Shattered Identity Read online

  “But…”

  She sat up straight in the bed. “My mind is made up, Scott. I’m going back home this afternoon. Even though Kate is on maternity leave from her deputy’s job, she’s going to fill in for me today at the station. I think by tomorrow I’ll be able to be back at dispatch.”

  The tone of her voice rang with determination. Although he wished he could make her see reason, Scott realized there was nothing he could do to change her mind. “Then at least let me change the locks for you.”

  She chuckled. “As if that would keep an intruder out. You know as well as I do there are videos all over the internet that show how to unlock a door. I saw one the other day that used the clip of a ballpoint pen. I’ll be more careful in the future and be more aware of my surroundings.”

  Scott raised his hands in resignation. “Have it your way, but I didn’t know you were such a stubborn woman.”

  She arched her eyebrows and brushed her hair over her shoulder. “Not stubborn. Independent. Even though my grandmother raised me, I feel like I’ve been on my own all my life. She was sick most of the time, and I ended up taking care of her more than she did of me.”

  “At least you had somebody.”

  Lisa bit down on her lip and nodded. “I don’t want to appear like I’m prying into your personal life, but everybody on the island knows your story.”

  Scott’s heartbeat quickened as the story the island had talked about for the past year replayed in his mind. He wondered what life would have been like if his mother had lived when he was born. How different would he be if his father had raised him? Instead he’d been kidnapped by his mother’s sister and reared to think he had no other family.

  When the anger against his aunt overcame him, he tried to counteract it by thanking God that even until his death his father had never quit looking for him. Then his half sisters, Kate, Betsy and Emma, had continued the quest until a private investigator had finally found him after he’d been released from a military hospital in San Antonio a year ago. Now he was on Ocracoke Island with his family, living where he should have been all along.

  “I lost a lot of years with my family,” he muttered.

  Lisa pushed up straighter in bed. “But you’re here now, and I’ve never seen Kate and Betsy so happy.”

  He chuckled and stood. “And don’t forget Emma. That eleven-year-old sister of mine has kept me on my toes ever since I came to Ocracoke. She’s quite a girl.”

  At the mention of Emma, Lisa smiled. “Emma and her cat are favorites of everybody on the island. I’m glad you’re going to be able to see her grow into a woman.”

  “Me, too.” He stifled a yawn and glanced at his watch. “I think my night is catching up with me. I need to go home and get to bed. If you’ll call me when Doc discharges you, I’ll drive you home.”

  “Really, Scott, you’ve done enough.”

  He backed toward the door. “You know my cell phone number. Give me a call when you’re ready to go, and I’ll come get you.”

  She smiled gratefully. “Thanks for offering.”

  He snapped a salute in her direction and grinned. “The Ocracoke deputies aim to please, ma’am. Glad I could be of assistance.”

  Her laughter followed him into the hall. He closed the door, leaned against the wall for a moment and let the smile he’d pasted on his face dissolve. His stomach felt as if it was twisted in knots, but he thought he’d kept his tension well hidden. After seeing her this morning, he felt more confused than before. Ever since his visit yesterday he’d tried to convince himself he’d only felt the attraction to Lisa because he’d let down his guard. Now he wasn’t so sure.

  The twinge of jealousy he’d felt when he heard a man’s voice in Lisa’s room and the relief he was her cousin had shocked him. He couldn’t let himself dwell too much on the way her smile stirred his heart. She was going to leave the island, and to his way of thinking she couldn’t go soon enough.

  Lisa lay back on the pillows and thought about the brooding man who’d just left her room. Kate, her best friend and Scott’s half sister, had introduced them soon after he’d arrived on the island a little over a year ago. During that time, he had kept to himself a lot, and she had only gotten to know him better since he’d joined the force a few months ago.

  As it did every time she thought about the new deputies in Ocracoke, guilt washed over her. Thoughts of Doug O’Neil, the young deputy who’d died in the line of duty a year ago, filled her mind. She shut her eyes in an effort to banish the painful memories, but it was no use. There was no escaping the remorse she felt for snubbing Doug when he showed an interest in her. Instead, she had her sights set on Calvin, who’d sweet-talked her just as he had every other woman on the island.

  The guilt she felt turned to anger. She’d always thought of herself as an intelligent person, but she hadn’t been able to see through Calvin’s lies and deceptions. The worst part was she’d told herself her feelings for him were love. How could she have been so fooled by a man who was the opposite of everything she’d thought he was? After that experience, she doubted if her battered heart could survive being hurt again.

  Then Scott Michaels had walked into the station for his first day of work, and warning signals had clanged in her head. There was something beneath his brooding surface that frightened her, yet intrigued her at the same time. The way his uniform molded to his body and the smile he directed at her reminded her too much of Calvin. When Kate had told her Scott was dealing with some issues in his past, Lisa had made up her mind to keep her distance. Today she knew she was right. The way he’d looked at her made her pulse race—and that could spell disaster.

  Letting Scott take her home today wasn’t a good idea. She clenched her fists and pounded her knees. There was no way she would ever welcome the friendship of a man who dealt with secrets from the past. She would call Kate and ask her to come pick her up. Then she could apologize to Scott later.

