Just because construction isn’t typically thought of as a woman’s job doesn’t mean we aren’t equipped for it. We can do anything we set our minds to.
—HAMMER GIRL BLOG
Shauna curled up on the sofa beside Zach. The two rottweilers, Artemis and Apollo, snored at her feet, and Weasley lay belly up on her lap. She scratched the cat’s belly and nestled under Zach’s arm. He’d just taken allergy medicine, so the cat’s presence should be all right for a while. “I should have called Grayson today.”
He dropped a kiss on top of her head. “You don’t want to smother him, honey. He still seems pretty shaken up by all of this. I think church was pretty overwhelming, too, with everyone coming up to him. And he’s neck-deep in protecting Ellie.”
“You think I’m expecting too much, don’t you?”
“Maybe just too much too fast. He’s got to figure out how to assimilate his adoptive family with his biological one.”
“I have to admit I had a twinge of jealousy that he has another sister.” She hated how petty she felt admitting it.
“It’s understandable.”
She sensed a coiled intensity in Zach, a distraction in his tone. Pulling away a bit, she looked up to study his beloved face with its strong jawline and steady gaze. “Something bugging you? Is it because I’ve been too focused on my brother? You’re not feeling neglected, are you?”
He barked out a laugh and shook his head. “I wouldn’t expect anything else, and I’m a little obsessed myself. I got a call from Grayson’s sister Isabelle. She gave me the name of someone at CPS for me to talk to. I’ve tracked down the paramedic you found the day of the earthquake.”
“You’re kidding!” She felt like leaping from the sofa and dancing a jig, but she planted a joyful kiss on her husband instead. “You’re amazing. Who is she?”
“You said she was blonde, right?”
“Yes.” Her memories of the woman were clear because she’d been the face of hope in a scary situation.
He reached into his pocket and drew out a folded piece of paper. Unfolding it, he handed it to her. “What do you think?”
She stared at the grainy picture of a group of ten people dressed in paramedic uniforms. Two were women. She pointed to the blonde. “I recognize the smile. This is her! What’s her name?”
“Olivia Norman.”
She pulled out of his embrace and jumped to her feet. “Can we go talk to her?”
He shook his head. “Not easily. She lives in Rock Harbor, Michigan. I doubt you want to wait to talk to her until we can get a flight out there.”
She perched back on the sofa cushion beside him. “Do you have her phone number? Maybe we could call her.”
He nodded. “And I know a little about her. She’s fifty and moved away right after the earthquake. She got a job as a paramedic in Arizona and married two years later. They moved some and ended up in Rock Harbor, Michigan. She has a daughter and two sons. I called the sheriff in Rock Harbor, and he raved about her and her daughter.”
“She was so helpful after the earthquake. I don’t know what we would have done without her. Could we call her right now?”
He glanced at the grandfather clock. “It’s almost eleven there. That’s pretty late.”
“Maybe not. Can we just try? Maybe she’s a night owl.”
“We’re likely to tick her off. She probably won’t answer anyway. Most people don’t answer unknown phone numbers these days.”
She knew everything he said was true, but she longed to find Brenna now that she’d found Grayson. Her phone was on the coffee table so she grabbed it. “I’ll call.”
“Put it on speakerphone if she answers.” He pushed the paper with the phone number under her nose.
Her heart was trying to pound out of her chest as she punched in the number. The phone rang three times, and she resigned herself to leaving a message until the line clicked.
“Do you have any idea how late it is?” The woman’s voice held outrage. “I never answer sales calls, but this is just too much. I’m going to report you.”
Shauna quickly flipped over to speakerphone. “I’m so sorry for calling late, but this isn’t a sales call. Are you Olivia Norman?”
“That was my maiden name.” Her voice went wary.
“My maiden name was Shauna Duval. I wasn’t sure if you’d remember me. You helped me and my family after the earthquake.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“In Lavender Tides, Washington. You were a paramedic here, right?”
“Th-This is much too late for you to be calling. D-Don’t call me again.”
The click in Shauna’s ear told her the woman had hung up. She stared at the screen, then turned off her phone. “That’s so weird, Zach. Did you notice how she acted like she didn’t know what I was talking about, then hung up when I mentioned Lavender Tides? And she sounded scared. You’re sure it’s the same woman, that the name is right?”
“It’s her. I found a current picture on the Rock Harbor EMS website. She’s older now, of course, but it’s clearly the same woman.”
She picked up the woman’s picture and studied it. “I’m sure this is her. A hundred percent sure. But why wouldn’t she at least talk to me about it? For all she knew I might have just been calling to thank her for taking such good care of us then.”
“It’s odd for sure. Let’s try again tomorrow. Maybe she was just grouchy because it was so late. We could have awakened her or one of the kids.”
“How old are her kids?”
“Grown, so yeah, that’s probably not the reason.” He consulted a file on his phone. “Her daughter is twenty-four, and she has two older stepsons.”
