Shadows from the Past Read online

  Contents

  Half Title Page

  Books by Terry Ambrose

  Title Page

  Copyright

  About the Author

  Chapter One - Roxy

  Chapter Two - Skip

  Chapter Three - Roxy

  Chapter Four - Skip

  Chapter Five - Roxy

  Chapter Six - Skip

  Chapter Seven - Roxy

  Chapter Eight - Skip

  Chapter Nine - Roxy

  Chapter Ten - Skip

  Chapter Eleven - Roxy

  Chapter Twelve - Skip

  Chapter Thirteen - Roxy

  Chapter Fourteen - Skip

  Chapter Fifteen - Roxy

  Chapter Sixteen - Skip

  Chapter Seventeen - Roxy

  Chapter Eighteen - Skip

  Chapter Nineteen - Roxy

  Chapter Twenty - Skip

  Chapter Twenty-One - Roxy

  Chapter Twenty-Two - Skip

  Chapter Twenty-Three - Roxy

  Chapter Twenty-Four - Skip

  Chapter Twenty-Five - Roxy

  Chapter Twenty-Six - Skip

  Chapter Twenty-Seven - Roxy

  Chapter Twenty-Eight - Skip

  Chapter Twenty-Nine - Roxy

  Chapter Thirty - Skip

  Chapter Thirty-One - Roxy

  Chapter Thirty-Two - Skip

  Chapter Thirty-Three - Roxy

  Chapter Thirty-Four - Skip

  Chapter Thirty-Five - Roxy

  Chapter Thirty-Six - Skip

  Chapter Thirty-Seven - Roxy

  Chapter Thirty-Eight - Skip

  Chapter Thirty-Nine - Roxy

  Chapter Forty - Skip

  Chapter Forty-One - Roxy

  Chapter Forty-Two - Skip

  Chapter Forty-Three - Roxy

  Chapter Forty-Four - Skip

  Chapter Forty-Five - Roxy

  Chapter Forty-Six - Skip

  Chapter Forty-Seven - Roxy

  Chapter Forty-Eight - Skip

  Chapter Forty-Nine - Roxy

  Chapter Fifty - Skip

  Chapter Fifty-One - Roxy

  Chapter Fifty-Two - Skip

  Chapter Fifty-Three - Roxy

  Chapter Fifty-Four - Skip

  Chapter Fifty-Five - Roxy

  Chapter Fifty-Six - Skip

  Chapter Fifty-Seven - Roxy

  Chapter Fifty-Eight - Skip

  Chapter Fifty-Nine - Roxy

  Chapter Sixty - Skip

  Chapter Sixty-One - Roxy

  Chapter Sixty-Two - Skip

  Chapter Sixty-Three - Roxy

  SHADOWS FROM THE PAST

  BOOKS BY TERRY AMBROSE

  Seaside Cove Bed & Breakfast Mysteries

  A Treasure to Die For

  Clues in the Sand

  The Killer Christmas Sweater Club

  McKenna Mysteries

  Photo Finish

  Kauai Temptations

  Big Island Blues

  Mystery of the Lei Palaoa

  Honolulu Hottie

  North Shore Nanny

  A Damsel for Santa

  Maui Magic

  The Scent of Waikiki

  License to Lie Series

  License to Lie

  Con Game

  Anthologies with Stories

  Paradise, Passion, Murder: 10 Tales of Mystery from Hawai‘i

  Happy Homicides 3: Summertime Crimes

  Happy Homicides 4: Fall into Crime

  Happy Homicides 5: The Purr-fect Crime

  SHADOWS FROM THE PAST

  A License to Lie Thriller

  Terry Ambrose

  COPYRIGHT

  Shadows from the Past

  A License to Lie Thriller

  ASIN: B07RTLQ92L

  Copyright © 2019 Terry Ambrose

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locals, business, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Cover by Dar Albert

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Once upon a time, in a life he’d rather forget, Terry Ambrose tracked down deadbeats for a living. He also hired big guys with tow trucks to steal cars—but only when negotiations failed. Those years of chasing deadbeats taught him many valuable life lessons such as—always keep your car in the garage.

