Chapter 7
Evie eyed the police car with trepidation. Cam’s grim expression mirrored her thoughts. Why was the officer just sitting there near the exit? Was he planning to wait for them to leave so that he could follow them for the rest of the day?
Cam’s phone dinged, startling her badly. She pressed a hand to her galloping heart as he reached for the device. His tone was calm as he reviewed the screen. “Looks like our rental came through.”
“Great.” She strove to sound normal. The stress of finding another dead body and the police scrutiny were starting to wear on her nerves. “We may as well head inside to shop. We’ll need food for the rental property anyway.”
Cam grimaced and killed the engine. “Fine. But I don’t want the police to know where we’re staying.”
“I agree with you on that. But who knows? Maybe the officer will be gone by the time we come back outside.” She pushed open her car door, then paused as she remembered her dog. “We can’t leave Bruno out here. Do you think the store will allow him inside?”
He frowned. “Doubtful. Maybe you should wait here with Bruno.” Cam hit the button to open the back hatch. “I’ll grab the food and snorkel gear.”
“Okay.” She stood and called Bruno to her side. He bounded toward her, tail wagging. She bent to pet him, then reached up to close the hatch.
From there, she and Cam split up. He strode inside to shop while she took Bruno over to a shady spot along the edge of the parking lot. There were several tall trees along with a stretch of grass that was a perfect waiting spot.
She imagined the officer’s gaze following her and Bruno as they left.
Was Kyle Abernathy the cop behind the wheel?
Had he recognized her from high school? As Bruno watered a tree, she turned to look toward the police cruiser.
The sun was too bright on the windshield for her to see the person inside.
Then a flash of anger hit hard.
This was ridiculous. Why wasn’t that cop doing real police work? Talk about a waste of time and resources. Glancing at Bruno, who stood sniffing the air, she abruptly stepped forward, intending to give the officer a piece of her mind. “Come, Bruno.”
With a determined stride, she began to cross the parking lot with Bruno at her side.
But she only reached the halfway point when the vehicle backed up, turned, and left the parking lot.
She frowned, wondering if the officer was avoiding her on purpose.
Then suddenly the red-and-blue lights began to flash, and the vehicle sped up, zooming out of sight.
Slightly reassured, she turned and walked back to return to the shade beneath the trees. Obviously, the cop was called away for a good reason. Which was fine with her.
She bent to check Bruno’s paws to make sure they weren’t burned by the scorching hot blacktop parking lot.
The relentless sun would heat it up to an unbearable level by noon.
The hour was early enough, only ten thirty.
Bruno’s paws were fine, and when she placed her palm against the asphalt, it wasn’t terrible.
Not yet anyway.
She glanced at her watch, hoping Cam wouldn’t take too long. They needed to get away from the shopping center before the officer could return.
The minutes ticked by slowly, but then she straightened when she saw Cam emerge from the doorway, both hands laden with bags. “Let’s go, Bruno.” She quickly headed over to meet up with him.
“Where’s Officer Friendly?” Cam asked with an arched brow as he stored the shopping bags on the floor of the back seat.
“He left with lights flashing, presumably to deal with actual crime rather than sitting around watching us.” She opened the back hatch for Bruno. “Let’s get to the rental property as soon as possible. We can figure out our next steps from there.”
“Works for me.” Cam quickly rounded the car to slide in behind the wheel. Minutes later, they were back on the road, heading away from the downtown area of Grand Haven. She glanced at him.
“Where is this rental house?”
“Not far from Duncan Woods.” He shrugged, then added, “I figure the more remote the better.”
“Yeah, as long as there aren’t more dead bodies lying around.” She rubbed her temple.
“Duncan Woods isn’t anywhere near the nature preserve,” Cam pointed out. “That should work in our favor.”
“I hope so.” She turned in her seat to peer down into the store bags. “Did you find the snorkel gear?”
“Yep, and I bought a pair of swim trunks too.” The corner of his mouth quirked up in a grin. “I would have bought a swimsuit for you, but I didn’t want to get smacked if I bought the wrong size.”
She rolled her eyes. “I have a suit with me, thanks. But honestly, I’m not sure I want to leave Bruno alone while we look for Skye’s car.”
“I was only kidding. I’d rather you didn’t get into the water.” He reached over to touch her hand. “It’s better for you to stay on shore in case we need to call Rueger again.”
