Chapter 8
Cressida blinked up at him, relief clear in her gaze and the drop of her shoulders.
“I got your voicemail. Then I heard a call for assistance on the radio. Are you okay? Where’s the intruder?”
She gestured over her shoulder. “Someone crept to the back of the house. I knocked on the door and spoke with Madeline. We heard a noise—sounded like glass breaking. But she didn’t think it was anything to worry about and shut me out.”
Braden approached the double doors and rang the doorbell. “This is Detective Sanders of the Timberbrook County Sheriff’s Office.”
A few seconds ticked by. Braden waited patiently. The place was big, after all. Finally, the door opened to reveal a tall, slender woman who glanced first at Cressida before her gaze landed on him. She appeared visibly perturbed. Not shaken by a supposed intruder.
In case she hadn’t heard, he introduced himself again. “And you are? I need your name for my notes.” He kept his tone warm and friendly but held that edge of authority. This woman exuded the kind of air that told him she might want to challenge him.
“Madeline Chase,” she said. “I work for Mrs. Monroe.”
“We received a report of an intruder.”
“It was a false alarm, Detective. There’s no intruder here.”
“Is Mrs. Monroe available? I’d like to speak with her.”
“She isn’t, I’m sorry. She’s out of town.”
“Ms. Valentine, who’s standing behind me, reported seeing someone creeping around your house, then she heard glass breaking inside.”
“It was just a vase. I left it too close to the edge of the table in my rush to stop her from knocking one more time.”
Braden kept his features neutral. The woman was definitely perturbed.
“Would you mind if I checked your perimeter to make sure whoever was lurking is gone?” Might as well give Cressida the benefit of the doubt.
“You’re wasting your time. We have security cameras,” Ms. Chase said, “but go ahead.”
“With motion detectors?”
She blinked, hesitating a second. “Of course.”
Most of them did. He’d wanted to test her knowledge. “Have you looked at the security feed? Was an alarm triggered?”
“Detective, as I said, you’re wasting your time.”
On you. “You have a good evening.” Braden dismissed her with a nod and turned his back to her before she could shut the door.
“Oh, Detective,” she called after him.
He turned. “Yes?”
“Please make sure that Ms. Valentine leaves the premises. She’s the only intruder of which I’m aware.”
He said nothing and turned to walk toward the car, gesturing for Cressida to join him. He held the passenger door open for her.
Cressida hesitated, her eyes narrowing.
“You need a ride?” he asked.
“I do, thanks. Are you going to check the perimeter in spite of her claims?”
“Yes. I believe you.” He held her gaze, making sure she understood. “You can wait in the vehicle, safe and sound, while I do. Lock the doors.”
Once Cressida got inside, he eyed the surrounding area and made quick work of the grounds near the house. Noted the cameras. Since they were easy to spot, they would be easy to avoid. Using his flashlight, he found no obvious footprints, but he could be messing them up if they existed.
He jogged back to the county vehicle and got inside. Started it.
Cressida watched him. “Well? Did you find evidence of an intruder?”
“It’s dark, so I could have missed something, but no.”
“What about the windows at the back? Did you see anything broken?”
“No.” He steered around the circular drive. “Listen, I believe you. I’ll have a deputy drive by again tonight and make sure the woman’s okay.”
She blew out a breath and settled into the seat next to him.
“But I have to ask,” he said. “What were you doing here? You must have walked since you have no transportation.”
“Yeah, about that. I was on the beach below the house, and I saw the steps. They don’t say they’re private, so why not?”
“Fair enough. I came by the cabin earlier and you weren’t there, so I looked for you on the beach, but I must have missed you.”
“You were looking for me? You must have had something to tell me. What did you learn?”
“I have a forensic artist who can meet with you tomorrow.”
“Oh, good. Anything else?”
“Not yet. I’m surprised that you went back to the beach so soon. You’re resilient, I’ll give you that.” He remained concerned. “Remi said you got a package.”
“My journal was returned. I must have left it on the boat. Captain Malloy had made it clear that he was leaving the area, and it surprised me. He had to have come back to give the journal to me.”
“Did he say why he was leaving?”
“He hadn’t wanted to come to begin with. I paid him a lot to bring me.”
“And why would you do that? Why not find another charter?”
“My dad somehow ended up with him. I was just following his exact journey. Oh, but Malloy left a note with the journal, reminding me to watch my back.”
Cressida should have contacted Braden immediately, but she hadn’t, and that unsettled him. “At what point did you decide it was a good idea to go back to the beach? I’m assuming you went alone because you’re here. Alone.”
“Well, when you put it that way . . . but it wasn’t like that.
I talked to a therapist on the phone, and I felt encouraged.
I believed that I needed to get outside.
Get fresh air and clear my head. If I sat in that cabin alone with my thoughts, with the memories of the attack, things would only go downhill.
