Authors: Yvonne Harriott
“Mmm,” she said when she placed a fork full into her mouth savoring every delicious bite. The man can cook in the bedroom and the kitchen. “I had my doubts when I saw you putting all that stuff into the omelet including the Italian sausage, but it’s rather good.”
“Thank you.” Beck sat down beside her and started eating. “If you’re impressed with my breakfast culinary skills, you’ll be blown away with what I can do for dinner. You can come right after work.”
“No.” Marklynn shook her head and she saw disappointment reflected in his eyes.
She should be out trying to find her sister. It had been five days since her sister’s disappearance and not a word. Sydney was out there alone, afraid or even hurt. How could she push Sydney from her mind again?
“You’re doing all you can, Marklynn,” he said reassuring her. His hand covered hers. “Just because you’ve taken some time to regroup doesn’t mean you don’t care about your sister.”
“Is that what last night was? Regrouping?” The guilt she’d felt earlier rose up in her and made her angry. She was itching for a fight to create distance between them. He knew it too and didn’t rise to the bait.
“If you change your mind about dinner, let me know.” He took up their empty plates and placed them in the sink. “I’ll take you downstairs when you’re ready to go.”
That was her way out and she took it. She’d been ready to go since she’d gotten up out of his bed. For some reason her heart and her feet weren’t on the same page. Beck’s condo was comfortable and she felt right at home. She could get used to it and him. Yet, she didn’t want to get use to it or him. She was afraid to.
“Let me brush my teeth and we can go.”
“There are several packages of toothbrushes in a small basket on the sink,” he said watching her as she slid off the stool making her way to the bathroom.
“I know. I opened one. I’ll be right back.”
Marklynn thought he would bring up dinner again when she returned a few minutes later, but he didn’t. He slipped his hand in hers. T hey left his condo and rode down to the under parking garage in silence. When they reached her 4Runner, he opened the door for her then his lips brushed the palm of her hand just before she slid into the driver’s seat and he waited until she drove away.
He was giving her the space she needed. So, why wasn’t she jumping for joy she asked herself as she exited the underground parking lot? Because she had no intention of going down the aisle with Beck. He wanted that. She could sense it and it was far more than she was willing to give.
Could she walk away from Beck when it was all over? That was the question she had on her mind when she arrived at her house, changed and headed out to meet Jamie in Jamaica Plains.
• • •
Beck pulled into the parking lot of the café located a block from his company. He was late for his meeting with O’Malley. When he returned to the condo after Marklynn left, all he could think about was last night. He couldn’t get her out of his mind or the look in her eyes when she’d driven off.
She was afraid. Yes, Sydney was still missing and that was weighing on her mind but he had to wonder where her ex fit in. Did he have something to do with the distance she had put between them after breakfast?
He was so wrapped up in trying to figure out Marklynn that he’d almost missed the voice message from O’Malley. The message was very short and abrupt ordering him to meet O’Malley at 9:00 a.m. sharp.
The smell of coffee and cinnamon greeted him when he opened the glass door of the café. The loud chatter drowned out the music playing in the background. Oversized chairs in a wide array of colors cluttered the room.
O’Malley was sitting at a table in the corner reading the newspaper. There were already three empty cups pushed to the corner of the table and one in front of him untouched.
“That can’t be good,” Beck said as he sat down eyeing the black liquid in the cup.
“What?”
“You’re on your fourth cup.”
“You’re late,” O’Malley grunted.
“It couldn’t be helped given the short notice.”
“I didn’t get permission to reopen your ex-wife’s case.” O’Malley folded the paper pushing it aside. “I didn’t think I would.”
“You could’ve told me that on the phone.”
O’Malley pushed out a breath, looking around before he spoke. He picked up the coffee cup and drank.
“There are some things you need to know,” he said then drained his coffee cup setting it carefully on the table. “When I got your ex-wife’s case, I was coming back from a dark place in my life. I’d just come off a drug bust that went south, took a bullet in the thigh and got hooked on painkillers.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I want you to know what happened.”
