Paranormal II: The Summit Part 25

"No offense," Watkins said to Autumn.

She smiled. "None taken."

Autumn and Ben left the station and headed back to her apartment. The sun had slipped behind a thin layer of clouds and the temperature was falling. A damp breeze stirred the hair at her temples and Autumn pulled her sweater a little closer around her shoulders.

"I've been thinking..." She walked beside him across the lobby and Ben pushed the elevator b.u.t.ton.

"Seems like we've both been doing a lot of that lately."

"Those names the women are using...if they aren't their real names, they must have some meaning, some reason they were chosen."

"I've been wondering about that myself."

"The thing is, Riker said this guy has a G.o.dfather complex. Rachael, Mary and Ruth are all biblical names."

When they arrived at the twelfth floor and stepped out of the elevator, Ben took the key out of her hand. He opened the door then waited for her to walk past him into the condo.

"It hadn't really occurred to me, but maybe you're on to something. This guy could be some kind of religious nut. A zealot of some sort."

"That could be good, right? If he's a religious man, maybe he isn't the kind of guy who would molest young girls."

"Depends on the religion, I guess. It didn't stop David Koresh down in Waco, or the guy who took Elizabeth Smart."

Her shoulders sagged. What a nightmare this had to be for Ben.

"We'll find her, Ben. We won't stop until we do."

He looked at her and pain crept into his face. "You know what I keep thinking? If I hadn't stopped looking, maybe we would have found her. Maybe if I hadn't given up-"

"Stop it, Ben. You thought she was dead, just like everyone else including the police and the FBI." Autumn reached out and laid a hand on his cheek. "The hard truth is, she might be. All of this could just be some crazy hallucination. You think I don't think about that?"

The burn of tears rose at the back of her eyes. Ben moved closer, drew her into his arms.

"This isn't easy for either of us," he said softly. "I know that."

For a moment, Autumn rested her head against his shoulder, enjoying the comfort of his embrace. On a shaky breath, she eased back to look at him. "You can't change the past, Ben. And I can't afford to have doubts."

He nodded. "You're right. We just have to keep going. That's the best we can do right now."

The best thing for her and for Ben.

The best hope for Molly.

It was early Sunday morning. The dream had been the same last night, the blond man and the women, Molly and Rachael and little Mary, the newest member of the clan. Autumn was only slightly tired this morning. After they had talked about the dream, Ben's lovemaking had helped them go back to sleep.

"We need to go to Burlington," she said. "Show the sketch to the people who work in the sporting-goods store, see if anyone recognizes his picture."

"I know." They were padding around her apartment, drinking coffee, just finished with a breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage and canned biscuits with honey and b.u.t.ter.

"Unfortunately, Burlington Sports is closed on Sundays." Autumn carried the empty plates over to the sink. "It's still a small town. They don't stay open till nine every day the way your stores do."

"Ah, yes...I remember those good old days fondly." Ben finished the last of his coffee then carried his cup to the sink. "I called earlier, got their answering machine. I couldn't go today at any rate. It's my day with Katie, remember? We're going to the lake." His gaze found hers. "I was hoping you might come with us."

Autumn nearly lost her grip on the plate she was washing. "You aren't serious."

"Why not? We can't go to Burlington until tomorrow and we won't hear from Watkins until sometime in the middle of the week. I'd really like you to come. I think you'd like Katie and I know she'd like you."

Autumn bit her lip. This was the last thing she'd expected from Ben. She knew how private he kept his personal life. Why was he asking her to meet his daughter?

"I don't know, Ben..."

"I'll tell you what. You go kayaking with me and Katie, and next weekend we'll go climbing with you."

She flicked him a glance. This weekend, next weekend. She was already in way too deep with Ben. If she didn't watch out, she was going to fall in love with him and he was going to break her heart.

And getting over him would be a h.e.l.luva lot harder than getting over Steve Elliot or Luke Noland.

"Come on, be a sport," Ben said. "You're teaching me to climb. I'll teach you how to kayak."

It did sound like fun and she had always wanted to try the sport. Surely she could keep her head on her shoulders a little while longer.

What the heck. If you're gonna be a bear, be a grizzly, Max always said.

She grinned. "All right, I'll go." She was wearing jeans, sneakers, and a T-shirt. "What gear do I need?"

"Grab your fleece sweater, just in case. We'll swing by my store and pick up a helmet in your size and whatever else you might need."

She didn't argue. Ben was practically forcing her to go. He could d.a.m.n well pay for her gear. She felt the tug of a smile. Besides, she had a feeling she was going to like it.

Autumn ignored the little voice that said she liked pretty much everything about Ben.

Twenty-One.

They loaded Ben's pickup, stopped to get Katie, then headed for the lake. Autumn could have picked Ben's daughter out of a crowd. He had said the girl looked a lot like Molly when they were the same age. At ten years old, Katie had the same blond hair and gentle blue eyes, the same delicate features.

She was a very pretty little girl who, according to Ben, took after her mother, though Autumn could see a bit of Ben in the determined set of her jaw as they lifted the kayaks out of the truck bed, as well as the quietly a.s.sessing glances Katie cast in Autumn's direction.

"Are you my dad's girlfriend?" she asked while Ben was digging the life vests out of the back seat of the truck.

"No, we're just friends."

"He's never brought one of his friends with him before."

Autumn managed a smile. "Then I'm flattered. I guess he figured it was okay for you and me to meet. Maybe he was hoping we might get to be friends, too."

Katie watched her guardedly. "Do you like sports? Dad says you do."

"I love sports."

Ben walked up just then. "Autumn's a fabulous rock climber, sweetheart. One of the best in the state."

