The Secrets of Paradise Bay (26 page)

“Yeah, that sounds good to me,” Clyde said.

Trey felt that was at least a start on the long road to recovery.

Having a chance to put the past behind them was more than Clyde could have expected at this point as they neared Willie's apartment complex. Only hours ago he thought he'd lost Trey for good, along with a big part of himself, while bearing much of the burden for that. Now they had a window of opportunity to patch things up. Maybe they could still have the type of rock-solid relationship between brothers that he'd always dreamed of, but never believed was possible. Trey seemed more than willing to meet him halfway now that the cards were all out on the table.

Clyde knew that any such possibility of a happy ending hung in the balance, so long as Ivana remained missing and presumably in grave danger at the vengeful hands of Willie Munroe.

Stefani pressed the bell at the gate, and was allowed onto the Lancaster estate. It was the first time she had gone to Trey and Ivana's beautiful home alone; the house where Clyde had his surprising tryst with Ivana, resulting in an understandable falling-out between the brothers.

Truthfully, Stefani wasn't quite sure what she was doing there. Or if she would be welcomed were Ivana home instead of apparently off with another man. Stefani's uncle seemed uncertain if Ivana had been abducted, or went willingly with the man from the tavern.

Stefani feared for Clyde's safety, not wanting to see past mistakes come back to haunt him today. If this Willie was as frightening and vindictive as Clyde indicated, then he couldn't be taken lightly.

They could be entering a tinderbox, ready to ignite. The last thing she wanted was to see Clyde caught in the line of fire, jeopardizing their future that suddenly seemed so promising if not for this situation.

Stefani drove up to the house. She had no idea if he and Trey would ever resolve their differences, but was somehow guardedly optimistic that were they to get through this latest crisis, it was entirely possible.

She wanted to find some way to lend her support beyond spiritually, figuring it was better to reach out and see where it got her than to just wait around going crazy with worry
.

So I'm here. What do I do now? Guess I won't know 'til I go inside
.

Stefani knocked on the door, actually hoping she would come face-to-face with Ivana, ending the suspense of her disappearance. Instead, it was the housekeeper, Emily, who answered.

“Nice to see you again,” she said.

“You too.” Stefani forced a smile.

“If you're looking for Clyde—”

“I'm not,” Stefani clarified politely. “I know he's with Trey, looking for Ivana. I just wanted to come by to see if there was anything I could do to help.”

“How nice of you,” Emily said, inviting her in. “There's not much either of us can do for now but wait and see.”

Stefani frowned.
I was afraid she'd say that
. “I guess we can always pray that everything works out.” Hope she doesn't have anything against the power of prayer.

“That we can do,” Emily agreed. “Would you like some coffee, tea, lemonade, Coke, or—”

“Coffee sounds good.”

“Okay, then I'll have a cup too.”

Stefani followed her toward the kitchen. “Where's Francine?” She hoped it wasn't a dumb question, considering that neither employee lived at the house and, as such, probably came and left at different hours of the day.

“Oh, she's spending time with her daughter who's visiting. I told Francine that it wasn't necessary for us both to be here right now taking up space, even though there's a lot of it.”

Stefani watched as Emily got two ceramic mugs out of the cupboard. “Has Ivana ever just gone off like this before?” she asked curiously.

Emily looked up. “Not really. She and Trey have had their spats—some more serious than others—but this time I guess it sent her right over the edge.”

Stefani tried to put herself in Ivana's shoes in getting something that weighty off her chest, only to have Trey turn on her, even if it was a natural reaction under the circumstances.

“Sorry to hear that.”

Emily shrugged. “It happens. I'm sure once Ivana is back home and into rehab, she and Trey can get some counseling and they'll be just fine.”

Stefani wondered if it could ever be that simple. Was counseling truly the cure-all for troubled marriages? Or any relationship?

They sat in the breakfast nook, and Stefani found herself briefly admiring the yellow floral wallpaper before meeting Emily's eyes.

