Page 14 of Spotted at Lighthouse Bay (Spotted Cottage #4)

The view from the ferry window was breathtaking, spanning the entirety of their booth, showing off the passing bluffs and impenetrable tree lines of the passing islands.

Rick sat across from her, reading, always reading, this time a bent paperback.

Addy peered up, tracing the lines of his face. She’d finally gotten to see behind that scowl. War, philosophy, corporate life. There was even more to him than she’d suspected.

She must’ve really embarrassed herself at dinner. What other reason could there be for Rick’s sudden change in personality? Confessing his secrets, as he put it.

At the same time, Addy refused to feel embarrassed. She was too old for that. All things considered, the awkwardness of the blind date had been Patty’s fault, and Addy had handled it well. She let the poor guy off the hook and still had a nice evening, thanks to Rick.

It was a kindness on his part – talking about his vulnerabilities after getting an open view of hers. Addy had that effect on people. She could be so hapless, so chaotic, that people didn’t feel self-conscious about spilling their secrets to her. Addy won’t judge me, they think. She’s a mess!

Addy didn’t mind. It was who she was, and she wouldn’t apologize for it. The first time she’d truly doubted herself was after the divorce, but that was to be expected. The one person who had always thought the world of her had suddenly changed his mind.

She now knew it had more to do with him than it did with her, but of course it still hurt.

Shane had gone through a cliché midlife crisis, refusing to let anyone help him.

All the issues he’d built up during his life – many going back to his childhood – had crashed over him like a tsunami and washed their shared life away.

Shane’s new girlfriend fit the textbook midlife crisis case, too: sixteen years his junior, a fan of posting pictures of the two of them driving in his new red convertible.

What could Addy do but laugh?

It was like the ground had opened after the divorce, a sinkhole no one knew was there. Maybe she’d felt rumblings, but it was too ridiculous to believe.

She’d doubted herself in every way afterward, and though she’d made a lot of progress, she was still picking up the pieces.

Her greatest fear, tucked into that wine bottle in Russell’s house, lurked behind every thought.

Am I worthy of love? Are my best years behind me, or was I never all that great to begin with?

Maybe she was nothing more than chaos and happenstance. She couldn’t keep her marriage from imploding, yet she thought she could track down her mom’s stolen money?

“I hope this isn’t too forward,” Rick said, setting the book down.

Addy snapped her head back toward him. “Oh?”

He stared at her with those penetrating eyes. “Has your mom always been like this?”

She bit her lip to stop the smile creeping across her face. “What do you mean?”

He hesitated, “Well –”

A laugh sprung out of her chest. It was too hard to keep a straight face. “I’m messing with you. Yes. Always has been, always will be.” She shook her head. “Sheila and I still talk to Mom, but my youngest sister, Kara, cut off contact.”

“You’re a middle child?” He smiled. “That explains so much.”

“Excuse you, now you are being too forward,” she said, slapping a hand on the table between them.

“No, it’s just –” He looked down at his hands, shaking his head. “You’re a capable middle child, that’s all.”

“Right.” She cracked a smile. “Mom left us when we were little. I was seven when she just disappeared. Left our dad to take care of us.”

“When did she come back?”

“I don’t remember exactly. She popped back in, but before long, she took off again. She always had an excuse. There was always an adventure, someone she’d met, some secret she’d found. Something she was chasing.” Addy shook her head. “I stopped trying to understand it a long time ago.”

“It’s a credit to you that you haven’t cut her out of your life entirely.”

Addy sighed. “I thought about it. I respect Kara for her choice. The truth is, it’s a lot of work to cut a family member out of your life.

Maybe just as much as keeping them in.” She realized she was biting her lip again.

“In the end, I decided I wanted to keep the relationship for myself. Though, right now, as four texts just popped up from her, I’m questioning it. ”

He laughed. “I understand what it’s like. You can still love someone even if they’re troubled.”

“Troubled…” Addy looked up. The sky was a rich, infinite blue. If she squinted, it flowed right into the sea. “I don’t know if troubled is the right word for her. I’m sure there are a lot of clinical terms for it nowadays.”

“I can think of a few.”

She grinned. “It’s not worth going into it. I’ve learned to only give her as much as I can and no more. I can’t let myself be guilted by her.”

“Right. You aren’t responsible for her choices,” he said slowly. “It’s a wise theory, but can be hard in practice.”

She looked at him. He was resting his face on his hands, his eyes hard, staring down at the table.

“Are you okay, Rick?” she asked.

His eyes darted up. “Yeah, of course, Adelaide.”

She cocked her head to the side. “When are you gonna start calling me Addy?”

He shrugged. “Is it professional to call you Addy?”

“I thought we were friends,” she said.

He smiled, and her pulse quickened at the appearance of that dimple.

“We are.” He sat back, looking her square in the eyes. “Addy.”

She smiled, looking back to the sea. “Good.”

An announcement for passengers to return to their cars came over the loudspeaker. Addy stood first and Rick followed. They walked down the steps to the level with their car. Rick jogged ahead to get the door for her.

