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  “That bad?”

  “How about that dinner and drinks now?”

  Dinner and drinks turned into shots at the bar which in turn led to hot sweaty sex at Adam’s place. She’d always appreciated his skills as a lover. He was eager to experiment, attentive to all her needs, and had stamina beyond any man she’d ever been with. It was a shame that he never wanted to leave Bandit Creek. She would’ve loved him as a partner to travel around with.

  She had feelings for him, but they weren’t quite enough to keep her tied to a small town that didn’t understand her and to a life she never wanted. She’d been born with gifts that forced her to travel a lot. Being tied down to one place, and to one man for that matter, just wasn’t in the cards for her.

  Besides Adam would never leave, not even if she asked him to. He had deep roots in the area. The Crow people had lived here for generations. For Adam, leaving Bandit Creek would be like leaving a piece of his heart and soul behind.

  Sweaty, hot and out of breath, Kirsten rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. Adam trailed his fingers over her belly and up to her breasts. New stirrings formed deep in her belly and between her thighs.

  “Jesus, you haven’t changed one bit,” she laughed.

  He nibbled on her shoulder. “I’m insatiable, you know that.”

  “That I do.”

  “But only for you, Kirsten Morgan.”

  She laughed. “Ha. I doubt that. You probably have at least three women going at once.”

  He didn’t comment, so she suspected she was right on the money. The deputy was a notorious playboy about town and beyond.

  They lay like that for another few moments, enjoying the afterglow of their vigorous sex session, and each other. Adam was one person she’d always felt comfortable around. He never judged her, never questioned her. When she first told him about her ability to ‘see’ things others couldn’t, he just nodded as if she’d told him she was five foot six and one hundred and ten pounds. As if it had been the most normal thing to say to a man she liked.

  She turned her head to look at him. “You haven’t asked me about what brought me here.”

  “I figured you’d tell me when you were ready.” He braced his head up with his hand. “The missing girl?”

  She nodded. “I had a dream last night. I was at Lost Lake, and the water was whispering to me.”

  “How do you know it was our lake?”

  “I just knew. I could smell it in the water.”

  “Smell what?”

  “The copper from the mine. It’s in everything. You probably don’t notice it anymore. But it’s there.”

  He sighed. “What did it say?”

  “I am Lost.”

  He stayed quiet. She could tell he was mulling something over.

  “Was there any indication that she drowned in the lake?”

  “No. She wasn’t even near the lake on the day she disappeared.”

  “Do you have any leads?”

  “What did Samuel say?”

  She sat up, frustrated. “What do you think he said? He told me to go home more or less.”

  “Kirsten, you have to understand his position.”

  “I do, Adam, but as Sheriff don’t you think he owes it to the townspeople to use whatever means possible to find the missing? I can help, and he knows I can.”

  Sighing, Adam rolled to the other side of the bed and swung his legs over to sit up. He drew his hands through his long hair, brushing it back from his face.

  “You’re just as stubborn as he is, you see that don’t you?”

  “No, I don’t. He’s deliberately stubborn, because I’m his daughter.”

  He glanced over his shoulder at her. “You humiliated him during the Baker case, Kirsten. You made it look like he was incompetent and like his office was full of a bunch of redneck hillbilly morons who couldn’t be bothered to look for that boy because he was black.”

  Surprised, she touched his back. “Did I make you feel that way?”

  He shrugged. “A little. Except I know I ain’t no redneck or a hillbilly.”

  She smiled at his attempt to lighten the mood in the room. He was not one for confrontation, not with those he called friends or more. During the two years they were together, he’d never once argued with her. He’d just shrug and let whatever happened, happen.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you’d felt like that.”

  “I don’t think you realized anything during that time except the glory you were getting for solving the case and finding the Baker kid.”

  She gaped at him. “What? I can’t believe you would say that to me. I’ve always used my gifts to help people, save people, never to become some famous glory whore.”

  “Yeah, but that’s what happened, isn’t it?”

  Kirsten jumped out of the bed and gathered her clothes from the floor. “I resent that. And I think you’re a dick for saying it.”

  “Don’t go, Kirsten.” He reached for her, but she danced out of his grasp. “I’m sorry, it didn’t come out the right way.”

  She pulled on her panties, then did up her bra. “Regardless of how it came out, it’s obvious what you think. So for me, that means this awesome sex we just had is over. For good.”

  “Kirsten…”

  She pulled on her shirt and did up her jeans. “Whatever, Adam. It was good to see you.” Grabbing her purse, she headed for the door.

  “Meet me tomorrow. I’ll give you a peek at the case file.”

