Closing Books (28 page)

“Yes. It’s just the pictures.”

“I know. I’ll talk to Joe about it later.”

Evelyn chuckled softly, shaking her head. “There’s no need for that. I’m sure he got the point.”

He was still going to do it anyway.
 

Though Evelyn appreciated all their help with the Amy issue, she didn’t like people helping her out with everything. He understood it was the need to hold on to her independence, to remind herself that she was no longer the young girl who couldn’t protect or take care of herself.

Her willingness to move in with him in order to give him peace of mind was already a huge compromise, so he was careful not to overstep.
 

Still, it couldn’t hurt if she didn’t find out about it.
 

“So, have you told Kate about changing the study room into a nursery?”

The change in topic immediately got her smiling. “Yes. Tyler has no problem with it. It’s actually Kate who’s having a bit of problem with letting go of some of the things in the room. I believe she spent a lot of time in that room with Tyler’s grandfather.”

“You’d think he was her grandfather.”

“In a way, he was. He was kind to both her grandmother and her, and she’s the type who doesn’t forget any bit of kindness shown toward her.

“I’m thinking of taking the desk apart and using it to make the crib. That way, she’s not giving up the furniture; it’ll become a part of the new room.”

“That’s a great idea. I’m sure she’d love it.”
 

“And Dan.” She paused, spinning the phone in her hand. “There’s something else I want to discuss with you.”

“What is it?”

“I want to speak with Melissa Rose, alone. I’m sure Kate will be fine with it after some persuasion.”

Dan frowned. The word ‘no’ was already at the tip of his tongue, but he managed to keep his lips sealed.
 

She was no longer the cryptic person who did things because she thought it was right, regardless of what others thought. She’d thought things through, taking his feelings into consideration, before speaking to him about helping Lydia. She must have thought this through as well.

“You can drive me there, but I want to speak to her alone. I can call you on the phone and leave it on the line while I go in. That way, you’ll hear everything, and if I get into trouble, you’ll only be a few steps away.”

The corner of his lips crept upward. “Thank you.”

It was her turn to frown. “For what?”

“For compromising.”

“It was really Kate’s idea, just that you’re not Tyler, I know you’ll let me do it if you know that’s what I want.”

He considered the situation and the risk involved.

“Dan, I’ve been learning self-defense from Tyler and have been practicing with Joseph. I’m not saying that I’m an expert, but I’m pretty sure I can handle a woman for a few minutes.”

“What if there are others in the house?”

“I thought Ben said that she was living on her own?”

“He
believes
she’s living on her own.”

“Hmm…” She pursed her lips and thought about it for a moment. “I’ll leave if I see anyone else inside. I’ll ask her, too. That way, you can hear it on the line.”

Dan nodded slowly. “All right, we’ll do as you say. If Kate is agreeable, I’m fine with it.
But
you have to be on the line at all times, and if it gets cut, I’ll go in after you.”

Evelyn bit her lips, and Dan knew she was trying to stop herself from laughing at his words.
 

“I’m serious.”

“Okay. We’ll talk to Kate about it.”

Kate wasn’t the only one who opposed to the idea of Evelyn meeting Melissa Rose on her own.

While Evelyn was worried about Kate, the rest of the guys had reminded Dan that things were different this time round and told him to be more alert.
 

Before, Kate was the main target; the threats and fire all aimed at her.
 

This time, the focus had shifted.
 

Evelyn had received the blackmail and David Morgan had basically admitted to be the one behind it all.

The guys turned to Dan, expecting him to put in some kind of protest, but he only shrugged.

“We’re not letting you go alone,” Ryan said.

“I’ll be fine. Dan will be right outside.”

“He goes in with you, or you don’t go at all,” Joseph replied.

Evelyn rolled her eyes at Joseph’s condescending words. “Nothing will happen. Lydia went alone and she was fine.”

“Fine? She’s in the hospital now and doesn’t look fine at all.” Joseph turned to Dan. “You’re okay with it?”

“No, I’m not. I don’t want her to take the risk.” He paused and raised his hand, palm out, when he saw Evelyn’s surprise. “But, she has been practicing with you and Ty, even if something does happen, I’m sure she can handle herself for a few minutes.”

