Beauty and the Beach (3 page)

~~~

Isabelle yawned and glanced at the clock as Erin plucked a card from the pile, then discarded another. “Don’t worry, it’s almost midnight. She’ll be home soon enough.”

Isabelle grinned sheepishly as she took her turn. “That obvious, huh?”

Dad reached for the discard. “She can’t help it. She’s always been a mother hen with Courtney.”

Erin shot Dad a pointed look. “She’s had to be, hasn’t she, Stephen?”

Brows furrowing, Dad glanced at Isabelle. “You’ve got me there.”

As the two continued to banter, Erin never letting Dad get away with anything, Isabelle bit back a smile. When Courtney went off to school, and Isabelle left home, Dad would be just fine. It wouldn’t surprise her if he and Erin married soon. It was working out for everyone and she couldn’t be happier.

Isabelle’s thoughts turned to Adam, the guy who’d asked her out twice now. His persistence, and the way he’d looked at her, was flattering to say the least. Her friends at the hospital were wrong about her. She’d dated. She’d simply stopped when it had become too complicated. Men tended to take up a lot of time and energy, commodities that had been in short supply when she’d been working, going to school, and spending time with Courtney.

But now? Again she thought of the way Adam had looked at her this afternoon, and felt warmth blossoming in her chest. He’d been awfully quick to ask if he could help her move, obviously trying to insinuate himself into her good graces, and into her life. Who knew what could happen between them? One thing was for sure, based on the way she felt whenever she spoke to him, she was ready to find out.

She heard muffled voices coming from outside, and then Courtney’s high-pitched laughter, and then more talking. After a moment of silence that went on far too long, Isabelle wondered if she should step outside, or maybe switch the porch light on and off. Just when she was considering getting up, Courtney finally opened the door, then shut it quickly behind her.

She was all smiles. “Ask me who had the best prom any girl has ever had in her entire life.”

“Who?” asked Dad.

“Me!”

Erin grinned. “I take it your date went really well?”

“It did. We’re going out again on Monday.”

As Courtney continued to chatter about what a great night she’d had, Isabelle studied her neck. She couldn’t see the necklace, but surely Courtney’s hair had to be hiding it.

Showing off her dress, Courtney twirled around for Erin, and when her hair lifted, Isabelle could plainly see Courtney’s neck was bare. “Courtney, where is the necklace Dad loaned you?”

Courtney’s hand shot to her throat and she patted the skin and gasped. Her face drained of color. “I don’t know!”

Isabelle’s heart pounded in her chest as she stood.

Dad slowly stood, as well. “Courtney, we have to find that necklace. Did you put it in your purse?”

Courtney shook her head wildly. “I didn’t take a purse.”

Dad paced to the kitchen counter and put his hand to his forehead.

Erin looked confused. “What necklace? What’s going on?”

“We…we…” Dad turned to face Isabelle and tears shimmered in his eyes. “The necklace. We have to look for that necklace. He was stammering. “I…it’s got to be here.” He looked at Courtney. “Are you sure you don’t have it?”

Izzy hurried to her sister and lifted her hair to expose her bare neck. She ran her fingers through her sister’s thick hair, then searched the floor. “It’s not here.”

“That…it…the necklace is worth $100,000. I could go to jail if my boss finds out I took it.”

Courtney started to wail.

Dizziness swept over Isabelle and she placed a hand on the wall to steady herself. $100,000? What had he been thinking to loan such a valuable necklace to a teenager? How could this possibly be happening? “Okay, everyone. This is no time to panic. We’re going to find the necklace. We have to.”

Erin stood. “Courtney, go to your room and take off the dress. Maybe the necklace slipped inside.”

Courtney rushed into her bedroom and Isabelle followed and unzipped the dress before stepping back into the hall. A few minutes later, Courtney wrenched open the door. Dressed in her bathrobe, tears running down her face, she shook her head. “It’s not there.”

Isabelle hurried into the room and shook out the dress. Nothing. Woodenly, she walked back into the living room to see Courtney all alone, lowering her cell phone. The younger girl shook her head. “Daniel isn’t answering. His phone went dead earlier when we were taking pictures at the dance and sending them to our friends. Izzy, what do I do?”

“Did you have the necklace on at the prom?”

