Missing in Cherry Hills

by Paige Sleuth

“I was on a date.”

  “A date?” Kat hadn’t expected that.

  “Not a very good one, but yeah. We didn’t click. And I didn’t want to say anything in front of Lucy because, you know . . .”

  “Because you like her,” Kat filled in.

  He nodded.

  Kat could have laughed in relief, but the forlorn look on Ryan’s face stopped her. She didn’t want him to think she was laughing at him or his failed date.

  At least now she knew where that alibi Andrew had mentioned had come from.

  Tom had grown restless in Kat’s arms. He wriggled around until she set him down. Once his feet hit the floor he headed for Ryan, his nose pointed upward as he sniffed the air between them.

  Ryan backed up against the elevator. “What does it want?”

  “Tom’s just saying hi.”

  Ryan bit his lip, then said, “Hi, cat.”

  It wasn’t until Ryan shoved his hands in his jeans pockets and drew his shoulders up to his ears that Kat realized he was actually afraid of Tom. That small revelation solidified her belief that he was innocent. After all, could a man afraid of a little—okay, a slightly larger than normal—house cat really be capable of kidnapping a woman? It seemed ridiculous.

  Tom didn’t give any indication that he was conscious of Ryan’s discomfort. He marched right up to the big construction worker, sniffed one of his sneakers, then released a meow that could wake the dead.

  Ryan shrank closer to the elevator. “Could you, like, um, get it away from me?”

  Kat snapped to attention. “Of course.” She stepped forward and gathered Tom back into her arms.

  “Thank you,” Ryan breathed, his shoulders dropping away from his ears.

  “Sure.” Kat scratched Tom’s head, and he immediately began purring. “But just so you know, he’s harmless.”

  “I don’t like cats.”

  Kat didn’t comment. She didn’t think anything she could say would banish Ryan’s phobia. Nor did she want to get into a lengthy discussion as to what had caused it. Right now Janice needed their full attention.

  “You said Larry is organizing a search party?” Kat said.

  Ryan nodded. “He’s in the lobby.”

  Lucy’s voice rang out behind them. “I’ll join you.”

  Ryan’s head jerked sideways. When he caught sight of Lucy approaching from Kat’s apartment, his eyes lit up.

  Bubbles trotted beside Lucy, his tongue lolling out. Kat figured Lucy must have brought him along for protection.

  Lucy halted in front of them. “Let’s get moving. Janice is waiting for us to bring her home.”

  Kat didn’t miss how Lucy had directed the words at her and not Ryan. Apparently Lucy didn’t plan to acknowledge Ryan’s existence or do anything else that might be misconstrued as a romantic interest.

  “I’ll just return Tom to the apartment then,” Kat said.

  Lucy nodded. Ryan didn’t say a word, his eyes pinned on Lucy. The guy looked as smitten as anyone Kat had ever seen.

  Kat started down the corridor. Lucy had left the door open, and Matty was now sitting in the doorway, her green eyes trained on the Irish setter at the other end of the hallway. Her location and stance seemed designed to deter unwelcome houseguests from reentering her domain.

  Kat nudged Matty back inside, deposited Tom on the floor, and shut the door. By the time she rejoined the others she expected to find the elevator ready and waiting, but nobody had even pressed the button. Ryan was too busy staring at Lucy, a goofy grin on his face, and Lucy was petting Bubbles with an intensity that suggested she couldn’t be bothered to talk to anyone.

  “Are we taking the stairs?” Kat asked.

  Neither Ryan nor Lucy responded. Nor did either one make any move toward the stairwell. Bubbles was the only one who acknowledged her question. He looked at her and barked.

  “I guess not.” Kat resisted an eye roll as she reached around Ryan to press the elevator button.

  Kat’s cell phone rang before the elevator could arrive. She fished it out of her jeans pocket and glanced at the display as she answered.

  “Hi, Lady Fairchild,” she said.

  “Kat!”

  Lady Fairchild’s frantic tone quickened Kat’s pulse. “What is it?”