“Brenna would be about twenty-four. She must have had a baby of her own.” Shauna’s gaze locked with Zach’s, and she saw an awareness flare to life at the same time she began to wonder herself. “There’s no record of Brenna at all.”
“Let me see if I can find a picture of her daughter.” He grabbed his computer and typed in a search string. “Here’s her old high school website.” He scrolled through several pages.
Shauna watched over his shoulder, and even before she saw the name, Bailey Fleming, she knew which girl was Olivia’s daughter because she could have been Shauna herself at age eighteen.
She struggled to catch her breath. “We’ve found her, Zach.” Tears burned her eyes. “We found her.”
Lavender Lady was beautiful in the moonlight. Her tall masts reached for the stars, and the soft creaking of the ship shifting in the waves added to the Old World feeling as Ellie climbed the ladder to the deck behind Jason. Gray was on her heels, his keen gaze exploring every shadow.
The last ferry of the day chugged by, its lights bouncing off the waves. The sea wind brought the scent of kelp to her nose and left the taste of salt on her lips as she stepped onto the deck and put her kitten down to explore the new quarters. Ellie’s gaze immediately went to where she’d seen Mac’s blood. The stain lingered, and she shuddered.
She still trembled inside from the horrific events of the last twenty-four hours. Two dead. She had a sense of something momentous on the horizon, like a mythical sea monster about to devour them all.
Gray moved close to her. “Are there any lights on this thing?”
She caught a hint of his cologne, and it comforted her to know he was near. “There’s a generator.”
“I know where it is.” Jason vanished into the shadows.
Gray’s warm hand came down on her shoulder. “You doing okay?”
She tipped her head up to stare at him. “I don’t know. What’s really going on, Gray?” The halyards banged against the masts to punctuate her question.
“I think it’s something big, Ellie. And I’ve got to stop whatever it is no matter what my bosses say.”
Her gaze went to the masts. “This is a beautiful ship, Mac’s pride and joy. I’ve been thinking about how she tried to cancel the tall ship flotilla that is coming this weekend. I thought Terrance might give us a peek into her state of mind, but what if the flotilla plays a role in all this?”
“What kind of role?”
She rubbed her head. “I don’t know. She told the committee it would be dangerous. That has to mean something.”
Ellie faced the shore where lights from town twinkled on the hillsides. Teenagers hung out on the pier, and she caught low hoots of laughter as they shared cigarettes and jokes. It was a carefree scene, and she wished she could capture that same sense that all was right with the world. She saw a few shadows and recognized Jermaine’s slight form beside Stuart Ransom’s bulk. Good people here in town determined to protect her.
Instead, she knew in her bones something was very wrong.
Gray’s shoulder brushed hers as he leaned against the railing with her. “Do you know anything about the tall ship flotilla? Who books the appearances, that kind of thing?”
“Mac spoke with a guy in San Francisco when she came up with the idea.” She searched her memory. “Gun Moon. I only remember it because she joked about him being a cowboy with a name like that. He’s from Korea and owns one of the tall ships, though he lives in California most of the time.”
“I’ll see what I can find out about him and the tall ship he’s bringing in. When are they arriving?”
“Sometime on Thursday. The Parade of Sail wraps up the festival on Sunday. Twenty tall ships from three countries will be here.”
The ship lights flickered and came on, and Gray straightened. “Let there be light.” He looked around. “Nice ship.”
“It was a pile of floating debris when Mac bought it, but it was cheap enough for her to afford. She’s worked her tail off restoring it. She was built around 1920. Let’s go belowdeck and take a look at where we can sleep. Mac had everything ready for a crew. She was in the process of interviewing.”
Ellie led him to the stair entry, and they exited belowdeck in the grand salon. The odor of fresh varnish stung her nose. Newly recovered bench seats ran around the perimeter of the room, and a refinished wooden table and chairs sat atop the red Oriental rug.
“Nice,” Gray said.
“I think the captain’s and first mate’s rooms are there.” She pointed out two doors at the stern of the ship. “They both have heads in them. There are two smaller suites at the bow.”
Gray poked his head into both rooms. “You take the captain’s suite, and Jason can have the first mate’s room. I’m going to stay up top and guard the ship tonight.”
Jason ducked as he entered the salon. “Wake me at one and I’ll spell you. We can each do four hours of watch.”
Gray evaluated him for a long moment before nodding. “Thanks. You know how to handle a firearm?”
Jason headed for the ladder to the deck. “I’m an avid hunter. I’ll take a quick run home and get my rif le while you look out for Ellie. I’ll be back in half an hour.”
Gray gestured to the captain’s suite. “Get some rest, Hammer Girl.”
Hammer Girl. It was a reminder that she was strong and resilient. Together they would get to the bottom of what was going on. She prayed they figured it out in time.