A woman? A woman was behind this? Was she in on this with Clint’s pal?
I expected her to walk toward the parking lot, which would be the quickest getaway route. Instead, she started down the trail.
“Come on! Maybe we can follow her.” I had a sudden burst of energy as I hurried back from the direction we’d come. I didn’t bother to look back and see if Riley was following. Instead I kept my eyes on the woman.
She moved with a bounce in her step, as if she were just out taking a stroll. If that was part of her cover-up, she was good. Really good. No one would suspect she was guilty of anything looking as casual as she did.
“Wait up, Gabby,” Riley called behind me. “If you fall and twist your ankle, we’ll never get to her in time. The rate you’re going, you’re going to hurt yourself.”
I slowed my pace some. “You’re right.” I dodged a tree root. “I just don’t want to lose her.” The trees thickened on the other side of me, and I couldn’t see the woman for a moment.
We kept that pace for the rest of the hike back, all forty or so minutes, until we reached the clearing, and Allendale came into view in all of its majesty. I stopped, searching for the woman with the backpack.
“There!” I pointed to her as she climbed the steps leading inside.
I quickened my steps again, knowing that once she got inside, it would be easy to lose her. I couldn’t do that. This could be Clint’s only hope of finding Jackie.
Who knows? That woman with the ball cap may have gone in with Clint’s friend to arrange all of this. People had done things more twisted before. I’d seen it firsthand.
My pace quickened to a jog. I reached the grand entryway, flew by bewildered looking valets, and stopped dead in my tracks atop of the marble floors inside.
Where had she gone?
Riley stopped behind me. “There!” He pointed toward the distance.
I followed his outstretched finger and saw the woman. She stood at the check-in counter . . . handing the bag to the clerk there?
No . . .
I sighed and hurried to catch up. “Excuse me. Did you find that bag somewhere?”
The woman quickly assessed me before nodding curtly. “Someone left it on the trail. It feels heavy, but I don’t know what’s inside. I just know they probably didn’t want to lose it. Is it yours?”
I shook my head. “No, but I think it’s a friend of mine’s. I’ll let him know it’s here.”
I could have taken the bag, but I wanted to let Clint handle this. Besides, showing up with 200k in my possession could quite possibly make me look guilty.
I glanced up at Riley. “I guess we should go tell Clint.”
CHAPTER 12
We’d found Clint in his room, pacing frantically, along with Mrs. Harrington and her “man friend.” At some point, Derek and Lane had joined us. Riley and I updated them about what had happened.
“Now, of all times, someone decides to be a Good Samaritan!” Clint muttered, still pacing. Sweat beaded on his forehead.
Jackie’s mom looked like an older version of her daughter. Her hair was dark and bobbed. Her petite figure had put on a few well-distributed pounds over the years. Even in her distressed state, she still looked neat and prim.
Her man friend just sat in a chair looking lost. My guess was that he was whipped and knew his opinion wouldn’t matter a lick here.
“What do I do now?” Clint asked.
Derek and Lane lounged in chairs at the other end of the room. Lillian and Jack the Dipper stood in the corner. Riley and I found a spot by the door.
Tension stretched in the room, and it almost seemed like one wrong move—or word—would cause the whole place to shatter into a frenzy of name calling, finger pointing, and accusation.
And I’d been the one who was the bearer of this bad news, so I feared a lot of that heat would come my way.
Clint and Mrs. Harrington hadn’t looked too happy that I’d gone hiking and spied on the transaction. I’d told them that if I hadn’t, they might not know any of this.
“Have you tried her cell phone?” Derek asked.
“Of course I’ve tried her cell phone. She doesn’t answer.” Clint ran a hand through his hair.
“When was the last time you tried?” Riley asked.
Heat rose through me. Her cell phone. It was in my pocket. If someone called it, and the ringer was still on . . . I had to put an end to this.
I opened my mouth, trying to divert the subject, but Derek and Clint kept going back and forth. In the meantime, Clint had pulled out his own cell phone and started dialing.
“I tried her last night. No answer. You think the kidnapper will spontaneously let her have her phone, just in case I call?” Clint stabbed another button.
“I—” I held up a hand.
“I would think if it was my girlfriend, I’d be trying every hour, just in case. I’d be doing whatever I could to help,” Derek came back.
“Just because you have some law school education behind you doesn’t mean you know everything,” Clint retorted.
“You guys, really—” How was I going to explain this?
“I would have called the police,” Derek said, standing now. “You’re obviously doing a lousy job with this.”
Clint stepped closer. “How are you—”
Just then, something jangled in my pocket. The room went quiet and all eyes were on me. I swallowed my pride—and dared not look at Riley—as I reached into my pocket. I held out the cell phone and frowned.
“I found it in the room. When I realized that no one was monitoring it, I grabbed it, just in case Jackie called or someone called with a clue. I meant to give it to you earlier, Clint, but it slipped my mind.”
The silence remained, as did everyone’s piercing gazes. If only the floor would open up and swallow me whole. Instead, I did my best Lucille Ball imitation as I frowned and shrugged sheepishly.
