Cashing Out

by Pierce, Nicolette

  “I think you both have the right to be.”

  “What about you? Are you furious?” she questioned with large, watery eyes.

  I shook my head. “I’m not furious. I’m done.”

  “That’s worse.”

  “No. It’s for the best.”

  “Frankie flew by gushing about diamonds Ian gave you.”

  I smirked and handed her the card. “Divorce diamonds.”

  She read the short note with trembling hands. “Why didn’t he finish the card and send it to you? Do you think he might want to stay married?”

  “No. I think he doesn’t know what to say to Greyson. Sometimes no words are better than the wrong words.”

  Mya handed the card back and paced the room until we heard Frankie’s voice chattering away. “It’s no problem,” he said as he entered the study. “You are more than welcome to come anytime you want. It’s your house, after all. Ciao!” He ended the call and pocketed his phone.

  “Who was that?” I asked.

  “Gwen. She’s on her way.”

  “What?!” Mya and I exclaimed in unison.

  “What?” he asked, flinching as we stormed toward him. “She’s looking for her husband, and we need help finding the necklace. It’s a win-win.”

  “We don’t know her,” I argued. “Mrs. Miller’s detective didn’t find any record that she’s married to Ian.”

  “Ian travels all over the place. They could have been married on Lake Titicaca and there wouldn’t be a record of it, but it’d still be legal.”

  “When is she coming?”

  “Any minute now. She said she was in the area.”

  “She just happens to be in the area?” I questioned. “And why did she call you and not me?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe she tried to call you but your phone is fried.”

  That was possible. “Did you tell her about Ian?”

  He arched his brow. “You know I don’t like giving bad news. I’m here to help and then take a vacation, not have a woman get my shirt all wet with salty tears and a runny nose.” He shivered.

  “Mya, perhaps you should warn Mrs. Miller that Gwen will be arriving soon. Maybe get her a cup of coffee . . . or vodka.”

  When Mya stepped out of the room, I turned to Frankie. “I don’t like that Gwen just happened to be in the area. At first I believed she was Ian’s wife, then I was on the fence, now I’m positive she’s not married to him.”

  “We won’t know until Ian comes home. In the meantime, she can help look for the necklace.”

  “I don’t trust her. What if she’s been looking for the necklace this whole time?”

  “Wouldn’t you be? If your husband ran off and married another woman, wouldn’t you want to steal that cheating bastard’s diamonds?”

  “She didn’t care that I was married to him. I thought it was odd, but then I thought some couples choose to have an open relationship. Who am I to judge? I don’t buy it anymore. There’s too much at stake.”

  “It’ll be fine. You’ll see.”

  It wasn’t.

  If Mrs. Miller was frigid with me, she was a full-blown North Pole blizzard when Gwen arrived.

  The two women locked eyes.

  “Why are you here? You’re not married to Ian,” Mrs. Miller grated.

  “I am. But that’s not your concern. Where’s my husband?”

  “Since you’re not married to Ian, I don’t know what husband you’re referring to. Don’t bother arguing. The detective only found one marriage record. Unfortunately, it’s with her,” she said, flicking a manicured finger in my direction.

  I let that roll off me like water on a Slip ‘N Slide. There was no way I was going to step in between two women who seethed with anger.

  “We should find the necklace,” I whispered to Mya.

  Mrs. Miller turned to me with daggers glinting in her gray eyes. “Forget the damn necklace! I’m sick of hearing about the necklace! Greyson will pay the ransom.”

  “If you can find him in time.”

  She rounded on me, forgetting her foe in the opposite corner. “If you hadn’t pushed him into hiding, he would be here now!”

  “I didn’t push him into hiding. His crazy assistant director did!”

  “I followed the media when the counterfeit scheme hit the news. Imagine my surprise when they announced Greyson was to be married that same weekend to a poker player. Imagine my same surprise when the detective turned up a marriage record between that same poker player and Ian. You pinned them against each other! And now look what’s happened. Greyson is lost, and Ian is being held hostage.”

