The old saying goes the more things change, the more they stay the same. Such was true with the small harbor town of Haven, the town that had lain on Maine's coast for more than three hundred and fifty years.
The past twenty or so years since the last outbreak of Troubles had been blessedly quiet. Nathan Wuornos had settled into the office of Chief of Police permanently after the demise of Chief Merrill, and things had settled into a more normal pace of life for the citizens.
Audrey Parker was gone. Not long after the last batch of Troubles had been combated, she had disappeared without a trace. Local scuttlebutt speculated that she had been killed, though a few believed that she had simply moved on. Regardless of what happened to her, her legacy eventually faded from the town's memory, and if asked, the name would garner a furrowed brow and a 'Who?'
But there had been indications that the Troubles were coming back. For one, Nathan had awakened one morning after a very trying case unable to feel anything again. The shift to his previous state had been a disconcerting experience, leaving him both angry and cold, stirring a number of rumors around the station about the sudden change in the Chief.
Whatever was happening, Nathan knew to brace himself for the coming onslaught. Things were about to get messy and confusing again in a very short span of time.
"I'm taking a trip, Dad," Lola Velasquez said over breakfast one morning, causing her father to set down his tablet and stare at his daughter in abject surprise. Lola resisted the urge to squirm under the piercing gaze, instead holding her own steady.
"What brought this on, niña?" Alejandro Velasquez asked his daughter carefully, his attention fully on her. "You haven't mentioned anything about this before. What about your job? It's not a good idea to just up and leave with all those kids with a new teacher right in the middle of the school year."
"I know, Dad. I know. I... I'm not sure how to explain it," Lola admitted, fumbling with her napkin. She knew exactly why she wanted to go, but detailing why was going to be sticky indeed. She didn't think her father would understand or accept her sudden decision to leave. The dreams had been coming much more frequently lately, until they invaded her subconscious multiple times a night. The pull was too much to ignore now. "I've been... seeing things."
"What about?" Her father looked alarmed, and she knew from experience it was taking quite a bit to keep from demanding answers. Instead, he settled back into his chair and adopted an air of forced calm.
"I've been having dreams about this town in Maine called Haven," Lola explained, trying not to let her nerves get the best of her. Warning bells were going off in her head about the way her father was acting, but she couldn't quite put her finger on why. "I... have questions that need answering. And I think I'm going to find them there."
"Questions that I can't answer?" her father asked her a little too sharply to be normal. "Why would you have questions? You've never been to Maine."
"How am I supposed to know?" Lola's mouth compressed into a thin line. She hadn't expected this much resistance from her father. He normally supported anything she wanted to do. "I can't explain these dreams and I feel the only way is to actually go. Why is this so touchy with you?"
"Would you just trust me?" Alex asked her forcefully.
Lola couldn't believe how he was completely overreacting, and it only confirmed her decision was the correct course of action. Her nerves from earlier gone, she shook her head firmly. "Would you if you were in my shoes?" she parried. She could see the suppressed grimace in his eyes, and when he pushed his hand through his hair, she knew he'd decided to back off.
"Lola," he sighed, sounding resigned. "I don't want you to go, but I can't stop you. But promise me if things get dangerous, you'll come home."
She wondered what could be so dangerous about a quiet little town such as Haven, but decided to humor her father. "I promise."
Lola looked out the tiny window of the plane as it touched down in Bangor, exhaling a breath as she closed the book she'd been reading. She couldn't quite believe she was here, so close to her destination. Her heart sped up slightly in her chest, trying not to let the details of what the next leg of her journey would entail overwhelm her. She would be meeting a Duke Crocker, who had graciously agreed to bring her to Haven. He'd been charming and polite over the phone, offering his services for anything she would need. What services she wasn't sure, but she'd thanked him all the same.
After retrieving her bags in baggage claim, her eyes fell upon a slightly scruffy, rather casually dressed fellow watching the planes taking off and landing. Deciding to take her chances, she hefted her suitcase and approached him.
"Duke Crocker?" she inquired curiously.
The man in question turned around, his eyes registering recognition at her voice. He gave her a smile, extending his hand. "At your service. You must be Miss Velasquez. You're even prettier in person."
"Still as much of a flatterer as you were on the phone," Lola countered, laughing. "Yes, I'm Regine Velasquez. Pleasure to finally meet you in person."
