Kissed by the Sun Read online

Ben didn’t say he cared about Carlee.

  Then again, Dan thought wryly, he didn’t have to.

  * * * *

  Evening settled over the cottage at Seaside.

  Filled with restless energy, Carlee prowled the confines of her bedroom. Remembering Dan and Ben’s ‘rule’ of staying away from the windows, she plunked down on the bed, crossing her knees, tucking her feet under her bottom. Their departure made the cottage feel like a prison. When she did venture out of her room, it was to see the sour faces of her two new guardians.

  She particularly despised Higgins. The woman didn’t stop smirking the entire day.

  Bitch.

  Carlee shook her head, wishing she could erase Higgins’ nasty smile from her mind.

  Pushing her hair behind her ears, she sketched quickly, fashioning a portrait of Ben and Dan. She sketched them this time in their native dress, imagining what they would have looked like when the Montauks ruled the east end of Long Island, hundreds of years before.

  This time, her creative spark didn’t quell the misery she felt.

  She tossed her pencil aside, and got up from the bed.

  Her reflection greeted her in the small mirror above the dresser.

  Carlee didn’t like what she saw.

  The spoiled, rich girl got what she wanted—Ben and Dan in her bed. By doing that, she screwed up their lives, causing them expulsion from their tribe.

  She probably screwed up their jobs, too.

  Ben and Dan worked and studied hard for that.

  Carlee turned from the mirror, her lips trembling, tears threatening to fall again.

  She glanced over at the sketches lying on the bed. All her life, she'd wanted to be an artist. But for the first time since her dream took shape, she felt like a half-rate artist—a sham.

  Crying and feeling sorry for herself, she seemed to do well.

  She wiped the tears from her eyes and walked back over to the bed, her fingers itching to rip the picture to shreds.

  Who in hell was she kidding, anyway? Herself?

  She excelled in that department, too.

  If and when she left Seaside, she’d do everything in her power to make it up to Ben and Dan.

  Then she’d get the hell out of their lives—forever. She’d go back to the city, to her apartment there…

  THUMP!

  Carlee snapped her brows together, the noise interrupting her morose thoughts. She heard voices—one sounded like it came from Higgins' partner, that male detective. He hadn’t said too much to her since he arrived, choosing to do his job, a stoic look on his face.

  Carlee heard a door open, the bottom scraping the floor.

  Then she heard the floor squeak, as if someone was walking around the kitchen.

  She wrapped her sweater around her body to ward off the chill that snaked up her spine.

  She opened the door to her room, peeking into the hallway.

  It was deserted.

  She left her room and headed toward the kitchen.

  The first thing she noticed was the wide-open door, and shards of glass everywhere. There was a hole in one of the small panes of glass that made up the window on the kitchen door.

  Marlene stood there. She had the strangest look in her eyes. Hollow. Vacant.

  Carlee walked toward her friend, then stopped.

  How did Marlene know Carlee was in a cottage at Seaside?

  Carlee’s heart started to pound.

  It nearly came through her chest when she saw legs sticking out from behind the kitchen door.

  “Wh-what are you doing here, Marlene?” Carlee placed a hand at her throat, rubbing her neck, her skin filled with prickly goose bumps.

  “Why I came to see my dearest, most wonderful best friend in the whole world.” Marlene answered, her voice snide.

  Carlee glanced down at the gun in Marlene’s hand. Marlene raised it just a bit, enough so that she aimed it at Carlee’s chest.

  Carlee felt like she'd spiraled into the vortex of a deep, bad dream.

  “How did you know I was here?”

  Marlene shrugged. “You’re a little fool. Your cell phone has a GPS tracker on it.”

  “A what?” Carlee shook her head.

  “Your cell phone is paid for out of Davis Poultry Farm funds. Funds that I handled the entire time Ida was sick. I had the trackers put on, mainly to track my lying, cheating husband…”

  “Marlene, stop. Please, I—”

  Marlene laughed. “You don’t like to hear that? Well, it’s the truth. He’s a lying, cheating bastard. I had the trackers put on all the phones we use, so that he wouldn’t get suspicious. I told the idiot it was for his own good, and mine and uh, yours. Just in case someone might think to kidnap one of us.” She laughed again, the sound filled with derision. “He bought it all—hook, line and sinker, the asshole.” Marlene raised a brow. “What?” She made her face look innocent. “After all that you don’t want to give me one of your silly, simpering, stupid hugs?”

