Hidden (Nicole Jones #1)(49)

Somehow I know that Ian is responsible for this, but he is still among the missing. Like me.

I can’t stay here any longer. I have to put as much distance between me and Carmine Loffredo as I can. I take the steps two at a time – not even the heaviness of the backpack can slow me down. I have never left the Bluffs so quickly before.

The moped is where I have left it, still hidden and untouched. I slip on the helmet, tightening it around my chin before climbing on and starting the engine. I take one last look down toward the water, the bike, Carmine, and while my first instinct is to go to Steve’s, I begin to worry that it’s not a good idea. Carmine might be out of the picture, but there is no guarantee that he is the only one here with an agenda. And I cannot forget that Frank Cooper is looking for me.

The only place I can think of to go is Pete’s. No one would think of looking for me there after hours. I can return the moped and call Steve from there. Pete will be home now, but I have a key. Pete gave it to me when I started my early morning tours.

Even though I feel as though I am hidden enough by the helmet and the darkness, I am still on alert, but I see no police cars on my way. A few people are out taking walks, enjoying a brisk May evening. I might be doing the same under other circumstances.

When I arrive at the bike and moped shop, I am careful to pull around the back. I let myself in, not taking off the helmet until I am safely inside. My eyes adjust to the darkness; it is a different dark than outside. I take in the scent of gasoline and rubber and make my way to the counter, where I find Pete’s small lamp and turn it on. A yellow glow casts itself across the room, and I keep it on only long enough to dial Steve’s number on the old rotary phone.

‘Where have you been?’ Steve asks irritably when I identify myself.

‘I went to the Bluffs. I didn’t mean to stay so long.’ I am not lying. ‘I found my bike.’

‘Where?’

‘At the bottom of the steps at the Bluffs. It’s all mangled. Like someone threw it over the side.’ I think about the impact against the stones, and I’m glad I couldn’t see the full damage in the darkness.

‘But why?’

‘Beats me.’ I pause. ‘It’s not the only thing I found. There’s a body.’

I hear Steve take a short intake of breath. ‘What? Who?’

I know he is thinking about Ian, so I quickly say, ‘It’s a guy named Carmine Loffredo. He works for Tony DeMarco. He was here to find me. I think he’s the one who broke into my house and trashed it.’

‘Why would he want your place trashed?’

‘We stole money from Tony DeMarco. His was one of the accounts we stole from. He wants his money back. He wants to get even.’

Steve is silent for a few seconds, then he asks, ‘Do you have it, Nicole? Is that what you needed to get at your house?’

‘It’s my money. Money from the bike tours. Pete pays me in cash.’ I realize he has never known how I have managed financially. ‘I don’t have a bank account,’ I explain. ‘When I have to pay bills, I go to the bank and get a bank check, like when I’m paying rent or for my phone.’

‘You don’t have a driver’s license, either,’ he says, ‘do you?’

‘No. Not really.’

‘What do you mean, not really?’

‘I have a license, but it’s expired. It’s got a different name on it. I didn’t want to risk using it for anything when I got back. I didn’t want to use the same name. That’s why I became Nicole.’ I pause. ‘It was in the house, too. I had to go back and get it, because if they found it, they might be able to trace it back. You know, to what I did.’

‘Why keep it in the first place?’

‘A quick escape. Just in case.’

‘Why couldn’t you just get another one?’

‘Because I only knew one way to get another one, and I couldn’t run the risk of anyone finding out where I was.’

‘So you’ve been hiding here on the island. In plain sight.’

‘Until Ian found me.’

The words sit between us for a few seconds, then he asks, ‘Where is he?’

‘I have no idea.’

‘Do you think he’s responsible for that man’s death at the Bluffs?’

‘Maybe. Probably.’

‘So when you got there, you didn’t see the body? Or your bike?’

A small chill begins at the base of my spine and moves slowly to my neck. ‘No.’ We both know what that means. That the bike and Carmine happened while I was on the beach.

‘You didn’t hear anything?’ Steve asks.

‘It was windy. You know how the wind is over there. You can’t even hear yourself think.’ I hope it is a good enough excuse, so I am not also accused of more than stealing.

‘Where are you, anyway? You know, Frank Cooper came by a little while ago. I told him I’d have you call him when I saw you.’

‘Then it’s a good thing I called you, because you haven’t seen me.’ I pause, knowing that Steve is aware I have not answered his question. ‘He knows, doesn’t he?’ I ask. Steve knows what I mean. Whether Frank knows that I am Tina Adler.

‘Yes, I think he does.’

It is as I suspected. ‘So is he camped out on your doorstep waiting for me?’