I need to finish Dad’s book. I’m not going to let that jerk who tried to drown me interfere with my mission here. ”
Braden admired this woman. She was made of strong stuff. And maybe that made her overconfident or push too hard. He wasn’t sure yet. He turned onto the road to Cedar Trails Lodge, steered down the long drive, then finally parked. Cressida started to get out.
“Wait.” If only he could be up-front with her about who he was. Why he was here.
She sat back and looked at him. “What?”
“We’ll get this man who attacked you, okay? Until then, please don’t go anywhere alone.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t.” She sighed. “On the beach, I thought someone might have followed me. But there were a lot of people, and I could have been wrong. So that’s why I ended up taking those steps.
That and, well, I also need to interview Evelyn Monroe.
Except I blew any chance I had tonight of ever getting past her gatekeeper, Madeline Chase.
Did you get the feeling she didn’t like me? ”
“She doesn’t like anyone.” Probably not something a detective should say. Needed to keep it professional.
Except he was already in this for personal reasons, having been coerced into being here in the first place. “Let me work on that interview for you. I might know someone who can help.”
They got out of the vehicle and started walking on the woodsy trail toward her cabin. He didn’t like this one bit. Maybe he could press her to move without any pushback. “I think you need to stay in the lodge.”
“Braden!” Remi called and hurried across the parking lot. She slowed on her approach. “And Cressida. Your room at the lodge is ready now. A couple checked out early. You still want it?”
“I’ve grown to like the cabin, but—”
“She’ll take it,” Braden answered for her. “I advise you to take it for your safety.”
Cressida looked between them, hesitating for a moment, then, “Thanks, Remi. I’ll just go get my stuff from the cabin.”
“I’ll help,” Braden said.
“I’m in too,” Remi said.
“Guys. I’m good. I only have a duffel and an empty computer bag. Oh, and your leather jacket.”
Whatever. Both Braden and Remi assisted Cressida with her move from the cabin to the room on the second floor of the lodge, and he got his jacket back.
She gasped. “A room with a view. This is fantastic. I can’t thank you enough.”
“She also needs to interview Evelyn Monroe. Can you help with that?” Braden asked Remi. “Since you know her well.”
“You know her?” Cressida’s eyes brightened.
“She’s my boss. I’ll see what I can do,” Remi said. “Find me tomorrow and let’s talk. I’ll need to know more before I ask her.”
“Sure, that’s great. I appreciate it.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” Remi said.
“You should be safe here tonight.” Braden would make sure of it.
Remi and Braden left Cressida alone, and he followed the lodge manager down the steps, then tugged her aside. “I’d like a room. I know it’s your busy season, but please tell me that you have something available.”
She arched a brow. “Oh? This doesn’t sound like regular county sheriff’s office procedure. Is it something more?”
“It’s not what you think.” He shook his head. “I’ll pay full price, of course.”
“A room is opening up tomorrow. Just talked to a couple who has to leave in the morning. Her mother is in the hospital. As soon as it’s available, it’s yours.”
“I appreciate that.”
He left Remi and exited the lodge. Checked the grounds, the cabins, and the campground, which had opened for the summer.
He could have borrowed an RV to park at the campground, but then again staying in the lodge was closer to Cressida and his mission.
Cressida might not like him there, but she didn’t even have to know.
Darkness had settled at Cedar Trails. Campfires lit up the area near the cabins and campground, and security lights at the lodge gave off enough light he could see.
He stood at the top of the stairs that led down to the rocky beach and looked up at the stars.
He could see so many more here than in the city.
The clouds had cleared away. If he waited long enough, and let his eyes adjust, he might even see the Milky Way.
He wasn’t looking forward to what came next. Octavia hadn’t returned his call for whatever reason, but he would call her again. She was three hours ahead of him on the East Coast, and probably asleep.
Fortunately, she answered.
“Braden?” Octavia sounded groggy.
He’d woken her. “Yes.”
“You wouldn’t call without a reason,” she said.
“I called you earlier today. Why didn’t you call me back?”
“You didn’t leave a message.”
“You told me not to. That you’d call me back. What’s the reason you sent me here? I want to hear it from you.”
She grumbled, then gasped as though finally waking up to the realization. “You’ve seen her, then.”
“Your daughter is here, yes.” Maybe he should have held back to hear what more she might have told him, but he wasn’t going to play games. “She was attacked on the beach.”
“Oh no. Braden. Please, tell me my baby is all right.”
“Yes. Someone left her for dead and stole from her.” With the words, the pent-up anger boiled to the surface, but he reined it in .
. . to a point. This woman had saved his niece’s life.
“Why not tell me so I could be prepared? Why not talk to her so she could know she’s in danger?
Because she is, and I have a feeling you know what it’s about. Now I need you to tell me.”