  As if she’d willed it, her cell phone ringtone chimed. She set her coffee cup on the table by her bed and pulled the phone from her purse. “Hello.”

  “Hi, Lisa. It’s Kate. You still doing okay?”

  Lisa smiled and snuggled down under the covers. “I’m fine. Just waiting for Doc to tell me I can go home.”

  “Good. I’d offer to come get you, but since I’m filling in for you at dispatch today, I can’t leave the station.”

  Lisa’s smile faded. “Oh, yeah. What about Brock, that sweet husband of yours? Can he come get me?”

  “I’m afraid not. He has a full day planned. Sheriff Baxter’s on the island today, and they’re over at the lighthouse right now talking with the park rangers. Betsy’s taken Emma to the mainland on a shopping trip. I think they’re going to surprise me with some baby clothes. How about Scott? I’m sure he’d be glad to come get you.”

  “He’s already offered.”

  “Don’t you want him to do it?” Kate’s voice held a hint of surprise.

  Lisa closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. She couldn’t let Kate think she didn’t want to be around her brother. “I really don’t know Scott well, and I don’t want to impose.”

  Kate’s chuckle rang in Lisa’s ear. “He wouldn’t have offered if he thought you were imposing. He’s really a nice guy, Lisa. You need to get to know him better.”

  “That’s what you say to me about every single man on the island. It makes me wonder if you’re not trying to help me find a reason for staying here.”

  “You think so, huh?” Kate paused before she spoke again. “I can’t stand to think about you leaving, but I know your mind is made up. So for now, you take care of yourself, and I’ll check on you after you get home.”

  “Thanks, Kate.”

  After she laid the phone down, Lisa sank back on the pillows and stared up at the ceiling. Sh
e was being ridiculous. Scott Michaels wasn’t Calvin Jamison, and she wasn’t about to fall in love with him. He’d been kind enough to offer to take her home, and she would let him. But after that, she wouldn’t encourage any contact with him.

  Later that afternoon, Scott followed Lisa from the driveway of her house to the back porch. “I’m still not convinced you should come back home. Are you sure you want to do this?”

  Lisa climbed up the two steps to the back porch and stopped at the door. She turned and propped her hands on her hips. “We’ve already been through this. I’m not going to change my mind.”

  He shook his head in resignation. “All right. I just hope you know what you’re doing.”

  She pulled her key ring from her purse and smiled at him. “Thanks again for bringing my purse to the hospital. That was very thoughtful of you.”

  He felt his face grow warm. “It was nothing.”

  Lisa unlocked the back door of her house and stepped into the kitchen. “Oh, no!”

  “What is it?” Scott tried to peer around Lisa, but she blocked his view.

  Lisa whirled to face him. Her wide eyes reflected the fear he had seen on her face when she had regained consciousness the day before. “I can’t believe this.”

  Scott pushed past her and entered the kitchen. He stopped in shock at the scene before him. Every drawer in the room had been pulled out, and the contents dumped on the floor. The refrigerator door stood open, and food from inside it had been thrown against the walls. Through the doorway that led to the living room, Scott could see the intruder had not stopped his rampage in the kitchen.

  Lisa brushed against him to reenter the room, but he held his hand out to stop her. “Don’t go in. Is your cell phone in your purse?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. Stay on the porch and call the station for backup while I check the house. Whoever did this may still be inside.”

  “O-okay.”

  Behind him he heard her making the call for backup. He reached for his gun and winced. Since he was off duty, his gun was at home.

  Reason told him he should wait until Brock arrived to help him search the house. If the thief was still inside, though, he could slip out a side window and escape while they were waiting for help. Ignoring the warnings flashing in his mind, Scott eased through the kitchen into the living room.

  He stopped in the doorway and stared in shock. The sofa cushions had been sliced open and the stuffing pulled out. Overturned end tables, shattered lamps and torn books lay scattered about the room. But it wasn’t the destruction of the furnishings that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. It was something more sinister.

  A message scrawled in red paint seemed to leap from the room’s white wall and kick him in the stomach. “Calvin sends his regards.”

  Scott took a step backward and gulped a deep breath. He’d often said nothing surprised him after all the senseless acts he’d seen people do to each other in his work, but this did. The break-ins at Lisa’s house had been personal, not the work of a random thief.

  At the moment he had no clue who had a vendetta against her, but he was determined to find out.

  THREE

  Thirty minutes later, they stood on Lisa’s back porch with Brock Gentry, the chief deputy on the island. Scott still couldn’t believe the condition of the rooms inside. Lisa’s theory of a random burglary wasn’t being considered anymore.

  “It’s almost as if somebody has been watching the house. When I came by here last night to put the plywood in the window, everything was all right.” The muscle in Scott’s jaw twitched. “I wish I had walked in on this guy’s fun. He would have wished he’d never set foot in here.”

  Brock pushed his sunglasses up on his nose and nodded. “Yeah, it took him some time to do all his work. He must have known Lisa wouldn’t be home.” He glanced her way. “Where did he get that red paint he used to write his message?”

  “It was in the kitchen. I bought it for painting the walls in there.”