Courtney scrolled through the pictures on her cell phone. She nodded. “I was wearing it at dinner and then afterward at the prom. Look.” She held up a picture of herself and three grinning girlfriends, and the necklace was plainly visible.

“Was that the last picture you took of yourself?”

Courtney nodded. “Yes. I accidentally left my phone in the limo when we went for ice cream afterward. We walked down to the beach, then after, we dropped everyone off and went home.”

“What limo service did you use?”

“I don’t know. Daniel set it up.”

“Okay. Call your friends and see if any of them have pictures of you at the ice cream shop, at the beach, or in the limo.”

Courtney was shaking her head. “After we got our ice cream we walked on the beach. But not together. As couples. We sort of split up to be alone, you know? And I don’t think anyone took pictures in the limousine at the end of the night. We’d sort of done all that before.”

“Give it a try,” said Isabelle. I’m going to start searching outside.” Isabelle went to the drawer where they kept the flashlight and joined her father and Erin. Erin was using the flashlight app on her cell phone as they searched the sidewalk.

Isabelle searched the grass between the apartments clear to the parking lot. When Courtney came outside to tearfully tell them no one had any more pictures, Isabelle had her sister lead them to the exact spot she’d exited the limousine.

They didn’t find the necklace.

Isabelle reached up to wipe at the sweat beading on her forehead. “Let’s go to Daniel’s house and see if he found it. If not, we’ll get the phone number for the limo driver from him.” She turned to see Dad pacing, his hand pressed to his mouth, his face pale.

Her heart went out to him. “Don’t worry, Dad. We’ll find it.”

They had to. They didn’t have a choice.

Chapter Two

THEY’D LOOKED EVERYWHERE. THEY’D WOKEN Courtney’s boyfriend, but Daniel hadn’t seen it and couldn’t remember when she’d last been wearing it. He’d joined with them in searching the school parking lot with flashlights. They’d looked outside the ice cream store, shined flashlights in windows, then scoured the beach. They were all holding out hope that the limo driver would have it, or that it would be found inside the school, or at the ice cream shop. But for now, there was nothing more to do but wait for morning.

Dad finally sent Erin home and a red-eyed Courtney to bed.

Isabelle was trying to hide it, but she was furious. How could her father have done something so stupid? How could Courtney? Why hadn’t she stopped them? She tamped down her anger. “We’ll find it tomorrow, Dad. I just know it. It’s probably in the limousine. You’ll be able to replace it and no one will be the wiser.”

“My boss will notice it’s missing right away,” Dad admitted, as he sank down onto the couch and put his head in his hands.

“But as the manager, can’t you hide that it’s gone for a little while? Even for one day while we look?”

Dad rubbed his face then sat back. “The owner comes in every Sunday morning at ten o’clock when the store opens. I was planning to go in early and put it back before he arrived. It’s his best piece. He’s really proud of it and asks me every time I talk to him if I’ve sold it yet. He’ll notice it’s missing right away. Frank, my assistant manager, will be there to witness the whole thing. He’ll be glad about this. The thought of him gawking…” Dad shook his head.

“Maybe you could go and talk to the owner at his house. Try and explain we’re still looking for it.”

“I…I just…I can’t.”

“It’s better than doing it in front of witnesses. Do you know where he lives?”

Reluctantly, he nodded. “I’ve had to pick up and drop off jewelry a few times.”

“Then we’ll go out to his place bright and early.”

“I can’t.”

Isabelle sat down beside him, perched on the edge of the couch. “Why not?” she asked softly.

“I’m afraid of him. He scares me. I don’t know what he’ll do.”

“Dad, I’ll go with you. You don’t have to do this alone.”

After a long pause, he finally nodded. “Okay. Okay.”

She patted his leg. “But for now, let’s try and get some sleep.”

She watched as her father stumbled to his bedroom, his shoulders slumped, looking older than ever before. She sincerely hoped there wasn’t any alcohol in the apartment. The last thing they needed right now was for her father to fall off the wagon and start drinking again.

A few minutes later, she headed to her room and was glad to see Courtney was already asleep. Isabelle got ready for bed, set her alarm clock, and climbed between the sheets. Exhausted, on the verge of tears, she choked back a sob. How could this happen right now? Right when their little family was doing so well? Would his boss press charges? They just needed a little more time to find the necklace. It would show up. She was sure of it.