  Terry has written more than a dozen books, several of which have been award finalists. In 2014, his thriller, “Con Game,” won the San Diego Book Awards for Best Action-Thriller. His series include the Trouble in Paradise McKenna Mysteries, the Seaside Cove Bed & Breakfast Mysteries, and the License to Lie thriller series.

  You can learn more about Terry and his writing at terryambrose.com.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Roxy

  MY LAST VICTIM was Jack Welton. Husband of Frederica Gurney-Welton. Wealthy stockbroker. Now deceased 546 days. A ghost from my past I can never escape. Jack never knew I wasn’t the high-priced call girl he thought he’d hired. In my business, mistakes can cost you your life. In this case, my mistake caused Jack’s death, which means I live with Jack Welton’s memory—and remind myself each day he was a man who committed a wealth of sins. The rationale helps, but only to a small degree.

  To be precise, I completed Jack’s con six days after his death. The take was $2.5 million and change, which is now worth nearly three thanks to some excellent investments.

  Typically, my cons are what I remember. The process, the money, but not the victims. They were, for the most part, despicably forgettable people—liars and cheaters who thought nothing of squashing human beings like ants on the sidewalk. I’m not justifying my life. My victims would say the same of me. But I’ve been ‘clean’ for 540 days, and even though I was just fired from my seventh job in a year, I intend to stay clean.

  My philosophy had always been ‘life wasn’t fair.’ Having become one of those people who struggled to grind out a living from paycheck to paycheck, the philosophy stuck in my gut like a sharp-bladed knife. To be honest, I didn’t mind the pain because, as the cliché goes, I’d found purpose.

  I never intended to become the guardian of a headstrong twelve-year-old girl, but now I couldn’t imagine selling my soul for money ever again. I checked the time. It was almost three p.m. and Lily should have already gotten home from school. She always texted me when she arrived, but today she hadn’t.

  I closed my eyes. A breeze caressed my skin. In so many ways, being a con artist had been my calling. I’d become a chameleon in life, never willing, or even able, to accept the inconvenience of an emotional connection with another human being. I choked back a sob at all the things I’d missed.

  There’s no denying Lily and I have had our problems. I wasn’t exactly a good role model, nor was her mother, who sold her body for drugs one too many times and died of an overdose. When we heard the news, Lily felt lost and alone and returned to the only life she’d known for years. I didn’t blame her. Her reaction even made sense to me because Lily and I are kindred spirits—broken souls.

  But Lily is the strong one. She’s had to do things I never did. I never had to live on the streets. My mom and dad were still together. They loved me despite my faults. It’s how I love Lily. It’s why I fought so hard to find her and bring her back when she ran away.

  I checked the time again. Four minutes after the last time. I
had to get it together. For Lily. And maybe, for Skip, too.

  As the current cliché goes, Skip and I are in a relationship—and we have issues. He’s steady, reliable, and honest—all things I tend not to be. We’ve only been together for a couple of years, so the odds of us not making it are high. That’s why Lily is so important. I can’t fail her. Not only can’t. I won’t.

  In some ways, Lily was part of the reason Dr. Greed fired me today. My victims were also to blame.

  After only two months with a ‘family’ dental clinic, I saw the way they subbed dental students for a real dentist. I saw the overcharges to patients. And when Dr. Greed told a poor, honest woman with two little kids each one needed extensive work, I snuck her a note suggesting she seek a second opinion. I even gave her the name of my family dentist.

  My coworker, who hated working for Dr. Greed as much as I did, sucked up to the doc and told him what I’d done. He gave me a lecture to the effect of having hired me to be a receptionist, not a social worker. Never one to be cowed by a bully, I made the mistake of defending my actions. Dr. Greed told me to leave. I told him what he could do with his job. Things went downhill from there.

  So I was unemployed—again.

