When he signed heavily, a warning buzz went off in her head. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to talk about what Glen had worried himself sick over. It was recalling what she’d told Valerie—what she’d overheard on the phone. She found it odd that Roy would mention the loss of funding. “Yes, he was upset,” was all she said quietly.
“Did Glen ever say what distressed him about it? I mean besides the reductions.”
Pursing her lips, Sarah shook her head no. “He didn’t talk to me about it, Roy. I just knew he was upset about it,” she said, standing and smiling graciously. She wanted the visit over as much as Neva appeared to want it over, also.
Walking to the door to see them out, Sarah halted. “You know, Roy, I’d like to establish an educational foundation in Glen’s honor. He firmly believed that everyone should have the opportunity to get a good education, and that was his reason for petitioning for that funding.”
Clasping her hands between his, Roy Owen smiled. “That would be fantastic, and I’ll assist in any way I can.”
“That would be great, Roy. Thank you. I’ll talk with my accountant and come up with a startup figure. Although I know it’ll never be what those grants were supposed to cover, would it?” Sarah asked, covertly watching Neva walk over to admire her collection of crystal clocks displayed on a table near the door. Sarah also noticed through the opened door how Mr. Bishop’s professional face slipped as he slyly ogled Neva’s well-proportioned derrière as she bent over to examine the clocks.
“Well, if your foundation can garner up over twenty million dollars that could make up for at least some of the reduction and cuts,” Neva said as she returned to Roy’s side.
“Oh, I didn’t know the cut was that big,” Sarah said, pulling open the French doors.
“Yes, I’m afraid so,” Roy said, slipping his hand through his wife’s arm. “But we are trying to downplay the actual amount. It wouldn’t do for that information to become public knowledge. Can you imagine the commotion it would cause if the taxpayers knew how much had been reduced? But that’s the government for you, right?”
A short while later, Sarah was upstairs in her bedroom pacing and glad she’d held it together when she heard the amount of money that had been cut. It was no wonder Glen had been so distressed, she thought.
“And you, Roy, work on that hill,” she whispered as she picked up the telephone.
***
Jolene
The Colter family was also grieving and worried.
It had been months since Cade disappeared without a single trace. But no one would accept the possibility that he may be dead—not his parents, Doug and Kate Colter, his older brother Dante or his younger brother Theo, and certainly not his younger sister, Jolene. All efforts to find Cade led nowhere, and it was becoming harder for them to remain optimistic.
Initially, the police were called in and began their investigation of Cade’s whereabouts. All the appropriate reports for a missing person were filed, and the family had been called down to the city morgue or hospital twice to identify a DOA or John Doe. Neither of those souls had been Cade.
The closest the police came was a fuzzy photo captured by a storefront surveillance camera of a man fitting Cade’s description as he walked up the street brushing off his clothes.
A few weeks earlier, the local newspaper ran a photo of Cade. There had not been a single positive response. That was until Jolene’s discerning eye picked up on a photo in the newspaper while skimming an article praising Congressman Roy Owen for a successful fundraiser that took place at the Sullivan Hotel. She didn’t care about the article. Her eyes homed in to the picture of the handsome faces of the twenty black athletes receiving scholarships.
In her mind, there was nothing finer than seeing a black man all suited up. Better still when there were twenty-one of them, she grinned naughtily. As she perused each athlete, Jolene discounted the fact that the newspaper made a blip by miscounting the guys. The thought had crossed her mind to send an email to let the paper know of its careless mistake, then decided she had more pressing things to do.
Giving the athletes one more look, Jolene’s eyes suddenly widened in shock. “Hey, wait a minute,” she said, breaking the silence in the living room where she sat across from her brother Theo. Angling the newspaper beneath the lamp on the end table, Jolene squinted at one of the guys, and a smile slide across her face. “Oh my God…look at this, Theo. That’s Cade in this picture.” In her excitement, she shook the newspaper under Theo’s nose.