  Brock frowned. “And now it’s splashed over nearly every wall in the house. Whoever did this made sure every room was hit.”

  Fear flickered in Lisa’s eyes. “I can’t imagine why anybody would hate me enough to do so much damage. Yesterday I thought it was a burglar, but this is much more personal.”

  Brock nodded. “You’re right, and that’s what concerns me. This wasn’t about stealing something that might bring a few bucks.”

  Scott turned to Brock. “Can you think of anybody who could be involved?”

  “Not at the moment.” The chief deputy took a deep breath. “I don’t mean to pry into your personal life, Lisa, but Kate has told me about Calvin.”

  Lisa snorted. “Yeah, I can really pick a great guy, can’t I?”

  Brock frowned and shook his head. “It’s not that. I was wondering if you know any of his friends who still live on the island. We need to look at them as persons of interest first.”

  Lisa thought for a moment before she replied. “I know Calvin used to hang out some with Skip Matlock, who owns the Blue Pelican Bar and Grill. And there was Andy McKay, who works on the ferry. Those are the only ones who come to mind right now.”

  Brock pulled a small notepad from his pocket and wrote the names down. “That’s okay. I’ll ask Kate if she knows anyone else. I’ll check on these guys and see what I can find out.”

  Scott detected a slight tremor in Lisa’s shoulders. She was trying to keep her fear from showing, but it was revealed in the frown that wrinkled her forehead.

  She took a deep breath and raised her chin. “It seems obvious someone has a grudge against me. What should I do?”

  Brock tilted his head and stared at her. “Why don’t you come to our house until we catch this guy? Kate and I would love to have you.”

  Lisa smiled. “That won’t be necessary. I called Treasury Wilkes over at the Island Connection Bed-and-Breakfast and told her what happened. She insisted I stay there as long as I needed. I’ll feel safe there.”

  Scott breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. Since she’s a second mother to my sisters, I inherited that privilege, too. She’ll take good care of you.”

  Brock glanced at his watch. “I need to get back on patrol. Scott, can you follow Lisa to Treasury’s place?”

  “I thought I’d help her clean up some, and then we’ll go.” He turned to Lisa. “If that’s all right with you.”

  The smile that creased her lips made his pulse race. “Thank you, Scott. I don’t know what I would have done without you during this ordeal.”

  “Like I said—the Ocracoke deputies aim to please.”

  Out of the corner of his eye, Scott saw Brock bite his lip, but he couldn’t control the grin that spread across his face. He slapped Scott on the back. “Spoken like a dedicated lawman.”

  Lisa smiled at Brock. “I’m lucky to have such good friends looking out for me.” She turned to Scott. “So, are you ready to get to work?”

  “Uh, yeah. I’ll be there in a minute.”

  When she entered the house, he faced Brock. “What’s so funny that you were about to burst out laughing?”

  Brock chuckled and punched him in the arm. “Oh, I suppose it was those big calf eyes of yours that can’t get enough of looking at Lisa.”

  Scott’s mouth gaped open. “What are you talking about?”

  “Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about, brother. Kate and I have seen how you look at Lisa at the station. You’re interested in her, and we’re happy for you. We think it’s time you got on with your life.”

  A weight like a heavy anvil bore down on his chest and almost crushed the breath from him. He let out a long sigh. “You know I can’t think about things like that, Brock. I wouldn’t wish my proble
ms on any woman.”

  The smile vanished from Brock’s face, and he placed his hand on Scott’s shoulder. “In the year since you came to Ocracoke, I’ve come to like and respect you, Scott. What happened while you were on military missions is in the past. Your doctors say you’ve made miraculous strides in overcoming your PTSD. All you have to do is believe it, too.”

  Scott shook his head. “I don’t know if I can ever forget what I saw, Brock. It haunts me every day of my life.”

  “Then we all have to continue to pray. God can bring you through this.”

  “He’s gotten me this far. I want to believe He can make me feel like a whole person again, but it’s rough dealing with the past.”

  “Give it some time.” Brock glanced at his watch and sighed. “I’ve got to go. I’ll check with you later to see how things are going here.”

  “Thanks, Brock. It sure is nice to have a brother-in-law who’s also a friend.”

  Brock clamped his hand on Scott’s shoulder and squeezed. “Glad to have you in the family.”

  Scott stuck his hands in his pockets and stared after Brock’s retreating figure. Instead of feeling good about what his brother-in-law had just said, the old anger rose up inside him. How could his aunt have lied to him all those years when he’d asked about his father? Now he would never know the man who had spent his life looking for the son who had been stolen.

  He thought of how much Kate, Betsy and Emma had come to mean to him. His anger toward the aunt who’d raised him intensified. What had made her kidnap him? Did she in some way blame his father for his mother’s death? These questions had haunted him ever since his sisters had found him, but there would never be answers. His aunt had taken them to the grave with her five years ago.

  Because of her, he had missed the joy of seeing three younger sisters grow up. He wondered what it would have been like to see Kate and Betsy go on their first dates or to watch them play sports. Or for Emma to take her first steps. They had told him over and over he had to forgive his aunt for what she had done, but he didn’t think that was possible. She had robbed him of the life he should have had.