  “I can’t very well do that with a gun pointed at me.”

  Marlene gave a small, bitter laugh. “Still the kid. Still the kidder. My rich, spoiled little friend.”

  “I’m your cousin, too, Marlene. We’re family, we’re more than friends.”

  Carlee didn’t know why she stood there talking when Marlene looked like she’d pull the trigger at any moment. When Carlee tried to move, fear made her frozen. Her feet felt like two lead weights. She couldn’t lift either one.

  She swallowed the bile rising in her throat.

  Her hand strayed there, her fingers massaging the skin on her neck. “What did you do to him?” She nodded toward the two feet jutting out from behind the door.

  They belonged to Detective Samuels.

  She heard him moan.

  Marlene inched toward him, shutting the door behind her. Keeping the gun trained on Carlee, she rolled him over onto his back.

  Carlee’s eyes widened when she saw his two hands bound together by metal handcuffs.

  She glanced at his shoulder holster.

  His gun was missing.

  Marlene leaned over and smacked him quickly in the head with the butt of his own pistol. He moaned again, his head rolling to the side.

  Carlee’s stomach flipped. She opened her mouth, ready to cry out. She tried to run, but she couldn’t move.

  Damn!

  Marlene rose to her feet and shoved the gun into Carlee’s gut. “Shut your mouth, and start walking.”

  Carlee looked around. “Where?”

  “To the back of the house.” Marlene pressed the tip of the revolver into Carlee’s gut. “Move. Now.” She said through clenched teeth. “Or I’ll kill you right here.”

  From the corner of her eye, Carlee saw a door open down the hallway.

  She didn’t say a word; she simply walked into the den.

  Marlene held the gun in her back.

  “Keep going.”

  Carlee’s heart pounded violently.

  Marlene made her walk through the small French doors leading to the deck in the back of the house.

  Once outside, the cold wind whipped Carlee’s hair around her face. She could barely see.

  She shivered violently.

  Carlee shoved her hair aside and saw the shadow of movement in the den beyond the sliding French doors.

  Detective Higgins was in the den. She placed a finger over her lips.

  Carlee realized she needed to stall; she needed to keep Marlene distracted. “I don’t understand how you got in here.” Carlee shook her head. “And why you hurt that poor man.” Tears came to her eyes when she thought about how Marlene butted Samuels in the head.

  Marlene used her free hand, gripping Carlee’s shoulder, roughly turning her around. She shoved the gun under Carlee’s nose.

  “He wasn’t fast enough. I broke the pane of glass, and before he knew what hit him—” She pushed the gun against Carlee’s nose.

  She cried out in pain, the gun pressing against her nos
tril.

  “I hit him.”

  Carlee glanced at the smear of blood on the end of the gun.

  In her mind’s eye, Carlee saw Marlene pound Samuels’ head with the gun. She recalled the blow she’d taken on her head that night in the poultry store.

  “It was you.” She whispered. “You attacked me that night in the store!”

  “Shut up.” Marlene said through gritted teeth.

  She moved the gun, pressing the tip into Carlee’s temple.

  Higgins moved closer to the French doors, her gun drawn.

  Carlee prayed she could keep Marlene facing her. She had to keep her talking!

  “Buy why?” Carlee whispered. “Why, Marlene?”

  “I wanted to be the next Ida. Me!” Using her free hand, she aimed a thumb at her chest. “Instead I had to watch you standing there in that poultry store...” Her voice caught on a sob. “Doing what I wanted to do. You got all the money.” She sucked in a breath. “You had all the goddamned glory, too.” Her voice shook.

  “I didn’t want it.”

  “Yeah, right.”

  She cocked the gun.

  Carlee’s heart raced.

