Episode 12: Lost and Found

Episode 12: Lost and Found
by Toni Walker

"I think you're wrong."


Marcey Chamberlain whispered to her companion across the darkened corner booth. Her auburn hair gleamed like fire, but Cole Dalton didn't seem to notice. He seemed all but indifferent to the woman seated across from him.


"It doesn't matter who's wrong or who's right. Wayne McKenna is calling the shots here, and he thinks Muse is a threat."


Cole filled his side of the booth stretching his arms across the top of the seat.


"Muse is a threat?" Marcey burst out laughing. "Is he insane? The only thing she's worried about is whether her father finds out she's remained friends with me. Now that he's being challenged for his mayoral seat by my sister, Karen."


She wasn't finished yet as she continued her spiel without taking a breath.


"Muse is only concerned with Muse. She's been that way her entire life."


Marcey leaned forward more in interest in the man across from her than the topic of their conversation. She took in the lines of his jaw, firm and toned. He was definitely a man she wanted to stare at all day.


Cole's phone chirped and he noted the number on the display. He was up and standing before Marcey could reach for his hand.


"It's McKenna. I have to take this." He flipped open the cell, placed it at his ear and walked away.


Marcey sighed. "Sure, take the call. It's not like we were in the middle of dinner or anything." Her words were barely audible, her confidence in their relationship dwindling.


She was tired of Cole putting everything and everyone before her. Hell, most people probably didn't know they were even seeing each other. Cole seemed to pick the most out of the way restaurants and the darkest corners.


At first, she thought it was romantic, but now his actions seemed on the legit side of shady.
Cole kept walking until he was outside. He didn't stop until he came to a deserted area near the parking lot. He had to make sure no one knew the upstanding police chief was working with someone like power-hungry Wayne McKenna on a project that might not seem entirely legitimate to the general public.


Wayne and his family had a reputation in Park Ridge. They were domineering, big-headed chauvinists who molded themselves into the Midwest's royal family. But they were far from noble, and rumor had it that they would do anything to get what they wanted.


Cole didn't exactly want to be on the receiving end of young or old McKenna's wrath.
"What's up, sir?" Even though he wasn't the nicest man on Earth, Cole knew how to treat those in power - - it was all about respect.


"Charlotte's been released from the hospital. Why wasn't I informed immediately?" Wayne paused and the silence was telling. "I don't have time for subtly any longer. This isn't the way I wanted it to play out, but I can't afford to wait. My father is irrate, not to mention the buyer has stepped up the deadline."


Cole could hear McKenna pacing on the other end of the connection. He was one of the few who knew Wayne was genuinely interested in Charlie Cooper in a romantic way. Deciding to get rid of her or reveal his not so good side, was a big step in a direction Cole wasn't sure Wayne wanted to take.


"Bring her to me," he said, finally. "We have to find out what Paul told her."


"All right. On my way."


Cole snapped the phone closed and headed for his squad car. The owner of the restaurant knew to put the bill on his account. He was used to such interruptions, but Marcey might not appreciate being left high and dry again. But he didn't care. To him, she was only an informant. He didn't care what she thought their relationship was - - as long as the information kept flowing in.


Cole sped away from the restaurant heading in the direction of Charlie's cabin. He knew McKenna was planning a clean sweep of her house in order to find the missing sequence Paul had stolen. Without it, Wayne couldn't complete his little spy gun and rake in the dough his family obviously didn't need.


Just as he expected, the cleaners were at the cabin. In the distance something caught his eye, two people he wasn't expecting were causing a scene with the cleaner team. Jaxx Sinclair and Karen Chamberlain.


"What are they doing here?" he grumbled. Cole shook his head. "He's worse than a damn reporter." But Cole knew Jaxx wouldn't let up on the search for his sister until he not only found the body, but the truth as well.


He approached the scene formulating a plan. Maybe he would give Jazz what he wanted. It didn't matter if it was the truth, as long as he believed it. Then when Jaxx was out of town, he'd find an interesting way to deal with Ms. Chamberlain.


Light a light switch, Cole refocused his attention as he approached the cabin. He was on the far side of the action. That was why no one noticed him. Considering what was going on out front, he doubted Miss Prim and Proper Charlie Cooper was inside the cabin. Too risky for her soft heart.


Cautiously, he slipped up on the dark Jeep, and, like he expected, she was sitting quietly inside the vehicle. He leaned down and into the open window.


