Secrets of His Own Page 8

  Carrie checked the date of the article. It had run only a few days before Tia’s wedding. Was that why she’d taken off? Did she think the kidnapper would somehow find her again?

  What if he had?

  What if he’d followed Tia to Cape Diablo? What if he’d used her disappearance to lure Carrie here?

  She’d managed to escape him, but Tia hadn’t. He’d taken Tia with him when he fled the cabin, and she’d later been found in a motel room near the Alabama border. The FBI even suspected that he was the one who’d made an anonymous call to the local authorities, but his motives were puzzling, especially after the grisly discovery under the cabin.

  He’d killed all the others. Why had he let Tia go?

  Unless he thought that he could use her somehow.

  Carrie thought back to the conversation she’d overheard between her parents and the FBI profiler who’d come to interview her. After he’d finished with Carrie, she’d been sent out of the room. The adults had no idea she was listening in at the door.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Bishop…I hate like hell to have to say this, but…I think the only reason he let Tia go was because he thought he might be able to use her somehow. She’s his link to your daughter. It’s my belief that Carrie was his target all along, and when men like that become fixated on someone, the obsession can last for years….”

  Carrie hadn’t listened to the rest. She’d run back to her room, crawled into bed, pulled the covers over her head and tried to pretend that she was safe. She didn’t want to think about that man coming back for her. She didn’t want to imagine what he would do to her if he found her, but she couldn’t stop herself from dreaming about him.

  He’d tormented her sleep for years, and then one day the nightmares had stopped. They hadn’t returned until now.

  Carrie shoved the article inside the folder and closed it. No reason to look at it again. It wasn’t him.

  It wasn’t him.

  She was making too much of a random article that probably meant nothing at all.

  But she knew that it did. Nothing about any of this was random. Tia had deliberately run away on her wedding day, deliberately chose Cape Diablo as her hiding place, and she’d deliberately sent Carrie that letter knowing that she would come.

  Just as she had deliberately left the necklace on her bedroom floor knowing that Carrie would stay.

  She was trying to tell Carrie something, perhaps even to warn her that they were in terrible danger. Everything that had happened was like a puzzle piece, but Carrie still didn’t have a clue how to put it all together.

  And she had a bad feeling that time was running out.

  SHE DIDN’T LOOK SO GOOD, Nick thought when Carrie answered his knock the next morning. Even her suntan couldn’t disguise the dark circles underneath her eyes. She looked as if she hadn’t slept a wink the night before.

  He noticed something else about her, too. Her blue eyes were the exact shade of the flowers that used to grow in his grandmother’s garden. He was surprised he hadn’t picked up on that before. He was used to committing even the smallest detail to memory.

  Maybe he was slipping, but at thirty-three, he could hardly blame the oversight on old age. It was more likely that the monotony of the island was getting to him. Making him careless. Making him think of Carrie Bishop in ways he had no business imagining.

  He tried to look away, but she seemed to have some kind of hold on him. In the split second before either of them said anything, he found himself thinking about the most inane things. Like what she would look like with one of those blue flowers tucked behind her ear.

  He had no idea if his grandmother’s garden was even still there. He hadn’t been out to the old place since she’d moved out. She was in a nursing home now, and his brother, Matt, had sold her property to finance his drug habit.

  But that was another story, Nick thought bitterly. He hadn’t seen his brother in years, either. The trek out to the prison had long since gotten old.

  Besides, he’d pretty much given up on Matt. His brother was what he was, and the fact that the same blood flowed in their veins was a reality Nick had come to terms with a long time ago. No use dwelling on the past.

  His gaze flicked over Carrie, and his thoughts moved on to her past. She had a quality about her he couldn’t quite define. She seemed tough and vulnerable at the same time. Remote and yet oddly appealing.

  Something had happened to her. Something bad. He’d seen that haunted look on too many faces not to recognize it for what it was. She was a woman with demons. That much was clear to him.

  He’d told her once that people came to Cape Diablo because they were either running from something or hiding out. He couldn’t help wondering if she’d come to the island on the pretext of searching for her friend. Maybe Carrie Bishop was running from something, too.

  “I was beginning to think you might not show up,” she said coolly as she stepped back to allow him to enter. “I thought we were going to get an early start.”

  He shrugged. “Sorry, but I had to work this morning. I finished as fast as I could, and now here I am, ready to rock and roll if you are.”

  “Just let me grab my camera,” she said, hurrying over to the desk.

  His gaze drifted over her jeans and sneakers. “I’m glad to see you brought sensible clothes. You’ll need them where we’re going.”

  She turned, still checking her camera. “Yes, well, I always try to be prepared for any contingency.”

  “Good to know.”

  She glanced up then and their eyes met for another brief moment before she quickly looked away. “I’m ready now. We should probably get started before it gets too hot.”

  Nick wondered if she even noticed the double entendre. Things were already getting a little warm between them whether she wanted to acknowledge it or not. He’d seen the way she looked at him last night…the way she’d shied away from him as if she didn’t quite trust what she was feeling.

  He was attracted to her, too. Another time, another place, he might have made a move. But for now he’d have to stick with his plan to get her off the island as quickly as possible.