  She stopped and turned to look at him. “You’ll get in trouble.”

  “I know, but maybe we can give this family some peace. It’s killing Samuel not to be able to solve this. Maybe he can have some peace as well.”

  She looked at him for a long moment, taking in his dark good looks and smooth golden skin. Despite the fact that she was pissed at him, he was incredible to look at. Although anger surged through her, so did desire. She couldn’t help it. Adam had that hold on her. Always had. Always would.

  “Fine. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to sleep with you again.”

  His grin told her that he didn’t believe her for one moment.

  Chapter 4

  It didn’t take her long to drive from Adam’s place, which was just outside of town, to the B&B she’d booked on Lost Lake Road, which ran alongside the lake. She wanted to be near the water. The water that spoke to her.

  Once she’d parked, stumbled into the house and went up to her room on the second floor, Kirsten opened the balcony doors and walked out onto the deck to stare at the lake nearby. She took in a few deep breaths of the cool crisp air. Air untainted by smog or pollution. That had always been one of the things she’d missed about Bandit Creek. The pureness of the town. As if nothing or no one could touch it.

  Except death. Death and tragedy had touched this place often.

  And at its center was the lake.

  Shivering, Kirsten went back inside the room and grabbed a jacket. She slid it on and stepped onto the balcony. It was as if the lake itself was blasting cold air at her. Just her. To make her go home. To make her stop from finding out the truth. The lake was like that. It held many secrets.

  Bandit Creek had been a mining town since 1867. Built over the creek, the town suffered many floods. But, it wasn’t until 1911, that the waters really came. The town was completely submersed as the mining tunnels deep in the earth collapsed. Those that survived, which weren’t many, built the new town away from the creek and the newly formed lake, which was aptly named Lost Lake.

  Hundreds of souls were lost during the great flood. When Kirsten was little, some of those souls called to her. Despite being ninety years gone, they must’ve sensed her gift because they had often talked to her, calling to her, asking her to come to see them. She had, nearly drowning in the waters herself when she was eight.

  There were myths about the lake now. Something lived in the water. Something that took people to their deaths. Kirsten wasn’t sure about that, but she di
d know that the lake held power. Mystical, mythical, or supernatural, she didn’t know which. But it was there, humming constantly, waiting.

  The next morning, Kirsten met Adam at the local café, Ma’s Kitchen, for coffee and pancakes. She hoped she could sneak in, sit down and order without anyone recognizing her or making a fuss over her. A difficult mission especially in a small town where everyone knew everyone’s business. Where strangers didn’t remain strangers for long and long lost daughters of public officials couldn’t walk down the street without being accosted.

  But she was lucky, and was able to get in and sit down before anyone recognized her. Thankfully Adam was already seated at the back.

  Dana, the young waitress, nearly squealed when she came to the table to take their order.

  “Oh my God, you’re like that famous psychic.”

  Kirsten shrugged. “I’m not that famous.”

  “Oh, you totally are. You were like on Oprah. She don’t just let anyone be on her show.”

  “No, I suppose not.”

  Adam chuckled.

  “Can I totally get your autograph?”

  “Sure.”

  Dana handed Kirsten her order pad and her pen. Kirsten scrawled her name across it along with, “Dana, stay in school. Please.” Then handed it back to the waitress.

  The teen read it, smiled, then flipped it over so she could take their order.

  As she ran off to fill their order, Kirsten happily sipped the strong black coffee that had been set in front of her.

  “You look tired,” Adam remarked, as he leaned back in the booth and watched her.

  “I didn’t sleep well.” She took another mouthful of coffee, grateful for the caffeine. She was going to need it today.

  Her sleep had been plagued with fragmented dreams. All of them centered on the lake. In one, she drowned. Tendrils of water, like vines from a plant, had wrapped around her neck and pulled her under. She’d fought and struggled and screamed, but to no avail. She’d died in her dream. Which was never a good sign.

  “Dreams?”

  She nodded. “Always.”

  Their food came, and Kirsten dug in with relish. She loved the food at Ma’s. It was always rich and tasty and full of sugar and fat, and everything that made food taste delicious. A person couldn’t get food like this in the cities. Everything was so sanitized. For everyone’s benefit. Which was crap, Kirsten thought.

  Halfway through her third pancake, she asked, “Did you bring the file?”

  “It’s in the car. You can read it while I do patrol.”

  “Thanks Adam. I really appreciate it. I know what kind of shit you’ll be in if Samuel finds out.”

  He lifted his cup. “Well, let’s make sure he never does.”

  “Here. Here.” She tapped her cup to his and drank.

