Cliffhanger (The Belinda & Bennett Mysteries, Book One)

Chapter 20

Belinda and Bennett scurried off the rocks, Bennett half-dragging Belinda along behind him, and jumped into his SUV. Bennett kept Lily's car in sight along Ocean Avenue and onto the main strip into downtown. But Lily cut down a side street and zipped out of sight after a car pulled out in front of them. Bennett muttered to himself while Belinda checked all of the parked cars on the road lined with Colonial-age townhouses in the Historical District.

"Do you think she saw us behind her?" Belinda said. Bennett turned left on the one-way street they finally came to, creeping down the lane. "There! There! That's her car." The silver four-door sat with its tires cockeyed next to the brick sidewalk. "I guess she was in a hurry."

Bennett found a space just down the road, adjusted his mirrors to see the car and scanned their immediate environment for any signs of where she may have gone. "Stay here and keep your eyes on her vehicle. I'm going to see if I can find where she's gone to."

Belinda yanked on his arm. "What if she sees you?"

"I'll be fine, but you keep out of sight." He pointed at her face, his jaw tight. Belinda shrunk back into her seat, her lips plumping into an unintentional pout.

Perfectly kissable lips, he thought as he strolled down the next side street. If he didn't need to worry about following Lily, he would have grabbed her chin and given her the kiss of her life. He loved having her along, but she made it hard for him to concentrate - on his assignment that is. Bennett could focus on her just fine.

Mixed in among the residences was a lawyer, his name on a black plaque engraved with gold near the door. Curious that she was in that vicinity, he picked up the pace, rounding a corner and heading back up the street they'd driven down. Bennett ran his hand over his head. Lily could have gone into downtown for all they knew. This was a convenient - and cheap - place to park. Still, he had a feeling about that other side street with the office. So he circled to go back there, glancing at the truck to check on his associate. His heart stopped when she wasn't in the front seat. Bennett ran over, opening the driver's side and checking the back. No one. He grappled for his phone in his jacket pocket as it vibrated and his heart started beating again. A text. From Belinda.

BG. LILY. PARK.

Bennett didn't know what BG was, but he didn't dare text her back for fear it would ring and draw attention to her. He stretched his mouth into a sharp line and hiked up the hill toward the park, deciding to slip down a side street and come up from the other end. It was only a block long and he would have a good view from there.

He stood on the corner and peered around the building he leaned against, spotting Lily Devore near one of the shade trees, but Bennett couldn't see the man she spoke to. And he couldn't see so much as a hair on Belinda's head. Good girl.

From the way Lily's body was turned, Bennett was afraid she would see him come around the corner and scare them off. Or, more importantly, that he might somehow alert them to Belinda's presence somewhere in the park. So he stayed put, keeping his eye on them and their surroundings.

~ * ~

Lily stood with her arms crossed over her chest and leaned on one leg with her mouth all pinched up while Bald Guy gestured with his hands, apparently doing most of the talking.

Belinda's body was going numb, especially her arm, which she now held up at the elbow with her other hand, recording the entire conversation Bald Guy and Lily were having. She had squeaked into a prime location behind a tree with a trunk like a beer mug, but it was starting to get tough to stand still.