  “I had it all planned.” Marlene rushed on. “I had all my bases covered—went out to dinner with friends that night—made sure lots of people saw me in town. Todd came home that night at nine o’clock and I was home—I took precautions so that our maid saw me come in. I settled down next to Todd on the couch. He fell asleep after he told me what went on when he saw you.” She shook her head. “That’s when I decided I had to kill you. It was the only way.” Marlene pressed the gun harder into Carlee’s temple. “Todd fell asleep. The last thing he remembered was me sitting next to him. I had just enough time to get to that poultry store—to kill you and get back to him. He never realized I was gone.”

  Carlee’s voice wobbled. “You screwed it up, Marlene. You should have killed me when you had the chance.”

  She didn’t know where her courage came from, how she could still converse with Marlene.

  Little warrior…

  Ben and Dan’s pet name for her lay on her lips, unsaid. Carlee only wished she’d live long enough to see them again, to taste their lips for herself, to hear them utter her name.

  Carlee’s eyes strayed toward the French doors. Higgins placed her hand on the handle. She pushed the doors open, keeping her finger against her lips, urging Carlee not to let on.

  “If only you hadn’t turned around in the poultry store that evening.” Marlene shook her head. “I was thrown off-guard. I had that meat-mallet in my hand, the one they use to pound the cutlets.”

  Carlee gagged, her stomach rolling.

  “But this time, I won’t mess it up.” Marlene uttered low, her voice menacing.

  WHOOSH!

  The French doors slid open. Higgins raised her gun.

  So did Marlene.

  BANG!

  Carlee’s eyes widened when she saw Higgins crumple to the ground.

  Chapter Twenty

  Ben and Dan ran up the steps to the cottage.

  BANG!

  They stopped, guns raised.

  Approaching the front door, they stopped.

  “Christ, the window’s broken.”

  They raised their guns and kicked the door, but something blocked the entryway.

  When they got inside, they saw Samuels on the ground, his eyes closed, his mouth slack.

  “Shit, shit, shit!” Dan’s voice shook.

  Cold wind blew through the house.

  Dan shuddered, then saw the reason why.

  His eyes widened when he looked through the open French doors in the back of the house.

  Carlee lunged at Marlene, grabbing the pistol. Her attempt to aim it failed when Marlene wrapped her hands around Carlee’s throat, bending her back over the railing. Carlee’s arms flailed in the air, her feet leaving the ground while Marlene choked the life out of her.

  The gun slipped from Carlee’s hands, landing on the deck, her body just about over the railing...

  Guns drawn, Dan and Ben ran through the den, out onto the deck.

  * * * *

  Carlee felt the relentless pressure on her throat.

  She was no match for Marlene.

  Whipped into a frenzied anger, Marlene held Carlee in a vise grip, her fingers digging into Carlee’s neck.

  In the next second, air filled her lungs. The pressure was gone!

  She thought she saw Dan, thought she heard sirens in the distance.

  Her brain felt fuzzy, she couldn’t form an entire coherent thought…

  When her vision cleared, she saw Dan wrench Marlene to the ground.

  Marlene bit down hard on Dan’s hand.

  “Argghhhhhhhhhh!”

  His cry of pain echoed around Carlee.

  Marlene ran for the gun. Picking it up, she aimed it at Dan.

  Carlee saw a spark. Then she heard the sound of a whip slinging through the air, its tip making a crackling, popping noise.

  The next thing Carlee saw was Marlene laying facedown on the deck, a pool of blood oozing from her head.

  Ben stood there, breathing hard, the tip of his revolver smoking.

  She slithered to the ground.

  Dan reached for her arm.

  “Carlee!” He gave her a rough shake. “Carlee…” He crooned pressing her against his chest.

  The sirens were closer now.

  So close…

  Carlee drifted, her mind hazy.

  She inhaled, taking in Dan’s scent, her fingers digging into his chest.

  “Is she okay?”

  Ben!

  Yes, it was Ben…it sounded like his voice.

  Dan led her inside the house.

  Soon, lights blazed. The house filled with uniformed officers.

  And Lieutenant McGee.

