Every Vow She Breaks (28 page)

* * * *

Her phone was ringing when Claire turned off the water. Grabbing a towel, she wrapped it around her middle, scooped up the cell and pushed the connect button with a slippery finger.

“Hello.”

“Are you okay?”

She dropped onto the wooden bench outside the tin shower stall, wet hair dripping down her back. Jed’s voice did more to warm her than a heat lamp.

“I’m fine. I thought you were the police calling me with news.”

“Sorry to disappoint.”

“You didn’t. I mean…” She let out a shaky breath. “I was going to call you back, but it was so early I didn’t want to wake you.”

“I’ve been driving for two hours already.”

Juggling the phone, she tried to dry off with the damp towel. “Oh, where to?”

Is that sound his teeth grinding?

The faint noise stopped. “Where do you think? Crescent City. If I don’t get pulled over for speeding, I should be there in about three more hours.”

“You’re coming here?” Warmth spread from her dripping head down to her toes curled against blue rubber flip-flops.

“Did you think I wouldn’t once I heard what had happened? Not that you bothered to fill me in. My brother called.”

“Kane? How did he—”

“Officer Edelman contacted him. Apparently, he thought I was the pervert bothering you.”

“I
told
him you weren’t responsible. I’m sorry, Jed.”

“You’re sorry?” His voice rose. “You didn’t do a damn thing wrong so don’t be sorry.” A long breath gusted through the phone. “I’m the one who failed you. I should never have left you alone no matter what you told me to do…or where you told me to go. You better believe I won’t make that mistake again.”

“But—”

“No buts. Look, I should probably hang up. I don’t need a ticket for speeding
and
talking on my cell phone while I’m going ninety.”

“Jed!”

“Where are you? Are you someplace safe?”

“I’m at the campground south of town. It’s the only one, so you’ll see it.”

“Are the cops still keeping an eye on you?”

“I hope not. I just stepped out of the shower, and I’m naked and dripping.”

Silence echoed over the line.

“Jed, are you still there?”

“I’m here.” His voice took on a husky quality. “Thanks for the mental image. I won’t need any more coffee to keep me wired after that.”

Her breasts tingled, and heat shot straight to her core. Closing her eyes, she leaned back against the cinderblock wall. “You didn’t have to drive up here, but I’m glad you’re on the way.”

“I’ll be there soon. Stay safe.”

He disconnected before she could answer. A smile spread as she finished drying off, scrambled into her clothes, gathered together her belongings, then headed back to the motor home. Nothing had changed between her and Jed, and the stalker was still out there somewhere. Waiting.
Watching?
God, she hoped not. Glancing around, she picked up her step then smiled. Despite lingering fog hanging in the trees, the morning suddenly seemed a whole lot brighter.

Damn it all to freaking hell. Lafferty was back.

After staying clear of Claire the previous night since she’d gone and called the cops—not a move he’d anticipated—he’d cruised by the campground a couple of hours earlier to check on her. Catching a glimpse of her outside with the dog, he’d thought about approaching her. Good thing his sense of self-preservation screamed
no
. Better to wait until she was down at the ocean taking photographs. The campground was relatively crowded, and if she panicked…too risky. He’d rather take his chances on a lonely stretch of beach.

Now his plan was shot to hell.

Lafferty stood close, his hands resting on her shoulders while Claire gazed up at him. The moron bent his head and kissed her.

He jerked down the gear shift and stomped on the gas. Gravel spit from beneath the tires as he swung out onto the road.

Damn Claire.
Why’d she have to call the man and ruin everything? His hopes had skyrocketed when he realized the idiot had left Shady Bend without her. Maybe it had made him cocky, and he’d gotten carried away and overplayed his hand with the pictures. Instead of turning Claire on, they’d frightened her. Would she have reacted differently if she knew who’d taken them?

He slammed his hand against the steering wheel, and his vehicle hopped and bounced right. His teeth clenched. Too late to find out now. With Lafferty around, he wouldn’t get another chance to catch her alone in Crescent City, so he might as well return to Shady Bend. Surely she’d take the rest of the pictures she needed today and leave for home by tomorrow at the latest.

