Every Move She Makes (37 page)

Rachel looked him directly in the eye and smiled the way Jordan Hale had smiled at so many men. “Am I really going to need one?”

Keep him happy and focused. Give Lark the time she needs to get away. I can do this.
She unclenched her fists and offered another smile.

Sweat broke out on the pervert’s forehead.

The bathroom door opened. Lark’s gaze went immediately to her mother, a hint of excitement in the depths of her blue eyes.

“Let’s get you settled.” With unsteady hands, he tied Lark’s feet and hands then looped the rope around the couch, securing her to it.

Rachel spread the blanket over her daughter. “Good night, honey, sleep well.”

“Good night, Mom.”

Rachel bent to kiss her cheek.

“Got it!” The words were a bare whisper in her ear.

Rachel smiled then straightened. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

Lark stared at her kidnapper, her gaze fierce. “If you hurt my mother, Kane will kill you.”

Anger darkened his eyes. “I have no intention of hurting her, and I’d rather not hear that man’s name mentioned again.” He indicated the bedroom door with a sweep of his arm. “After you, Jordan.”

Rachel walked toward the bedroom with her head held high, fists clenched at her sides. She didn’t plan to surrender easily. Once Lark was safely away, Curt Dawson was in for the fight of his life.

Kane read Rachel’s note for the tenth time, looking for a clue where none existed, then crushed it in his fist. Grace sat down next to him and squeezed his arm.

Head in his hands, he stared out the window into the early evening gloom. “Why’d she do it? Why didn’t she let the police handle it? Why didn’t she call me?”

“She was thinking of Lark’s safety.”

“By throwing herself to the lions? We could have put a tail on her the bastard would never have detected. For Christ’s sake, this is what I do!” Kane pounded his fist against his thigh.

“The bastard has a name.” Sheriff Walker closed his phone.

Kane jumped to his feet. “Which of them is it?”

“Curt Dawson. The lab rushed the DNA results on the skin sample taken from beneath Rose’s fingernails. It matches the sample you took off his water bottle. Also, the Lakeport police have Bob Mayfield in custody. The reason Mayfield’s been so secretive is because he’s growing a nice crop of marijuana on his property. He flatly denied any involvement in Lark’s kidnapping, and this time he has witnesses to verify his whereabouts. We charged him with possession of an illegal substance with intent to sell, but Dawson’s our kidnapper.”

“So the truck in Lakeport was just a coincidence?” Kane’s chest rose on a long breath.

“I’m afraid so. I have men questioning Dawson’s friends and relatives again. Maybe one of them will remember something significant.”

“I want to personally question Tiffany Randolph. If Dawson’s been harboring a secret obsession for Rachel the whole time they were dating, she must have known something was off. Maybe she’ll remember some small detail that will help find them.”

The sheriff nodded. “Go ahead, Kane. I’ll call your cell if anything breaks. In the meantime, we’ll be doing everything we can to pin down their location.”

He fisted his hands on his hips. “The CHP hasn’t spotted Rachel’s SUV yet?”

“No, I don’t understand how she could have traveled any distance without being seen. We had an APB out on her vehicle within forty-five minutes of her disappearance.”

“Maybe they’re somewhere nearby.”

“That’s one possibility.” Walker frowned. “Another is Dawson picked her up, and she left her vehicle parked someplace secluded.”

Kane pulled his keys from his pocket. “I’ll be in touch as soon as I’ve talked to Tiffany.”

He spent the forty-five minute drive to Tiffany Randolph’s home in San Rafael trying not to imagine what Dawson was doing to Rachel. As the minutes ticked by, twilight deepened to darkness. Kane pulled into the condominium complex where the asshole’s so-called girlfriend lived. Jumping out of his Jeep, he ran up to pound on her door.

She opened it almost immediately and waved him inside. “Have a seat. Can I get you something to drink?”

He shook his head and remained standing. “Thanks for agreeing to see me.”

Tiffany sat on the edge of the couch, her hands clasped in her lap. She wore a pair of old jeans and a T-shirt that admirably displayed her assets, but the fun-loving smile was missing. “I can’t believe Curt actually kidnapped Lark. Are you sure he’s the one who did it?”

“We have DNA evidence. He’s been harassing Rachel for weeks now. Apparently he’s been fixated on her for the last fourteen years.”