  I gaped. If that was what she thought, no wonder she’d been the frost queen.

  Mya sniffled. “Grace, that’s not –”

  “Don’t get involved,” she ground, cutting off Mya. “You let David run off after we just got him home again. He was missing for years!”

  A tear rolled down Mya’s cheek.

  I watched in horror as Mrs. Miller unraveled, lashing out her anger and hurt. Words were striking with painful accuracy, and none would be forgotten and some unforgiven.

  “Frankie, wine! As many bottles as you can carry,” I said, jerking my head toward the kitchen.

  “Wine won’t bring them back!” Mrs. Miller shouted. “Only money will bring them back.”

  “Mya, please help Frankie bring glasses.” . . . or a funnel.

  She didn’t need to witness Mrs. Miller’s display. No one did. But I couldn’t bring myself to be angry with her. All of her sons were cut off from her. And where is her husband? No. I shook my head. She didn’t need my anger to top off hers; she had enough of her own. What she needed was a bottle of wine and a nap.

  “Mrs. Miller, can I show you something?”

  “What?” she snipped.

  “Just follow me,” I said, leading her through the house and out to the patio where the pool glistened and blended with the ocean.

  She stopped and stared out at the point where the ocean greeted the sky. A wave of emotion crossed her face. “Stunning,” was all she said.

  I motioned for her to sit in a lounge chair while Mya pressed a wine glass into her hand.

  “Take a break,” I said. “We’ll regroup in a little while.”

  With resignation and rounded shoulders, she slumped into the lounger and took a gulp of wine. “I’m sorry,” she said, still looking at the water. “I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I’m normally quite strong.”

  Mya’s hand rested on her shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. We turned and escaped inside, allowing Mrs. Miller a chance to breathe.

  “I’ve never seen her like that. She’s always been strong and opinionated, but she’s never been cold and cruel,” Mya said.

  “Where’s her husband?” I asked.

  “I’m not supposed to tell anyone, but since you’re family, I can let you in on the secret.”

  “I won’t be family in a few days.”

  Mya waved her small hand. “A technicality. Mr. Miller moved out.”

  “So, they’re separated. Why is that a secret?”

  “The brothers don’t know. Only I know.”

  “You’re kidding me! How long has it been?”

  “A couple of years.”

  “A couple of years?” I sputtered. “How has it been a secret this long?”

  “Well, David was missing, Greyson was working, and Ian was traveling,” she said with a shrug.

  Frankie offered us each a glass of wine. I waved it away with the excuse that I needed to stay focused.

  Frankie tisked. “What you need is a stress reliever. Just think of last night. If we hadn’t drank all that alcohol, we’d never have had the epiphany to crack the code.”

  “We didn’t have an epiphany. We had a taxi driver who knew zip codes.”

  “And if we hadn’t drunk martinis, we never would have hired the taxi, and therefore we’d still be stuck at the hotel.” He pressed the wine glass into my hand. “Time to ma
ke some brilliant discoveries.” Frankie turned toward the living room. “I’m off to see Gwen and give her one of my stress-relieving concoctions.”

  Sipping the wine, I returned to the prior conversation. “Don’t the Millers talk? What about holidays?”

  “They might be a close family in some ways, but they don’t talk about things that matter. It’s a family of men and one woman who is as tightlipped as the men are. They call me the family chatterbox.”

  I remembered Mrs. Miller saying the same.

  “Why don’t we go back to the study and search?” I suggested. “You can tell me about the family as we dig.”

  “Ian has some pretty cool things, doesn’t he?” she commented as we rounded back to the study.

  “Yes . . . and they all need to be moved.”

  “Why?”

  “I think the only way to find the necklace is to move everything out of the study. Perhaps we’ll stumble across it or find a safe. Right now, there’s too much stuff. It’s overwhelming.”

  Her eyes roamed the room. “Well, if you think it will help . . .”

  “I do. We’ll have this done in no time,” I said reassuringly and set my glass down on a nearby table.

