(Still working on this story, I promise! )
Chapter Twenty-Six: Together
"What's next?" Vanessa asked as she led the group out of the office.
"Now," said Joe, looking determined, "we do what we should have done from the beginning, and stake the place out tonight."
Though she had some qualms about yet another sleepless night, Nancy nodded her agreement.We can handle it, she told herself. With the three of us rotating shifts, it might even be more restful than last night was.
"We'll keep you posted," Joe told Vanessa. "Thanks again for bringing us breakfast."
It was a clear dismissal; but still, Vanessa lingered.
"There's a bonfire by the lake tonight, FYI," she said. "It's something we do for the guests. We have a buffet dinner, marshmallows for the kids, live music... It's a little hokey, but people seem to like it." She glanced from Frank to Joe. "You should come."
"Obviously, the stakeout is our priority," Frank said. "But we'll keep it in mind."
Vanessa smiled. "Please do," she said, giving Joe's arm a quick squeeze. "It could be a good opportunity for you to observe the guests, you know?" She smiled and finally sauntered off, calling back "See you later!"
As though he could sense her simmering annoyance, Frank slung a casual arm across Nancy's shoulders and steered her quickly in the opposite direction.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"We're getting out of here for a while," he said.
"Out of here, as in off camp property?"
"Yep. Got a call from Chet on our way back from checking the cameras," he explained. "He and Nova are on their way, and he wants to meet up with us before they check in at the bed and breakfast."
"Great," Nancy said, pleased. "That was fast."
"Lucky for us, business must be slow there," said Joe, who had caught up on her other side. "They had a room available immediately."
Frank unwound his arm from Nancy's shoulders and peeled off toward a bench which sat conveniently beside the trail.
"Why don't you two go ahead and get the truck? I'll wait here," he said.
"You good?" Joe asked.
Frank nodded. "I'm fine. I'd like to check in with Callie."
"Suit yourself," Joe said.
"We'll be right back," Nancy promised.
Frank, who was already texting, gave her a vague, dismissive wave. "Take your time," he said.
Quickening her pace a bit, Nancy fell into step with Joe.
"His ankle is bothering him," she observed, once they were out of earshot.
"That, or he was giving us a chance to fool around," Joe said, with a mischievous sideways glance.
"Yes, I'm sure that was what he had in mind."
"We don't call him Cupid for nothing."
"No one has ever called him Cupid," Nancy said, laughing.
Joe grinned back. "Speaking of ankles, how are yours?"
"Perfectly fine now," she assured him. "I should have been more careful. I was so busy thinking about Vince--"
She broke off as a gaggle of swimsuit-clad children approached, trailed by the woman she had met during her umbrella ruse.
"Good morning!" the woman called out. "Nadia, wasn't it?"
Nancy waved cheerfully. "Hi, Lisa!", she called back. "Going to have a swim?"
"I thought I might as well dunk these gremlins and see what happens," the woman joked. "Riley! Slow down, please!"
"This is my cousin, Jesse," Nancy said. "Jesse, this is Lisa. Her husband fixed my umbrella the other morning."
"Nice to meet you," Joe said. "Good luck with the gremlins!"
"I'll need it," Lisa said. "Nice meeting you!" This last pleasantry was all but shouted over her shoulder as she jogged off in pursuit of the children.
"Cute kids," Joe said off-handedly. "It must be fun to have so many, in a chaotic way."
"Yes," Nancy agreed, and changed the subject before the thought of Joe with a house full of children could rouse her half-dormant guilty conscience. "Her husband is Elizabeth Langley's step-brother."
"Right. One of our thousand dead ends," Joe grumbled.
"They can't all be dead ends. We're overlooking something."
"I wish we hadn't lost the cameras." Joe kicked a rock off the path, looking disgusted. "I feel like an idiot. I knew it was the lazy option."
"We all knew," Nancy said. "I've been kicking myself, too." The loss of the cameras, though bad enough, paled in comparison to the real cost of the bungled operation: the loss of stealth. Whoever had been camped out in that building knew, now, that he was being watched, and that made their job all the more difficult going forward.
"We can't seem to find traction on this damn case," Joe said. He kicked another pebble."Frank and I talked about that earlier." Nancy caught up with the pebble and kicked it back to Joe's side of the path."Any insights?"
