Lost Down Deep Page 6

  “That’s good. As you can imagine, I’m a little particular about who I share my home with. I’ve been putting off advertising because I didn’t want to have to sift through the hordes of people answering my ad to try and find the one I’m looking for. I always do know, you understand, when I see her. And I ain’t been wrong yet. Leastwise, God hasn’t failed me yet. I always pray before I start looking that he’ll bring the right one along and that I’ll know her when I meet her. Thing is, I knew the moment you looked up and smiled at me that you were the one. You’d be doing me a huge favor if you saved me the time and aggravation of interviewing a long line of people traipsing through my house.”

  “But…” Summer’s mind whirled. The woman had prayed about the room? Was this God then, working everything out? Or was she being naïve and walking straight into some kind of dangerous situation? She almost laughed. The woman across from her didn’t look like she would hurt a fly. Surely Summer could trust her. She repressed a sigh. Frankly, she didn’t have a lot of choice.

  Nancy reached over and covered Summer’s hand with her slightly sticky one. “I know you don’t have the money right now. But I peg you for a hard worker. I reckon you’ll get a job quick enough. I’m more than willing to wait a little, end of the month even, to get the money.”

  “But do you really want me living in your house? You don’t even know me.”

  Nancy squeezed her hand before leaning back on the bench. “I’m not sure I understand it myself, but I’m not sure when the last time was that I was so sure about anything.”

  Summer blew out a breath. “Well, if you’re that sure”—she offered the woman, her new landlady, apparently, a wry grin—“then thank you. I accept.”

  “Good.” Nancy took another sip of the hot drink and wiped her lips with the napkin. “Let’s go home, shall we?”

  Those were words Summer hadn’t dared dream she would hear for a long time. She gathered her things and stood. God had answered her prayer, more quickly and beautifully than she could have imagined. If her faith was the only thing she ever recaptured from her life over the last few years, that just might be enough.

  Chapter Thirteen

  From his vantage point a block away, Jude watched as Summer got into her car and followed Nancy’s beast of a vehicle down the street. So his cockamamie plan had worked. About time one of his plans went the way it was supposed to.

  His phone jangled and he glanced at the screen. Moser. Jude snatched it up and pressed it to his ear. “Yeah.”

  “Did you find her?”

  He ran his fingers through his hair. “Yeah, I found her.”

  “Are you gonna bring her in?”

  His stomach tightened. “Not yet.”

  He waited through the long pause that followed, until Moser broke the silence. “The boss man isn’t happy about you taking off like this. How long are you planning to stay gone?”

  “As long as it takes.”

  Moser released his breath with a hiss, and Jude moved the phone slightly away from his ear. “What do you want me to tell him?”

  “Tell him this is something I need to do. I’ll come back as soon as I can.”

  “With her?”

  “That’s the idea.”

  “He wants you to bring her to see him.”

  “I’m sure he does. It’s going to take some time though. I have to move slowly, get her to trust me before I can make a move. I have no idea how long that will take.”

  “Well, I recommend you get your tail back here sooner than later, or you may not have anything to come back to.”

  “Not gonna lie to you, Mose, none of that really matters to me at the moment.”

  “What about your clients?”

  He slumped against the back of the seat. “Let them know I’ll be back as soon as I can. If they need anything, they can contact you or Joe.”

  “Look, Jude.” Moser’s voice softened. “I know you’re going through a hard time, but think about what you’re doing. Do you really want to throw away everything you’ve worked so hard for?”

  “Of course not. But this is something I have to do.”

  Another long silence before Moser sighed. “Keep in touch, okay?”

  “I will.” Jude hit the end-call button and tossed the phone onto the seat beside him. He glanced down the street. Both vehicles had disappeared, although a cloud of the thick black exhaust belching from the tailpipe of Nancy’s old boat still hung in the air, dissipating slowly to drift over the wall surrounding the mill. Jude shook his head. That ancient Impala of hers had backfired twice when he’d followed her downtown. The first time he’d nearly driven up over a curb. No doubt it would freak Summer out too, after everything she’d been through.

