“Jen, that’s not funny.”
“It isn’t meant to be.”
“What kind of brainiac plan does Burrows have now? You’re not leaving.”
“It’s not his plan, Chase. It’s what I want.” Tears filled her eyes. She needed to get this over with. “Todd and I have had a long talk about our future. It’s the right thing for me. He understands my career ambitions and I understand his.”
“Jena? Is he there with you? Is he making you say those things?” His voice lowered with concern.
“No, Chase. I know this is hard for you to understand, but we don’t belong together. I’m champagne and caviar and you’re beer and chips. I hope you understand.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m going to marry Todd. I do love him in my own way.” She thought she would choke on the words. “I have to go, Chase. I wish you the best.” She hung up before he could respond. Dropping the phone beside her, she let the tears flow freely. Todd had won. Chase would never forgive her. But he was safe.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
“Call the label back. We’re going,” Chase said stiffly.
“What just happened?” Braden eyed him curiously.
“I’ve been relieved of my duties as boyfriend. I’m going to pack.”
“Whoa, there, dude. Hold on. That’s it? ‘I’ve been relieved of my duties?’ You’re kidding, right?”
“No, I’m not kidding. Stay the hell out of this.”
“Huh.” Braden let out a whistle.
“Huh, what? Do you want your ass kicked?” Chase had no patience for games.
“You’re walking away? This is very unlike you.”
“It’s what she wants. Go home and pack and get out of my hair.”
“Okay, okay, don’t get your panties in a kink. I’ll call you later to let you know what time we leave.”
Chase huffed and headed up the stairs. He could see his own way out.
It wasn’t long before Braden was picking him up and they were making the half-hour drive to the airport.
“I can see your mood hasn’t improved. Why don’t you call her?”
“She made it clear she wants nothing to do with this beer drinker, so shut the hell up about it, okay?”
“I wish you’d change your mind. You’re no fun to be around.”
Chase did nothing, but scowl. If she wanted to live her life as a Stepford wife then let her. He had no shortage of beautiful women knocking on his door. He sighed. Who was he kidding? Nothing mattered now. He could care less about this meeting. History was repeating itself and there wasn’t a damned thing he could do about it. In an hour he’d be in the air. Maybe getting out of this town was for the best. He needed a change of scenery.
****
“Jena, dear, are you okay?” Mrs. R. asked from the other side of her bedroom door.
She wiped the tears from her face and took a deep breath, walking to the door. “I’m fine,” she lied. “I’ll be down in a minute.”
“I’ve made lunch. Andrea is asking where you are.”
“Give me a couple of minutes.” Jena bit her lip. She knew her eyes were puffy without even looking in the mirror. There was not enough makeup in the world to cover her broken heart.
They both turned toward her as she entered the kitchen and sat at the table. No one had time to question her before Detective Burrows came through the door.
He held up a piece of paper. “We have a match!”
Mrs. R. jumped up and took the paper from his hands and read.
“A match?” Jena asked.
Mrs. R. shot him a look of warning before saying, “Andrea, if Jena says it’s okay, you’ve been invited to my niece’s for a couple of days.” A grin shot across Andrea’s face as the housekeeper sent Jena a message with her eyes.
Jena nodded. “Sure. Get your things together.”
Andrea squealed as she ran from the room.
“Sorry. Forgot about the kid,” Detective Burrows apologized.
“What match?” Jena questioned again.
“Our man Todd’s handwriting matches the one on Chase’s note, but there’s more…fingerprints are a match too.”
Puzzled, Jena asked, “How did you get fingerprints?”
“Lifted them off the table when he was here,” the detective smiled. “They match a print I found on Chase’s truck.”
“So, what does this mean? You can arrest him?”
“It means your part in this is almost finished…too dangerous. I don’t have enough to arrest him. It’s not illegal to put a note on a car windshield. I could call him in for questioning, but he’s a lawyer. He won’t bite. He’ll wiggle his way out of it.”
“What do we do?” Jena asked exasperated. “I want this over with.” She knew she had damaged her relationship with Chase beyond repair, but she needed closure. Her nerves couldn’t handle much more, and she didn’t know how much longer she could be convincing. Jena was beyond shocked Todd hadn’t figured the charade out already.