He chewed on one ragged nail and frowned. Best to get far away from here, anyway. His prints were all over the pictures he’d left in the RV. Thank God he didn’t have a record. Still…no point in tempting fate by sticking around. He’d head south to wait.

No more games. No more gifts. Next time he’d simply snatch the prize and force Claire to live up to her vow.

* * * *

“We checked out your old boyfriends. Three of them have alibis.”

Claire leaned back in the chair and regarded Officer Edelman across his cluttered desk. “That’s all of them. I was certain no one I used to date was responsible.”

“No, Ian Rutledge is still under consideration. We spoke to him early this morning. He claims he was camping in the woods, but no one was around to verify his presence in Shady Bend yesterday afternoon. The man was extremely defensive. If anyone has something to hide, it’s your ex-husband.” He frowned. “You failed to mention you’d been married to him.”

“The marriage was annulled, so technically we weren’t legally bound. Anyway, that’s how Ian acts all the time. He’s high-strung. You said three—”

He held up a hand to tick off the men on his fingers. “Ross McGregor was indeed in Connecticut. Dallas Sims worked in his hardware store for most of the afternoon, surrounded by customers and employees.” He shot a glance toward Jed, who was talking with Officer Hernandez near the doorway. “Your friend over there purchased gas yesterday evening at a station up on Donner Summit. That clears him.”

“You checked Jed’s credit card records?”

“Of course.”

She rolled her eyes. “You could have simply taken my word for his innocence.”

“Generally, in cases of harassment, the perpetrator is someone the victim knows. I’ve no reason to believe this case will prove to be an exception.”

“Does that mean the man who took those pictures is a casual acquaintance, a person I’ve spoken to a few times?”

“I’d say it’s someone you know well. Either a man you dated, although not necessarily exclusively, or someone you worked with. Possibly an old neighbor. I checked with a police psychologist. She agrees this person isn’t a stranger to you. His actions have been too personal.”

Claire frowned. “I honestly can’t think of anyone I know who would do something like this. I’ve dated a few men casually over the years, but our partings were amicable for the most part. I certainly can’t imagine Mr. Williamson, my eighty-year-old next-door neighbor at the cottage I used to rent, following me around the country to take pictures. Anyway, some of the photos were from before I lived in Marin.”

Edelman leaned forward, elbows planted on the desk. “You bring up a good point.” He glanced up when Jed walked over to stand beside her. “Do you need to see the pictures again to identify when the earliest ones were taken? The person we’re looking for would be someone you met prior to that time.”

When Jed reached for her hand, she squeezed hard. “The shower photo was taken in Yellowstone, I think. That was almost four years ago. I’m not sure about all the locations. I didn’t look closely at the pictures taped up in the back of the RV.”

“I’ll get the packet for you. If we can date the oldest picture, it should narrow down the suspects to someone you knew around that time.” He stood and walked away from his desk, pausing to speak to Hernandez before exiting the room.

Claire shivered. “Is it cold in here?”

“No.” Jed grabbed a chair to slide across the floor then sat with his knees touching hers. “Are you sure you’re up to this?”

“I’ll look at the pictures if it’ll help.” She drew in a breath. “It’s just so embarrassing. I’m half naked in most of them.”

“Maybe there’s a room you could use that’s quieter than this one.” He glanced up as an officer with a drooping mustache led a sullen teen with a dozen visible piercings past them. “I’m pretty certain Hernandez will do anything you ask. The kid’s totally hot for you. You’re sure he didn’t spend the night camped outside your motor home?”

Claire scowled. “I would have gotten more sleep if he had. He’s been sweet but professional. If the man has had a few X-rated thoughts about me, it’s only because he spent way too much time with those pictures yesterday. They’re…disturbing.”

Jed’s fists clenched. “I’m going to kill the bastard who took them. The cops better find him before I do.”

Edelman returned with a thick folder. “You can look at these in the conference room. There’s a table you can use to spread them out to facilitate putting them in some kind of order. If we can match dates and locations in the photographs to someone in your past’s vacation destinations, we’ll have the creep.”