The decision to use her absent mother's middle name had been a carefully chosen one, calculated to obscure her real identity. Her research had indicated that Haven was a close-knit community, and the last thing she wanted was somebody poking into her business. What she was here for was for her and her alone. Not to mention it had the added benefit of burying any real results thanks to a very successful Filipino singer with an identical name.
"Well, Regine, shall we get going?" Duke smiled, hefting her bag from where she'd set it on the floor.
It was a short drive to Haven, and along the way Lola drank in the sights and the scenery, vastly preferring it to the flat plains of Ohio. She wasn't disappointed when they finally rolled into Haven, stopping at a place called The Grey Gull. The town, what little she had seen of it so far, was beautiful.
"Home sweet Haven," Duke grinned over at her, shutting the car off. "The apartment upstairs is all fixed up for you. Just stick a few knickknacks around the place or whatever and call it home."
"Thanks," Lola smiled at him and watched him haul her suitcase her out of the trunk. The sound of footsteps behind her caught her attention, and she turned, regarding the man that was approaching with a healthy measure of curiosity. That was, until she caught sight of the badge hooked to his belt. Haven PD. Not even in town five minutes and already the cops were sniffing around her. Great, just what she needed.
The last thing Nathan expected to find when he'd heard Duke was picking something up was instead someone — a woman. Nevertheless, his track record with Duke had had him lingering in the general vicinity of the Gull beforehand; waiting to see just what it was that was being brought in.
As he approached cautiously with the intent of not startling her, the woman turned, and a flash of curiosity followed by a blink-and-you'll-miss-it flash of dismay shot through her brown eyes at the sight of him. She seemed to be of some sort of Hispanic descent, mid-twenties to early thirties. He'd probably find her attractive if it wasn't for the nasty vibe she gave off.
"Duke," he nodded, and then turned his attention to the woman, who was still regarding him warily. "Nathan Wuornos, ma'am, Haven PD."
"Chief Wuornos, you forgot to add that part," Duke smirked, and Nathan shot him a bemused look.
"Chief, hmm?" Lola's gaze sharpened, badly concealed distrust filling her eyes. "Well then, I'm honored. Just arrived, and already I'm greeted by the top cop."
Nathan's eyes narrowed imperceptibly. This standoff almost reminded him of the one between himself and Audrey so long ago, minus the drawn weapons and the badges. Thinking about Audrey always brought a pang of longing, and he pushed that aside ruthlessly to focus on the woman in front of him. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss...?"
"Velasquez," she replied, offering him what looked to be a sweet but insincere smile. Nathan suppressed the urge to raise an eyebrow when she didn't offer her full name.
"You have a first name, Miss Velasquez?" His tone was friendly but underneath there was an unmistakable warning. She was a stranger and strangers weren't exactly a welcome sight in Haven. She needed to earn her acceptance.
"Regine, as if it makes a difference." Lola continued giving him that same sweet smile, but it was clear that underneath the surface she was bristling. "Regine Velasquez."
Warning bells were going off in his head the longer he stood there. There was something very off about this lady, and he was determined to get to the bottom of it. He wasn't going to be distracted by a pretty face, especially not hers.
Lola merely raised an eyebrow when he stayed silent and kept the same sweet yet barbed expression on her face.
"Hey, let me help you with your bag," Duke offered, breaking the tension. He picked it up and tossed it at Nathan, who caught it and gave him a glower.
"Glad I could help," Nathan said dryly, carrying it up and setting it next to the door. Lola looked up with a surprised look, and then climbed the stairs to join Nathan on the landing. Giving him a long, suspicious look, she murmured a 'thanks' before she went inside.
"What do you know about this woman, Duke?" Nathan's face had twisted into a contemplative look, looking up where Lola had disappeared once he had rejoined Duke.
Duke gave Nathan a nonchalant shrug. "Not much. She looked me up, inquired about a place to stay in townand I offered her the apartment above the Gull when she mentioned being here for a while. Said she was doing some sort of research?" He scratched the back of his neck. "Dunno. She's easy on the eyes and long as she pays the rent on time, none of my business."
"Somehow I doubt that," Nathan said dryly, shaking his head at his longtime frenemy. She'd refused to give him her full name when she'd introduced herself and the first person she'd contacted in Haven was Duke. Neither instance spoke well of her so far. "You'll come sniffing around her; you always do when a pretty girl is involved."