“I’m going to have you make a little phone call tomorrow. You’re going to tell Todd how you know he killed your sister.”
Jena flinched.
“I’m sorry for being blunt, but we have to go for the jugular. You’ll tell him you’re at a location I’ve arranged and ask him to meet you there…you want to know what happened to your sister.”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure he’ll fall for it. A lawyer doesn’t do anything without planning, thinking it through, and analyzing the consequences. It could mean losing a case. It’s part of who we are. He’ll know it’s a setup.”
“When he hears you accuse him of killing your sister, he won’t think about anything but covering his tracks. I’ve been in this business a long time,” he said with confidence. “We’ll have him running scared.”
“Are you going to be around, Sherlock? I’m going to take Andrea to my niece’s, keep her away from all of this.”
“Yeah, sure, do whatever you need to do. I can make my arrangements from here.”
“Thanks, Mrs. R.” Jena said with appreciation.
“Be back in a jiffy,” she promised before yelling for Andrea.
Jena picked at her food. So many thoughts were going through her head. Would they find her sister alive? Would Chase ever forgive her? She doubted it. She sighed as the tears threatened to spill over once again.
“What’s on your mind, little lady?”
“Do you think it’s possible my sister’s alive?”
“I’ll be honest. I doubt it. Rarely find ’em alive after the first forty-eight hours, but there’s always hope.” He stopped to consider his words before going on. “There’s always the possibility he’s using what he’s learned from you to manipulate and cause fear. He may know nothing about what happened to her. It’s likely a boating accident killed your sister.”
Jena nodded. His words were hard to take, but she had to accept them. Most likely, her sister was gone. She needed to face that, but there was that glimmer of hope…that feeling deep inside her that spoke to her. Jasmine was alive.
****
The housekeeper was having a pow-wow with the detective in the kitchen when Jena walked in to get a drink. “Since when did you two become so chummy?”
“Since Chase promised my hide if I let anything happen to you.”
Jena’s heart fell at the mention of his name. Obviously, she hadn’t spoken with him. She decided to keep quiet. If this plan of the detective’s didn’t work at least she would know Chase was safe. Jena took a drink as a cell phone rang.
“Hello.” Mrs. R. greeted the caller.
Jena turned when the conversation stopped suddenly. She could see the look of horror on her face and Jena’s stomach fell to the floor. Something was desperately wrong. Mrs. R. was always in control.
“Oh, dear God. Yes. Okay. It’s not your fault, dear. Have you called the police? I’ll be there as soon as I can. Stay put.”
“What’s wrong?” Jena asked fearing the answer.
“Andrea has disappeared,” she said bluntly.
“Disappeared? What are you saying? No!” Jena screamed in protest. She couldn’t breathe. The room started spinning out of control.
Jena heard the detective in the fog that filled her mind. “When?” He was all business. Her niece was missing! How could he sound so indifferent?
“Jena, you have to get a hold of yourself. Andrea needs us,” Mrs. R. reasoned with little emotion as she helped Jena to a chair. “My niece said the girls were playing in the backyard and Noel came in without Andrea. She told my niece Andrea had left with a nice man.”
“Todd,” Jena whispered.
“We don’t know that,” she reasoned.
“I know,” Jena answered flatly.
“Your niece called the station?” the detective questioned.
“Yes. She said a patrolman and detective were there. I was sure she’d be safe there,” Mrs. R. muttered to herself.
Jena stood up. “I have to go find her.”
“You’re going nowhere,” the detective ordered. “The last thing I need is to have to break up my manpower to hunt for you, too.” He turned to Mrs. R. “I have to get to the station and round up the troops. Don’t let her out of your sight.”
Jena slammed her hand down on the table. “I’m not a child. This is my niece and I’m responsible for her. I let this happen.”
“I understand. I really do,” the detective replied. “I don’t need you going off and doing something stupid that would hamper an investigation. Do you understand?”
Jena nodded reluctantly with every ounce of strength she could muster. The housekeeper eyed her with suspicion and Jena looked away under the scrutiny. She should call Chase. But if she did he would get involved and be in danger too. Her heart pounded and she couldn’t sit still. She had no choice but to call him. Andrea was his niece, too.