  “Something has happened. I just went out to my mailbox to collect the day’s delivery. I would have done it sooner if I had known, but I didn’t think of it. Usually it’s all junk. I didn’t expect there to be anything important in there. I certainly didn’t expect a letter. It was just sitting there, no postmark, no return address, no stamp. Just my name.”

  “I don’t understand.” Kat gripped her cell phone harder. “What are you trying to tell me?”

  “Don’t you see, I got a letter. It’s about Janice.” Lady Fairchild let out a cry that raised goosebumps on Kat’s skin. “Oh, Kat, it’s a ransom note.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Lucy stared at the computer monitor. “A million dollars?”

  After Kat had called Andrew and insisted he go pay Lady Fairchild a visit posthaste, she had begged off from joining Larry’s search party then raced back to her apartment with Lucy and Bubbles on her heels. At Kat’s insistence, Lady Fairchild had emailed her a snapshot of the ransom note. Kat had gotten chills reading it.

  If you want to see Janice Moseley alive again, arrange to deliver one million dollars cash to a place to be communicated later this week. I’ll be in touch.

  Kat had hoped enlarging the note on her computer screen would reveal some essential clue not visible on her tiny cell phone display, but so far that hadn’t proven to be the case.

  But that didn’t stop Kat, Matty, and Tom from leaning closer to the monitor. Both cats had jumped onto the desk as soon as the computer had booted up, as if they too wanted to get a look at this new development. Bubbles might have done the same if given the chance, but he had been banished to the bedroom once again.

  Two minutes later, Kat had no choice but to admit defeat. No amount of staring would reveal something that wasn’t there.

  “Maybe Andrew will be able to lift some fingerprints off of it,” Kat said, trying to stay positive.

  “I’m not holding my breath.” Lucy slumped into the chair she’d dragged over from the kitchen table. “This really sucks. And who has a million bucks on hand? This guy is asking for the impossible.”

  “Lady Fairchild said she’s going to work on getting the money. I got the impression she has it, but it’s tied up in investments.”

  “Well, duh. Keeping a million in bills lying around would be insane.”

  “Let’s hope Janice’s kidnapper doesn’t want the money too soon,” Kat said. “I doubt Lady Fairchild will be able to arrange a withdrawal before the banks close up for the weekend.”

  Lucy twirled a strand of her red hair around one finger. “But that means Janice won’t be released for at least two more days.”

  Kat pulled Tom into her lap, hoping he could help her ward off a growing feeling of despair. He started kneading her leg, looking as if he didn’t have a care in the world, and for a moment Kat envied him and his easy life.

  “You still think Ryan has something to do with Janice’s disappearance?” Kat asked Lucy.

  “I did, but now I don’t know. I can see Ryan kidnapping someone because he’s lonely Mr. Desperate in need of a princess, but the whole ransom thing seems out of character.”

  “Plus, he seems more keen on you than Janice,” Kat said. “I saw the way he went all googly-eyed when you showed up in the hallway. I don’t think he was even going to bother inviting me to join Larry’s search party. He only cared about you being there.”

  Lucy stuck out her tongue. “Yeah, thanks for pointing that out.”

  “All I mean is that if he were going to kidnap somebody, I would think he would have chosen you instead of her.”

  Lucy didn’t look pleased with the idea.

  Kat looked at the ransom note again, a flicker of hope licking her insides.
“Money aside though, this letter is a good sign.”

  Lucy eyed Kat as if she suspected she had gone around the bend. “You think?”

  “It means Janice must still be alive. The kidnapper isn’t going to get any money if she’s dead.”

  Lucy sat up straighter. “You’re right.”

  “Let’s just hope she’s relatively unharmed, too.” The thought of Janice being subject to the whims of a lunatic made Kat sick to her stomach.

  Kat shook her negative thoughts aside and focused on petting Tom. It wouldn’t do any good to imagine the worst.

  The screen saver kicked in. Matty pawed at the monitor as tiny bubbles started floating up the screen.

  Lucy cut Matty’s fun short when she grabbed the mouse. But Matty wasn’t ready to stop playing. She refocused on the mouse cord and pounced.

