11. Chapter 11
Chapter eleven
Aria
Brooks tensed, and I pulled back enough to see his face. Whatever was on his phone wiped the last of the heat from his eyes.
“What?”
“The woman from the marina texted.” He turned the phone so I could see it.
You should know we’ve reported you to the police. We answered your questions earlier and you thank us by sending someone else down here and scaring us?
My stomach dropped. “Do you think it’s the same guy that tried to grab me?”
Brooks nodded slowly. “I’d say it sounds like a safe bet.” He left the kitchen and returned a few minutes later, carrying a gun. “Do you know how to use this?” He checked the safety.
I jumped off the counter, shaking my head. “I’m not going to shoot anyone. I—no. Do you really think that’s necessary?”
“I am going back down to the marina. I need to know you’re safe.” He handled the gun like it was just another tool. Maybe it was. “This is the safety. This is how you turn it on and off. Now come here.”
I moved slowly toward him.
“Turn around.” He made a circling motion, then wrapped his arms around me as he put the cold metal in my hands, placing his over them. ”Hold it like this, with both hands. Nice and steady. Keep your eyes open. Keep your arms straight, just like this. Deep breath and pull the trigger.”
He dropped his hands. The gun felt foreign against my palms. “Think you can do it?”
I took a deep breath, then another, resolve settling deep inside me. I met his gaze. “If I have to, I can do it.”
“Good girl.” He strode to the door and picked up his keys. “Lock the door behind me.”
“Wait,” I said, startled. “I’m going with you.”
“Not this time. I need to move around in the dark, see what I can see. I can do that better if I don’t have to worry about you.”
“Dammit, Brooks, you’re not leaving me out of this.” I crossed my arms over my chest. This was my sister, my life. He wasn’t going to leave me waiting in the wings like some helpless victim even if that’s exactly what I was.
“I need you to stay here. Go through the articles again. Maybe see if there’s anything to that.”
“Fine,” I relented. “But I need your phone number in case I find anything useful while you’re gone.”
Brooks met me in front of the sofa, took my phone from my hand, and typed in a new contact. Then he planted a hard kiss on my lips. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Okay.” I watched him walk to the door, the restlessness stirring to life, pushing me to move. He opened the door. “Hey, Brooks?” He looked over his shoulder, hand on the doorknob. “Be careful, okay?” With a nod, he was gone.
I picked the laptop up off the table and settled into the corner of the sofa.
Powering it on, I typed in the password and waited.
When the windows opened, I opened a blank word processing page and started writing notes as I read through the articles.
An hour and a half later, I put the computer down on the table still open, then stood and stretched.
I rubbed my tired eyes as I sat back down.
I’d written down as much information as I could find.
The thing I kept circling back to was why.
There was nothing interesting about this case.
Sure, maybe it was a mystery what happened to this Roman guy, but he wasn’t the first person to be lost at sea.
Not even the first with a criminal charge against him.
He hadn’t even disappeared around here. What about it would make Allie curious?
Think, Aria. There hadn’t been a calendar at her place.
At least not one that hadn’t been torn to shreds in the carnage of her belongings.
Even if she wrote things down, she’d keep a backup.
That’s how Allie operated. She was the exact opposite of me.
Where I’d wing it, she’d have a Plan B and a Plan C.
Just like Brooks. He was steady, like she was. Maybe that was one of the things that drew me to him.
I should have been here more for her. Seeing her in pain after Heath died, lost and alone, destroyed had been hard.
What I should have done was stuck around.
Instead I’d been selfish, only thinking about how her pain made me uncomfortable.
I’d been a crap sister for the last year, but if I found Allie, I’d change that and hope she forgave me.
She wasn’t the only one I owed an apology to. When this was over, I’d call Brad.
I woke up the black screen on the computer and went to the calendar app. She used the same brand of products, so I mentally crossed my fingers hoping they were synced.
I waited while the little circle turned, the computer thinking. Finally everything populated, and I could piece together the last week since Allie had been seen.
Wow, she’d done well creating a business. She had at least ten clients this week, including the dog she hadn’t shown up for. She must not have shown up for others. There were four dogs, three cats, two birds, and a ferret.
I also noticed a recurring dinner date with someone sporting the initials JW. I scrolled back, looking at the Tuesday nights for the last few months. The initials only appeared every few months and lasted a few weeks. So it was someone who probably didn’t live here but visited often.
Another boater? Maybe. I glanced at the clock. It wasn’t too late, only about eight p.m. Not too late to pay a visit to Dune Garden Inn. There were a few other resorts in the area, but my gut told me a regular visitor who wasn’t a yacht owner would probably stay at the Inn.
And I couldn’t sit here and wait another minute more. The guy that had brought my clothes last night had also driven my car over. Leaving the keys in it been a lucky break.
I closed the laptop and set it back on the table, then hurried to the spare bedroom to change into leggings and a light jacket.
The oceanfront got surprisingly cool after the sun went down.
As I left the house and locked the door, I dialed Brooks’ phone.
It rang three times before his voicemail picked up.
“Brooks, I found something that I’m going to check out.
It could be nothing, but… I’ll be safe. I’m just running over to the Dune Garden Inn real quick. Probably beat you back here.”
For the first time I could remember, checking in with someone didn’t scare me. Now wasn’t the time to analyze that, but when this was all over…maybe Sunbreak Harbor would make room for one more permanent resident.