“Thank you.” Lips pressed tight, she stood to follow the officer down the hall. The only thing making the upcoming project tolerable was Jed’s presence. If she’d had to face looking at those photos alone—

Stopping in a doorway, Edelman handed her the folder. His hard gray eyes softened. “You don’t need me or Hernandez to do this job. Let me know when you’re finished.”

“I will. Thank you again.”

Jed went inside with her and shut the door. “He’s a decent guy.”

“Despite the fact that he checked your credit card records?”

“I’m sure Kane would have done the same thing.” His hands rested on her shoulders to squeeze. “You okay?”

Some of the tension drained out of her. “Yeah, let’s get this over with.” She dropped the folder on the table then handed him a notepad and pen someone had left behind. “You can take notes.”

“Sure. Whatever is easiest for you.”

“None of it will be easy, but let’s get started.”

Claire spread out the photos, cringing a few times as she did so. Her cheeks burned. When had she bought the pink bathing suit, the top of which was laying on the paving stones beside her lounge chair? Two summers ago? What about the yellow flowered one? At least she was flat on her stomach in that shot. One thing was certain, she’d never sunbathe topless again. Ever.

She picked up a picture taken of her inside the motor home. A little fuzzy, as if the photographer had zoomed in from a distance. She stood in bra and panties with her back to the window, bent slightly as she pulled something from a drawer.

“I remember this. I was debating whether or not it was warm enough to wear shorts. He took the photo about three weeks ago. It’s definitely the most recent. Maybe working backward would be easier since my memory will be fresher.”

Glancing over her shoulder, she dropped the picture. “Jed?”

Blue eyes flashed in a face flushed dark with color. The pen snapped between his fingers. He dropped it on the floor and threw the notepad at the wall. “I need to punch something.”

She stepped closer and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Hey. Calm down. The cops won’t like it if you put a hole through their sheetrock.”

He held tight. “Sick freak. No one has a right to see you that way without your permission. No one.”

His heart beat strong and fast beneath her cheek. The warmth emanating from him comforted despite muscles tensed for action.

“The police will figure out who’s been watching me and stop him.”

“They’d better.”

Reaching up, she held his face between her palms. “I’m determined to do what I can to help end this. Right now I need to be objective. Identify a time and place for each photo. I can’t think about who was behind the camera taking the shots.”

He nodded then dipped his head to kiss her. “Sorry I lost it. Let’s get the job done so we can get the hell out of here.”

Reluctantly, she pulled away. “Sounds like a plan. First, go find a new pen, and while you’re out there ask someone if we can number the photos on the back.”

An hour later Claire was pretty certain she had the pictures in date order and each location notated. Placing them in the folder along with Jed’s scrawled notes, she let out a breath. “Let’s go find Officer Edelman.”

Jed slipped an arm around her waist as they walked down the hall. “Then take a walk or something. I could use some fresh air.”

Her steps slowed to take advantage of his closeness, drawing strength from his big, solid presence. When they entered the squad room, Hernandez rose to his feet. No one else was around.

“Something I can do to help you?”

Claire shook her head. “I finished. We left everything in the conference room.”

“That’s fine. I just need to ask you a few questions before you go.”

She dropped onto the straight-backed chair next to his desk. “Am I going to have to repeat everything to Officer Edelman?”

The young cop grinned. “Nope. He went out on a call and left me in charge of finishing up with you.”

Jed pulled up a second chair and sat. “What do you need to know?”

Hernandez glanced his way before returning his attention to Claire. “When was the oldest photo taken?”

“About five years ago. I was working for
Rugged America
and living in an apartment in San Francisco at the time.”

“Were you dating anyone in particular?”

“Not really. I’d been seeing someone off and on during the summer but broke it off before the picture was taken in the fall. It’s the one of me wearing a pink nightgown, standing in front of the sliding glass door at the rear of the apartment, which led to a fenced back garden area. I’m not sure how he got the picture from that angle. The only way I can figure is he climbed the neighbor’s tree.”

“Can I get the name of the man you were dating that summer and also your neighbor?”