“I heard that you and Clyde are becoming pretty close.”

Stefani colored. “Yes, we are.”

Emily beamed. “I'm happy for you. From what I've heard, Clyde's had a hard life and it's time he got a second chance to get it right.”

Stefani wondered if she knew about Clyde's one-night stand with Ivana. If so, maybe Emily understood that things happened sometimes, but shouldn't ruin one's life forever. Including Ivana's.

“I agree. Clyde's a good man and he's really trying hard to make everything in his life work.”

“Well, with a good woman in his life, I'm sure it can happen.” Emily said.

Stefani felt the same way. The good woman in her was perfectly happy doing right by her man and being supportive when he needed her to be. Now was such a time.

 

 

Ivana's cell phone rang. She reached into her purse, only to have Willie poke her hard in the shoulder with the barrel of his gun, causing her to wince.

“Let it ring!” he commanded in a sharp tone. “No reason to spoil the fun before it begins.”

Ivana choked back tears, removing her hand from the purse. Earlier, she'd turned the phone off, not wishing to talk to anyone. Certainly not Trey, who had turned his back on her when confronted with something he couldn't handle. But she had turned the phone back on while at the tavern.

Or was that only wishful thinking when she and Trey were currently so at odds?

Ivana glanced at her captor, who kept the gun aimed at her while driving. Would he actually shoot her if she tried to jump out of the moving car? Did she dare try, risking serious injury if he didn't kill her first?

She speculated about where he might be taking her. Maybe out in the woods to rape and brutalize her in other ways. The thought gave her the chills.

I can't let that happen. But how can I prevent it
?

“If you just let me call my husband, he'll give you—” she started to say out of desperation.

“Your husband,” Willie snickered. “He's owes me plenty—just like Clyde. They're both gonna pay for gettin' in my way. But not 'til you and me get to know each other better . . .”

Ivana gulped as he ran the cold steel of the gun across her cheek and then chest. He was confirming her worst fears, leaving her helpless and starting to feel hopeless.

 

 

Willie drove toward his apartment complex and spotted a police cruiser parked not far from his door, lights flashing. It gave him a bit of a start, even though being high had made it easier to digest.

Were they looking for him? Or her?

Peering at his imagined sex slave, Willie saw that she too noticed the police car. “Don't get any ideas,” he told her, pointing the gun at her side. “They can't help you.”

“Please don't hurt me,” she whined.

“How about
pretty
please, sweet lady?” He chucked wickedly and drove away, hoping not to attract any attention.

Clyde turned into the apartment complex. He thought about his imminent confrontation with Willie. It was inevitable that they would have to settle this one way or the other. Clyde didn't want Trey and Ivana dragged into it. But that was exactly what had happened, and now he had to deal with it and hope they all came out of this thing in one piece.

“You ready?” Clyde looked across the seat at Trey.

“Yes.” Trey took a breath. “Let's go see if the son of a bitch brought my wife here.”

They left the car and looked across the lot for any sign of the vehicle Willie drove. Detective Cordell had provided the make. There was no evidence that it was there.

“Maybe he took her somewhere else,” Trey speculated. “Or he's driving another car.”

“Or maybe he parked in back.” Clyde scanned the surroundings. “I say we check his place out.”

“Yeah, let's.”

At the door where Clyde once confronted Willie, there was no indication that anyone was home. Clyde rang the bell and knocked hard on the door. There was no response.

“Damn,” he cursed under his breath, wondering if they were inside, with Willie forcing Ivana to remain silent.

Trey banged on the door, then kicked it. “Where the hell are they?”

“Maybe we should take a look inside,” Clyde said, aware of the implications.

Trey's mouth hung open. “What are you suggesting?”

Clyde met his eyes. “I think you know.”

“Breaking and entering wasn't part of the bargain.”