"We agreed that we need to split up less," Nancy told him. "We're too scattered. We're not playing to our strength."
"Which is what, exactly? The power of friendship?" He launched the pebble a few yards further ahead.
"Something like that," Nancy said wryly.
Joe looked at her. "Kidding aside, I agree. Less chasing our own rabbit trails, more sticking together."
"Less stray dogs, more Cerberus?" Nancy suggested, and was rewarded with a laugh from Joe. He bunted the pebble her way and grinned.
"If Frank re-joins us on a permanent basis, we'll use the three-headed dog as our company logo," he said.
"I like that idea," Nancy told him, passing the pebble back.
They had nearly reached the cabin, now. Joe gave the pebble one last sharp kick into the bushes beside his truck.
"Decision time," he said.
Nancy raised an eyebrow. "Drive meekly back down, or steal a few minutes to misbehave?", she guessed.
"Bingo."
"Do we really have time to get sidetracked? We still have a lot of work to do."
"I'm a multitasker," he said. "I can instigate and investigate at the same time. And don't try to act like you don't know that shirt is killing me."
Nancy winked flirtatiously. "I thought you might like it."
"I keep picturing how easy it would be to slide a knife up under those laces and-- " He made a quick, expressive gesture, leaving her in no doubt about the ease with which he could slice her free from the corset-style top. She shivered. She could imagine it all too clearly-- the chill of the knifeblade and the brush of fabric against her skin as the top fell away, the warmth of the sun on her bare breasts, his hands gripping her waist and his tongue teasing her nipple--
"I am," she said, softly but vehemently, "so very, very sick of being your cousin."
"Tell me about it," he agreed.
"I'd rather hear more about what you want to do with your knife."
"Wear this for me when we get home, and I'll demonstrate."
Nancy swallowed. "Deal. Unless I decide to punish you for getting me worked up for nothing."
"Trust me, my current zipper situation is punishment enough," Joe said.
"That's what you get for wearing tight jeans," Nancy told him. Then, relenting, she added "Should we talk about tarantulas instead? Llamas? Frisbee golf? Suspension bridges?"
Joe's face, which had brightened, turned serious again. "Mmph," he said, in a mildly protesting way.
"Don't tell me you think suspension bridges are sexy!"
"Of course bridges are sexy. The sheer fucking engineering that goes into even the simplest design…"
"My god, I adore you," Nancy blurted, in a sudden anguish of love and pain.
"Likewise," he said slowly. His gaze was still on her. She had the uncomfortable conviction that he was seeing her entire soul. "If I'd only known that's all it would take to make you love me, I might have started talking about bridges a lifetime ago."
"Really?"
"You know I've always been caught in your orbit," he said. "I think I always knew it was you, despite everything."
Nancy reached for the handle of the truck door. Love and fear and guilt made her irritable, all at once. "You can't talk about me like I'm your destiny."
"You're not," he said. He stood by, waiting for her to hop into the passenger seat, and paused before closing her door.
"You're not anyone's destiny," he repeated, stepping into the relative privacy of the space between her and the opened door. "You're an autonomous human, and it is my honor and privilege to share your life, and if you think I haven't noticed that there is something going on in your head lately then you don't know me as well as you think you do. No, babe, don't," he added hastily, cutting off her attempt at an explanation. "It's okay. Take your time. There's no pressure. I just needed to tell you that I see you and I'm here whenever you're ready to talk about it."
"Joe," Nancy said, and stopped, throat tight, tears prickling behind her eyes. She wanted to slide off the bench seat, wanted to wrap her arms around his neck and bury her face in his chest. He was nearly close enough to touch already; nearly close enough for her to feel the warmth radiating from his body.
"Come here," he said, reading her mind in his usual way. "Cousins are allowed to hug."
"I'll cry if we do," Nancy said, half-laughing at herself. "Get in the truck, Jesse. We have work to do."
"Yes, ma'am." He gave her a last lingering look as he stepped back and closed her door.
"I love you, too," he said, when he had come around and slipped into the driver's seat. He said it casually, matter-of-factly, and didn't wait for her to respond before he was putting the truck in gear and backing out of the parking spot. "More than bridges."
