Part 20 (1/2)

Joanne had confirmed seeing the man in Autumn's sketch. She believed she had encountered him in front of the sporting-goods store. He only wished they'd had the sophisticated surveillance equipment outside the front door that each store was equipped with now, but they weren't installed six years ago.

Along with Joanne's positive ID and the other bits and pieces of information from Autumn's dreams, Robbie Hines had given them the make and model of the car used that day. Still, they needed more.

Ben reached over and once more picked up the phone.

”You have got to be kidding!” Terri sat across from Autumn at O'Shaunessy's. The place as usual was full, humming with conversation and the faint notes of pop music playing in the background. ”The hunk is spending every night at your house and he is sleeping on the couch?”

”If you saw his picture in last Sat.u.r.day's paper, you know why.”

”I saw it. So he had a date. Big deal. He's a man, isn't he? What did he say about it?”

Autumn took a sip of her wine. ”He said the evening was arranged a long time ago and that he wasn't going to see her again.”

”Well then, what's the problem?”

”The problem is he's Ben McKenzie and I'm just not up to a guy like him.”

”So just entertain yourself for a while. Come on, Autumn, you haven't had s.e.x in years. You deserve to have a little fun. Why not have it with Ben?”

Autumn felt the heat creeping into her face.

”Oh my G.o.d, you've already slept with him! How was he? Fantastic, I bet! So what's he doing on the sofa?”

”Look, Terri. The last time I had a fling with a guy, it hurt like h.e.l.l when it was over. I'm not able to keep my distance from a man the way you are. In order to sleep with him, I have to have feelings for him. The more we're together, the more those feelings grow. Then he takes a hike and I'm off the deep end.”

”What if he doesn't?”

”Doesn't what?”

”Doesn't take a hike? What if he really cares for you? It's not impossible, you know.”

Autumn shook her head. ”It wouldn't work. Sooner or later, he'd get bored. He'd want to see other women and I couldn't handle it.”

Terri said nothing for several seconds. ”You know, Autumn, your old man really screwed you up when it comes to men.”

Autumn sighed. ”Maybe...I don't know. I just know I have to keep my distance.”

Which was easy to say and nearly impossible to do. She thought of Ben constantly, replayed the single night she had spent in bed with him a hundred times. And ached to do it again. Every night when he came to the house it was all she could do to leave him on the sofa and go to bed alone.

”What about you?” she asked Terri, hoping to lighten the mood. ”Anything going on with your love life?”

”Nothing particularly exciting.” Terri casually stirred the swizzle stick in her drink. ”I ran into Josh Kendall the other day. He was with a girl named Courtney Roland. I guess she's in your climbing cla.s.s.”

”Yeah, she is. She's getting to be a darned good climber. She was with Josh?”

She nodded. ”Josh introduced us. She seemed like a nice enough person.”

Autumn smiled. ”I had a feeling Courtney was interested in Josh. She rode in the car with him and Ben the day we went climbing. They've got a lot in common. I think she'd be great for him.”

Terri stirred her drink. ”Maybe...”

They talked a little while longer, about nothing in particular and thankfully not about Ben, then decided to head down the block to Tony's for pizza. Autumn wasn't seeing Ben tonight. She'd seen him this morning in cla.s.s but not after. And she didn't intend to see him tonight or tomorrow. Since last Sat.u.r.day, she had dreamed exactly the same dream every night. Nothing had changed, nothing new had turned up when Ben had questioned her afterward and she was exhausted from lack of sleep.

Hoping she might be able to rest the entire night through, she had asked Ben not to come over and he had grudgingly agreed. Maybe it was the dark circles under her eyes that had convinced him.

Whatever the reason, as soon as she and Terri finished their pizza, Autumn headed home.

Unfortunately, even without Ben there she had trouble falling asleep. In the middle of the night, she dreamed the same dream and awakened in a sweat. It took an hour to get back to sleep. Once she did, it seemed like her eyes had barely closed before the alarm clock awakened her.

She was yawning, padding around the apartment in her robe when the phone rang.

It was Ben.

”Hi, baby. I didn't wake you, did I?”

A warm little s.h.i.+ver went through her. She hated when he called her that. And she loved it. ”I've been awake a while.”

”Did you get any sleep?”

”Some. I dreamed, but it was the same as before.”

”I really didn't plan to call you today, but something's come up and I need your help.”

Her fingers tightened around the phone. ”You've found something new?”

”I told you Joanne recognized the guy in the original drawing?”

”Yes, I've been working on the list of places I might have seen him-particularly anything to do with sports or sporting events-but so far I've come up with zip.”

”Well, it got me to thinking...I'll tell you about it when I see you. By the way, Jorge brought over the updated sketch. I can see what you mean about the guy looking different.”

”He doesn't look so nice anymore.”

”That's for sure. Listen, Autumn, I need you to go with me over to Bainbridge Island. It might be an overnight trip so pack a bag. What time can you be ready?”

She only hesitated a moment. They were in this together and finding Molly was all that mattered. ”I'm finished early today. Only a couple of private lessons. Is noon okay?”

”Perfect. You don't get seasick, do you? Never mind, I've got some patches on the boat. I'll see you at noon.”

”Wait a minute-”

But Ben had already hung up. He had new information, he said. She should bring an overnight bag. But why would he be taking her on a boat?

A funny little s.h.i.+ver rose in the pit of her stomach just thinking that she would be seeing him after all, maybe spending the night with him. c.r.a.p, the last thing she wanted was to spend more time with Ben. Still, if he had uncovered new information, she wanted to know what it was.

Autumn sighed as she headed for the bathroom to shower and get ready for her lessons. Silently, she cursed the fates for intertwining her life with Ben's.

Ben buzzed the intercom in the lobby of her apartment exactly at twelve o'clock. He came upstairs, helped her slip a light jacket over the pale-blue sweater she wore, then took her overnight bag out of her hand and escorted her back downstairs. He had impeccable manners, which made her wonder about his family and where he had come from. She told herself not to ask. The less she knew about Ben, the better.

When they reached the lobby, Ben held open the heavy gla.s.s door and they stepped out onto the sidewalk. A town car waited out front to take them down to the dock where Ben kept his boat, and they slid into the deep leather backseat.