“Neither was kidnapping, and who knows what the hell else your wife is being put through. For all we know, Ivana's in there, bound and gagged, maybe even drugged. There's only one way to find out for sure . . .”

“You're right,” Trey relented. “Whatever it takes.” He held Clyde's gaze. “So how do we do this?”

“I've got it covered.” Clyde studied the door lock, which was cheap by most standards. He'd learned a bit about picking locks back in the day, and more while incarcerated, never expecting to be put to the test again. He removed a pen top from his pocket and put it in the lock, jimmying it.

After a moment or two, the door opened.

Clyde and Trey went inside, their guard up. The pungent scent of marijuana filled the air like poison. The place was dark and gloomy. Drug paraphernalia and remnants of meth and marijuana were spread out on a living-room table.

“Ivana,” Trey called out. “Are you in here, baby?”

There was no response. He tried again and got the same result.

They went from one untidy room to the next, but saw neither Ivana nor Willie.

“Maybe they were here and left,” Clyde suggested, though doubting it. He strongly suspected that Willie had anticipated this and was one step ahead of them.

“The bastard took her somewhere else,” Trey said dolefully. “But where?”

They were standing in a bedroom. The bed was unmade and clothes were strewn about. Clyde thought about Willie's partner in crime in the dealership break-in. He wouldn't put it past Willie to have recruited him for his latest act of crime, if in fact Ivana wasn't with Willie voluntarily, which didn't seem too likely at this point.

Clyde spotted an answering machine on the dresser that blinked with messages. He pushed the button.

“Hi, Willie. I've been trying to reach you. I'm disappointed that we can't go out tonight. But that's just how I am. If you change you mind, I'll be home.”

Clyde looked at the caller ID. It showed the message was from a Roselyn Pesquera. He recalled seeing her name on a piece of mail on the kitchen table.

“Let me check something,” he told Trey, and went to look at the envelope. It had Roselyn's return address on it. Willie was apparently involved with this woman. She obviously had no idea what she was getting herself into. Or did she know exactly who she was dealing with, even to the point of helping him commit a crime?

Trey followed Clyde into the kitchen. “What's up?”

Clyde explained his thoughts. “It may be a long shot, but Willie could have taken Ivana to his girlfriend's place. Or, if not, she might know something . . .”

Trey sighed. “Right now, I'm willing to try anything that could help us find Ivana.”

Clyde concurred, understanding that Willie might hold the key to any chance he had to make things right with Trey and Ivana.

 

 

“I keep trying Ivana's cell phone, but there's no answer,” Stefani told Clyde over the phone as she drove, feeling frustrated.

“Well, keep trying,” he said. “Maybe we'll get lucky and she'll pick up and tell us where she is.”

“Where are you now?”

“We're on our way to see a woman named Roselyn Pesquera. She may be able to help.”

Stefani didn't ask how. She knew that he and Trey were pulling out all the stops to try and find Ivana. But they weren't detectives, and Stefani did not want to see either hurt.

“Please be careful, Clyde. If anything were to happen—”

“I'll be fine,” he promised. “Right now, we need to worry more about Ivana. Willie knows we're onto his ass, and he's probably running scared, which makes him even more threatening.”

“What are the police doing?”

“Not enough,” Clyde grumbled. “We heard they stopped by Willie's apartment and found nothing suspicious, so they left. Guess they're waiting for Willie to confess or a body to show up before doing what they should be. By then it could be too late, so we're taking matters into our own hands.”

Stefani gazed out over the steering wheel. She knew the police were usually more reactive than proactive, but the fact that they were on the case at all suggested it would be resolved sooner than later.

Would Ivana be able to escape her ordeal by then, relatively unscathed?

“I'm on my way to the club,” Stefani spoke into the speakerphone, not particularly in the mood to perform. “If you want, I can go home and—”

“That's not necessary,” Clyde broke in. “There's nothing you can do there. Trey and I want it to be business as usual, at least 'til this is settled. I'll get there when I can. Meanwhile Albert and Raymond will handle things.”

