Page 6 of Vanished in the Mist
“That’s where my—what did you call it?—superpowerscome in. I have the latest handheld sonar technology that’s specifically programmed to pinpoint anything under the water that has the characteristics of a submerged body.” He gently removed her hand. “I really need to get going. It’ll take a while to get my boat in the water, arrange for my truck to be driven back here, drive my boat to the area I want to search, and then spend a few hours actually searching. If I don’t get going soon, I won’t have enough daylight left to make starting the search today worthwhile.”
She moved back so he could shut the door. But as soon as he started the engine, she knocked on his window.
He sighed and rolled it down. “Now what?”
“You don’t have to hire someone to drive your vehicle to the cabin. I’ll do it and then you can… You can pick me up on the—the boat here at my sister’s dock.” She swallowed as if that hesitant statement had been hard to say. Then she added, “I’m going with you on your search.”
“No. You’re not.”
She stared at him in confusion. “Why not?”
“Because you have something else to do.”
“What would that be?”
“You were calling the B and B to try to evict me. I’m not sharing my boat if you’re bent on not sharing the cabin.”
“Oh, for crying out loud. That’s childish.”
He arched an eyebrow.
She crossed her arms, clearly struggling with her decision. She didn’t seem to be afraid of him anymore. But something had her clearly worried.
After nearly a full minute of silence, he decided he’d waited long enough. “Like I said, daylight’s wasting. I need to go.”
Something akin to panic crossed her face as she glanced from him to the boat behind his truck. She cleared her throat and seemed to gather herself. “Okay, okay. We can share the cabin. Just give me a minute to get my purse and—”
“Another gun you probably have hidden inside? I don’t think so.” He revved the engine.
Her hands fisted at her sides. “You’re the only one who has a gun. Mine. Which youaregoing to give back to me at some point. But right now, I need to lock up the cabin. Not that there’s a lot of crime around here, but some hiker could come along and decide to help themselves to anything inside. I can’t leave Cassidy’s home unprotected.”
He pretended to consider her statement when what he really wanted to do was laugh. She was so fun to tease. “Okay. Lock itup. Hurry.” He shifted into Reverse and began to carefully back the trailer up so he could turn around.
She swore a blue streak and ran for the cabin.
Chapter Four
Shanna stood at the edge of her sister’s dock watching Kaden’s impressive blue-and-white boat, or maybe it was a yacht, bobbing up and down in the water as he reached his hand out to help her board.
“That’s—that’s a really big boat,” she said, stalling. “What kind is it?”
“A Scout 530 LXF. Thirty-three-footer. Are you coming on board?”
She ignored his outstretched hand. “Do you have another life jacket? For me?”
“Of course. I’d never allow someone to go out on one of my boats without one.”
“Oneof your boats? How many do you have?”
“Enough so that my company can work several contracts at a time. Otherwise, I’d never earn enough to cover expenses, let alone turn a profit.” He motioned toward her. “Now, if you’ll just—”
“Is it like the one you’re wearing? The life jacket you have for me? That one looks awfully thin.”
He glanced down at his jacket. “The thinner ones are more comfortable than the bulky ones and don’t hamper movement the way those do. But they’re just as buoyant. If you’ll step over the side, we can—”
“Are you positive it will keep someone afloat if they fall overboard? Mystic Lake is well-known for people going under and never coming back up. There’s something…odd about this lake. Something—”
“Mystical?” He smiled.