When Theo saw the photo, he admitted he couldn’t be positive if it was Cade or not. The man Jolene was thrusting a finger at was standing slightly apart from the others and only showed the man’s profile. “It’s not him.”
“Well, I think it is him, and I’m going to call that joker P.I.,” she said, referring to the private investigator their parents hired to do a more thorough search to locate Cade. A job the local police couldn’t do and didn’t have the time or budget to do.
The private investigator checked the leads out but reported that Cade was not on the guest list for the event. There were no witnesses to confirm they saw him, and he was not a guest at the hotel or had a dinner reservation at the hotel’s restaurant. He believed the newspaper miscounted the athletes.
The P.I., Ross Samuelson, a former cop himself, believed what the police suspected—that Cade Colter had probably taken off and didn’t want to be found. There were no signs of foul play at his condo, and even his family had admitted that in the past he had disappeared for one or two weeks at a time. But his parents insisted that Cade always contacted the family saying he’d needed a break.
***
Dante
Frustrated and angry, Dante was furious at his brother’s lack of responsibility or the decency to keep their parents from worrying about him. He was done with Cade’s impulsiveness. He had a business to run, and if Cade didn’t want to be a part of it, then all he had to do was tell him. So why did Dante have this knot in the pit of his stomach that was telling him that something was really wrong this time and not just one of Cade’s escapades?
Dante knew it was now just a waiting game for the police and Samuelson to see if a body turned up.
***
Valerie
Valerie was now positive that when she was wearing the crystal and fell asleep, she would have a vision with the handsome mystery man whose simple kiss still burned her lips.
Having returned to work full steam ahead, she’d purposely decided not to wear the crystal for one week. Still shaken by the last encounter with the man, she sensed she was in uncharted territory with the crystal. She was dabbling in the powers that she didn’t completely understand or could control. But damn it, she was willing to take the chance and suffer the consequences for the opportunity to communicate with the mystery man again. He’d asked for her help…no, he’d begged for her help, she corrected.
How could that be wrong?
That night when she prepared for bed, the need to see him again was so strong she decided to throw caution to the wind to see if she could summon him. Getting comfortable, she placed the crystal around her neck, closed her eyes, and pressed the warm gem to her chest. She’d steadied her breathing and willed him to appear.
At first, nothing happened, and then, as if materializing out of thin air, he was there…standing in front of her but not seeming to see her. He appeared semi-translucent again. But she was excited to see him.
She couldn’t keep her eyes off him. He paced, appearing preoccupied and confused. He glanced around cautiously, as if he were searching for something, and when his gaze landed on her, he looked puzzled. His brows furrowed in concentration, and then he was gone.
Valerie tried to hold back the wave of disappointment. Her hopes of talking to him again, or perhaps another fiery contact, seemed dashed. She chastised herself.
Idiot. He doesn’t really exist…or does he?
She wanted him to stay longer. She wanted to talk to him, to
help him…to feel his kiss again.
What is wrong with me? Am I so desperate that I would summon a vision of a guy to make a pass at me? Should I try to summon him again?
No. It was too risky. She’d already heard Aunt Ruby’s warnings clanging away inside her head, but she ignored them. He’d asked her for help, and she’d always tried to stay true to her word, but not by supernatural means and not by conjuring him up with her crystal. She was determined to fit some of those puzzle pieces together, and the first thing was finding out who her mystery man is…or was. It was also the hardest thing to do because there was that possibility that he was dead.
The ringing telephone suddenly jarred her thoughts. As she reached over to answer it, having resolved to figure out what happened to him, if not for his sake, then for hers as well…not to mention her sanity.
***
Valerie
Valerie had been delighted to receive a lunch invitation from Sarah Walker.
She’d been equally surprised where they were having lunch. The restaurant was what Valerie would’ve described as a dive. After she’d pulled up at the curb across the street and stepped from her car, she thought the place was vacant.