  Out in the courtyard, she turned to him again. “Where should we start?”

  He jerked a thumb toward the opening in the back wall. “We’ll go down to the beach, head north and make our way around the entire island.”

  She nodded, but as she turned toward the light, he noticed again how exhausted she looked.

  “Are you sure you’re up for this?”

  “I told you before, I’m fine,” she said curtly, then gave him an apologetic smile. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to snap, but…I’m running on a short fuse this morning. I didn’t sleep well last night. I guess it takes a while to get accustomed to the island. But I still want to do this. The sooner we finish our search, the sooner I’ll know if Tia is still here or not.”

  “And if she isn’t?”

  “Then I’ll just have to keep looking.”

  Nick paused. “You two must be awfully close for you to go to all this trouble because of a letter.”

  “How do you know about the letter?” she asked with a frown.

  “Cochburn mentioned it yesterday. He said you seemed concerned by something your friend had written. Is that right?”

  “It wasn’t so much what she wrote as her tone,” Carrie said. “But it’s not just the letter that has me worried. It’s…” She trailed off on a shrug.

  “It’s what?”

  She shook her head. “You wouldn’t understand because you don’t know Tia the way I do. We’ve been friends since we were four years old. We’ve been through a lot together, and there was a time when I probably knew her better than anyone. I know she’s in trouble because I can feel it. I can’t explain it any better than that.”

  “I’m not one to discount intuition,” he said. “But once we search the island, there won’t be anything else you can do here. Maybe you should think about going home. What if she’s been trying to rea
ch you there? Have you even thought of that?”

  “Of course, I’ve thought of it. I’ll check my messages as soon as I return to the mainland, but in the meantime, I’m stuck here until Friday. I may as well make the most of it.”

  “Even if it means hiking through a snake-infested swamp?”

  She winced. “Yes, even that.”

  “Must be nice to have a friend like you.”

  She gave him a horrified look, and Nick thought, What’s that all about?

  “I’m…not anything special,” she said hesitantly. “Wouldn’t your friends do the same for you?”

  “They might, if I had any.”

  “You don’t have friends?”

  He shrugged. “I travel around a lot. Never in one place for too long. It’s hard to make any long-term relationships when you don’t know where you’ll be from one day to the next.”

  Something flickered in her eyes and then she nodded. “I understand. It’s easier that way.”

  For an uncomfortable moment, Nick had a feeling that she understood a little too much. She was easy to talk to, which surprised him. She didn’t come off as particularly warm and engaging. Just the opposite in fact. Most of the time she seemed pretty adept at keeping her distance.

  And yet there was something in her eyes that made him want what he hadn’t had in years.

  Chapter Seven

  The search took the better part of the morning. Starting on the western side near the beach, they circled north, past the tumbledown boathouse where Carlos Lazario lived and the pier which faced east toward the mainland.

  As they made their way through the thick, junglelike growth in the interior, Carrie called out Tia’s name over and over, but after a while she gave up and tried to concentrate instead on searching for clues.

  And on keeping up with Nick. She’d always considered herself in reasonably good shape, and for the first hour or so, his brisk pace hadn’t been a problem. But trudging through the thick undergrowth had taken a toll on her stamina.

  By the time they emerged from the woods, she was hot, thirsty and tired. Pausing in the shade of a banyan tree, she bent over and placed her hands on her knees to catch her breath.

  Nick glanced over his shoulder, then stopped and backtracked to where she stood. “You okay?”

  “Just a little winded. I’m not used to walking so much in the heat.”

  “You should have said something. We could have stopped at any time.”

  “I’m fine.” She straightened, trying to prove that she really was. “I want to cover as much territory as possible.”

  He glanced at his watch. “It’s almost noon. Maybe we should call it a day. It’s going to get even hotter from here on out, and we’ve pretty much been over the whole island. There’s not much left to see.”

  Carrie surveyed their surroundings. “Where are we anyway? I’m turned around.”

  “We’re on the south side of the island.” Nick nodded toward the trail. “If you stay on this path, it’ll take you into the swamp. Veer to the right and you’ll end up at the harbor.”

  “I remember reading about Cape Diablo’s natural, deepwater harbor,” Carrie said. “Andres Santiago used it for smuggling drugs into the country. That’s probably what attracted him to the island in the first place. That and the seclusion.”

  “Sounds like you’ve done some research,” Nick commented.

  She shrugged. “Tia’s letter made me curious. She seemed fascinated by the island and the Santiago family. Do you know much about their disappearance?”

  “Just the usual talk.” Nick broke off a tiny twig and peeled away the bark with his thumbnail. “There’s a lot of mystery surrounding it, but unfortunately, disappearances aren’t that uncommon when drugs are involved.”

  His matter-of-fact tone sent a chill up Carrie’s spine. “I suppose that’s true,” she murmured. “It’s still tragic, though. Especially when children are involved. I wonder if Andres even considered the dangers of being so far away from civilization when he bought this island. The isolation may have protected him from the authorities, but it also made him vulnerable to his enemies.”