  “Let’s get started.”

  Between the two of us, we hauled nearly every item out, inspecting them as we went. We didn’t find the necklace, but we found several items we couldn’t name.

  “What is it?” Mya asked.

  “It’s a ball of some sort with holes.”

  “Like a wiffle ball?”

  “I guess. But this is larger and wooden.”

  Frankie stepped into the room. “Both ladies are deep in their cups,” he said proudly. “I have a feeling they won’t stir for hours.”

  “That’s probably for the best,” I said.

  “What are you two doing? You’ve ripped this place apart.”

  “We’re moving everything in hopes we’ll find the necklace. Here, catch!” I said, tossing the ball at Frankie. He dodged with a squeal. Our eyes widened as the ball released spikes, stabbing into the wall next to Frankie’s head.

  Frankie wheezed as he clutched his heart. “Are you insane? You could have killed me!”

  Mya stuttered.

  I gulped. “I had no idea it was a weapon.”

  Frankie eyed the lethal ball. “It’s a good thing I never learned how to catch. Dodgeball was the only game where I was picked first.” He slid down the wall, panting.

  “How do we get it out of the wall without poking ourselves?” Mya asked.

  “Let’s hang a box on it for now. I don’t want to touch it.”

  “Me neither. What if the spikes are poisoned?” Mya asked.

  Frankie wheezed again and slumped over. I handed him my glass of wine.

  “Thankfully, we won’t find out. Let’s get back to work, and this time, treat everything as a potential weapon.”

  “I’m going to have a talk with Ian when he comes home,” Frankie said. “What kind of man leads his wife, sister-in-law, and a very handsome man into a deathtrap?”

  “Someone who needs help.”

  “Hello?” Remy called.

  “In the study!” I shouted. “Perfect timing. He can help move the big furniture.”

  “What’s going on in here?” he asked, stepping over an African drum.

  “Nadia thinks the necklace is in here,” Mya said.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked. “I thought you were going to stand at the hotel door like a ferocious watchdog ready to leap on Greyson the moment he showed his face.”

  “I was told Greyson was tied up for the next three hours.”

  “Tied up?” Frankie huffed. “Yeah, we know what that’s code for, don’t we, Nadia?”

  “I’d rather not think about it. Let’s move the furniture and see what we find.”

  * * *

  “Nothing!” I fumed ten minutes later.

  “Why did you think it would be in the study?” Remy asked.

  “I don’t think it is. I know it is!” I paced the empty room, knocking on the walls in various spots.

  “It was a good hunch,” he said. “I would’ve thought it would be the most likely place too. Maybe that’s why he hid it somewhere else.”

  “Possibly,” I kicked a dust ball.

  “Let’s take a short break and start in a new room,” Mya suggested. “I should check on Grace. She’s been rather quiet.”

  “That’s because I gave her half of a sleeping pill,” Frankie said.

  “You slipped a sleeping pill into her wine?” I barked.

  “No need to thank me.”

  “Mya, can you check on Mrs. Miller?” I asked, suddenly nervous.

  “I’ll check on Gwen,” Frankie offered, scooting from the room.

  “You drugged Gwen too?”

  “Drugged is such an ugly word. I helped them relax in a very stressful time.”

  * * *

  Two hours later, I conceded that the necklace was not in the study. We’d dismantled everything we could and “accidentally” broke a few statues thinking they might hold the necklace.

  Mrs. Miller and Gwen had woken up groggy but not livid as I had imagined. The unscheduled rest had calmed both party’s nerves and had them offering to help . . . in separate rooms, of course.

  Remy left a short time ago, hoping to catch Greyson. Mrs. Miller made him promise to haul Greyson’s behind back here, even if he had to use force. Judging from the scowl brewing on Remy’s face, he didn’t need Mrs. Miller’s clearance. He was going to use plenty of force, plus a little extra for interest.

  “Should we order a pizza?” Frankie asked. “We’ve been working our butts off. I’m about ready to drop on mine.”

