“You want to take that walk on the beach?” he asked her.
“Sure,” she said, seeing no reason not to.
When they reached the stretch of beach in front of the house, Kit reached for her hand. She didn’t resist. As they walked along the water’s edge, neither spoke, yet she didn’t mind the silence between them. If asked, she’d describe it as comfortable.
As they neared the curve of beach close to the bait store, Kit stopped. “What are the odds of the two of them pairing up? Renée and John, I mean. I’m not so sure the girl wasn’t forced into this so-called relationship with him.” He nodded toward the bait shop.
“She knew Val would be totally against it. Any adult in their right mind would. I just find it hard to believe Renée would be so reckless. From what I observed, she’s a great kid.” She didn’t add that her gut was telling her this situation was much more than Renée having a fling with John. She’d told her about the guy she was crushing on, and it did not appear to be an act.
“Old cliché, but appearances can be deceiving,” he said. “Are you tired?”
She smiled. “Not in the least. If anything, I’m so wired, I doubt I could sleep, even in one of those fancy bedrooms of Val’s.”
“Same here. What would it take to persuade you to partake in a little breaking and entering?”
“The bait shop?”
“Yes. It’s dark, and we know the owner isn’t nearby. Might be a chance to find if there was any type of communication between his sick ass and Renée.”
“What if we’re caught?” she asked, not relishing the idea of having a criminal record. “I’ve never been in trouble with the law,” she added, wanting him to know this wasn’t something she took lightly.
“Me either, but I don’t plan on getting caught,” he said. The moonlight was just bright enough for her to see the smile on his face.
“I suppose there’s a first time for everything,” she said. Breaking and entering wasn’t her first choice, though she knew there was somewhat of a noble reason behind their actions, and it didn’t really seem all that bad when she thought of it in those terms.
“Consider this a favor to Val,” Kit said, still holding onto her hand. “Come on—let’s do this before anyone sees.”
She followed him to the bait shop. No lights were on inside, at least none visible from their position. She followed Kit to the back of the shop, the smell familiar. “This is what I smelled in the freezer,” she told him, holding her free hand over her mouth and nose.
“Redfish,” he whispered.
How he or Val could identify such a sickly fish odor was beyond her sniffing skills. “Doesn’t he sell live bait?” she whispered back. “Why the stench?”
“Supposedly. Maybe it’s dead. Who knows?” Kit said. Releasing her hand, he used both of his to clear away an empty bait bucket, a few reels minus the rods tangled in fishing line, a shovel, and a bag of lime from the top of the outside air-conditioning unit. It was quiet, so Ali assumed it was turned off.
“Who doesn’t leave the air on in a freaking bait shop?” Kit asked as he climbed on top of the unit.
“I was just thinking that myself.”
“Great minds,” he said as he grabbed the shovel.
That reminded Ali of the bone. She hoped her discovery wasn’t connected to Kit’s cult story. “Yes,” she finally said, though she didn’t agree with the great mind theory.
She watched as Kit wedged the end of the shovel between the window and the frame. It didn’t take much to pop open the window.
“I don’t think this was even locked—more like stuck.” He slid the window, which opened horizontally, to the side. “No one has these kind of windows anymore.” She didn’t have that type of window at the cottage, so hopefully hers were old, but still sturdier than these.
As Kit eased his large frame inside, he said, “I don’t want you inside, but keep watch for a few minutes while I search his place.”
“Okay,” Ali replied in a quiet tone. Scanning the area around her, she didn’t see anything unusual. The place stunk big time, but possibly the bait tanks were off. Maybe John hadn’t paid his utility bill. Doubting that was the case, she thought maybe there was a short in the electrical wiring. Either way, it couldn’t be blamed on one of Florida’s famous lightning storms, because the weather had been as dry as a bone.
Dang, she was glad no one could read her mind. Everything came back to that bone. She knew it was human; she didn’t care what Dr. Ray Bruce, aka Sharp, said. For all she knew, he could be involved in this cult that Kit was investigating. Maybe the bone actually belonged to Jane. Again, she questioned her decision in making this island her forever home. While it was never too late to leave, she’d used up a chunk of her savings buying the place. If she headed to the Keys, she’d still have enough money to purchase a home, but it sure as heck wouldn’t be on the beach. For now, she’d stick to her plan. If she decided later this wasn’t the place for her, she’d sell the cottage. Kit lived in Florida. She assumed Miami, since he worked for the Miami Journal. Did he have a girlfriend? Had he ever been married? He seemed sincere and honest, though she did not have much experience with normal relationships, so there was nothing to compare it with.
A loud clinking sound jarred her from her thoughts. As quietly as possible, she walked the perimeter of the bait shop but didn’t see anything or anyone. She went to the front of the shop and walked up the wooden walkway to the entrance. Placing a hand on either side of her face, she leaned as close to the door as she could without actually touching the glass. She saw large bait tanks against both walls. The center of the store had freestanding displays of fishing gear. Bright yellow bait buckets stacked inside one another were shoved between the tanks. That all made sense, she thought, as she continued to look through the door. She wondered why she didn’t see Kit. He must be in an area that couldn’t be viewed from the front. She stepped away from the door and almost cried out when she bumped into Kit.
“Shhh.” He held his finger against his lips. “I think I heard someone inside. Let’s hurry.” He took her hand, and they ran as fast as they could. When they reached the curve of beach where the bait shop was no longer in sight, they both dropped down on the damp sand.
When she got her breath, she told Kit what she heard.
“That was probably me tossing the shovel out the window. I didn’t get a chance to look in his office. Pretty sure someone is camping inside. I saw a few food wrappers. No power, either, hence all the dead shrimp and minnows. Whatever bait he had, it’s useless now.”
Not that Alison cared, but still curious, she asked, “Why?”
“Fish like live bait. That’s the general rule around here,” he said, then touched her cheek with his fingertip.
“Oh,” was all she could come up with. Her entire body felt electrified by his touch. Never in her life had a man had this effect on her, and so instantaneously. Before she could overthink what she felt, his mouth came toward hers, his lips soft against hers. Leaning into his kiss, her body yearning, she placed her hands on his shoulders, pulling him close to her. Kit’s hands gently touched her face as he deepened their kiss. She was unsure of how long they had kissed when Kit’s mouth eased from hers. He gazed into her eyes.