Nancy had regained her emotional equilibrium by the time they spotted Frank ahead. The elder Hardy was still sitting where they had left him, but he was now deep in conversation with Daria.
"Looks like we're just in time for a rescue," Joe observed.
"Pull over, quickly," Nancy advised, rolling down her window. "There you are!"she called cheerily. "Sorry, Daria, we have to steal Finn. We're late for a thing."
"That's cool," Daria said, obviously aiming for nonchalance. "Will you guys be at the bonfire later?"
Her eyes were locked on Frank, who had all but leapt for the passenger door. Nancy slid over obligingly, making room.
"Possibly," Frank told her.
"Cool," Daria said again, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. "I might go, if I don't have anything better to do. Maybe I'll see you there."
"Drive, please," Frank said in a desperate undertone. Louder, he called "See you around!"
Nancy waved. "Later!"
"Why didn't you tell her about your boyfriend?" Joe asked, as he eased the truck along the roadway. Frank sighed and relaxed against the seat.
"I did," he said tersely. "I even showed her the picture. It seemed to encourage her."
Nancy laughed. "The challenge of the unattainable."
Frank groaned. "She's a kid. You guys have to protect me from her if we do go tonight."
"She's a kid," Joe echoed, grinning. "I'm sure you can defend yourself."
Frank rolled his eyes, settled himself more comfortably in the seat.
"Anyway," he said, changing the subject, "Chet texted me a location." He read out the name and address of a local diner from his phone.
"Ten-four," Joe acknowledged, pulling out onto the county road.
Chet's distinctive jalopy, the Queen, was already parked outside the diner when the detective team arrived, with the equally distinctive couple standing beside it. Chet's coppery hair and Nova's wild curls would have been easy to pick out in a crowd, let alone a half-empty parking lot.
"I figured you would've ordered already," Joe teased, offering a fistbump which Chet returned with his good hand. His injured arm was still in a sling.
"Nova thought we should wait."
"You're a good influence on him," Nancy said, giving Nova a quick hug.
"We already ate," Frank pointed out as the group headed toward the entrance.
"We didn't, and check-in isn't until noon anyway," Chet said, leading the way. "You can have second breakfast while you bring us up to speed."
The atmosphere inside was a thick fug of coffee, steam, and bacon grease, overlaid with Elvis crooning at a jarringly high decibel level. A waiter standing behind the counter made no effort to greet them verbally; he simply pointed toward a booth and held up a finger to indicate he would be with them in one minute. Despite her misgivings about the place, Nancy obediently slid into the booth with the rest of her party-- Nova and Chet on one side, and Nancy sandwiched between the Hardy brothers on the other side of the slightly sticky table.
"Well. This is a little sketchy," Nova said, gingerly inspecting her flatware.
Privately, Nancy agreed. She leaned in slightly and said, under cover of The King's repeated accusations regarding hound dogs, "We really appreciate your help."
Chet waved her words away. "Yeah, yeah, it was such an imposition for us to take a vacation."
"No lie, you might have saved my sanity," Nova said, setting down her fork to wrap her hands affectionately around Chet's bicep. "It's been nonstop complaining from this guy. The sling is uncomfortable, he wants to go to work…"
"If you think I'm going to stop complaining because we're here, you've got another think coming," Chet warned.
Nova only laughed. "Suit yourself, darling," she said, giving his arm a tolerant pat. "At least now I get to listen to it in an exotic new location."
"Exotic isn't the word I'd choose," Frank remarked.
Again, Nova laughed. "Maybe I don't get out much," she said. "So, tell me. How can we help you?"
"How can I help you folks?" their waiter asked suddenly, echoing Nova's question.
Startled, Nancy glanced at her neglected menu. She was not feeling hungry enough to be tempted by anything on offer; so, while Chet and Nova ordered omelets and hash browns, Frank requested a single egg over easy with a side of whole wheat toast, and Joe asked for a slice of apple pie, Nancy settled on a cappuccino.
"That's it?" Nova asked.
Nancy nodded. "It's all I need right now."
Nova arched an eyebrow. Nancy shook her head slightly, silently begging the other woman not to leap to conclusions. Not every change in appetite is significant. I already ate breakfast today.
