Blind Spot. Nancy Bush
SEARCHING FOR A KILLER
“Anybody can kill,” Lang argued. “And Catherine seems to be a woman of rigid rules.”
“If Cat is really a member of the Colony, and she took a lover and became pregnant, that might certainly stir up some strong emotions in Catherine, but I don’t think it would set her on a path of murder. Either the baby, Cat, or even this Rafe.”
“Then why won’t she even talk to me?” Lang asked.
“You haven’t given her a clue what it’s about.”
“She knows Cat left. She has to be worried about it. But for some reason she doesn’t want to face it, and why would that be? Because she’s at fault in there somewhere. Maybe criminally at fault.”
“You’re trying to force facts to fit your own theory.”
“Why are you so dead set on defending a woman you don’t even know?” Lang demanded. “You don’t think a woman could be diabolical enough to chase them down and knife them to death?”
“Oh, yes, I do. Women can surprise you with their strength, fury, and commitment,” Claire said. “I just think you’re totally off base with Catherine. You’re focused on her and it’s taking you away from the real killer…”
Books by Nancy Bush
CANDY APPLE RED
ELECTRIC BLUE
ULTRAVIOLET
UNSEEN
BLIND SPOT
Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation
Blind Spot
NANCY BUSH
Contents
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Epilogue
AUTHOR’S NOTE
This is a work of fiction. Yes, there is a Tillamook County Sheriff’s Department but in my novel all the members of the department are fictional, and I’ve relocated the department itself to the center of town, rather than on Long Prairie Road, where you would actually find it if you were looking. All of the other characters in this book are fictional as well, and though some of the places are real, I’ve futzed with the geography enough to make driving from Portland to the coast more like a trip on a superhighway than the two lane, unlit road over several mountain passes that it mostly is. Anyone who’s traveled Highway 26 at night, in the rain or snow or whatever, will know what I’m talking about. And for the purposes of keeping the characters doing something other than driving, I’ve made the state of Oregon just a little smaller.
Prologue
A blast of wind slammed against the old pickup and nearly wrenched the wheel from Rafe’s hands. He muttered under his breath and with an effort kept the vehicle bouncing hard down the road. Night was thick and black, and the keening wail of the wind kept his senses on high alert.
He glanced down at the crown of the blond angel snuggled up next to him. She was older than he was by six months, but she was so fragile that he felt manly and protective around her. He wanted to put an arm over her shoulders but needed both hands to wrangle this miserable old Chevy truck down the highway.
They were running away. Running away together. It scared him and thrilled him at the same time.
He saw her slide a hand over her protruding belly, and it made him feel warm inside. His baby. Their baby. He wanted to crow with delight.
They’d gotten away!
But there was still danger.
She was silent as they continued to rattle and shake down the road. He hoped to hell the rough ride didn’t hurt the baby. They were going for a new start, a new life.
Damn! It felt good!
Rafe gazed through the inky blackness and saw tree limbs bend toward the vehicle as he passed, as if they were trying to stop them. Nothing could stop them. He wouldn’t let it.
A dozen more miles passed beneath the tires and he mused into the silence, “You know they found that woman’s body. The whore that everyone kinda called a witch? She’d been dead a while. Nothing but bones, really.”
Rafe was better at being a dope in love than a conversationalist; he just didn’t know it. The girl beside him listened quietly, neither encouraging nor discouraging him.
“I told you about the Blackburns, right?” he went on. “I do some work for them sometimes? That old couple who hide behind their curtains in their big house and spy on other houses? They saw the fire across their field a few years back and thought the witch died then. Maybe she did. But the cops and stuff dug all around and didn’t find her. Guess he hid her. But they found her now. Just a bag of bones.”
They drove on for a while. The crying wind rose to a shriek as they passed through the mountains. The Coast Range. Rafe was taking them away from the beach and toward Portland, though he didn’t have the foggiest idea what they would do when they reached the city. But Tasha had wanted to get far away, and so the biggest city in Oregon was where they were heading.
They passed a rest stop, one lonely light shining through the cold night air. Rafe had been feeling his bladder and, with a grimace, stepped on the brakes and swung the truck back around.
“What are you doing?” she demanded sharply.
“Gotta drain the lizard, hon. I’m quick. You know how quick I am.”
“Hurry.”
He dared to touch her silken hair, comforting her. But she was tense and her blue eyes were shadowed and haunted as they looked up at him.
Rafe drove into the rest stop and parked in the handicap spot closest to the restrooms. The men’s and women’s signs were visible under the yellow light by the doors.
He started to get out and Tasha scrambled after him. Lovingly looking down at her awkward form, he asked, “What are you doing outta the truck?”
“I have to go, too,” she said.
“You’re peeing for two.” He grinned in the darkness, his dark hair flying around his face. “Pretty soon that little bugger’s gonna be here.”
He helped her toward the door and made sure the women’s room was unlocked,