no knowledge of anyone on the island except—”
“Stay where you are. Your association with the event makes you part of the investigation. Susan Whittier was a contestant. Or would have been if she hadn’t disappeared.”
“You’re mistaken,” Ned said.
“No, we have the withdrawal from her bank account of the ten-thousand-dollar entry fee. And a copy of the entry form she submitted.”
“Impossible,” Ned insisted. “You’re bluffing.” The man seemed confident.
“And we have a witness.” Lynch capitulated on his arrest of Tamara, their weak link.
That got a response from the Aldo, a frown at Ned. The other brother, Bento, glanced at Jean Luc and said, “What is this about?” Then he looked back at the police and said, “My brother and I know nothing about this, I assure you.” He stood.
Jean Luc said to the police, “This is clearly a misunderstanding. It’s true Ms. Whittier had intended to enter, but then she said something came up and she changed her mind. I returned her entrance fee.”
“We’ll need to see your records,” Lynch said.
“Not without a search warrant,” Ned said and folded his arms, looking smug.
“Any reason you don’t want to cooperate to clear up the misunderstanding?”
“Show him the records,” Bento said. His face was grim.
“I’ll need to take the records with me.” Lynch followed Jean Luc to the file cabinets.
“Wait a minute,” Ned said. “You guys don’t know what you’re saying.
Here in the U.S. we have rules and I think as a citizen it’s up to us to make sure the cops follow the rules.
” Ned postured for the Brazilians and then turned to Jean Luc, who had stopped.
“The captain is bluffing and we aren’t giving him anything unless he gets a search warrant.
We have better things to do than waste our time with useless paperwork in the middle of our event. ”
Everyone in the room stayed still and silent for a beat and then Bento nodded his head and Jean Luc stepped away from the file cabinet.
“So close,” Chauncey muttered.
“Least we know they’ve got something to hide,” Dane said.
They watched as Jean Luc ushered Captain Lynch to the door. Cap promised to be back with a warrant.
“Now the real show starts. Pay attention.” Dane said.