~~~

The next morning at exactly nine a.m. Isabelle’s father pulled into the driveway of his boss’s house. If it could be called a house. Isabelle gaped. “He lives in The Castle?”

Dad’s only response was to swallow and nod as his hands gripped and loosened repeatedly on the steering wheel.

Isabelle looked through the windshield. The place sat on a short cliff on the outskirts of their small Southern California town, in the exclusive area overlooking the ocean. Tiny strips of manicured grass, palm trees, ficus trees, and shaped bushes surrounded the place. From their position in the driveway she could see the huge deck with its iron rampart railing that overlooked the private beach below and the ocean beyond. A turret on one side of the structure gave the mansion its nickname, a name the former owners, a Hollywood executive and his wife, had encouraged. They’d tried to sell the place for a few years and she’d heard it had sold to a retired military man and his family. She hadn’t realized it had been resold to a jeweler.

Isabelle heard her father swallow again and reached out to pat his knee. He slowly relaxed his death grip on the steering wheel. When he reached out a trembling hand to open his door, she opened hers, as well, and joined him on the elegant flagstone driveway. They both moved to the front of the car.

“It’s okay, Dad. We’ll get through this, I promise. And then we’ll spend the rest of the day searching. We’ll find it. Courtney and her friends may even find it by the time we get home.” Isabelle sent out another quick prayer for her sister and her friends who’d been searching the beach since sunrise.

He nodded and went up the driveway and around to the front. As they passed the garage she could see a pathway leading to steps descending to the beach below. The guy must be a millionaire. Surely he’d give them a chance? Maybe he had daughters of his own and he’d understand? She hoped so. She really did.

She walked with her father across the tiled walkway, passing bushes, dogwood trees, and miniature hollyhocks. Isabelle could feel her insides trembling and knew her father must be even worse off. They came to the turn and her father stopped short.

“Izzy. I want you to wait here. Stay hidden behind the bushes. I’m going to do this myself.”

“No, Dad. Let me go with you.”

He was already shaking his head. “It’s enough to know you’re here. This isn’t your fault, it’s mine, and I need to face this alone.”

“You need my support.”

He reached out and grabbed her by the shoulders, looking down into her face. “Izzy, I have enough to apologize to you for. When I fell apart after your mother died, you had to grow up too fast. I’ll do this alone. You’re not going to clean up one more mess for me. Not one.”

Tears sprang to her eyes and she ached for him in that moment. “Dad, you’ve always done the best you could for us. I know that.” She moved forward and hugged him, then kissed his cheek. “For luck. Tell him we just need a little more time. We’ll find the necklace today for sure.”

He nodded, took a breath, and headed around the greenery and toward the front door.

Isabelle took a deep breath of her own, crossed her fingers, and said a quick prayer.

~~~

Adam heard the doorbell ring and hurried down the staircase to the entry. It was early, he wasn’t expecting anyone, and he was already in a foul mood. Another personal assistant quit on him with zero warning, and knowing he was going to have to spend the day looking for a new one didn’t exactly put him in a great mood.

He answered the door and was surprised to see the manager of Wilder’s Jewels standing on his front stoop. He didn’t remember asking Stephen to come out today and mentally ran through the list of jewelry he’d created in recent weeks to see if he’d forgotten anything. “Stephen? What are you doing here? Did I forget something?”