O’Malley had that same tone in his voice as his father did when he had sat him down for a talk. Beck knew it was bad news. Then it came. His mother was dying and there was nothing else the doctors could do. He’d never forgotten the look on his father’s face or the sound of his voice.
“What is it?”
“I want you to know I started out doing my job,” O’Malley said looking towards the door when a woman carrying a dog in her purse entered the café. “I thought for sure you killed Monika or you had something to do with it. You didn’t pan out. Then there was another lead. I didn’t follow through on because I was told not to.”
“What?”
Beck couldn’t believe what he was hearing. For months his life was turned upside down while the police conducted their investigation. They interviewed his parents and his friends. His home and office were both searched and now O’Malley was telling him it was all for nothing.
“What do you mean? Who told you not to follow up on the other lead?”
“I can’t tell you that yet.” His eyes finally met Beck’s gaze.
“The hell you can’t. What about this other lead?”
“I’m following up on it. That’s all I can tell you right now.”
“That’s not good enough! You dragged me through hell and back four years ago because you thought I killed my ex-wife. I can’t believe you had another suspect and did nothing.”
If O’Malley was the least bit sorry for his oversight he showed no outward emotion. He sat across from Beck like a stone.
“I couldn’t do anything. Monika came from money and her parents wanted someone to pay and you were the fall guy. I wanted to save my job. I was in no position at the time to stick my neck out for you.”
“You’re a cop. That’s your job!” Beck slammed his fist on the table rattling the contents. Heads turned towards the table, but he didn’t care. It was either that or reaching over the table and shoving the coffee cup down O’Malley’s throat.
“I don’t need you or anyone to tell me what my job is,” O’Malley hissed. “What I did was wrong and I’ll make it right.”
“Where does that leave me?”
Beck slumped back in his chair, tired and on edge. For the past three months he’d been fighting to hold on to his company. He’d told himself it was a battle he was going to win.
Marklynn Brooks crossed his path. He didn’t set out to fall in love with her but somehow, in all of this mess he had. His relationship with her was a struggle as well. It seemed as if she was holding on to a past she was not ready to let go of. But he was not going to give up on her either.
If Monika was still alive, then what? It didn’t matter because they were divorced he reminded himself. That may be the case, but if she was responsible for Sydney’s abduction or worse if she died…
“Is Monika dead?” He had to know. If she wasn’t, where has she been all these years and why come back now?
“I’m looking into it. I believe what’s going on at your company is somehow connected with Monika’s death.”
“How? She’s supposed to be dead.”
“She may have faked her own death.”
M
acy’s house was a picture of southern hospitality. The white-bricked plantation styled mansion had a columned porch that seemed to extend around the exterior of the house. Plantation shutters covered massive windows and that was just what Markie’s eyes could take in. She wondered what the back of the house looked like as she turned into Macy’s driveway and thought it must be equally as impressive if all the species of flowers planted at the front was anything to go by.
The birds on the edge of the three-tier water fountain in the centre of the circular driveway scattered as she pulled up beside Jamie’s black jeep.
“Nice piece of real estate,” Jamie said looking at the house as he came around and opened the door of her SUV and she got out.
“It’s similar to the house in Sydney’s picture.” Markie glanced at the photo she pulled from her purse then at the house.
“Almost. That house,” Jamie pointed to the left over his shoulder, “is four doors down the street on the right. I saw it on my way in. You missed it because you came from the opposite direction. We can take a look when we’re finished with Macy.”
She nodded. According to Carlos, Beck hadn’t gotten back to him regarding the address. With every thing that was going on at his company maybe he’d forgotten. She didn’t want to read more into it than that. They got the information they needed anyway.
“You look well rested this morning,” Jamie said when they started up the steps towards Macy’s front door.
Jamie kept staring at her with that knowing look ‘
that I know what you did last night’
look. Maybe she was being paranoid. Whether she was or not, she didn’t want to discuss Beck with him.
“I’m well rested,” she replied without looking at Jamie and rang the doorbell. She didn’t have to look at him to know he was smiling at her.