  “Hey,” Lucy said with a laugh. “I’m working on something here.”

  Matty didn’t care. She continued to grab at the cord, so involved in the game that after a moment she rolled onto her side in order to free both front paws.

  Lucy slid the mouse out of Matty’s reach long enough to open a new browser window. Mission accomplished, she gave the cat a scratch and turned her focus to the keyboard.

  “What are you doing?” Kat asked.

  “Bringing up Twitter.” Lucy punched a few keys, then blinked at the monitor. “Wow. The #FindJanice hashtag has really blown up the Internet.”

  Kat fished the mouse from Matty and scrolled through the results. Her heart clenched each time she saw another tweet with her neighbor’s headshot attached to it. Janice’s bright eyes and warm smile had obviously touched the masses who were now rallying for her safe return.

  “I guess Cameron was right to get the public involved,” Lucy said. “He was talking about her becoming a celebrity. Well, it looks like she didn’t need a movie role to do that.”

  “I just hope all this publicity leads to her safe return.” As far as Kat could tell, none of the people tweeting were actually out searching for Janice. She supposed that was understandable, given how most were scattered all over the world, but she couldn’t help but feel disappointed by the lack of action.

  “The publicity can’t hurt,” Lucy said. “With Janice’s picture all over the place she’ll be harder to hide.”

  “That’s true.”

  Kat scrolled through the Twitter feed for another minute before deciding she’d seen enough. She wasn’t going to learn anything new from the opinions of the masses.

  “This agent of Janice’s,” Kat said, fingering Matty’s tail, “do you think he’s legit?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Watching him on the news, it seemed like he was almost enjoying Janice being gone.”

  “He does hang around actors for a living,” Lucy replied. “And it’s pretty obvious he has a flair for the dramatic.”

  Kat sat back in her seat, her fingers falling away from Matty. “Is it possible he kidnapped Janice for the attention?”

  Matty flicked her tail as if to verify Kat had left it the way she’d found it. Then she twisted around and began licking the tip for good measure.

  “That seems like a flimsy motive to steal somebody out of their own home,” Lucy said. “I mean, if you’re going for attention there are a lot of less extreme ways to get it. Like walking around town naked, for example. Or climbing up that stupid statue I pass by on my way to work every day. Or spray-painting your name on the mayor’s house.”

  Kat arched an eyebrow. “It sounds like you’ve given this a lot of thought.”

  Lucy held up her palms. “Hey, you’re the one who brought up this subject. I’m just going with the flow.”

  Matty finished inspecting her tail and sat down next to the keyboard. She stared at Lucy, her eyes twinkling. No doubt she wanted their guest to play with her again.

  “If attention was the kidnapper’s motive though, then how does the ransom note fit in?” Lucy asked.

  “I don’t know.” Kat traced a stripe in Tom’s coat with her finger, her brain churning. “Lady Fairchild said she met Janice at the dog park.”

  “Okay.” Lucy paused. “So?”

  “So, who knows about their relationship? Because whoever sent that note knew to deliver it to Lady Fairchild’s house.”

  “Doesn’t Cameron know about her?”

  “Yes, but until this morning he didn’t know her name, only that Janice has a rich backer. And after talking to Lady Fairchild, I got the impression they both wanted to keep her identity somewhat secret.”

  “He didn’t have to know Lady Fairchild’s name to take Janice for ransom,” Lucy said. “He could have coerced that part out of her after he had her in his clutches. I mean, I hate to say this, but people who are being tortured will tell you anything you want to know.”

  Kat’s stomach roiled. “That’s a terrifying thought.”

  “Yeah, but if you’re right about Cameron being guilty, it’s the only scenario that works.”

  Kat played through her early morning conversation with Cameron again. “It might not be the only possible scenario. Maybe it wasn’t Janice herself who revealed Lady Fairchild’s name. Maybe it was the incredibly careless neighbor who lives directly above her.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  Kat didn’t tell Cameron why she wanted to see him. She merely called him at the number on his business card and arranged for a meeting at Jessie’s Diner. She figured it would be best not to be alone with the man who had just jumped to the number one spot on her list of Janice’s most likely kidnappers.