Then Riley squeezed my shoulder. “You guys, she works for the State Medical Examiner. She knows her stuff, and she’s gotten more than one person out of a tight spot before. She was just trying to help.”
Clint stepped forward and snatched away the cell phone, the scowl never leaving his face.
I guess this would be a bad time to tell Riley that I’d lost my job?
The hole I was in just seemed to get deeper and deeper.
My gaze fell on Clint’s friends who lingered in the background. I guess this would be a bad time to bring up that I’d looked through the security footage and seen one of them leaving Jackie’s room, as well? No, I’d keep that to myself.
For now.
I needed more evidence first. More proof.
“All of you stop with this nonsense. My daughter is missing!” Mrs. Harrington stood, tears glimmering in her eyes. “All of this arguing is getting us nowhere. I need my daughter back, and I need her back now. Don’t you understand? The kidnappers think we fell through with our end of the bargain. They said she’d die if we didn’t leave the money or if we got the police involved.”
Silence subdued everyone. I stepped back and forced myself to look away, as if not to invite a challenge with anyone. Riley’s hand remained at my shoulder.
He was my rock. What could I say? He kept me grounded, and I desperately needed someone to keep me grounded.
“Maybe they’ll try to contact us again,” Clint finally said. “In the meantime, I need to think. So, thank you all for your help, but I want some time alone.”
I nodded, along with the rest of the gang, and we plodded outside. I’m sure this was not the way any of them saw this little reunion going.
“I’m going to go down and grab a drink. Anyone want to come?” Derek asked.
“I’m down with that,” Lane muttered.
Lillian and Jack the Dipper agreed.
Riley shook his head. “Go ahead without me. I need to check on my car.”
“Oh, come on, man.” Derek’s hand clamped Riley’s shoulder. “It could be like old time
s.”
Riley shook his head. “I’ll pass. I’ll catch up with you guys later, though.”
As soon as the gang walked away, I stared Riley down. “I’m in bizarro world. The conversation I just heard could not have possibly happened.”
Riley let out a soft laugh. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Gabby.”
“Why?”
“There are parts of my past I’d rather forget.”
I shook my head. “I don’t understand. For as long as I’ve known you, you’ve been this role model citizen and practically like one of the twelve disciples.”
“Even the twelve disciples had their issues at some points.”
I shook my head. “I can’t believe you haven’t told me, though. I mean, we’re getting married. Happily ever after and all that jazz.”
“I’ll tell you. Just not right now. Right now, I need some fresh air. I need to check on my car. And I need to get away from this craziness.” He held out his hand. “Walk with me into town to visit the mechanic shop?”
I stared at his hand for a moment before lacing my fingers through his. I didn’t care what his past held; I just wanted him to trust me enough to share it. But I had little room to talk when considering the things I’d been keeping from him. “Let’s go.”
CHAPTER 13
As we walked, I desperately wanted to ask Riley questions. A lot of people had garbage in their past. I certainly had my fair share. I just didn’t understand why Riley had never talked about his. Especially to me, not only as his fiancée, but as someone who struggled big time with messing up. When Riley and I had met, I’d been unforgiving, I couldn’t stand Christians, and my only hope was in the things of this world.
He’d played a big part in the changes in my life. He’d invited me to church. He hadn’t given up on me. He’d been there when I needed him the most.
Most of all, he hadn’t made me feel judged, for the most part, at least. He’d loved me when I was unlovable. He’d been patient with me when any normal person would have just slapped me silly.
So I’d discovered this week that Riley liked to drink and party at one time. What else didn’t I know? What had caused the changes in him?
He didn’t seem keen on talking about it at the moment, so I turned my focus on the buildings around me. Adjacent to Allendale was an old historic town with a few gift shops, the garage, two restaurants, a gas station and a general store.
An older, smaller hotel also rested on the corner, though it looked like it was no longer in use—as a hotel, at least. By other standards, the place had probably been grand at one time, but it dwarfed in comparison to Allendale Acres. It was four stories high, covered in whitewashed wood, and had quaint little balconies.
“Hi, Gabby!” someone yelled.
I looked up and saw Deanna leaning out from one of the windows. I smiled and waved back. This must be the apartment building where the employees lived.
“You know her?” Riley asked.
I shrugged. “What can I say? I’m a people magnet.” I said it tongue in cheek. Of course, in one way it was true. On a purely scientific level, one side of a magnet attracted things while the other side repelled them. That sounded pretty true to my life. People either loved me or hated me. There wasn’t much in between.
We walked into Buck’s Garage just as a man walked out. I stared for a moment at the twenty-something man with a baby face. Where had I seen him before? He was definitely familiar, but I couldn’t figure out why.
I shook my head. It probably didn’t matter anyway. I simply had an insatiable curiosity that always wanted answers.
I glanced around the reception area of the garage. Cheaply framed photos of classic cars like Mustangs and Corvettes were placed around the room. Most had faded either with age, from the sun, or both. The front desk was made up of wood paneling straight from the seventies and an odd, purple stuffed bear held a “Welcome” sign on the counter.