  He blew out a breath. Nothing he could do about that. She was in the fire-engine-red-finger-nailed hands of Nancy Snodgrass now. Jude turned the key in the ignition and pulled away from the curb. Now that he’d found a place for Summer to stay, he needed to figure out his own plans. From what he could remember, there was a cheap motel on the outskirts of town where it wasn’t likely he’d run into anyone he knew. Jude turned down a side street, drove two blocks, then turned left. He slowed his vehicle as he approached a house on the right with gray siding and black shutters framing every window. A lump rose in his throat that he could barely breathe around as he pulled up to the curb and stopped. For thirty seconds he stared at the place. The driveway was empty and there were no signs of life behind the white lace curtains hanging in the main floor windows.

  Just as well. Jude shoved the transmission into drive and pulled back onto the street. Twenty minutes later he’d checked into the Wayside Motel. He grabbed the remote, flopped onto the brown and orange floral bedspread, and pointed it at the TV screwed into the top of an old scratched wooden cabinet. He flipped through all twelve available channels. Nothing but soaps and daytime talk shows. With a groan of disgust, he turned off the TV, tossed the remote onto the bed, and clasped his hands behind his head as he stared up at the water-stained ceiling.

  Now what?

  Chapter Fourteen

  Summer sank down onto the yellow bedspread, her legs about to give out. Was this actually happening? Twenty-four hours ago she’d been in a hospital bed. Now she had moved into the home of a complete stranger. Of course, pretty much everyone she encountered was a stranger these days, since she couldn’t remember anyone she had met in the last few years.

  A calico cat leapt up beside her and brushed past Summer before settling himself in a ball at the foot of the bed. A loud, purring sound drifted from him almost immediately. Summer ran a hand over the multi-colored back. “What a sweetie.”

  “His name is Charles Dickens. And that confirms it.” Nancy pushed her way into the bedroom with an armload of clean, folded, mint-green towels. “Here you go, hon.” She plunked them down on the dresser.

  Still stroking the soft fur, Summer tilted her head. “Confirms what?”

  “That I made the right choice. Charlie is an excellent judge of character. Clearly he’s as convinced as I am that you are the roommate we’ve been looking for.”

  Summer studied the cat, eyes closed as though he had already settled in for a long nap. “Well, I agree with you both. This place feels like home already.”

  “Good.” Nancy gripped the white post at the corner of the bed. “I’m going to finish making dinner now, so you have time to settle in before you join me. Let me know if there’s anything else you need, you hear?”

  Summer smiled. “I will, Nancy. Thank you so much.”

  “It’s my pleasure, darlin’. I’m happy for the company.”

  “Can I help you make supper?”

  “Not tonight. First day’s a freebie. After that we can work out a schedule, take turns cooking and cleaning up. Sound good?”

  “Sounds perfect.”

  Nancy flapped a hand in her direction before disappearing into the hallway. Summer stretched out on the bed and stared up at the ceiling, white stucco framed
by eight-inch crown molding. She only had a handful of things to unpack—she could take a few minutes to rest and attempt to process everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. And what will happen next.

  Which reminded her, she still needed to set up her LinkedIn profile. She just needed a few minutes to gather up the energy to move… Thirty minutes later, she forced herself to swing her legs over the side of the bed and sit up. Her head hurt a little less, but exhaustion still weighed on her like one of those aprons the dentist spread over her before she had an x-ray done. She had to keep moving, though. Had to get out her tablet and set up that… Her shoulders sagged. She’d left the tablet her parents had brought her in the drawer of the little table beside her bed in the hospital. Maybe that was for the best, though. If someone wanted to find her badly enough, they could probably use the IP address to track her down. Summer swallowed. It was next to impossible to hide in this age of electronics, but she was going to give it her best shot.