“How can that be? He would have been a boy all those years ago.”

“He was a teenager with the hots for a beautiful actress.” Kane clenched his fists. “It wouldn’t be the first time a wet dream turned into a sick obsession. I’m looking for some help here. Anything you can tell me about Dawson and his habits could turn this investigation around for us.”

“I wish I could help. Is that why he took me up to Granite Lake, so he’d have an excuse to be near Rachel? I thought he was sticking it to his mother.”

“He never talked about Rachel while you were there?”

“Only casual comments, but he was horny as hell the whole time we were camping. We went at it like a couple of rabbits.” Her lips twisted. “Now that I think about it, a couple of times during sex he whispered a name, but it wasn’t Rachel. I asked him about it once, and he just gave me an odd look and said I imagined it.”

“Rachel played a character named Jordan Hale on the soap opera. That’s how he thinks of her.”

Tiffany’s hand shook as she pushed back her hair. “That’s really perverted. I never could figure out what made Curt tick. We had an open relationship, which suited both of us.”

“Why’d you date him?”

“He’s good in the sack.”

Kane cleared his throat. “Were there any special places he liked to go? Did he talk about a trip he hoped to take?”

“Not really. He grew up in Nebraska, but he hasn’t been back there in years. Curt’s not close to his family. He mentioned the reunion his sister was planning weeks before he asked me to go with him. I had the impression he didn’t plan to attend. Then all of a sudden he was excited about going.” She shrugged. “Anyway, he’s mentioned that camping trip fondly a few times. He said he’d like to do it again without the excess baggage. I thought he meant his parents, but maybe he was referring to me.”

“You think he might take Rachel back to the mountains?” A seed of hope sprang to life—not much to go on, but something.

“It’s the only thing I can think of. When we were together, we didn’t do a whole lot of talking. Curt may look like Joe Average, but he’s anything but in bed.” She picked at the edge of the couch with a shiny red fingernail. “Sorry. That’s probably not what you want to hear.”

Lips pressed tight, Kane walked over and handed her a business card. “You’ve been very helpful. My cell number’s on the card. Call if you think of anything else.”

“Of course.” She stood and touched his arm. “Curt may have a sick fixation with Rachel, but he really isn’t a violent person. He was always very considerate both in and out of bed. I don’t think he’d actually hurt her or Lark.”

“I hope you’re right. Thanks for your cooperation, Tiffany.”

“Just catch the son of a bitch. Rachel was so nice to me while we were camping.” She grimaced then went on. “It creeps me out knowing Curt was thinking about her every time we had sex. I’d like to personally kill the freak.”

“I doubt you’re the only victim of Dawson’s fantasy life. Don’t worry. When I find him, he’ll pay.”

Kane’s cell rang as he was leaving San Rafael. He glanced at the display and answered. “Do you have news?”

“We finally got an ID on the pickup he’s been using.” The sheriff paused. “It belongs to the father of one of Dawson’s friends. Apparently he borrowed it to move some furniture a few months ago and has been helping himself to it ever since. The man keeps it at a farm outside Petaluma and rarely drives it. He only realized it was missing when his son asked him to check after we contacted him. I’ve released the license number, but so far no hits.”

“No sign of Dawson in Petaluma?”

“None. His car was parked in the old barn where the truck was stored. Dawson obviously felt safe leaving it there. The elderly man who owns the place recently had hip surgery and hasn’t been in the barn for weeks.”

“Tiffany thinks he may have gone back to the mountains. Put the CHP near Donner Summit on alert for the truck and for Rachel’s SUV. I’m heading up there now.”

“Do you have anything concrete to go on?”

“Just a couple of comments Dawson made to Tiffany. Jesus, Stan, I have to do something. I can’t sit around Vine Haven twiddling my thumbs. I’m going crazy, and this is the only lead we have.”

“If you feel that strongly about it, I don’t want you to go alone. Where are you now?”

“Just outside San Rafael headed for the 80 East interchange.”

“I’ll have Pete drive Brandon out to meet you at the junction of 80 and Highway 12. They should get there about the same time you do. Take Brandon with you for backup just in case you do find Dawson.”

“Fine.”

“Don’t do anything stupid if you locate him.” His voice took on a sharp edge. “I want this handled by the book. Technically, you’re not involved in this investigation.”