  Once they were done breakfast, they got up and moved through the café. They were both greeted by every table on the way out. Kirsten shook hands and received hugs, all the while trying to keep a smile on her face.

  It wasn’t that she didn’t like these people, she did. She missed the town, and the folks. It was the way they looked at her she could do without. Always with judgement or suspicion. After she’d found the Baker boy, everyone looked at her differently. Everyone had been happy the boy was found safe, but there had always been a layer of disbelief over that happiness. As if everyone was asking themselves, “How did she do it? Witchcraft? Lucky guess? Or was she in on it?”

  No one would’ve ever come out and said the latter, but she knew that question was there floating around in the backs of people’s minds, like a cancer eating away at their insides. It didn’t matter that she hadn’t known the Bakers and the fact that she had an alibi for the time the boy had been taken.

  Once she was in Adam’s patrol car, she closed her eyes, took in a few deep breaths and counted to ten. By the time she reached nine she was relaxed and her heart wasn’t racing like an Indy car.

  Adam jumped in the car and looked at her. “Are you okay? You looked white as a ghost in there.”

  “I’m fine. Just tired. It was as hot as hell in there.”

  “It wasn’t really, Kirsten, the AC was on.”

  She shrugged. “Felt like hell to me.”

  Shaking his head, he put in the keys and started the car. Once he pulled away from the curb, he gestured to the box at her feet. “The file is in there.”

  Leaning over, Kirsten upended the lid and took out the first manila folder. “I was kind of expecting computer files.”

  “We have those too, but you know your dad, he’s old school.”

  She flipped open the file and scanned the incident report. Renee Burke, 19, single, no kids, missing since March 25, 2011.

  “I remember her. A shy girl, wasn’t she?”

  Yup. She didn’t have many friends I guess.”

  She sighed, then rubbed at her temple, where pain was starting to mobilize for a strike. “I just wish, I don’t know, I just wish Dad would’ve called me. I could’ve helped before now. I could’ve saved…”

  Adam swung his head around and stared. “Are you telling me you think she’s dead?”

  “Don’t you?”

  He pulled to a stop at one of only three traffic lights in town. “I like to stay hopeful.”

  “Yeah, but it looks to me, you’ve looked everywhere for her. It says here that she didn’t even pack a bag or take any of her personals. It doesn’t sound like she took a trip or anything, or running away. Even a girl on the run is going to take something with her.”

  “What do you think happened to her?”

  She looked out the window as they turned onto Grant Street. “I think she’s in the lake.”

  “You think she drowned?”

  She shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “Do you think she was dumped there? As if she’d been murdered.”

  She shrugged again.

  “But there’s no evidence that says she was ever at the lake that day. How did she get there? And why?”

  “I don’t know, Adam. But I truly believe you guys need to drag the lake. She’s in there. She’s calling to me from the water.”

  Chapter 5

  After she read the rest of the file, she insisted that Adam drop her off at Renee Burke’s last known residence, her mother’s, Haddy Burke. She was last seen there by her mother.

  He’d argued with her, but she basically told him she could visit whomever she wanted. And she would find her own way back to the café, where she left her rental.

  Kirsten now stood on the front porch and braced her hand up to knock. Her heart thudded hard in her chest. She swallowed, finding her throat tight and sore. Did she really want to do this? This wasn’t some anonymous person that she’d usually dealt with. This was a woman she’d known most of her life.

  Before she could knock, the door opened and Haddy stood there, her face puffy and haggard. Her hair stood out in disarray as if she hadn’t combed it in, well, three months.

  “Can I help you?” she asked, a burning cigarette hanging from between thin lips.

  “It’s Kirsten Morgan, Mrs. Burke. Do you remember me?”

  Haddy looked her up and down, then recognition settled in. She nodded. “Oh yeah, of course. How are you?”

  “I’m good. I was wondering if I could come in for a minute?”

  She opened the door wide, letting Kirsten come in. She shuffled into the living room, then sat in an overstuffed chair near the front window. The room smelled of old cigarettes and sweat. It looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in quite a while.

  Kirsten found a spot on the old sofa to sit. She had to push aside one of four cats that milled about the room.

  “I’m sorry about the mess,” Haddy waved her cigarette about, ashes floated down to the rug.

  “It’s no bother.”

  Before Haddy stubbed out her cigarette, she lit another one with the burning tip. “Now, what is it you want?”

  “I heard about Renee. I’m so sorry
.”

  She nodded. “She’s been gone over seven months now. I’ve heard nothing from her. Not even sure she left on her own.”

  “There was nothing missing from her room? No indication that she was unhappy here?”