  I opened my door and climbed the stairs to my apartment. It’s two bedrooms, small, but it works for Lily and me. Occasionally, I still pick the front door lock. Maybe it was part of my DNA. Although it helped to keep my skills intact, I did it less and less these days.

  Inside, I stopped at the sight of two cell phones on the dining table. I recognized Lily’s, but not the other. Dear God, don’t tell me she was with a boy. Is that why she hadn’t texted?

  “Lily? Are you here?” I called, waited, then rushed to her room. She wasn’t there. Her sketch pad lay on the bed, which she’d made, and her clothes were all in the closet. At least she was abiding by those rules. I went back to the dining room table. Underneath Lily’s phone was a lined piece of paper torn from one of those yellow notepads. It was folded in half. I picked it up, opened it, and read.

  We have the kid. If you want to see her alive, have $5 million ready by tomorrow at noon.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Skip

  THE DEVICE, ABOUT the size of a mosquito, had operable wings and buzzed around the room like its real-life counterpart. Watching it fly gave Skip chills.

  “It flies like a drunken insect on speed,” Skip said.

  “Dude. Chill. You don’t want to crash my drone.”

  Skip’s friend Baldorf sat several feet away on an old secretarial chair. The thing was so ancient it could have come from someone’s garage sale. Skip nudged the joystick to his right. The fake mosquito darted toward the wall, stopping only inches away.

  “What happened?” He stared at the drone, which seemed to hover before the wall on its own.

  Baldorf let out a sigh of relief. “Awesome. The CA subsystem took over.”

  “The what?”

  “Collision Avoidance subsystem, bro. You like had me worried because you were going so fast it might not have time to react.”

  “I don’t even think this thing’s controllable, buddy.” Skip sighed, took his fingers off the joystick, and pushed the button labeled Home on the controller.

  “Eminently controllable, dude. You just need more practice.” Baldorf stood, took the gray plastic box from Skip’s hand, and flipped it over. “I can also dial down the sensitivity. By lowering the ratio of…”

  “Baldorf. It’s me, remember. Normal IQ. Not, well, you. And why are you teaching me to fly your new toy?”

  “Laws of cause-and-effect, bro.” Baldorf began counting on his fingers. “A—you’re my friend and want me to succeed. Therefore, B—you’re helping me out by testing. This is total crunch time.”

  “I don’t mind taking an afternoon off to help you, but I don’t know if I’m the best person to do this kind of thing.”

  Baldorf held up a third finger. “And C, you’re a partner. Whether you like it or not. Besides, you gave me the idea for the MD-1 when you said…” Baldorf switched to a lower-pitch in his voice. “I sure wish I could be a fly on the wall for that conversation.”

  Skip frowned and peered at his friend. He’d just turned thirty, was tall with boyish features and distracted from normal conversations by seemingly random strokes of genius. Strokes that resulted in a tiny device with the potential to change the game of surveillance. “Clever name, but I said ‘fly’, not mosquito.”

  “Flies can’t take blood samples.”

  “You scare me, buddy.”

  “Eyes and ears anywhere, and it can charge in any wall outlet. Best of all, it can be flown with minimal training. That, my friend, is the genius of the MD-1.”

  “I’m not so sure about that minimal training claim.”

  “I’ll do some work on the flight algorithms. Just a few little tweaks is all it needs.”

  “Well, start tweaking. If your MD-1 can’t be operated by any old yokel…” Skip stopped, pointed a finger downwards, and moved his hand in a spiral. “A fifty million dollar contract with the government goes down the tubes. No more spyware contract. No more company.”

  “You’ll get me there. I have faith. You’re the world’s greatest PI.”

  “I’m not a PI, Baldorf. Not yet, anyway.”

  “Give up the hired-hand routine, dude. You’re getting like too old for that. You totally need a business interest to boost your long-term security.”

  “I’m only thirty-four. Give me a break.” Skip’s phone, which sat on the desktop, lit up. He read the display, shrugged, and winked at his friend. “Uh oh, it’s the little woman.”