But seconds later, after entering the surprisingly crowded restaurant, she immediately spotted Sarah sitting at a corner table. After sharing pleasantries and hanging her coat over the back of her chair, Valerie couldn’t help but think she was probably going to need to hang her blazer outside in the air to get the smell of fried food out of it.
“Sarah, I’m so glad you called and invited me to lunch, but…” Valerie glanced around with a dubious expression. “Here?” Then feeling judgmental, she tried to regroup.
Sarah laughed. “Girl, you’re a mess, and I know this restaurant quite well. Glen and I used to come here all the time, and they have the best Maryland crab dishes. Besides, it’s safe. Look around at all the people in here. Local police, capital police, secret service agents, lawyers, you name it,” she said, grinning. Nodding to Valerie’s right and left, Sarah encouraged the young woman to look around. “Everyone is here to enjoy the lunch special today. It’s two crab cakes for the price of one, and I’ve already ordered ours. They also have the best cheeseburgers in DC if you want one.”
“Thank you, the crab-cake special will be just fine.”
Sarah scooted her chair and leaned in closer. First and foremost, Sarah was still a politician’s wife, so privacy, hush tones, and secrecy were a must. “Valerie, not everything is what it appears. Take this restaurant. Sure, the décor is a decade or two old and more than one table has a piece of cardboard beneath the legs to keep it from wobbling. But the food, the service, and the staff are top notch. Listen, dear, I wanted to tell you that the kids and I are taking that cruise Glen and I had planned to take,” she announced, referring to the long-awaited cruise she and Glen had planned for their anniversary.
Valerie sipped from her newly arrived cup of tea. “That’s great.”
“Yes, I think the change of scenery will do us all good. The kids are on an extended break from their universities. I’m letting them bring a couple of friends along, so they won’t feel pressured to be huddled up under me for the full seven days. I’m hoping they’ll take selfies and act the fool a bit. Back to normal, if you know what I mean.”
Valerie grinned at the comical face Sarah made.
“The cruise had been planned with a group of our friends and my sister and brother-in-law, so don’t start thinking I’ll be lonely. I’m sure Glen would approve and eventually send me a sign that he’s okay. I believe it’ll come through you, Val.” Sarah smiled up as the waitress returned with their orders of crab cakes, potato salad, and freshly steamed broccoli, then left them to their meal.
“Don’t say that for my benefit, Sarah. Glen didn’t believe in my gift, and that’s fine,” Valerie said and then took a bite of the delicious crab cake. As she ate, Valerie noticed Sarah eyeing her with eyebrows raised.
“What?”
“But he did, Valerie. Listen, I remembered something. He’d been so devastated about the slashing of that funding that he’d called a special meeting with the Feds. He was going to confront those so-called movers and shakers on the Hill who voted to cut the grant money. A previous grant had been approved then cut, and there was no trail of where that money went. Glen wanted to make sure there wasn’t any misappropriating of the new funding that was forthcoming.”
Valerie was surprised to hear this. “Really?”
“Yes, really. And I had a strange visit from Roy Owen and his wife. I think Glen rattled a few skeletons loose that probably had upset some folks, specifically Roy,” Sarah said, chewing her food slowly. “Do you know much money was slashed?”
“Millions.” They ate quietly, but the entire conversation confirmed to Valerie that Sarah was probably right. Glen had to have been furious. “When are you leaving for the cruise?”
“Today,” Sarah answered as she reached into her purse and pulled out a slim jewelry box and passed it to Valerie. “Just something I thought you’d like.”
Accepting the gift, Valerie opened the emerald green jewelry box to reveal a beautiful gold chain. But when she was about to lift it from the box, Sarah reached over and stopped her.