Charlie gasped and dropped the silver cell phone she had clutched in her hands.


"Cole? My God, you scared the life out of me."


She was breathless from the shock of knowing someone had broken into her little cabin. It had been so safe until she decided to go poking around in her husband's mysterious accident.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.


He gave himself a moment to come up with a convincing lie. He didn't like to be rushed.


"I was at dinner and heard a report on the scanner that your house was being broken into."


"Wow," she mouthed silently. "You must have been pretty darn close then, because I just called 911 a minute ago."


That surprised Cole, but at least it fit in with his story.


"It's my night off, but I wanted to see how quickly my men would respond."


Charlie wasn't exactly the brightest light in the universe. So, he was confident she'd believe him. Her life had been a charmed one up until her husband's death. She's been the most popular girl in high school, a cheerleader with abundant school spirit, and eventually the Homecoming Queen three years running. Bad things didn't seem to happen to her, and then Paul Cooper waltzed into her life and her luck went from good to completely bad.


Cole chatted with Charlie trying to keep her calm while he considered the best way to draw her away from the scene of the crime.


Down the street, a dark car approached and doused its lights. A figure emerged dressed all in black and quietly slipped out of the car and up to Cole. His steps made no sound.


The man was noiseless, and his presence not even known until he laid a hand on Cole's shoulder. The police man spun around and reached for his gun spontaneously. He easily trained it on his unexpected visitor.

***

"What are you doing here?" Jaxx Sinclair asked curiously.


He fought with one masked adversary while Karen Chamberlain beat up a second who had unluckily decided to take her on.


"Well, I thought we had a date," she smiled at him while she punched the dark man in the face. "You stood me up."


Karen's opponent fell to the ground unconscious. She turned to take on Mr. Third, but the one watching from the shadows sped off in the direction of the cemetary.


"Chicken."


"I did not stand you up. Something came up."


Jaxx continued to fight the masked man. He hoped Charlie had some sense and remained in his Jeep.


"Something always does. Need some help?"


"No, I've got it." Jaxx spun in a circle and knocked the man to the ground using a modified round-house kick. He wasn't quite as limber as Karen. Her kicks were Jackie Chan perfect.
The two men in black ended up nearly on top of each other catching some zzz's. Karen smirked at the sight of them.


"That's convenient. No messy clean up."


Jaxx's stare was withering but Karen only laughed.


"Come on," he said. "I think I have some rope in the Jeep. We can tie them up and hand them over to the authorities."


"Do you impress all your girls by kicking the crap out of the bad guys?" Karen asked.
"Considering I don't have a girl at the moment, I'd have to answer that with a no."
"If you want one, I'm available."


Jaxx's scowl broke into a grin. "Don't tempt me. I just might take you up on that offer."


Karen came up next to Jaxx and whispered in his ear, "I dare you," then she took off at a sprint toward the Jeep. Jaxx quickly followed. He ambushed her at the rear of the vehicle locking her between the Jeep and the prison of his arms.


"I'm not used to women like you, Karen."


"Maybe you've been looking in all the wrong places."


Karen jumped up and circled her legs around Jaxx's waist. "Since I saw you this morning, all I've wanted to do is this."


She pressed herself into Jaxx and deeply kissed him. Her mouth feathered across his. The attraction was mutual. He quickly surrendered to the contact.


"Now that's more like it," Karen said against his mouth. Her smile was dazzling.


They would have continued if a uniformed police officer had interrupted their mating ritual. Karen was unashamed of the position she found herself in. If the officer was uncomfortable, he could just go find himself another partner because Jaxx was all hers.
"Excuse me, but we received a call that this house had been broken into."


He must have been a newbie because Karen didn't recognize him. She pointed in the direction of the crumpled bodies. "There's your men, officer." She shooed him away to go deal with the bad guys.


"Don't you think we should give a statement?"


"As long as I don't have to move from this position, I'm game for anything."


"Don't worry," he said, feeling her backside in his palm. "I'm not complaining. Maybe Charlie could deal with the police. She saw the entire thing."


"She did?" Karen glanced around. "I don't see her. Where's she hiding?"


"In the Jeep."


"Unless she's a ghost, Charlie is not in there."


Jaxx dropped Karen, much to her protest, and examined the vehicle.


She was right. Charlie was gone.