"All right, folks. I'll be back in one moment with your drinks," the waiter assured them.
Joe slid out of the booth as soon as the man had sauntered away.
"Be right back," he said, tapping his pocket to indicate that he was stepping outside for a cigarette.
Chet barely waited until he was out of earshot before he fixed Nancy and Frank with a stern look. "Seriously? That's a thing again?"
Frank shrugged. "He's smart enough to kick it when this job is over."
"He's cocky," Chet said.
Nancy opted to change the subject. "Do you two have an angle of approach in mind?" she asked, addressing Chet but allowing her gaze to include Nova.
"Angle of approach? Honestly, I'm not even sure what our objective is here," Chet said bluntly.
"Feeling out Vince's competition, mainly," Frank said.
"The fact that we were able to book a room there on such short notice tells us something already," Nancy observed.
Frank nodded. "What we need to know is exactly how slow business is, and whether the owner could be behind the sabotage of Vince's business."
"Check the place out, be very chatty at reception and breakfast," Nova said, nodding along.
"Exactly," Nancy said.
"That camp operation is so much bigger than any bed-and-breakfast," Chet observed. "What would be the point of sabotaging it? Would that really drive enough business back to the little guy?"
"It's not always about logic," Frank said.
There was a brief pause in the conversation while the waiter delivered their drinks. When he had gone, Nova spoke up again.
"What about the other guests at the bed and breakfast?"
"Anything you can find out will be useful," Nancy assured her, stirring the contents of a sugar packet into her coffee.
Chet took a sip of his coffee and grimaced. "Pass me those sugars, Nance? Thanks."
"There's only one other couple there now, according to the woman I spoke to when we made the booking," Frank said.
Chet stirred his coffee vigorously, sloshing some into his saucer. He took another sip and looked satisfied. "It shouldn't be too hard. I plan to win my way into their confidence with my breakfast food expertise, and go from there."
"The hearty breakfast: a staple of every hard-boiled detective flick," Nova teased.
"A good detective plays to his strengths," Frank said easily.
"Someone called for strength?" Joe joked, flexing a bicep as he slid back into the booth.
"Yeah, let us know if you see anyone," Chet retorted. "Jeez, you smell like an ashtray."
"Spare me the sermon, Rev," Joe said. Under the table, he had captured Nancy's hand. He interlaced their fingers and rested their joined hands on his thigh. "How's the Queen running?" he asked, picking up his mug with his free hand.
Chet launched into a long tirade about carburetors, which Nancy allowed to flow past her largely unheeded. She closed her eyes for a moment, savoring the clandestine contact.
"Anyway," Chet concluded, "I think I'm gonna have to redo the ignition wiring when we get back. Something feels off."
"Something always feels off in that car," Frank said. "It's your whole thing."
"I had to do some work on my ignition last year," Nancy said. "It wasn't too bad."
"You did it yourself?" Nova asked.
"Nancy knows her way around an engine," Joe said proudly. "Especially a vintage engine."
Nancy smiled. "There's something to be said for having a reliable mechanic to hand the dirty work over to, though," she said, winking at Chet.
"Dirty work? Please. Your car is pristine," Chet said earnestly. "I can't remember the last time I saw such a beautiful spark plugs."
"Here you are, folks," the waiter said brightly. "Full omelet breakfast with sausage, full breakfast with bacon, one egg over easy, and one apple pie. Can I get you folks anything else?"
They thanked him and assured him that they had all that they needed.
"Everything looks great, thanks," Chet said.
Joe pointed his fork at his friend as the waiter moved away. "Get your own," he said sternly.
"One bite?" Chet asked, still eying what Nancy had to admit was an impressive slab of pie on Joe's plate.
"Babe, let's just get one to split," Nova suggested.
Chet beamed. "Isn't she brilliant?"
Nova waved the compliment aside. "Let's get back to the cloak-and-dagger stuff," she said. "What have you guys learned since you've been here?"
"Not much," Frank said. "There has been no further vandalism."
"Where does that leave you, though?" Chet asked, taking a large bite of sausage. "Are they done? Are they holding off to make a bigger next move?"
"Exactly," Joe said.