  Baldorf chuckled. “Don’t let her hear you say that. She’ll break your arm.”

  “Knowing Roxy, she’d pick my pocket while I was dialing 9-1-1.” He tapped the on-screen button to answer. “Hey. What’s up?”

  “Did you pick up Lily from school?”

  “No. I got a text from her that said she was hanging out at the library with a friend. She didn’t send it to you, too?”

  There was a long pause, then Roxy said, “Okay. I’ve got to go.”

  The call ended and Skip stared at the screen. “Well, that’s weird. Why would Lily text me, but not Roxy?”

  “Oversight?”

  “Lily wouldn’t make that mistake.”

  “Maybe they got into it.”

  “I doubt it. No. Something’s up. I could tell by the tone in her voice…wait a minute. If Roxy didn’t get a message from Lily, why would she even call me?” He paused, shook his head, and dialed Roxy’s work number.

  On the third ring, a voice he didn’t recognize answered. “Arthur Reid Dental Clinic, the home for friendly, professional dentistry for your entire family. How may I help you?”

  “Roxy Tanner, please.”

  “Who?”

  “Miss Tanner. She’s the receptionist.”

  “Oh dear. I’m sorry, sir. I’m a temp from an agency. I’m the receptionist.”

  Skip closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Thank you,” he said, then disconnected. “Another job, lost.”

  “Dude, I’m sorry.”

  “I’m used to it now, buddy. Look, Roxy’s phone call has to mean she’s home and Lily’s not. I’m sure it’s okay, but I’d better text Lily and have her contact Roxy just to be safe.”

  He sent the message, but after a couple of minutes, there was no response.

  “Okay. Now this is getting even weirder. Lily always answers right away.”

  “You want me to tell you where she’s at?” Baldorf raised his coffee mug and peered at Skip. “Only take a moment.”

  A seed of tension took root in Skip’s shoulders. That seed had been there before and had almost consumed him in the past. Roxy’s life was anything but normal. If he said all he wanted was normal, he’d be lying. All he really wanted was her. And Lily. When they were together, whether it was something simple like a night out for pizza or a day trip to Sea World, it was like they were different
people. Normal people. The kind who didn’t break the law.

  “Dude? You’re doing that thing again.”

  “Sorry. I was thinking about how things could be. Technically, neither of us have permission to locate Lily’s phone.”

  “Oh, come on, aren’t you like almost her guardian?”

  Skip huffed and nodded. “Find her.”

  “Awesome!” Baldorf swiveled around on his chair and tapped on the keyboard. About ten seconds later, a map lit up on one of his monitors. A small, blue dot pulsed in the center of the map. Baldorf zoomed in on the dot, but Skip didn’t need the magnification. He recognized the street names.

  “The kid’s phone is…”

  “In Roxy’s apartment.” Skip stared at the map. “Baldorf, where’s Roxy right now?”

  A look of sadness crossed Baldorf’s face, but he turned back to the keyboard. A few seconds later a red dot pulsed next to the blue one. “Oh man,” Baldorf sighed. “About ten feet away from the kid’s phone.”

  Skip stood, took a deep breath, and grimaced. “I’ll be back.”

  “Where you going, man?”

  “Changing places.”

  Baldorf shook his head. “I don’t understand, dude.”

  “I know, buddy. You’re the technical genius. People don’t make sense to you. Well, understanding people is how I make my living. And right now, my gut is telling me Lily’s phone is just the tip of some massive, crap-filled iceberg that’s about to rip us sideways.”

  “You’re gonna go all Titanic-scenario on me? Maybe the kid just walked out without her phone.”

  Skip raised both eyebrows. “Seriously?”

  “There’s like a four-point-two percent chance of that happening.” Baldorf paused, shrugged, and added, “Maybe less.”

  “I think that probability is dropping.” Skip pointed at the red dot exiting the apartment on the map.

  “You think she’s going to look for the kid?” Baldorf asked.

  “Actually, I’m betting she’s coming here to ask for your help. Let me know if she shows up. I’ll be back.”