  Cameron’s red sports car was already in the restaurant’s parking lot when Kat pulled in. She parked beside it and headed inside.

  “Kat!”

  She had barely made it through the door when she heard him call her name. She scanned the dining area as she moved out of the way of a family heading for the exit. Her gaze caught on Janice looking larger than life, and she nearly stumbled.

  Except it wasn’t really Janice. It was the same headshot currently making its way around the Interweb, and it was plastered on the front of Cameron’s bright red T-shirt underneath the hashtag #FindJanice.

  Cameron rose from his booth seat and waved his arms in the air, as if the garish T-shirt alone wasn’t enough to snag her attention. “Over here!”

  Kat approached him. “When did you get that made?”

  He held the hem of the shirt away from his body. “You like it?”

  “It’s certainly eye-catching.”

  “Then it’s serving its purpose. We want people to notice it, to ask what it means, to commit themselves to the cause.”

  Kat didn’t reply. She was trying to imagine the passionate man in front of her arranging a ransom drop.

  “I’ll get you one, too.” Cameron patted his chest. “This is the prototype, but I’m having a thousand more made. They should be here on Tuesday. I had to pay double to expedite things, but anything for my clients. And time is of the essence when you’re dealing with a madman.”

  Kat had to give him credit for knowing how to draw attention to his cause. Between the T-shirts, the news appearances, and the way his #FindJanice hashtag had taken off, it wouldn’t be long before everyone in the country knew about Janice’s abduction.

  Cameron rotated around to face the other restaurant patrons. “We want to bring Janice home!” he shouted, pumping his fist in the air.

  There were murmurs of agreement, and someone yelled, “Right on!”

  Cameron slid back into the booth and gestured for Kat to do the same. “Now, what is it you wanted to see me about?”

  Kat slipped into the seat opposite him. “I’ve been thinking about who might have kidnapped Janice.”

  Cameron picked up the coffee mug in front of him and took a sip. “And?”

  Kat hoped Cameron couldn’t see how nervous she was. “And you might be one of the few people who knows about Janice having a financial backer. So I have to wonder, now that Lady Fairchild has received a
ransom note—”

  “A ransom note!” Cameron dropped his mug onto the table, coffee sloshing over the sides.

  His voice was so loud it carried through the restaurant. Several patrons turned to see what the commotion was about.

  Cameron stared at Kat. “When was this?”

  “This afternoon. Less than an hour ago.” Kat frowned, doubts about his guilt creeping in. “You didn’t know?”

  “How would I know?”

  “I thought maybe . . .”

  Cameron waited a moment before saying, “Maybe what?”

  Kat flushed. Although she’d come here to confront him, she was quickly losing her nerve.

  But it was clear from the way he was looking at her that he wasn’t going to let her off the hook that easily.

  “I thought maybe you sent it,” Kat said.

  Cameron’s eyes widened, and he poked one of Janice’s silkscreened eyebrows with his thumb. “Me?”

  He looked much too shocked for his reaction to be wholly believable, but Kat reminded herself that overacting wasn’t a crime.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, folding her hands in her lap. “It’s just that you were the only person I could think of who knew about Lady Fairchild sponsoring Janice.”

  “I’m the only one?”

  “As far as I know. But there must be someone else—whoever took her from her apartment. Do you have any idea who that could be?”

  Cameron didn’t answer, all of his attention focused on the cell phone now in his hand. “I’ve gotta call the news stations. They need to hear about this.”

  Kat didn’t reply. She was fairly certain he was talking to himself.

  He held the phone up to his ear. “Cameron Daily here. Janice Moseley’s agent. I’ve got an urgent update related to Janice’s disappearance. Seems there’s been a ransom demand. It was delivered to . . .”

  Kat tuned out as Cameron prattled on. She was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that he might not be guilty after all.

  But who else might have known about Lady Fairchild? Someone in the acting world, perhaps. Maybe a deranged studio employee really had flown up to Cherry Hills.