Authors: Debbie Viguie
“I think this might be where we have the large meetings,” she commented.
“So, they’re going to have us sit on the pillows and spend time gazing into each other’s eyes?” he asked.
“I don’t know, I guess. Like I said, I’ve never done anything like this before.”
“Well, it will be easy for me. After all, you have such pretty eyes,” he said.
She felt herself flush and she smiled up at him. He still wasn’t looking at her, instead turning his head slowly so that he took in the entire room. She knew he needed to, but she still felt a twinge of disappointment. She could have gone for some eye gazing right then.
“They say the eyes are the windows to the soul,” she said softly.
“They are what they need to be,” he responded cryptically.
“Hello, may I help you?”
Cindy turned to see a man walking into the room. He was dressed from head to toe in loose, white clothing. He had long, straight dark hair and green eyes that stared at her intently.
“We’re just touring the grounds. We’re here for the couples’ retreat,” she said with a smile.
“Welcome. I’m Arnold, I’ll be one of your guides on your journey,” he said, walking forward with hand extended.
“Jeremiah and Cindy,” Jeremiah said as they each shook the man’s hand.
“It’s a pleasure to welcome you here to our little oasis of serenity,” the man said with a slightly syrupy grin. Cindy didn’t like him and she struggled to keep the smile on her face.
“We’re just thrilled to be here,” she said.
“So, what brings the two of you here?”
Jeremiah took a deep breath. “Well, we’re here to, I guess, decide what the future has in store.”
“Ah, you’re at a crossroads in your relationship,” Arnold said knowingly.
“You could say that,” Jeremiah answered, his tone a bit cool.
Cindy glanced up at him. Jeremiah was smiling, but it was a cold smile that didn’t light up his face like his genuine ones did.
“Well, I can assure you that there is no better place to get away, relax, reflect, and find your way than here. My staff and I will do everything in our power to make your journey as fulfilling as possible.”
“Your staff? Are you the manager?” Cindy asked.
“The owner, actually, but I prefer to think of us as one big, happy family.”
Even the way he said that made her feel slightly uncomfortable. His words were smooth, oily almost, and they seemed to slide over her as though he was seeking to lull her into a false sense of security. The word that bubbled up in her mind was
snake
.
But she forced herself to smile at the serpent that was smiling at her. She couldn’t help but think that they might have already found the person responsible for Malcolm’s disappearance. It took every ounce of willpower she had to not let her true feelings show.
She felt Jeremiah’s fingers tighten slightly around hers. She wondered if he was sensing her desire to get away from Arnold.
“You have a beautiful facility, it must have cost a fortune to build,” Jeremiah said.
Jeremiah was trying to get something out of the man. Talking about the cost of things was something he wasn’t prone to doing otherwise.
“A little, but I was raised to believe that if you’re going to do something, you have to do it to the best of your ability, give it everything you have. That’s the only way to go through life. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Of course.”
“And the cost was worth it. Every day I am repaid a thousand times over when a client tells us that we have helped them in some way.”
He was lying. She felt it instinctively. The money was important to him, but she had a feeling the one thing that meant even more than that was image. And he was doing his best to sell an image to them. Only she wasn’t buying and she was sure Jeremiah wasn’t either.
“Could you tell us a little more about the group sessions?” Cindy asked. Jeremiah wasn’t ending the conversation so he must be still acquiring information. The least she could do was help stall until he was ready to leave.
“Actually, I’d prefer to wait until a little later this afternoon when I’ll be able to talk to everyone at once.”
“We understand,” Jeremiah said.
“I appreciate that. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a few things still to prepare before the meet-and-greet.”
“Of course, we’ll just continue our little tour,” Jeremiah said.
They turned and they left the glass building. As they did so, the hair on the back of Cindy’s neck suddenly lifted and she felt a chill dance down her spine. She turned her head and saw Arnold standing in the middle of the room, a smile on his face, but there was a shadow in his eyes.
6
Jeremiah could tell that Cindy was ready to declare Arnold responsible for what happened to Malcolm. He wasn’t convinced yet, but the man did have a sliminess about him that made Jeremiah uncomfortable. They continued walking and soon came upon a couple of smaller rooms that were set up like the glass one only with far fewer cushions on the floor. He guessed these were the smaller group meeting rooms.
As they walked they also discovered a large pool with sand surrounding it to imitate a beach, a restroom area, a small covered hut set up with two massage tables, and three buildings that were marked with Staff Only signs. Throughout it all he only saw three security cameras. A resort hotel would have had more than that. He couldn’t decide if the lack of them here was to protect the privacy of the clientele or the staff. Either way it was good for him as far as being able to have pretty free range of the place. It was bad if they were looking for any video evidence of what might have happened to Malcolm.