“Thank you.”

Joseph opened his mouth to speak. Dan was sure Joseph would have a valid refute for every valid point that they had, but he shook his head slightly and continued. “Let her go. She knows what she’s doing.”

“We’ve been through everything, and Melissa Rose is our only lead. Let’s just get this over and done with,” Evelyn said.

“If Dan’s fine with it, then why not?” Ryan gave Joseph and mock punch.

“Then it’s settled.” Dan turned to Evelyn. “We’ll go tomorrow.”

That night, Dan and Evelyn lay in bed, neither saying anything.

He had supported Evelyn’s plan because logically, he knew Evelyn needed to do this, he knew the chances of the meeting becoming dangerous was slim, he knew Evelyn could handle herself in tough situations, and he knew they didn’t have anything else to go on.

But…There was always a but.

“Can’t sleep?” Evelyn asked as she moved closer, laying her head on his chest.

“You’re still awake, too.”

“I’ll be fine. I’m just wondering if she would entertain my questions. And if she does, what will she say? What does she have over David Morgan?”

“She may have nothing, you do know it’s Lydia’s hunch.”

“I know.”

He weaved his fingers into her hair. “Whatever it is, promise me that you’ll be careful. Don’t push her. And if you sense that something is wrong, you’ll leave immediately.”

“I will.” She lifted her head and kissed him lightly on his chest. “Goodnight.”

The next morning, both Evelyn and Dan woke up without the help of the alarm. Sitting in the car, she read through the notes that Lydia had on Melissa Rose.

Lydia had every detail on Melissa Rose, from the date of birth to the current home address.
 

It summed up to a familiar entertainment industry story, a former model who married a tycoon.

Ben had since added a few additional details he’d dug up. Small details, but highly revealing.

Ben couldn’t find much about Melissa Rose after her marriage. Besides the photos in highly publicized social events, there was barely any information on her. And for a while, Melissa Rose had dropped out of the social scene while rumors of a divorce speculated. Then, she returned to the parties, smiling graciously beside David Morgan.

Evelyn stared at the photo of Melissa Rose and David Morgan on her iPad.

She recognized the smile on Melissa Rose.

A smile that didn’t reach the eyes, a smile concealing a mixture of rage and despondence. The same exact smile she used to wear whenever she was in school and around strangers, whenever she had to pretend that everything in her life was fine.

She glanced up from the picture when the car came to a stop.

“You sure about this?”

Nodding, she pulled out her phone from the bag. “Let’s set up the call.”

They adjusted their phones, testing to make sure Dan could hear everything while her phone was in her bag.

Dan wanted her to hold the phone in her hand, but she thought it was too obvious.

With the Bluetooth earpiece in her ear, she got out of the car and moved toward the house, then turned to wave to Dan before she rang the bell.

The door inched opened, just slightly, and a pair of skeptical eyes peered out from behind the door.

“Melissa Rose?”

“Yes?”

“I’m Evelyn Jordan, Lydia—”

The pair of eyes disappeared and the door was about to slam close in her face.

“Listen.” Evelyn pushed against the door, keeping the door from closing.

“Leave me alone,” Melissa Rose hissed.

“Eve.”

She heard Dan’s voice through her earpiece, and she knew he was a couple of seconds from jumping out of the car. “I know what it’s like to feel all alone, like there’s no one to help and no way out.”

The weight on the door lifted, but Melissa Rose remained hidden behind it.

“I can help. I have friends who can help you. You don’t have to be alone.”

Melissa Rose didn’t reply.

There was no movement behind the door either.

Evelyn waited, giving Melissa Rose the time she needed.

Slowly, the door opened and Melissa Rose scanned the surroundings, her eyes stopping on Dan’s car.

“That’s my boyfriend. He’s just waiting for me,” Evelyn said when she noticed what Melissa Rose was staring at.

After a minute, with neither speaking, Evelyn continued. “Look, I know you want to leave, and I know you need help to do that. I’m offering you that help.”

Again, silence fell between the ladies.

“Eve, forget it. She doesn’t seem willing to talk.”