“All right.”

“Gotta go, baby.”

“Love you,” she reaffirmed.

“Love you too,” he said, warming her heart.

Stefani neared the club. She was proud of Clyde that he'd apparently been able to bury the hatchet with Trey while they went after a common enemy. In the end, they seemed to remember that they were brothers first and foremost. And on a mission that neither could afford to see fail.

It didn't go unnoticed by Trey that he'd heard Clyde say the word
love
to Stefani. He had assumed they were getting pretty close, but now it was clear that they were developing a deeply emotional commitment as well as an intimate one.

It was what Trey used to have with Ivana. He prayed they could get a second chance to rediscover the early part of their marriage and what it meant to be a husband and wife who loved each other more than life itself.

If I can get you back, baby, I swear I'll never let you down again
.

“You all right?” Clyde asked.

“Ask me that when we find Ivana.” Trey took a breath. “I think this whole ordeal has made me appreciate everything I had and nearly threw away.”

“I know what you mean,” he muttered.

“Once I have Ivana back and she's sober again, if she'll have me, I think I'd like to renew our wedding vows.”

Clyde gave a thoughtful smile. “That's a great idea. I hope it works out.”

“Thanks.” Trey believed he meant it, even after what happened between him and Ivana. “Looks like you and Stefani have found something special.”

“Yeah, we have,” Clyde admitted. “She makes me whole, and I feel like I deserve someone who's got my back, along with the right combo of brains, beauty, and talent.”

“You do deserve it, Clyde,” Trey said sincerely, forgetting for the moment that it was his own mistakes that often stood in the way before now. Maybe that would all change for good.

Clyde blinked. “I think we both do, big brother.”

Clyde and Trey stood outside the ranch-style house. There was no visible sign of Willie's car. Instead, there was a Honda Accord parked in the driveway.

Clyde rang the bell. A pretty woman opened the door.

“Are you Roselyn?”

Her eyes darted suspiciously. “No, I'm not. Who's asking?”

“I'm Clyde and this is my brother, Trey.”

“So you're friends of Roselyn?”

“Yes, something like that,” he said smoothly. “Who are you?”

“Gail. I'm Roselyn's housemate.”

“Is Willie here?” Trey asked straightforwardly.

“No, he isn't.” She tensed. “What's this all about?”

“It's about life and death and wasting too much damned time trying to explain it!” Trey blared.

Gail's face contorted with confusion, and she looked at Clyde.

He sighed, realizing he needed to keep his cool. After all, it was his idea that Willie might have come here with Ivana. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea.

“We believe that Willie Munroe kidnapped Trey's wife,” he told her candidly.

“What?” Gail's eyes widened.

Clyde gave her an abbreviated version of the story. “Willie was seen leaving a tavern with her, and Ivana's car was still in the lot. They weren't at his place, so we thought maybe Willie had brought Ivana here against her will. She won't answer her cell phone.”

Gail's nose crumpled. “That no-good bastard. I knew he was trouble from the moment I laid eyes on him. I told Roselyn to stay away from him, but she wouldn't listen.” She clasped her hands. “Willie wouldn't dare show his ass here with another woman, voluntarily or otherwise. If Roselyn wouldn't kill him, I would.”

“I take it Roselyn isn't home, then?” Trey asked evenly.

Gail shook her head. “She was supposed to go to see a movie with Willie tonight. When he canceled abruptly, she decided to go to that new jazz club alone. And I'm going to join her later.”

Clyde flashed a faint smile that business was still booming in spite of everything else, before getting back to the seriousness of the matter at hand. “If you hear from Willie, could you let us know?”

“I'd be glad to.” She took Trey's card. “Hope you find your wife before that Willie does something crazy.”

Clyde had an uneasy feeling in his stomach, knowing firsthand just how unstable Willie was, and what that meant for Ivana's chances to come away from this unharmed.