"Why Nathan, I'm wounded," Duke said with a grin, putting his hand over his heart. "You know I'm much more of a gentleman than that."
Nathan coughed something that sounded very much like 'bullshit' and shot Duke another look. "You tell me if you pick up on anything unusual," he warned, and headed to his truck.
A short while later found Nathan in front of his computer. An Internet search on her name brought up nothing. The first thing that had popped up was a Filipino singer. The name might be legitimate, he'd give her that, but it wasn't hers. Not by a long shot. Something about it just screamed cover-up to him; it was just too obvious. Further searching turned up absolutely nothing; it was like she didn't exist. He'd have to go deeper but first, he'd have to get further information about this mysterious woman first. He knew just who to ask.
Picking up the phone, he dialed Duke's cell. "Duke," he said when the other man picked up. "Where did you say our Miss Velasquez was from?"
"Ohio?" Duke replied, sounding confused. "Kent, Ohio? Something like that. Why?"
"No reason," Nathan said. "Thanks." He hung up the phone, and turned back to his computer. A smirk appeared on his lips as he imagined the sort of look that would be on Duke's face now. More than likely he'd be staring at his phone wondering just what the hell had just happened.
Turning back to the computer, he plugged in his data, using the age range he thought Miss Velasquez would fall under. He began his search with birth records in Kent, widening the search to nearby Cuyahoga Falls and Akron. But it was indeed in Kent that he hit pay dirt.
"Found you," he murmured to himself. Regine was actually one Maribel Dolores Velasquez, age thirty-one, born to Alejandro Miguel Velasquez and Miranda Regine Harper. Well, that explained where she'd gotten her alias from.
Not surprisingly, she had no arrest record, not even a parking or speeding ticket to her name. So she was a liar, but at least she wasn't a liar that broke the law. She had also been formerly employed as a kindergarten teacher at Franklin Elementary in Kent, Ohio and held a Master's degree in Early Childhood Education from Kent State. Funny, he hadn't taken her for the teacher type.
He pondered how to go about confronting her, tapping a pencil on his desk. It was doubtful she would have given Duke legitimate contact information other than her city and state, if she were that desperate to cover up her identity. He didn't have enough probable cause to subpoena information like her cell records or other personal data. So the only way to get a hold of her would to be to go to her, rather than try and bring her to him.
He drove back to the Grey Gull, parking where he'd just been a mere couple of hours ago. Climbing the stairs, he knocked on the door.
Once inside, Lola had breathed a sigh of a relief. What was it about that cop? The Chief, her mind had supplied, and she winced. That wasn't smart, smarting off to the head honcho. She hadn't been able to help it, however. He'd immediately put her on the defensive, pushing where he didn't belong. Really, was her luck that bad?
But wow, was he good looking. Rugged with a strong jaw, a dent in his chin that she wanted to trace with her thumb. Blue eyes she could find herself staring into and getting lost in. Lips that she wanted to tug on gently with her teeth and taste until they were both breathless. The silvering at his temples only added to his attractiveness as well.
She bit her lip, trying not to let herself carried away. He was a cop, and it would definitely a bad idea to get involved with him in any way given her current mission.
She tried to push all those thoughts away as she started to settle in to her new place, hanging up clothes in the closet and putting them into dressers. The place was rustic, charming, but a little bare besides the basics. She'd have to remedy that.
Making a mental note to ask Duke about getting Internet in here after a longing look at her laptop bag, she settled in with her book and shut out the rest of the world until there was a knock at the door.
Thinking it was to Duke again come to check on her, Lola went to answer it. To her dismay, it was exactly the last person she wanted to see. "Nathan Wuornos, ma'am. We met earlier."
"I remember. Come in," Lola invited, when all she wanted to do was slam the door in his face. "It's sparse, but then again I haven't had the time to fully settle in yet. Coffee?"
Nathan gave her a half smile. "I'll pass, thanks," he told her, and continued to stay standing even after she took a seat.
"So what can I help you with, Chief Wuornos?" Lola asked politely, folding her hands in her lap. She was the very picture of calm and composed even though her stomach churned with warning.
"Nathan's fine," he corrected her. "I was hoping that you could clear up a few things," he said, resting his hand on his hip casually. The action brought his weapon clearer into her line of sight.
"Like?" Lola prompted him. The churning in her stomach ramped up a notch, and she gave an uneasy glance at the gun. If he was trying to unbalance her, he was doing a fine job of it.