  She padded down the hallway and descended the wide staircase. Nancy was chopping vegetables in the kitchen when Summer walked in, but she looked up and pointed a carrot at her when she entered the room. “You must be used to those instant, microwaveable dishes you kids eat so much of these days. Takes me a bit longer than that to prepare dinner since I make it all from scratch.”

  Summer laughed. Kid? She hadn’t been called that for a few years. “Oh no, I’m not looking for dinner already. I was wondering if there’s a library in town.”

  Nancy glanced over at the rooster-shaped clock on the wall. “There’s one on the main street, but it won’t be open now. Closes at three on Saturdays. Were you looking for something to read? I’ve got a few shelves of books in the study right down the hallway past the dining room and to your right.” She gestured with the carrot, tiny peelings spraying across the counter.

  “Actually, I was hoping to use one of their computers, but I can go tomorrow.”

  Nancy shook her head, red curls flying. “Not open Sundays at all. Small towns, you know. It’ll open at ten on Monday, but you don’t need to go all the way over there for a computer.” She set the carrot down on the board and wiped her hands on the red and white polka dotted apron she’d tied around her waist. “I’ve got one out here in the dining room you can use.”

  Summer frowned. “I don’t want to impose any more than I already have.”

  Nancy waved away her protests. “I barely use it myself. I only have it because my son insisted on getting it for me. I do check it once in awhile for emails, but mostly the poor thing sits in here gathering dust.” As if to prove her point, she scooped up the bottom of her apron and swiped it over the screen of the ancient desktop monitor before jabbing a skinny finger at the power button. The monitor crackled and hummed as it struggled to turn on.

  Oh dear. Better post that profile as soon as possible, while the poor thing still had a bit of life in it.

  Nancy tapped the back of the chair. “You sit right down here and do whatever it is you wanted to do. Until you start making enough money to buy one for yourself, we’ll make this the house computer.”

  Summer slid onto the chair. “All right, if you’re sure.”

  “I’m as sure as… well, do we need to go through all that again?”

  “I suppose I could save us both some time and assume that, if you say something, you’re sure about it.”

  Nancy patted her on the shoulder. “Now you’re getting it. You do your thing and I’ll go finish with dinner.”

  It took a few minutes for the old machine to warm up, but Summer was relieved to find there was Internet service. After shooting a quick look at the kitchen, she typed her name into the search bar. The only item that appeared on the screen that appeared to have anything to do with her was a brief news article on the attack. Clearly the police were keeping a tight lid on any information they had gathered, as the journalist shared fewer details than the detective had when she’d come to see Summer.

  She switched to Facebook. Although she couldn’t remember her password, she did a search for her name. Lots of profiles popped up, but none with her picture. A search of other social media sites yielded the same results. If she had been active on any of them, she no longer was. Had someone gone through and erased her from the sites? Or had she been so influenced by her intensely private parents growing up that she’d been reluctant to share any part of her life online? Either way, from a virtual standpoint, it was as though she had never existed.

  Repressing a sigh of frustration, Summer created a LinkedIn profile for Ana Santos, complete with a history of waiting tables and serving coffee because she did remember doing both during her university days. It had been hard work, but she didn’t mind that. In fact, the harder the better as it might keep her mind off of her parents’ attempts to control her life and the ongoing threat of a dangerous stranger showing up at her doorstep.

  Shoving away the anger that threatened to rise, Summer spent a few minutes searching various sites for job postings in town. A couple of ads looked interesting—one for a waitress and another for a store clerk—and she made a note to drop into the establishments on Monday before powering down the computer again.

  Ana Santos had an online presence now. Her new life had begun.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Díaz rolled down the window of his car to let a little fresh air waft through the vehicle. He’d been watching the big white clapboard house for two hours and no one had come or gone. Maybe he’d call it a day. He knew where Velásquez was staying, and she’d likely be here for a while. He hadn’t received the order to move in yet, so he could come back tomorrow and stake out the place for another few hours. What did he care? It was on the boss’s dime.