“I know that. I’ll be in touch.” He clicked off his phone. “Technically, I don’t give a damn.”

* * * *

Rachel sat on the edge of the bed and forced herself to remain calm. The pervert swallowed nervously a couple of times before finally sitting beside her.

“I’m sorry about scaring you. I never wanted to hurt you or Lark, but I couldn’t think of any other way to get you up here.”

“You could have asked.”

“You wouldn’t have come. You’re so beautiful, Jordan.” He ran a shaking finger along her arm. “So very, very beautiful. I couldn’t risk you turning me down.”

“Tiffany’s beautiful, too. I’m no one special, Curt.”

His face twisted. “That’s not true. You’re perfect. Tiffany was only after a good time. You’re not like that.”

“You don’t know me at all. You don’t know what I’m like.”

“You’re wrong.” Emotion glistened in his eyes. “I’ve known you for a long time. I fell in love with you when I was just a teenager. You were amazing—your face so perfect, and your body...” His throat worked. “Watching you made me ache with desire, but I knew you wouldn’t want me then. I had to become the man you deserved.”

“How’d you do that?”

He scooted closer until their thighs touched. With a force of will, Rachel remained still.

Keep him talking. Give Lark a chance to escape.

“I wasn’t a popular kid.” A breath lifted his chest. “The other kids picked on me, but that stopped when I got older. You see I had something the boys envied, and pretty soon word got around. The girls showed a lot more interest, and I was happy to satisfy their curiosity.” He gave her a smug look. “I don’t like to brag, but I have what it takes to gratify your needs.”

She pressed her lips together and fisted her hands on the quilt to keep them from shaking.

“I know I was no great lover back then, but practice makes perfect. You deserve the best, Jordan. I may not be as good-looking as those men on TV, but I compensate for it in other ways.”

“A relationship isn’t all about sex.” She swallowed. “You know that, don’t you, Curt?”

“It’s an important element. Anyway, you were married. Then you left the show, and I didn’t see you for a long time. I tried to forget about you. I went to a shrink, and he prescribed these stupid pills for me to take, but I couldn’t let you go. When I saw stories in the tabloids about your cheating husband, I knew it was time to act. He wasn’t good enough for you, Jordan. He never loved you the way I do.”

“Bryce wasn’t a very good husband.”

“He was an asshole. You filed for divorce, and I moved to California to be closer to you. I found your house and your bookstore, and sometimes I’d drive by just hoping for a glimpse of your beautiful face.”

“You stalked me all these years?”

“Of course not. I never stalked you.” His eyes clouded. “I was content to admire you. I knew you weren’t ready yet. You were still hurting, still recovering from what that bastard did to you. I’m a patient man, and I was willing to wait until the time was right. I knew someday we’d be together.”

“Then you got tired of waiting.”

He nodded. “I suppose so. You made a new life for yourself, and you seemed happy. Still, you weren’t dating. I saw that as a sign. In your heart, you were waiting for me. I watched you more often, and I knew the time for us to be together had come. I was working on a way to meet you when you booked the camping trip. It was perfect. Fate. My sister had that dumb family reunion planned, so I simply called and told her I changed my mind about going. She was annoyed because it meant crowding the kids to give me a place to stay.”

“You brought Tiffany with you.”

“Sure. She served a useful purpose. I was worried seeing you every day might cause me to act in haste. Tiffany was a buffer. I could talk to you, and you’d see what a nice person I was without feeling threatened. Then there’s my mother. The old bat has been after me forever to marry a nice girl and settle down. I knew she’d hate Tiffany, and watching her squirm gave me some satisfaction.” He smiled. “My mother will love you. She was a big fan of yours all those years ago.”

She forced herself to stay calm, breathe evenly.
Keep him talking.
“Why didn’t you just call and ask me out after we left the retreat? Why did you follow me to Tahoe and grab me in the woods? You hurt me.”

His face darkened. “Because you ruined my plan. You spent all your time with Lafferty. You hardly knew I was there.” He gulped in air. “I saw you together at that little lake and again out in the canoe. You let him...” His fists clenched. “I was angry. You belonged to me, not him. It was my time to be with you. I had to get you alone and make you see that.”

“So you attacked me and threatened my girls?”