There was an intense search. Everyone was in on it. FBI, Florida Law Enforcement, Miccosukee, Seminole officers—everyone searched for a long while.”
“She was never found,” Nigel said.
“You think...this might be her?” Raina asked.
“I believe that’s what Axel is thinking. We were still kids back then, just finishing high school, getting ready to move on. But we were part of the search teams, too,” Nigel said, glancing over at Andrew. “I was with a young service group, earning extra credit heading into college. The service group came out to search, too. We had the area near the casino.”
“One of the school groups was out here then...might have been the group you were with,” Andrew told her.
“And that was years ago?” Raina asked.
“I think we all wanted to believe she’d just disappeared on purpose,” Nigel said. “No one wants to give up, and no one wants to believe something awful befell a young woman.”
“But you know better than that,” Andrew said.
“So it haunts you. Not every waking minute, but it’s always there, somewhere, in the back of your mind,” Nigel finished. He sighed. “Trust me, we’ve all seen very bad stuff since. Sometimes, though, you remember what happened when you were young and still innocent.”
Axel returned. “Nigel?”
“Proper people on the way—medical examiner and his crew and two anthropology specialists from the university,” Nigel assured him.
“Andrew?”
“I’ll get them out there. You two best get in and see the security tapes and get out on your ‘date night,’” Andrew suggested. “I will keep you apprised of what’s going on every step of the way, I promise.”
“Good. Thank you. Raina, let me get you and Titan home.”
She stood, awkwardly thanking Andrew for her ride with Wild Thing. He thanked her gravely in return for all her help.
When they were in the car, she asked Axel about his date night. “Are you and Nigel pretending to go on a date together?” she asked. “Oh!” she said. “I mean, if it’s for real, it would be fine, of course. I just didn’t—”
“It’s not for real,” he told her, smiling, but still wearing that slightly distant, distracted look. “We’re looking for the guy who might have had a date with Jennifer Lowry. Raina, you’ve been phenomenal. Frankly, you’ve been a phenomena. I can’t keep dragging you along on all these things. It isn’t right—”
“It won’t be right for you to just drop me off and leave me, either,” she said.
He frowned, looking at her. “I think I’ll tell Nigel we need a patrol to watch your place. I feel good with Titan, that dog is amazing. But if you’re worried—”
“I am worried, and I don’t want a patrol car watching my place. I want to go with you.”
He glanced her way again. “Raina, it’s not fair to you.”
“It’s not fair for you to leave me. Besides, you need me. I brought the authorities to Jennifer Lowry’s body. And I just found an old victim,” she added softly. “I’m an asset on this case, and I’d rather be with you than alone.”
“Titan can’t go tonight.”
“Titan knows he needs to guard the house sometimes. He’s had a good day running with Wild Thing. Titan is going to be fine.”
He was quiet a minute.
“Please. I want to be with you.”
He nodded slowly. “All right. We need to get to Nigel’s station. His people were working on the cameras. Then we’ll head to the night spot. Maybe we’ll even have an idea of who we’re looking for.”
“Do I have two minutes to change?” she asked him.
“I’ll give you five,” he told her.
At her house, she refreshed the dog’s food and water bowls and ran in for a fast shower.
She wondered if he might be thinking about her, naked and under the warm flow of the shower, the way she was thinking about him. Her skin tingled, and she couldn’t help wonder if he didn’t feel just a little of what she was feeling. But she knew he would be far too circumspect to make any kind of move. He would never make that kind of assumption.
Not to mention he was more intent on the case at hand than ever.
She was true to her word. She didn’t make her five-minute limit, but she was ready to go in ten, clad in a casual dress, heeled sandals and a jacket in case the night—or air-conditioning—grew too chilly.
“You’re quick!” he told her. “I’ll be quicker. We’ll drop by my hotel for just a minute, and then head out.”