The girl's blue eyes widened. "Wow! I've seen those guys up on the mountainside, hanging down off the boulders. Do you do that?"

"I do." This time Autumn's smile came easy. "I love it. My dad taught me. It's really a lot of fun."

"What about kayaking?"

"Never tried it. Maybe that'll be fun, too."

Katie grinned. "It's awesome! My dad's teaching me, just like yours did."

"Well then, I have a feeling you've got a very good teacher."

"Dad's won lots of trophies and stuff. He doesn't compete anymore, but he's still the best."

She thought of making love with Ben and bit back a smile. "Your dad's really good at a lot of things."

She looked up to see Ben watching her and there was a tilt to his lips that said he knew exactly what she was thinking.

"I'll take that as a compliment," he said.

Autumn blushed. "Are we ready?" she asked brightly, hoping to steer the subject in a safer direction.

"Kayaks are in the water-all but yours, Autumn. Katie already knows how to get into a kayak. She also knows how to get righted if you happen to turn over and how to get back inside if you fall out. Sweetheart, why don't you show Autumn how it's done?"

With the kayak sitting on dry land, Katie showed Autumn how to get in, then they worked on how to selfrescue. When Ben was satisfied Autumn could handle it, they were ready to go.

"All right," he said. "Let's get this boat in the water."

They had already put on their PFDs-personal flotation devices-so they were all set. The lake was placid today, just a few ripples along the sh.o.r.eline, that moved out across the surface and finally disappeared. A greenheaded mallard and his lady watched them curiously, bobbing in the water not too far away, and a sea gull careened in the wind overhead. A warm July sun shined down and the air smelled of pine and loamy earth.

With the kayaks in the water, Ben reviewed the best way to get in and how to use the paddles.

"I've canoed with my dad," Autumn said, "so I should be okay with that."

"Great. We're using SOTs. That means Sit-on-Tops. They're the easiest to master when you're learning. Some of the guys are switching over to them completely."

She c.o.c.ked a brow. "But you're an old-school kind of guy."

"How'd you guess?"

But Ben was old-fashioned in a lot of ways. He was always a gentleman, except in the bedroom where he turned into a total caveman. He used just the right amount of male dominance to make the s.e.x good, but also knew when to let her lead-the perfect combination as far as Autumn was concerned.

Apparently, her body agreed. Thinking about being in bed with Ben made her nipples tighten. Thank G.o.d, she had on a life vest so no one could see.

"If everything goes well today," Ben said to Katie, "maybe your mom will let us try the kayaks in the river. There's a nice easy stretch that feeds into the lake not far from here."

"I think she might let me. John tells her all the time that it's better for parents to let kids be kids."

Ben had told Autumn John Cleveland was the man Joanne was dating, a nice guy who worked hard and had a good career with the bank.

"So you like him?" Ben asked.

Katie looked down and shuffled her feet. "Yeah, I do."

Ben reached over and caught her chin, lifted her face so that she looked up at him. "You don't have to be ashamed of liking someone, sweetheart. I'm glad your mom has met someone nice."

Katie seemed relieved. A big grin spread across her face. "Are we ready to go yet, Dad?"

"We're way past ready. Let's get moving."

By the end of the day, Autumn was comfortable in the kayak and really enjoying herself. It was great being out on the water again. She hadn't realized how much she had missed those canoe trips with her dad.

All in all, it was a terrific afternoon, though as the day came to an end, she began to notice something odd between Katie and Ben. As much as he obviously loved his daughter, Ben kept a certain distance between them. Autumn thought perhaps it was just his way, but he wasn't that way with her-in fact, he was getting far too close.

She couldn't help wondering if Molly's disappearance hadn't played a role in his relationship with Katie. From what she could tell, Ben always lived up to his obligations where Katie was concerned, but never went further. She couldn't help feeling a little sorry for the child, who looked up at her dad with big, adoring eyes and dropped occasional hints about them spending more time together.

Ben always managed to navigate the minefield leaving no hurt feelings, but still...

"Well gang, I think it's time for us to go home," he said as the afternoon came to a close. "Katie, you were fantastic. You're gonna be a real pro one day. Autumn, you did great for your first time on the water."

"Yeah, Dad-she was terrific!"

Autumn grinned. The ten-year-old had already won her over completely. Maybe it was because Autumn felt so close to Molly and the sisters looked so much alike. But Katie was sweet and kind and like her dad, a very good athlete. Maybe somewhere down the road, Autumn would teach her to climb.

She shoved the thought away. Once they found Molly, her relationship with Ben would be over. There would be no reason to continue to see him. Odds were he would be tired of her by then anyway.

Autumn felt a sad little quiver in her stomach and forced her attention back to Katie.

"I have to admit it was really a lot of fun," Autumn said. "I love being out on the water."

"Me, too." Katie reached out to catch her hand. Autumn laced their fingers together and when she glanced at Ben, she saw that his expression had softened.

Autumn smiled at Katie who grinned, carving a tiny dimple into her cheek, then spotted a woman walking toward them. She was wearing a yellow bikini on a tall, curvy, darkly tanned body and had long, honey-blond hair.

"Ben McKenzie! Is that really you?"

Ben smiled. "I'm afraid it's me, all right."

The woman reached him just then, leaned over and planted a light kiss on his lips. "You are a sight for sore eyes. How long has it been?"

"I haven't competed for at least four years. It's been that long, I guess." He turned. "Charlie, you remember my daughter, Katie, and this is Autumn Sommers. Autumn, this is an old friend of mine, Charlene Brockman. Everyone calls her Charlie."