She pulled out her cell phone and retreated to the privacy of her room. The phone rang six times before it went to voicemail. She knew because she counted every ring. “Chase, this is Jena,” she willed herself not to cry, “please call me when you get this message.”
Mrs. R. was back in the kitchen when Jena entered. She didn’t know what to do with herself. She couldn’t sit here. She had to do something.
“I’m sorry, dear. The detective assured me all hands are on deck. They’ll find her.”
Jena nodded without a word. What was there to say? She had brought Todd into Andrea’s life. She knew he was a bad person, and yet she had played with fire by agreeing to all of this. She should have known Todd would never fall for any of it. She had to get away from Mrs. R. and go look for him. Jena knew she could draw him out, but she was not giving her any breathing room.
Her car keys were on the side table next to her purse. She remembered putting them there. All she had to do was get past her. No easy feat. She missed very little. “I’m not feeling well. I’m going to lie down. Will you get me as soon as you hear anything?”
“That sounds like a good idea. I’ll get you as soon as the detective calls with news.”
Too easy, Jena thought as she entered the living room looking over her shoulder. She grabbed her purse and keys, holding her breath with anticipation as she rushed out the door, She expected Mrs. R. to be on her heels, but she made it to her car without incident.
“I’m going to find you, Andrea, no matter what it takes.”
She had to get somewhere no one would find her. She would call Todd. Something had spooked him. Why else would he take Andrea? He needed leverage. He must have found out about Detective Burrows. She should have known he would have a background check done on Uncle Fred. Todd had connections. If she could talk to him, reason with him…she would agree to marry him today if he’d bring Andrea home.
She watched her mirror anxiously awaiting police lights to appear. She had to hide. Where could she go? And then it hit her—-Jasmine’s yacht. It was nearby. Nobody would think to look for her there. It was private. Her conversation with Todd wouldn’t be overheard. She turned the car around and headed for the marina.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chase was barking orders at Braden while he packed frantically. He had phoned Mrs. R. when he couldn’t reach Jena. He had never heard that woman in such a state of panic. Jena and Andrea were missing.
He stopped to ransack the desk in search of a phone book. Would a private plane be listed in the yellow pages? He clenched his fists at his side as he stared at the advertisements. If anything happened to them because of his stupid pride… He should have stayed home.
“You look like you’re going to hit something and I really don’t want it to be my face. Why don’t you let me look for a plane and you finish packing,” Braden suggested as he cautiously took the phone book.
“I’m sorry, man.” Chase could hear the desperation in his own voice. “You have to find something that leaves within the hour.”
“I’m on it. Get packed.”
“I’m going to try Jen’s cell phone again.” He dialed and it went straight to voicemail. “Damn it! Why won’t you pick up?”
“If we can be at the airport in twenty minutes I found a business flight, but it’s gonna cost you,” Braden warned.
“I don’t care what it costs and we’ll be there in fifteen.”
****
Jena pulled into the marina where the yacht was docked. She hadn’t been here since they brought the boat back after Jasmine’s accident. She sat in the car, thinking back. She could almost see Collin and Jasmine, hand in hand, walking down the dock. She shook off the vision….focus…she needed to focus. Digging through her purse, she searched frantically for the key. Relief washed over her as she found it resting on the bottom of her purse.
Jena looked all around before exiting her car and making her way quickly down the dock. There were few people here. Reaching the yacht, she slid the key into the lock and turned. The door opened with a creak. There was an eerie silence with only the waves slopping against the hull. She put down her purse and looked around the small cabin. Nothing seemed amiss, but her frazzled nerves had her skin crawling. Jena’s eyes went to the closed door of the berth and her thoughts ran wild. She imagined someone on the other side and her heart rate quickened. Jena put her hand on the knob and slowly turned. She shoved the door open, and the air left her lungs. It was empty. She took a deep breath while retrieving the phone from her purse. Two missed calls from Chase. Was he returning her call or had Mrs. R. called him? She couldn’t worry about that now. She had to find Andrea.
The phone rang in her hands, startling her. The screen identified the caller. The housekeeper was relentless. Jena considered letting it ring, but thought, maybe, if she knew she was safe she would leave her alone. This was her niece and she wasn’t letting everyone else search for her while she sat at home twiddling her thumbs.