A woman, with skin the color of caramel, dressed in a white linen pantsuit opened the door a few minutes later. She was on the cordless phone and the conversation with the party on the other end didn’t seem pleasant as she shook her head rolling her eyes towards the ceiling.
She covered the mouthpiece of the phone with her hand and asked, “Markie and Jamie?”
“Yes,” Markie replied.
“Come on in,” she said to them. “Yes, they just got here,” Macy responded to the person on the phone. She beckoned at Jamie and Markie to follow her. They proceeded through an arched doorway, the floor polished wood, as she led them into a front room.
Macy sat down behind a large desk that looked like it was carved from a tree trunk. Bookshelves lined the entire room from one end to the other.
“Please have a seat.” She pointed to the two chairs in front of her desk. “I’m going to put you on speaker, Brad,” Macy said hitting the speaker button as she put down the phone. “Brad Logan, Editor,
Upscale Design Magazine
. Marklynn Brooks and Jamie Wright are here.”
“I heard that you two wanted to talk to me about Sydney. I don’t know what for. As far as I’m concerned, she skipped out because she couldn’t hack it. You can tell that to your other colleague Melanie as well. Sydney probably ran off with some man. Isn’t that what women do?” The voice projecting over the speaker was nasal and loud.
“This is Marklynn Brooks. I disagree, Mr. Logan,” she said trying to keep her instant dislike for the man from showing. “Sydney is my sister and she didn’t run off with some man.”
“I agree,” Macy said combing her fingers through her hair. “If Sydney is missing then something happened to her. The fact that she disappeared after leaving my house is disturbing.”
“You mentioned someone called Melanie,” Marklynn said to Brad. “I’ve never heard of Melanie. You said she called you. What did she want?”
“I don’t care. We have our own photographer for the magazine, but Macy wanted to use Sydney. Well, either we get the pictures by the end of the day or we go with someone else’s house for the next issue.”
He hung up and Macy shook her head in disgust. “I’m sorry about that. He’s just as obnoxious in person I’m afraid.”
Wanting to save Sydney’s job Markie said, “Jamie retrieved some files on Sydney’s computer that were erased. If we can find the pictures of your house we’ll get them to you.”
“Let him go with someone else. Sydney didn’t like him anyway.”
“Brad said he gave Sydney the job as a favor to you. I don’t understand any of this. As far as I know, she didn’t have a steady job. She had shown an interest in photography but I didn’t think it went beyond that.”
Macy looked at Markie confused. “When was the last time you spoke with your sister?”
“A few days before she disappeared.”
“Before that?” Macy asked biting her thumbnail.
“I got the odd phone call when she dropped into town. The last time when we sat down together and talked was about a year or so ago at dinner.”
“I remember. She didn’t want to go. It was near to the end of Derrick’s tour of duty,” Macy said with a slight tremor in her voice. “
“Derrick?” Marklynn asked. “Who’s Derrick?”
Macy hesitated as if not sure if she should divulge Sydney’s secrets and Markie thought she wouldn’t continue. Macy had every right. Markie didn’t know her sister at all. It was clear Derrick was someone important in her life. What kind of sister was she? The disappointment must have shown on her face.
Macy got up and turned to the window behind the desk staring across a well-manicured lawn. The smell of fresh cut grass floated into the room on a gentle breeze through the open window.
“Derrick was my brother. He was in love with Sydney. They’d nothing in common. He was as straight-laced as they come being an army man and Sydney was unpredictable. To tell you the truth, I didn’t like her at first. She didn’t fit into our family.”
“Why? Because Sydney didn’t fit into the box you tried to put her in?” Markie asked sounding defensive and angry. She was also angry with herself. The same thing she accused Macy of doing was the same thing she’d done to her sister.
Macy turned from the window and laughed, then sniffled. “That’s an understatement. Did you know she jumped out of Derrick’s birthday cake wearing a bikini covered with pictures of the American flag singing the
Star Spangled Banner
? I’m sure when the man wrote the song that’s not what he had in mind.”