  Carlee managed to speak. “Is she, I mean…?”

  “Marlene’s dead.” Dan answered, his voice flat.

  Carlee shook her head. She couldn’t seem to stop. “N-no, I mean, Detective Higgins.”

  Ben squatted next to her. He took her hand and rubbed it between his own. “No, she’ll be okay. Marlene got her in the shoulder.”

  “Oh God.” Carlee pursed her lips. Tears spilt from her eyes.

  “She’ll be okay.” Dan narrowed his eyes. “Right now, I’m concerned about you.”

  Carlee followed the direction of his eyes. They zeroed in on her throat.

  She raised a hand to her neck. It felt sore.

  When she swallowed, it hurt.

  She started to shake.

  “Hang on.” Dan patted her arm. “I’ll go find you a sweater.”

  He was gone for a few minutes, leaving her alone with Ben. He sat next to her on the couch, rubbing her hands, her arms.

  Dan returned and helped her into the sweater.

  Carlee’s teeth chattered. “Wh-what about that other detective?”

  “Looks like he’s got a bad concussion.” Ben answered.

  Carlee nodded.

  Barely.

  She slumped back against the couch.

  After a few seconds, she found her voice.

  “Thank you.” She whispered, looking at Ben and Dan. “Thank you.”

  * * * *

  A few days later, Carlee walked into the Davis Poultry Farm Store.

  The cashier behind the register greeted her. “Hi Miss Davis! It’s nice to see you.” She grinned.

  Carlee wet her lips, hoping to calm the queasy feeling in her stomach when the odor of roasting turkey and fried chicken drifted by her nose.

  “Is my cousin in the office?”

  “Sure is.” The cashier replied, ringing up a customer’s order.

  “Thanks.”

  Carlee walked into the back of the store.

  Standing in front of Ida’s old office, she knocked on the door.

  “Come in!”

  She took a deep breath and entered. Todd sat behind the desk, the portrait of the Davis
sisters on the wall behind him. It was whole again, the glass fixed, a new frame rimmed the picture.

  He looked up. “Carlee!” He rose to his feet. “What are you doing here?”

  She shoved some hair behind her ears. “I wanted to talk to you.”

  “Of course.” He pointed at one of the chairs in front of the desk. “Have a seat.” He settled back into his.

  She eased into the chair.

  A few minutes went by, the room filled with nothing but the sound of the clock ticking on the wall.

  Finally, they both spoke at one. “I wanted to say I’m sor—”

  Carlee gave him a small smile. She held out her hand. “You first.”

  He tapped a pencil on the desk, then tossed it aside. He got up and walked over to the windows. With his back toward her, he folded his hands behind it. Then he turned and faced her. He had tears in his eyes.

  Carlee’s mouth hung open.

  “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forgive myself.”

  “For what?” Carlee’s voice was just above a whisper.

  She'd never seen Todd cry.

  “For what Marlene did to you.” He balled his hands into fists at his sides. “I blame myself, for not realizing, for—”

  Carlee shook her head. Her throat constricted. “She had us all fooled.” She shook her head. “I just can’t figure out, though, how she could attack me in the poultry store without you knowing.”

  He shook his head. “I was the biggest fool of them all.” He sighed. “The police told me that Marlene admitted to forcing one of the maids to don a blonde wig and one of Marlene’s coats and take the dog out for a walk.”

  Carlee shook her head. “No wonder the neighbors were so adamant about seeing her.”

  “Yes, well, I just wish I…I was feeling sorry for myself. I went home, had a scotch and sat in that back yard smoking a cigar, nursing my wounds.” He blew out a breath. “Had I not fallen asleep that night, I would have known what she was up to.”

  Carlee wet her lips, they felt dry. “It’s not your fault.”

  “I wasn’t cheating on her, you have to know that.”

  Carlee held up a hand. “You don’t have to convince me, Todd. It’s okay.”

  “Marlene booked that cruise, used a phony name for the guest—Angela Graff. When the police questioned me about being with an Angela Graff, I had no idea what they were talking about.” He shook his head. “Marlene was willing to let me take the fall for all of this.”