Just imagining that call made her wince. “You really think you’ll find the VW?”
“No way to know for sure.” He frowned as he turned off the main highway to a lesser-known road. “Even if we find the car, I’m not sure there will be enough trace evidence left behind to be of any use.”
She nodded slowly, understanding his concern. “Were you really serious about heading back out to the nature preserve with Bruno?”
“Yeah.” He grimaced. “I can hope the new victim with the tattoo bracelet has been there long enough that I may have an alibi for the time frame of her disappearance, but I doubt it. I was home for two days prior to getting your call about Skye’s remains, and I live alone.”
“Two days.” She was no expert, but she didn’t think the young woman had been there longer than four days.
In fact, she felt certain Bruno had caught the scent of the killer burying the woman the night he brought her Skye’s bone.
Even if the poor girl had been murdered the day before, that wasn’t enough to absolve Cam.
“I can see you’re doing the math too.” His tone was dry. “Just like Rueger. If she was killed that recently, I don’t have an alibi. No girlfriend or anyone who can vouch for me.”
“Don’t, Cam. I know you’re innocent.” She blew out a breath. “My biggest concern is that Rueger won’t follow up with other suspects and that the real killer is going to get away with this.”
“We’ll start with the river, then head back out to the nature preserve.” He glanced at Bruno using the rearview mirror. “Your dog is our best chance of finding the killer.”
“Okay. I’ll do whatever you think is best.” There was no reason to argue. Besides, he had a point about how finding more dead bodies could clear his name. Cam had been in the army for twelve years.
If a serial killer was operating in Grand Haven all this time, she had to believe he would have murdered someone during the time frame Cam was stationed in Afghanistan. Maybe more than one victim.
And as horrible as that was to imagine, it was the best way to prove once and for all that Cam wasn’t responsible for Skye’s death.
Cam made several turns to make sure they weren’t followed to the rental house. He couldn’t bring himself to trust anyone. Except Evie.
After backtracking for the second time, he pulled into the long winding driveway of the rental property. He’d chosen this place for several reasons, one being that it couldn’t be seen from the road.
And as he’d mentioned to Evie, the fact that the house was isolated from other tourists was a big factor in his decision. After everything that had transpired, having peace and quiet would be a welcome respite.
“This looks nice,” Evie commented, when he shifted into park and shut down the engine. “More expensive than a hotel, though.”
“Yeah, but worth it.” He didn’t care about the money. He wasn’t rich, but he’d banked his pay during his twelve years in the army. And his boss, Rex Grayson, paid him and the other guardians working for him very well.
Unfortunately, all the money in the world wasn’t going to clear his name.
He slid out from behind the wheel and opened the back door to grab their bags. Evie let Bruno out of the back hatch and headed to the front door. “What’s the code?” she asked over her shoulder.
“2980.” He watched as she unlocked the front door and pushed it open. Then she stepped back to hold the door for him.
They took a few minutes to unpack the groceries. Evie set the bag containing the snorkel gear and his swim trunks to the side. He went back outside for their overnight bags and the backpack Evie had grabbed from her mother’s place.
He’d purchased some bottled water to use while they were hiking in the woods. Evie packed several of them in the backpack along with the dishes she planned to use for Bruno.
“How long do you think the cops will be at the scene of the dead body?” Evie glanced at him. “I feel like we should wait until they’re gone before we send Bruno out to search.”
“I don’t know, it could take them a while if they’re serious about preserving evidence.” He firmly believed Rueger would do at least that much. The detective would be eager to find evidence to use against Cam. “I think we should search the river first.”
“Maybe we should look at the missing persons reports,” Evie suggested. “We might uncover the dead girl’s identity.”
He grimaced and glanced at his watch. “I don’t know that knowing her identity will help us. And I’m anxious to see if my theory of Skye’s car being submerged in the river after her murder holds true.”
“Okay, we’ll do that first.” Evie sighed and rummaged in the backpack. “I should have asked you to pick up some protein bars. I’m sure we’re going to be hungry for lunch soon.”
“I did.” He strode to the cabinet and opened it. “See? I even found the cookies-and-cream brand you used to devour while we were working as lifeguards.”
“Perfect.” Her bright smile warmed his heart. “Thanks for thinking of me.”