“You don’t have to do that,” she said. “I appreciate it, but it’s not your job.”

“I don’t get to do much else because you’re so good at defending yourself,” he said. “Consider it a security feature.”

Security feature . She laughed as he shut the door.

He wasn’t wrong. Just him being there made her feel more secure. She never would’ve done something like this before – chasing leads, looking for scammers.

She couldn’t live doubting herself. Her best days couldn’t be behind her. Rick had reinvented himself half a dozen times. Couldn’t she manage just once?

They drove off the ferry and into Anacortes, winding along the picturesque houses, dashes of sea and mountains in the distance.

It was nearly an hour’s drive to Bellingham. Addy had a Kishi Bashi album queued up that suited the mood, but when she asked Rick what he wanted to listen to, he rattled off facts about an audiobook he had called Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit .

“It’s by John Douglas, an old FBI guy,” Rick said as he pulled up chapter five. “It’s a crazy story of how he and his unit at the FBI started looking into the psychology behind serial killers. Interviewing them.”

Addy raised her eyebrows. “Not the most soothing listening for this trip.”

Rick laughed. “I don’t think we’re up against serial killers. Probably just common criminals, but it’s important to understand how they think. He always stresses that criminals don’t think like regular people.”

He was probably right, but she didn’t like thinking like a criminal. The guys she was looking for, however, very well could be.

Mia had sent pictures of the two men who had gone door-to-door, along with a picture of their calling card. There were no names, but an address was listed.

Addy confirmed with her mom that those were the men she’d talked to when she’d signed paperwork and handed over a bag of money. She didn’t recall their names, either. Anonymity seemed important at this company.

It would’ve scared the old Addy off, but not the new Addy. She was going to figure this out if it was the last thing she did.

They arrived at the address and pulled into a slim parking lot for a strip mall. Rick navigated around a runaway shopping cart in the middle of the driving lane, then cringed as the car plunged into a pothole.

“This place looks nice,” he said evenly, pulling into a parking spot. The paint was faded and chipped.

Addy groaned. “It’s even worse than the motel.”

“I wish Lawrence was here.”

She shot him a look. There was a half-smile on his lips. “Don’t you wish this horrible place on sweet old Lawrence.”

Rick grinned, popping open his door. There were four businesses in the strip mall, plus a space that said FOR RENT , with a phone number scrawled in black marker.

The address Mia had given them pointed to the space wedged between a nail salon and a place called uHealth Labs. They got out of the car and walked toward the building. The air smelled of acetone and fried food.

Two doors stood in front of them; one unmarked, and one with a metal box hanging from it that read DO NOT LEAVE BLOOD SAMPLES OVERNIGHT.

“Ew,” Addy whispered.

Rick shrugged, pulling the other door open.

It was dark inside. Her eyes struggled to adjust, scanning the wood paneling walls and the single cubicle divider, a desk on either side.

A man sat behind one of the desks, watching them as they walked closer. His round belly touched the tabletop, his greased combover reflecting the fluorescent lighting.

“Can I help you?” he asked.

“Yes,” Addy said slowly. “I’m here to talk to someone from Flex Knock.”

He nodded, flipping a folder closed. “This about a house?”

“It is.”

“Have a seat.” He gestured, his hands like paddles, the thick, meaty fingers strangled by a flurry of gold rings.

Two chairs sat in front of the desk. Rick motioned for her to sit first.

“I’m so very sorry that you are having trouble with your house,” he said flatly, as though reading each word from a giant teleprompter. “We are here to help.”

“I was actually hoping to talk to the guys I talked to before,” Addy said. She pulled out her phone, holding up a grainy shot of the two men. “I don’t remember their names.”

“Don’t worry about them.” He waved a paddle. “I can help you.”

“I’d prefer to talk to them,” Addy said. “My mom signed a contract with them. Her name is Marilyn Osborne.”

He put his hands together. “They do something to you?”

Addy shot a look at Rick. His eyes were fixed on the man.

“Do something? Like what?” she asked.

“You tell me, lady. You’re coming in here making demands, talking about a contract. We don’t have any contracts with Marilyn Osborne.”

“How can you know that without looking it up?” She cleared her throat. “These guys gave me a card with this address. My mom paid in cash.”

“I’ll tell you what you need to know,” he said. “Do you want to work with us or not?”

“Not.” Rick stood. “I think it’s time to go.”

The guy looked at the folder on his desk, flipping it open. “Yeah, good. Take your boyfriend with you.”

Addy felt herself being propelled toward the door. Rick had his hand on her arm.

“I’m not ready to go,” she whispered.

“He’s ready for us to go,” he said.

The door opened. Addy looked up – Rick’s arm was above her, all bulging muscle and force.

How was she going to fight that?

“Fine,” she said, “but this isn’t over.”

“Don’t let the door hit ya!” the man behind the desk yelled.

Addy rolled her eyes. This was far from over.