The images of him were so vivid to her now, highlighted by the lingering horror of that terrible summer, she wondered why she hadn’t recognized him straightaway. Everyone who had lived through Riley Cavanaugh’s disappearance, even if in a peripheral way, would always be connected by that tragedy.
“You okay?”
His voice sounded hushed in the darkness. She glanced over her shoulder. “I’m fine. Oddly enough, I was thinking about Riley.”
“What about her?”
“I was thinking how you can meet someone you think is a stranger, but then you find out that the shared experience of her disappearance connects you.”
“That’s pretty deep.”
Too deep for their current situation, she supposed. Keep your eye on the prize, Nikki. That phrase made her think of Clete. Who was he and what the hell had he done with the Dessie she’d known for most of her life?
“We’re almost there,” Adam said. “I’ll cut the engine as soon as we get a little closer.”
She turned back to scour the water as they approached the bank. “I don’t see a boat at the dock. They must have come by car.”
He shut off the engine and guided the prow toward the bank. Nikki ducked to avoid the trailing moss. They both climbed out and pulled the boat aground, and then Adam handed her one of the flashlights. “The moon is so bright, we shouldn’t need them, but just in case.”
Nikki tucked the flashlight into the back of her jeans and nodded. They moved quickly along the bank to the steep wooden steps, pressing into the shadows as they climbed up to the deck. Adam peered through one of the glass doors, then slipped to the other side and motioned for Nikki to step up to the window.
She pressed herself to the wall and then took a peek inside. A woman stood at Dr. Nance’s desk, rifling frantically through the drawers.
Chapter Nine
The intruder had her back to the deck, but Nikki immediately recognized the tall, elegant form and the chic, cropped hair. Dr. Patience Wingate’s movements were uncharacteristically hurried and desperate. Nikki had never known her to be anything but cool, calm and somewhat arrogant.
She was so taken aback to find Dr. Nance’s partner going through his desk that she stepped from her hiding place without thinking. Adam motioned her back, but it was too late. Dr. Wingate must have heard a slight sound, for she whirled, clearly shocked to find someone peering in through the window.
Casting a wary glance around the space, she strode across the room to draw back the French door.
“Dr. Dresden! What are you doing here?” Caught in what for anyone else would have been an awkward situation, she quickly assumed her normal, haughty mask, placing one hand on the door and the other on her hip as she regarded Nikki with open suspicion.
Nikki smiled, allowing nothing more than mild curiosity to seep into her tone. “Dr. Wingate! My goodness, you gave us quite a start. We saw the light from across the lake. We thought someone must have broken into Dr. Nance’s cabin.”
“That’s preposterous. I didn’t break in.”
Her defensive tone caught Nikki off guard. “No...of course not. But we didn’t know it was you.”
“How did you get in?” Adam asked casually as he stepped forward. He seemed relaxed and, like Nikki, outwardly displayed benign curiosity, but she could detect tension in the set of his features and in the way his gaze scouted their surroundings.
Dr. Wingate cocked her head slightly. “I’m sorry. Who are you?”
Nikki hastened to make the introductions. “This is Adam Thayer. He’s a Dallas PD homicide detective.”
“Is that so?” She didn’t sound at all impressed by his credentials, but Nikki caught the flash of something that might have been confusion in her gray eyes. Or was that fear? “What on earth are the two of you doing out on the lake at this time of night?”
“Detective Thayer has a house just over there.” She gestured toward the opposite bank. “He came down to do some work on the place and has accepted a temporary assignment with the Nance County coroner’s office.” She could feel Adam’s surprised gaze on her in the dark, but she refused to glance his way. “We’re looking into Dr. Nance’s death.”
“What’s there to look into?” Dr. Wingate demanded. “I was told his boat overturned and he drowned. Was I misinformed?”
“There are still a lot of unanswered questions,” Nikki hedged.
“What kind of questions?”
“For starters, you never told us how you got in here.” Adam nodded toward the open desk drawers. “Or what you’re looking for.”
She gave Nikki an irritated look. “Dr. Dresden, is this really necessary? I’ve already spoken to Sheriff Brannon.”
Nikki forced a sympathetic note in her voice. “I know this is hard, considering how close you were with Dr. Nance. It’s difficult for me, too, but we’d really appreciate a few minutes of your time. The more information we can gather, the easier it will be for my colleagues and me to reach a consensus on cause of death.”
Dr. Wingate sighed in frustration. “I don’t see this as anything but a monumental waste of my time, but if you must know, Charles gave me a key to the cabin years ago so that I could come out on weekends when we—when I needed a quick getaway. As to what I’m looking for, I’m here on clinic business.”
“What kind of business?” Adam asked.
“I need to make certain that any medical records Charles may have removed from the clinic have been appropriately secured under current privacy rules.”
“Do you mind if we come in?” Adam asked.
“Why would you need to come in?”
“This conversation might be easier if we all just relax,” he said.
“I suppose, but only for a minute or two.” She grudgingly stepped back from the door. “It’s getting late. I’d like to finish my task and get back to town.”
“We won’t keep you long.” Adam motioned for Nikki to go ahead of him and then he closed the door.
Dr. Wingate turned, clearly displeased by this