  “People in the drug trade are a ruthless breed,” Nick said grimly. “I doubt Santiago was any different. He may have thought of the dangers to his family, but he was probably more concerned by how the island would benefit his operation. And Cape Diablo is damn near perfect for smuggling. You’ve got cover from all those mangrove islands to the east and a quick getaway on the open waters of the Gulf to the west.”

  So the strategic location of the island hadn’t escaped Nick’s notice. Was it merely a casual observation or had he also done some research?

  Carrie couldn’t help wondering again what had brought him to Cape Diablo. As much as she wanted and needed to trust him, she couldn’t shake the notion that there was more to Nick Draco than met the eye.

  And she couldn’t forget that she’d seen him with a gun her first day on the island. Maybe the weapon was a precautionary measure as Cochburn had suggested, but Carrie didn’t think it a good idea to let down her guard around Nick.

  “How long did you say you’ve been here?” She tried to ask casually.

  “A few weeks.”

  “You must have been here when Tia arrived. Did you talk to her?”

  He leaned a hand against the trunk of the tree as he stared down at her. His eyes looked very dark in the shade. Dark and mysterious. “The day she got here? No. I’d arranged to meet Cochburn on the mainland to order some supplies. She was already moved in by the time I got back.”

  “You said you saw her around, though. You must have talked to her at some point.”

  “Once or twice. Mostly we just said hello. I didn’t see her out much. She seemed to enjoy her privacy.”

  “She didn’t say anything at all about leaving the island?” Carrie pressed.

  “No, but like I said, we barely spoke. I stay pretty busy around here. I don’t have a lot of time to stop and shoot the breeze with the tenants.”

  And yet he’d taken the time to show her around the island today. Carrie couldn’t help wondering about his motive.

  “What about Ethan Stone? Have you seen much of him since he got here?”

  Nick shrugged. “No. He pretty much stays holed up in his apartment.”

  Carrie remembered standing outside Stone’s door the night before and the intense premonition of danger that had swept over her. And then she’d gone back to Tia’s apartment and dreamed about a monster.

  She suppressed a shiver as she glanced up at Nick. “You don’t find it strange that he never leaves his apartment?”

  “Not particularly. Like I told you yesterday, people usually have a specific reason for coming to Cape Diablo. They’re either running away or hiding out.”

  “And what about you?” Carrie blurted. “Which category do you fit into?”

  Something flashed in his eyes, but he turned away before she could read him. “I came here to work.”

  “And that’s the only reason?”

  He turned back to face her, his gaze cold and steady once again. “Why all the questions? I’ve told you everything I know about your friend. If you think I had something to do with her leaving Cape Diablo—”

  “I don’t,” Carrie said quickly. “It’s not that.”

  “Then why the third degree?”

  “I’m curious,” she said, and then a little more reluctantly, “And I guess I’m in a strange mood today. Something happened last night that has me a little puzzled.”

  He frowned. “What?”

  Carrie wasn’t sure how much she wanted to tell him about her experience outside Ethan Stone’s door. It sounded so bizarre, even to her. What if Nick thought she was crazy?

  And what if she was? What if last night had been nothing more than her imagination playing tricks on her? What if the island was getting to her somehow?

  She’d thought yesterday that Cape Diablo seemed like a living, breathing entity. Maybe
it was. Maybe the island was capable of manipulating her emotions. Maybe it could even use her own fears and weaknesses against her.

  And now she truly did sound insane, Carrie thought.

  Besides, she’d experienced a premonition of danger before she ever arrived on Cape Diablo. She’d known Tia was in trouble the moment she read her letter.

  “What happened last night?” Nick prompted.

  Carrie gave a little shake of her head. “I don’t even know how to explain it. At least not without sounding a little unhinged…” She paused. “After you came by, I went up to Ethan Stone’s apartment. I heard him moving around, and I wanted to ask him if he’d seen Tia. But he wouldn’t answer his door.”

  “Maybe he didn’t hear you.”

  “No, I think he did hear me,” Carrie said slowly. “Those apartments are small and I knocked loudly. The weird thing is…I had this feeling that he was right on the other side of the door. That he was…” She trailed off.

  Nick flicked the twig away. When Carrie glanced at him he was watching her intently. “Go on.”

  “I had a feeling that if he opened the door, I’d be in terrible danger.”

  Instead of laughing at her, his frown deepened. “From Stone?”

  She lifted one shoulder. “I don’t know. I’m not sure if the danger I picked up on was coming from him or…something inside his apartment.” She tucked a strand of hair behind one ear. “Believe me, I know how weird all this sounds, but it was like I knew something bad had happened in that apartment. Or was about to happen.”

  Nick said nothing, but she could tell that he was carefully weighing everything she’d told him. If he questioned her sanity, he kept his doubts hidden. “What did you do?”

  She gave a shaky laugh. “Nothing heroic, I’m afraid. I ran down the steps and I would have retreated back inside Tia’s apartment, but I saw Alma Garcia in the courtyard.”

  “And?”

  “That was another odd thing.” Carrie ran her hands up and down her arms, suddenly chilled. “She stood by the pool for the longest time, just gazing into the water. It was almost as if she was looking for something.”