"This may be a dumb question, but what's the point?" Nova asked.
"I still think it has something to do with the missing girls. The trouble only started after Vince began renovating older sections of the camp," Nancy said quietly.
"You mean someone doesn't want more bodies to turn up?"
Nancy glanced around and was relieved to find the waiter immersed in conversation with a busboy. It seemed unlikely that Nova's words could be heard over the continued crooning of Elvis, but the statement had been incautiously loud.
"Possibly," Frank said. His voice and face were neutral but Nancy could read annoyance in the way he reached for his mug. He drummed his fingers on the ceramic side slowly, thoughtfully. "Alternatively, the increased business drawn in by a renovated camp has become a threat to Tom Lesley's bed and breakfast. Which is where you two come in."
"Hopefully you'll have better luck than we've had. We haven't narrowed down much of anything," Joe said.
"What have you come up with?" Chet asked.
"Our strongest lead involves an abandoned tuberculosis sanatorium in the woods on the property," Joe said.
While they ate, the three detectives shared their meager progress: the new link identified between a guest and one of the missing girls, the conversations they had had with various staff members, and the discovery of a squatter in the abandoned sanatorium building.
"God, that's creepy," Nova remarked, wide-eyed.
"At least he's not impersonating a ghost. It's so annoying when they try to pull off a fake haunting," Chet said.
Nova giggled. "You're so cute when you try to act jaded."
"I'm jaded as fuck and nobody ever calls me cute," Joe complained.
"You're not jaded, you're cynical," Frank told him.
"But it's a good look. Absolutely adorable," Chet added, straight-faced.
"Thank you," Joe said, rewarding Chet with a bite of pie.
"You're flirting with the wrong brother," Nancy said with amusement.
Chet raised an eyebrow and Joe, retracting his fork, laughed.
"Oh yeah. Finn here had to use a picture of you to ward off some female attention."
"It's our anniversary next month," Frank added. "Try not to forget this year."
"I'd definitely pick Frank if I had to date one of you," Chet said, reaching for his coffee cup.
"What?" Joe cried in mock outrage.
Chet shrugged. "What can I say? I like 'em tall, dark, and stable."
The whole table was laughing at that point.
"Thanks, man. I'm flattered," Frank said.
"I like my redheads a little more on the feminine side, anyway," Joe said, winking at Nancy. She touched her currently-not-titian hair self-consciously and winked back.
The conversation flowed on in a lighter vein as the meal continued. It was not until they were in the relative peace and quiet of the parking lot, walking toward their vehicles, that the subject of the investigation came up again.
"So we'll get settled in and get a feel for where we might start," Chet said. "And you guys--?"
"Are gonna plan shifts for our stakeout, nap, follow up a few leads…" Joe said smoothly.
"If you need extra eyes tonight, call," Chet offered.
"You know it," Frank said. "Thanks, man."
"Good luck," Nancy said to Nova. "Are you feeling okay about this?"
"It's all very exciting!" Nova said.
Nancy raised an eyebrow. She had heard the thread of uneasiness in Nova's voice.
"All right. I am a little nervous, to be honest."
"There's nothing to worry about. You're a natural," Nancy assured her.
"What if we don't find out anything helpful?"
"Then at least you've had a nice vacation," Frank said.
Nova smiled. "That's true. There are a few things I'd like to see in the area, regardless. We passed the cutest little vintage record shop on our way into town, and there are supposed to be some really nice hiking trails--" She paused, frowning slightly. "Oh, god. That's where that girl was found, isn't it? The one from your camp?"
Nancy nodded.
"There are miles of trails," Joe offered. "I'm sure you can still do some hiking. It won't all be closed."
Nova looked slightly shocked. "I wasn't even thinking about it being closed off. I was just thinking how horrible to be dumped like that, or...was she already dead? When she was left there?"
"That is something I intend to find out," Nancy said.
"Could this actually be dangerous?" Nova asked.
"It's always dangerous," Chet said darkly.
Somehow, Chet's melodramatic tone seemed to ease Nova's fears.
"See?," she said, kissing his cheek. "Adorable."
Frank snorted. "On that note, it's time to head out. Check in soon, okay?"
"Will do," Chet promised.