Riley moseyed up to the desk, where a woman with streaked-blue hair and trendy glasses waited. As she pulled up Riley’s information on a dinosaur of a computer, I peered through the doors leading into the bay area and spotted the same tow truck driver inside. He was working underneath another car, this one a sporty looking Porsche. Nice.
The woman tapped at the computer keys and finally looked up. “Says here that the damage on your vehicle is ‘extensive.’” She made air quotes. “It’s going to cost somewhere in the range of $7000 to get all of the body work done, not to mention that the engine block was cracked.
“Seven thousand dollars? Are you crazy?”
“I feel crazy sometimes. If I were you, I’d sell it for parts and buy you something new. I don’t know how long you plan on being in town, but this work is going to take a minimum of a week, maybe longer. That means another trip out here to pick the car up, if you have to head out of town first.”
“I had no idea the damage was that bad,” I mumbled to Riley. I felt bad for him. He was always very careful with his money, and this new law firm he’d opened up operated a lot on grants and the goodwill of other people.
Riley sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “I’ve got to think this one through. I’ll get back with you.”
“The sooner, the better.”
Riley nodded, tapped the counter with his fist, and then turned to leave.
This trip was not going exactly how I’d envisioned. Not even close for that matter, unless you included how totally uncomfortable I thought I’d feel around his friends. I’d hit the nail on the head with that prediction.
Riley sighed as we stepped outside, a sure sign that something was heavy on his mind. “I can’t believe that.”
“At least the car had a good life.”
“A new car isn’t in my budget.”
“You could ask your parents for money.”
He cut a glance at me. “You know I won’t do that.”
“They wouldn’t mind.”
“I’m well beyond the stage where I want to depend on them. No, I’ll make my own way.”
“I could ask Chad to drive my van out. He could pick us up.”
“That’s a possibility. I don’t know how we’re going to pay for the wedding if we keep having added expenses like this. At the rate we’re going, it’s going to be five years before we have enough money saved up.”
We were paying for the wedding ourselves, even though Riley’s parents had offered to help. We wanted this to be our day and not to be indebted to anyone else. “You know I don’t want anything big. We could elope for all I care.”
We’d planned for a Christmas wedding. In the evening. With lots of romantic lights dangling around us, creating a magical feel. I wanted candles and soft music and for all of my friends to be gathered around.
He shook his head. “No, I want our wedding to be nice. I know it’s important to you.”
I had always kind of wanted a big wedding. My version of nice was totally different than these people here at Allendale. I just wanted a warm church, a pretty dress, and a reception that offered a little more than cake, peanuts, and mints.
“It will all work out,” I told him. “More important than the wedding is the marriage. Isn’t that what you always say?”
He sighed again. Something was bothering him, but what? His car? The wedding? Or something else?
I squeezed his arm. “What are you thinking about? You’re not acting like yourself.”
He paused on the sidewalk and brushed a hair out of my face. “You know me well.”
“I should hope so.”
He looked in the distance a moment before making eye contact with me again. “I guess I just wanted this whole week to be fun, a chance for you and me to get away. It seems like it’s turned into anything but that. Jackie is missing. My car is totaled. My friends haven’t really grown up like I thought they would have. In my head, we were all tight. Now that I’m seeing them again, I feel like I hardly know them.”
“People do change.”<
br />
“I know they do. I just hoped that they’d changed for the better. You know, less of The Breakfast Club or The Hangover, and more of Star Wars.”
“Star Wars?” I questioned.
He shrugged. “I was trying to think of some movie where the main characters grew up by the end. I was having a little trouble.”
“Obviously.” I winked.
He hooked a hair behind my ear. “I promise you, before we leave, we’re going to have at least one night together to do something. Have a fancy dinner. Go to the spa. Something.”
I grinned up at him, soaking in every wonderful angle of his face. “Promise, Luke Skywalker?”
“Promise.” His lips grazed mine.
I fought a frown. I’d made a promise to Riley when we started this trip, and I was doing a lousy job keeping it.
I had to do a better job at minding my own business.
That just might be the biggest challenge of my life.
***
Back at Allendale, Riley headed to grab some sandwiches from the market downstairs. We decided to simply eat in my room and unwind a little, and that was fine with me. I hadn’t even been here a day, and I was already craving cheap pizza and Chinese food.
I started back up to my suite to tidy up. I decided to take the elevator this time. I stepped inside, saw Jackie’s mom, and realized it was too late to escape.
As soon as the doors closed, Jackie’s mom reached for a button and held it. The elevator jerked to a halt.
I stared at the woman as if she might be a crazed killer. But, no, she was just a grieving mother. I tried to remember that and ignore the fear that started to rise in me. I cleared my throat, about to offer some platitude that I’d probably later regret. Before I had a chance to, she started.
“You’re an investigator?”
I tried to step back but couldn’t. “That’s right.” Again, not a good time to go into the details of it now. Po-ta-toe, po-tah-toe, right?
“I want to hire you to find Jacqueline.”
“I’m not sure what I can do here.” I practically stuttered as I said the words.
Dirty Deeds Page 8