"Well, you could start with how you lied to me about your name," he began, a hard glint in his eye. "What do you have to hide, Maribel?"
At the use of her given name, Lola rose and crossed her arms. "It's Lola," she corrected him, not bothering to hide the anger starting to flood her face. This guy was really pissing her off with his digging. She knew he was a cop and would be suspicious of a new face, but did he have to vet every person that came to town? It felt insulting. "I don't answer to Maribel."
"Okay, Lola," he said mildly, and the way he said it suggested that he was testing it, deciding how it fit the woman in front of him. "Answer my question."
"Well, first things first, I didn't lie," Technically, she had, a lie of omission was still a lie. But she wasn't going to admit to it that quickly. Still, she was disappointed that her cover hadn't held up as well as she'd hoped. "I was protecting my identity. A small town like Haven, everyone knows your business. And I wanted mine kept quiet." Lola stared him down, making it clear she wasn't going to let this cop intimidate her.
The expression on Nathan's face didn't alter an iota as he stood his ground. "Okay. Why did you need to protect your identity from me?"
Lola didn't bother to curb her irritation or her tone. "You of all people should be able to answer that question." It was a blind, and not a good one at that, but she was simply too irritated to care at the moment.
Nathan crossed his arms, mirroring her pose. "It's my job. Why did you come to Haven?" So, he wasn't going to be satisfied until he'd had every bit of information squeezed out of her, it seemed.
"I want answers," she shot back. "And until I'm ready to tell you more, you'll have to content yourself with that answer." That was as much as she was going to give him. It was the truth, even if it did sound like a weak argument even to her ears.
"Fair enough. Just try not to keep 'protecting' your identity with me." It was clearly a warning, and even though she might not like it, she accepted it. His turf, after all, not hers. But his tone also implied that he would be straight with her as well, and Lola appreciated the honesty.
"So, uh... would you like to go for pancakes? I think we got off on the wrong foot, and I'd like to fix that." Suddenly he looked a little nervous, the confident cop replaced with an awkward man fumbling for the right words to ask a girl out.
Lola blinked. The complete one eighty in the conversation was disconcerting, but he was holding out an olive branch. She would be heartless if she didn't accept. She let a teasing smile curve her lips. "Do you take many girls out to have pancakes, Nathan?" she asked him sweetly, the sentiment not faked this time.
"No, but I eat a lot of pancakes," and his lips twisted into a small smirk. It was rather attractive on him, Lola thought, immediately giving herself a stern scolding at the stray thought.
But instead of giving away her thoughts, she laughed and gave him a smile. A real, genuine smile. Something shifted in Nathan's eyes at the sight of it.
"Shall we?" he said, gesturing to the door.
She was charming when she wasn't trying to warn people off, Nathan decided after he'd dropped Lola off at her apartment. She'd given him another one of those genuine smiles as she was waving goodbye, the edges of her eyes crinkling up. He still had his reservations, though she seemed like a decent person. Only time would tell if his second impression was in fact the correct one.
But, it was taking all of him to not dwell on what had happened on the way out of the restaurant.
"I enjoyed myself," Lola had said warmly, smiling up at him. "It's funny, because just a few hours ago I really didn't like you."
"Is that so?" Nathan asked, smirking. "They say first impressions are everything. Guess your second impression convinced you otherwise."
"If that's what you want to call it," Lola laughed. "Thank you, Nathan. I feel like I've been officially welcomed, and it means a lot. Thank you." She reached for his hand and squeezed it briefly, her thumb caressing over his before pulling away.
As soon as their skin came into contact, electricity shot up his arm. Skin tingling, it was all he could do to keep his expression and posture neutral, and his breathing under control. Longing welled up inside him, and it was all he could do to not reach over and take her hand again. His hand clenched into a brief fist, quelling his desire.
He could feel her. He could feel her. Just like Audrey.
He'd looked down at her and gave her a full smile, this one reaching his eyes. Surprise flared in hers, but she returned it.
Ah, screw it. He was dwelling. How couldn't he, after it had been so long?
He sat in his truck, staring at his hand as the other rubbed the spot she had touched, fingers gliding over the skin. He couldn't feel his own touch, obviously. He replayed the moment over and over in his head, remembering just how soft her hand had been in his, how she'd stroked his thumb ever so tenderly. There had been other women, but none of them had ever evoked Audrey's memory.
It was just a touch, and already he wanted more.