“I’ve seen you wearing your aunt’s crystal a couple of times with a black ribbon, but I was thinking that such a treasure would be worthy of a nice gold chain. Anyway, I’ve got to run. Stay and enjoy your lunch,” she said, kissing Valerie’s cheek and giving her a tight squeeze. “Remember, like this restaurant, not everything is as it appears. I’ll send you postcards,” she whispered before heading to the door, sending air kisses to everyone waving at her.
Shaking her head at Sarah’s energy, Valerie watched as her driver held the door open. It was then Valerie noticed two men sitting a few feet away. When her eyes connected with one, he looked away and began eating, but the other one she recognized as Congressman Owen’s bodyguard. He held her gaze, so she nodded in his direction. When he nodded back and smiled, she couldn’t help but notice how handsome he was and smiled in return.
Only then did she remember the countless times she’d seen him in the background of photos taken of Owen. He was always serious and never smiling, and that was a shame. When a peculiar feeling washed over her, she dropped her eyes to her plate, breaking off his intense, probing gaze. She hoped she wasn’t giving off signals of loneliness to the first handsome man to smile at her. Still, she didn’t know what caused the feeling of unease but suspected it was something about him.
***
Valerie
Valerie arrived home tired and weary at the end of her workday, but she perked up to see a package waiting on the small table on her front porch.
Her momentary delight became overshadowed when she brought the box inside and opened it. It was a book that Glen had ordered for her. This title had been out of print. He had told her that it would take a few weeks before she would get it in the mail. It was a collection of short stories about people with psychic gifts.
Carrying the book into the kitchen, she prepared a salad for dinner. By the time she’d finished eating, she had already read three of the stories.
Later, when she retired to her bedroom, she remembered Sarah’s gift and removed the slender emerald green jewelry box from inside her satchel. Examining the box more closely, she admired the detailed embroidery and corded ribbon on the velvet box.
Dropping down into her comfy chair, she kicked off her shoes and idly turned the box around in her hands. She recalled how odd Sarah had been at lunch. She had known the woman a long time, and she always appreciated how outspoken and candid Sarah was, but at lunch, Sarah seemed to have been choosing her words very carefully. It was a deliberate guise “ladies-who-lunch.” Valerie wondered why Sarah was being so cryptic. Another thing was her choosing that restaurant. Valerie wasn’t a snob by any means, and she had to admit the food was delicious, but why there? She also had the distinct impression that Owen�
�s bodyguards hadn’t been there for the crab cake special, either.
Valerie wondered if Sarah believed those men were listening and that’s why she’d been so cagey. They didn’t act inappropriately. They were cordial, especially the one who smiled and nodded at her again before she left the diner.
Pushing that from her mind, for now, Valerie opened the jewelry box and carefully lifted the chain out. Getting up and crossing over to the dresser, she opened her own jewelry box and scooped out the small velvet pouch containing the crystal. Returning to the chair, she carefully removed the black satin ribbon and replaced it with the gold chain. “Sarah was right. The chain is much nicer,” she said.
The sudden trembling of her fingers, the racing of her heart, and the onset of sleepiness were telltale signs of what she was about to do. She was going to go into a trance. She was going to see him again.
Despite her limbs feeling like heavy liquid, she managed to pull the brown and gold chenille throw from the back of the chair around her shoulders seconds before closing her eyes and waited. Ten minutes later, she was still awake. She sighed. The vision never materialized.
Valerie looked at her satchel on the bed and guessed why she couldn’t focus. It contained bills she’d received for the house renovations.
She’d purchased some of the materials, but to save several thousand dollars in labor cost, she opted not to have the large basement area prepped with sheetrock or install the closet doors she’d also purchased. Eventually, the space would be the perfect family room, laundry, workout room, and storage. For now, those projects were on hold.
Then there were the grant applications that were peeking out from her satchel. As agonizing and stressful as it was, the rejections went out in the mail. The upside was the congratulation letters would soon arrive to the fortunate recipients. She wondered how her job could be so thankless and rewarding at the same time.
Finding Cade (Dream Catcher Series Book 1) Page 9