  And so was dinner. He glanced at his watch. Might as well go grab something before checking into the Torchlight Inn, which sounded like a fancy establishment but was actually a fleabag motel, one of the few in town he could afford on his budget.

  A blue Impala drove past him and Díaz straightened. Was that the redhead? He rolled up the window and slumped down in his seat. The vehicle turned into the driveway of the house he’d been watching. A few seconds later, the woman he’d scoped out the day before when she pulled into the driveway ahead of Velásquez popped out of the driver’s side door, red frizzy curls flapping against her neck.

  Díaz rolled his eyes at the tree-hugger get-up she had on. That one could be trouble. He knew the type. All soft on the planet and animals and people too, if it came to that. She might take it upon herself to be some kind of protector over her new boarder. Maybe she even owned a shotgun. He could see it, her storming out of the place, aiming a massive weapon at him and ordering him off her property.

  He grunted. Never underestimate the eccentric, that was his motto. You never knew what they were going to do. Unpredictable. And if there was anything he hated, it was unpredictable people.

  Of course, Velásquez was no pushover either. Díaz’s gaze followed the landlady up the walkway until she disappeared through the door. When he’d waited fifteen more minutes with nothing going on, he straightened and turned the key in the ignition. He’d have to carry out his boss’s orders, no matter how many crazy, unpredictable women tried to get in his way. If he didn’t, his family wouldn’t eat.

  Failure was not an option, so when the boss gave the order, he was going in. Shotgun or no shotgun.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The town was small, but by Summer’s third day of traversing the downtown streets, including the steep one that led up through the center of downtown, her legs shook. Almost everyone she had encountered when she’d gone into the stores and businesses had been friendly. Unfortunately, their good will did not extend to hiring strangers off the street to work in their shops.

  She’d inquired at thirteen of them over the last couple of days but had been politely rebuffed at each. Three of the managers had encouraged her to come back in a couple of months, when tourist season was starting up again, as they mig
ht have something for her then. Problem was, Summer didn’t have a couple of months. Not if she hoped to stay in Elora and avoid returning to her parents’ home, pleading forgiveness for leaving so they’d allow her to stay and take advantage of their charity.

  Which is exactly what it would feel like at this point. Charity seasoned with humiliating defeat. Given the way her parents had manipulated her, that would crush her spirit more than anything that had happened in the last few days. She shook her head. More important than her ego was the fact that it wasn’t safe to return to her parents’. If someone was still after her, that was the first place they’d look, which would put not only her but her father and mother in danger. As much as they had angered her by treating her like a child, she couldn’t do that to them. She had to figure this out on her own.

  Nancy hadn’t even bothered asking her at dinner the night before how the job search was going. Obviously Summer wore her frustration like the only job-hunting-worthy outfit she’d brought with her—a short black and red plaid skirt, black tights, and long-sleeved red sweater.

  A door to the shop she was passing by opened at that moment, and a cloud of the most delicious aroma Summer had ever smelled wafted outside, accompanied by the sweet tinkling of bells, like something out of a movie. Maybe she actually had ventured into a scene from Hallmark. She wouldn’t be at all opposed to the idea at the moment, since it would mean she was destined to find her happily ever after here.

  Taking a slow, deep breath, Summer closed her eyes, tipped her head back slightly, and analyzed the tantalizing smells like a connoisseur would the bouquet of a fine wine. Coffee, fresh-baked bread, and… She took another sniff and let out a sigh of pure bliss. Chocolate. That combination had to be what heaven smelled like, didn’t it?

  Her sagging spirits buoyed, Summer followed her nose through the door and into the small bakery. A cup of coffee and even a tiny taste of whatever was emitting that fabulous chocolate scent and she might have the energy and the courage to carry on with her search.