Evelyn glanced over her shoulder at Dan, then back at Melissa Rose. “If someone had offered me a chance to get out of my situation, I would have grabbed it without a second thought. If you want to leave, I’m here to help.” She looked Melissa Rose right in her eyes, and waited.

Just when she wanted to turn around and leave, Melissa Rose stepped aside for Evelyn to enter.

“Where’s the Lydia girl?”

Pursing her lips, Evelyn tried to come up with something that wouldn’t cause Melissa Rose to regret the decision of letting her in.

“Don’t lie to me.”

“I wasn’t going to.” She moved over and sat on the couch while Melissa Rose remained standing across her. “She’s at the hospital. She got hurt.”

Evelyn saw Melissa Rose’s eyes widening, so she quickly continued. “That was because we didn’t know what she was investigating. She’s safe now. She has two bodyguards with her all the time.”

“I can’t live with a bodyguard all the time.”

“Then why don’t you leave?” Evelyn noticed the wry smile on Melissa Rose’s face.
 

Melissa Rose finally sat. She closed her eyes and shook her head slowly.

Evelyn scrutinized Melissa Rose. The dark rings under her eyes were obvious. She appeared so frail and brittle that it was as though one touch would cause her to shatter into a million pieces.

Melissa Rose continued shaking her head. The wry smile on her face disappeared and she pursed her lips, her eyes revealing a pain of hopes being dashed.

Evelyn knew she was losing Melissa Rose. Anytime now, she’d be thrown out. She had to convince Melissa that she truly understood the fear and the helplessness.
 

“This is a—”

“I do know what you’re going through,” Evelyn interjected. Then, she told Melissa her story, told her how she was caged and tortured, how she thought every night was her last, how she tried to get help only to find out that no one cared enough to fight for her, that she was all alone.
 

“So I wasn’t lying when I told you that I understand how you feel. No one helped me when I needed it,” she said. “I’m offering you help.”

“What can you do? He wouldn’t let me leave; he wouldn’t even let me get a divorce. I had to threaten him to let me stay here alone. Even here, he keeps track of my movements. He won’t allow me to go to work. Like he said,” Melissa turned and looked out of the window before continuing in a soft, pained voice, “I’m just a pet to him.”

“If you put him away in jail, he’ll lose his hold on you.”

“He’ll kill me before that happens. He told me so. And since we’re still married, I can’t testify against him.”

“Then give me the clues, point me in the right direction. He doesn’t have to know that you’re involved.”

“He’ll kill me if he finds out. I can’t.”

Evelyn nodded. She understood her fear. She had been through it herself. “I’m not pushing you to make a decision now. I have a friend who knows a detective well. We’ve got an experienced lawyer on our side. My friend can get you a place to stay and bodyguards until we put him away. When you’re ready, you can leave this cage.” Evelyn took out her name card and pushed it across the coffee table separating them. “Think about it.”

“What happened to your foster parent?”

“I killed her, in self-defense.” Evelyn stood while Melissa continued to stare at the card. “It’s not too late. You can still leave if you want.” She waited for a moment before moving toward the door. “Call me when you’re ready.”

Evelyn looked through the drawings of the crib and dressing table for the baby. She calculated the amount of wood needed and cross-checked it with her measurements of the mahogany desk in Tyler’s study.
 

It wasn’t enough. She would have to take from the huge cabinets against the wall.
 

She did more calculations and figured that with the additional wood, she could fashion a small study desk for the baby to use in the future.
 

Looking up from her drawings, she glanced toward her cell phone.
 

The possibility of Melissa Rose calling was slim, but she couldn’t help checking her phone to make sure she hadn’t missed any calls.

She understood why Melissa Rose was so hostile to her.
 

Fear and loneliness were great wall builders. After years of being controlled by David Morgan, Melissa must have built up a strong barrier to protect herself.
 

“Miss Jordan, do you need anything? If not—”

“Go ahead, Tiffany. See you tomorrow.”

The last of her staff left the office, and Evelyn returned her focus to her drawings, determined to get Melissa Rose out of her mind. She was doing all she could. She’d offered her help, and she could do nothing else unless Melissa was willing to help herself.