For a place that was about to be host to a weeklong retreat there didn’t seem to be that many staff about. It was possible they were in meetings or weren’t scheduled to go on shift until closer to the meet-and-greet. He didn’t see any guests walking around either. It was possible he and Cindy were the first to arrive. If there were other guests they must be staying in their rooms.
“It’s pretty here, but kind of weird feeling,” Cindy finally remarked.
“That’s because it’s starting to feel like we’re the only two people here,” he said.
“That’s true. All we’ve seen is the woman at the front desk and Arnold. I guess I’m not used to being out of the house and not surrounded by people.”
“One of the hazards of living in a large metropolitan area,” he mused. “Still, this place does feel like it’s hibernating.”
“That’s it, that’s exactly what it feels like. It’s not like it’s completely devoid of life, it’s more like what is here just isn’t showing itself.”
She shivered suddenly. He let go of her hand and instead put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. After a moment she put her arm around his waist and leaned her head against him as they walked.
“You changed your shampoo,” he noted. “It smells like strawberries.”
“Do you like it?” she asked.
“I do.”
He liked it a little too much. He realized all his attention was beginning to shift to her. They had almost walked the entire grounds, though, and he had seen what he needed to. He let his mind drift for just a moment, thinking about her.
He knew she wasn’t happy with the current state of things between them. He knew the secrecy was bothering her, but he was trying to protect them both. He wasn’t sure she realized that going public with their relationship would most likely bring a firestorm down on both of them. Sometimes he hated being the one that had to worry about that. There were days he wished he could throw caution to the wind entirely. That wasn’t in his nature, though. In his line of work you always had to have a plan and a backup plan, and a backup to your backup if you wanted to survive.
He took a deep breath, reminding himself that the need for those plans was related to his former line of work, not his current one. He was a rabbi. He still had to think things through because other people relied on him, looked up to him, but his decisions were no longer a matter of life and death.
“What are you thinking?” Cindy asked.
He kissed the top of her head. “I really like the shampoo.”
Having encountered no other staff members to question, they finally headed back to their bungalow. As they passed bungalow number five he heard raised voices, a man and a woman arguing about something although he wasn’t quite sure what.
After they had passed by Cindy said, “I guess some couples are going to need more help than others. At least we know we won’t be the only ones here.”
“Yes, that would have been awkward.”
Once they were back in their bungalow Jeremiah did a second sweep for any listening devices. Then he settled down at the table with the map of the resort and began studying it.
Cindy went to work unpacking, putting her things away in the closet and the dresser. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her hang up a red dress that didn’t look familiar. He realized that, like her current outfit, it must be new. From what he had glimpsed of the dress it didn’t look like Cindy’s style. She usually dressed pretty conservatively. He couldn’t help but wonder if Geanie and she had gone shopping together. Even as he continued to study the map he found himself imagining how Cindy would look in the dress. With a sigh he forced himself to refocus. They had only a couple hours left before the retreat began and he wanted to be as prepared as he could be.
Mark felt like he was being torn in two. He hated that he’d left Cindy and Jeremiah behind, even if he knew Jeremiah could almost certainly handle whatever was thrown at them. He had decided to investigate Malcolm on his end and see what he could find out about the man including whether he had any enemies and whether there was anything suspicious in his financial records.
Even as he tried to focus, though, his thoughts kept getting pulled back to Not Paul and the strange fact that the attorney he had entrusted things to was now dead. Even though he had finally learned Paul’s true identity he had never felt like he could close the case on the mystery that was his old partner. The other attorney, Fred Mitchell, was supposed to call him back tomorrow with what he’d found in the man’s files about Paul.
That was assuming that Paul hadn’t used an alias when dealing with the attorney.
That was also assuming that Fred wasn’t busy destroying evidence right at that moment.
You’re being paranoid
, he told himself. It didn’t make him feel any better. The way things had been running for him the last couple of years his paranoid thoughts had been turning out to be not so paranoid. That in itself could certainly make a man twice as paranoid.
Pull it together.
The problem was, the law firm in northern California was a seven hour drive away. It wasn’t like he could just show up there on a whim. This wasn’t even an active investigation. If he did that, he’d be doing it on his own time, and leaving his friends and family in the lurch.
There was something, though, something pulling at his insides, that wouldn’t let him drop it. With a sigh he put on his bluetooth and turned his car around. He called Liam and a few seconds later his partner picked up.
“Hey, how did the trial go?”
“Good. I don’t see how the jury could come back with anything other than a guilty verdict,” Liam said.
Mark grimaced. “Yeah, and yet sometimes they surprise you and come back with a verdict that makes absolutely no sense. Those are the times I’d pay money just to be in there watching everything fall apart.”
“I think it would be too hard to watch and not intervene,” Liam said. “At any rate, my part of it is over finally. No more testimony required.”
“That’s good, just in time.”