  “There’s a number to a pizza place on the refrigerator,” Mya said. “I’ll call it in.”

  “Do you need Frankie’s phone?”

  “You turned on my phone and nothing happened. I’m sure a call to a pizza place won’t be a problem,” she said, heading to the kitchen.

  I wandered to the patio. The sun was sinking into the ocean, creating a rainbow of warm sparkles on the water. Even the pool water sparkled with color. This spot is magical, I thought as I heard soft footsteps behind me.

  “Why are you helping?” Mrs. Miller asked. Her voice didn’t contain the anger it once had, but it wasn’t warm either.

  I didn’t have to turn to her to know she was only a few steps away. The sunset was too mesmerizing to miss a single second.

  “I’m helping because that’s what friends do,” I answered. “From what you said before, I can only imagine what you think of me. I won’t offer excuses. I’m only here to help, and then I’m taking my vacation.”

  “Before Remy left, he told me how you’ve tried to reach Greyson.”

  “You mean how I charged the casino like a crazed buffoon?”

  A small laugh had me glancing at her. “It fits the visual I had. But, he also said that if he ever needed someone on his side, it would be you. Thanks to the unusual effects of the wine, I had time to rest and regroup. I’ve been pushing myself and haven’t had a moment’s peace thinking of my sons in God-knows-where in the hands of God-knows-who.” She paused, holding her tears at bay. “While I might not understand your relationships with my sons—nor do I want to—I can see that I’m lucky to have you here with Mya and me. No matter what happens, I will always consider you my daughter-in-law.”

  I cleared my throat. “Thank you. That means a lot to me. Don’t worry, we’ll find the necklace.”

  “Remy said you are dogged when you’re onto something.”

  “He would say that.”

  “When I get my hands on my boys, I’m going to be dogged too. We are going to have regular family times . . . like holidays. I’ll threaten that I’ll move in if they don’t visit,” she said with a smile. “It’ll take some time for them to include me in their lives and tell me what they’ve really been up to. David is obviously not the traveling salesman he pret
ends to be. And now I can’t believe the only thing Ian does is travel. Just look at this house! Greyson,” she sighed, “well, he’s an open book. We’ll be close again. It will just take time.”

  “Mya said you were close. Maybe not in the traditional sense, but you stick together when it matters.”

  “Mya is the one that keeps us close. God bless her. She’s the chattering glue that kept us together even when David went missing for those long, horrible years.”

  I smiled. “I don’t know a single person who doesn’t like Mya.”

  “Nor do I.”

  “She also gives helpful advice.”

  “Oh, like what?”

  “Perhaps like to become a close family some secrets need to be revealed. The boys aren’t the only ones holding back.”

  Mrs. Miller eyed me. “She told you, didn’t she?”

  “Some secrets aren’t meant to stay secret forever . . . especially for so long. How did you do it?”

  “One gut-wrenching day turned into the next. Then years drifted by.”

  “It’s time to tell them.”

  “Once I get my boys back, I’ll tell them everything. But I’m so nervous I’ll never see them again. Where could the necklace be?” She wrung her hands together. “And if we find it, will the boys be released unharmed?” She stared at the sinking sun. “We’re running out of time. They’ll want the necklace by morning.”

  “Have they called again?”

  She shook her head. “Not since the twenty-four-hour mark.”

  “They might call at the twelve-hour mark.” I reached into my pocket to pull out my phone to check the time, but I realized it was still in the rice bowl. “What time is it? My phone took a swim this morning.”

  Mrs. Miller’s eyes wandered to the pool as she pulled out her phone. “It’s gorgeous, isn’t it? And look at the detail at the bottom. See how when the sun sets, it hits those bottom rocks and they twinkle like stars? Pure magic.” She sighed. “I can’t believe Ian kept this gem of a house a secret. Surely there is one room here I could squander away a week or two in without getting underfoot.”

  It was magic. The small circular design at the bottom of the pool shimmered just like diamonds.

  Diamonds?