“In time for what?” Liam asked, sounding justifiably suspicious.
“To cover for me.”
“With whom?”
“With everyone. I need to take a quick trip up north to check on a couple of things.”
“What things?”
“Leads.”
There was such a long pause that Mark thought that the call might have dropped. Finally Liam asked, “Does this have something to do with Paul?”
Mark weighed his answer carefully. Liam was a good man, a good cop, and he trusted him with his life. Liam was the only one who’d been willing to work with him after Mark had tortured that one suspect. Liam was kind, forgiving, and easy to get along with. He also walked the straight and narrow more than anyone else on the force. Although Liam had proven that he was willing to adapt to some unconventional police methods, Mark wasn’t sure how he’d respond if he knew the truth.
Still, Liam was his partner and Mark owed him that much. After all, it’s what he wished Paul had given to him.
“Yes, it does. There’s been a new development and I need to run it down before evidence is destroyed.”
He was only stretching the truth a little bit. After all, the whole reason he wanted to drive up there was to make sure it wasn’t being destroyed.
There was another pause before Liam said, “Good luck, Mark. Let me know if there’s anything you need from me.”
“Thanks, Liam, if I need you or your arsenal I’ll be sure to let you know.”
As soon as Mark hung up with Liam he called Traci. He briefly told her where he was headed.
When he had finished she said, “You haven’t really thought this through, have you?”
“No, why?”
“By the time you get there tonight the office will be closed. You don’t have any kind of a search warrant or legitimate police backing so it’s not like you can just go in and find what you want. You’re going to have to find someplace to stay the night and then go the office first thing in the morning.”
He paused as he felt frustration sinking in. “You’re right.”
“Of course I am.”
“If you take a plane you can make it before the end of the business day and be back tonight. In the long run that will be cheaper than a hotel, several meals, and the gas you’ll use.”
“You’re a genius.”
“I know. I’m also a very tired mom who wants you on diaper duty tonight.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said as he changed freeways to head for the airport.
Cindy was in the bathroom of the bungalow she was sharing with Jeremiah, staring at herself in the mirror. She looked good, great even. She was surprised to admit it. She was wearing the black dress that Wildman had helped pick out. She was worried that she might be a little overdressed for the meet-and-greet. This was the most conservative of the dresses she had brought with her, though. She was beginning to wonder if it had been a mistake to let Wildman talk her into it.
She had done her hair up because it felt more appropriate to wear her hair that way with a dress like this. She was wearing more makeup than just her usual lipstick. She had on blush and had even gone as far as eyeshadow and mascara.
“Are you almost ready?” Jeremiah called.
“Yes,” she said. She gave herself a smile, turned, and exited the bathroom.
Jeremiah was standing up from the table and he froze partway up. His eyes widened and quickly swept her from head to toe.
“How do I look?” she asked as she did a quick turn.
“Stunning,” he said, his voice sounding a little deeper. He finished standing up and quickly walked over to her, a smile spreading across his features.
“Absolutely stunning.”
“Thank you. You look very handsome.”
He was wearing a black button down shirt and a pair of khaki colored slacks.
“I wish you’d told me we were dressing up. I would have packed a suit.”
“I think you look perfect the way you are. Besides, it’s perfectly acceptable if the woman dresses more upscale than the man but not the other way around.”
“Oh really?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow.
“So I’ve been told.” She glanced over at the table and the papers he had spread across it. “Did you find anything?”
“Not yet. I’m making sure I’ve memorized the area, just in case.”
“Sounds like a good idea. I probably should, too,” she said.
“We can talk about that after dinner. Shall we?”
“Yes.”
They exited the bungalow and then Jeremiah offered her his arm. She took it and as they walked she couldn’t help but feel like this whole twisted thing was a real date.
They walked toward the glass building and Cindy suddenly realized that her choice of attire might have been a bad one after all. She tried to imagine how she was going to get up and down off one of the cushions on the floor without flashing everyone let alone maintaining some semblance of dignity and grace.
When they reached the building she saw to her relief that the pillows had been stacked up along the one wall, clearing the floor. Apparently the meet-and-greet would be more like a mixer where everyone stood and milled around.
A table had been set up along one wall with glasses of champagne on it. The man they had met earlier, Arnold, was standing near it wearing casual slacks, a white shirt with the top button undone and a sports jacket. He was chatting to an older couple. The man was wearing a suit and the woman was wearing a dress and some very expensive looking pearls. The couple didn’t strike Cindy as the type to go in for a retreat like this.
Two other couples were already there as well. They were standing together. Or, rather, the men were standing together and the women were standing a couple feet away, intent on something.
She and Jeremiah walked over. As soon as they got close all four looked up at them and then moved quickly forward with greetings.
“Hi, we’re the Werthers, Kim and Levi,” the shorter man with brown hair said, holding out his hand.