‘I’m sure she will. She’s getting good care.’
‘I’ll walk you out to your car,’ Christian said.
‘That isn’t necessary—’
‘Excuse me. Christian?’
A short, stocky man with longish, curly ginger hair, a beard, and wearing jeans, a Metallica sweatshirt, and a down vest approached them. He had a deep frown and worried blue eyes.
‘Zane?’ Christian asked.
The man nodded.
‘Vanessa, this is Zane Felder, Brody’s business partner,’ Christian said. ‘What are you doing here, Zane?’
‘I called your office but you weren’t in. I’m sorry to bother you in the hospital, but have you talked to Brody?’
Christian frowned. ‘Not for almost a week. Is something wrong?’
Zane fidgeted uncomfortably, then said bluntly, ‘No one at the office, none of his friends have seen him or heard from him. He hasn’t left any messages and I can’t reach him by phone. Chris, Brody completely disappeared five days ago.’
Vanessa looked at Christian. ‘Call Sheriff Baylor now.’
‘Wait a minute, Nessa. We have no reason to call him.’
‘Oh no? The man everyone suspected of kidnapping my sister going missing just when she returns is a coincidence?’
She realized what she’d said and glanced at Zane Felder. He frowned suspiciously.
‘Is she back?’ Zane asked.
The lobby suddenly seemed full of people, everyone staring at the three of them. ‘Let’s go to my office,’ Christian said. ‘And no one say anything until we get there.’
Christian led them down a hall to a small, sunny office with framed degrees hung on the walls and a tall, full lacy-leaf philodendron in a woven basket beside a bookshelf. He motioned toward two leather chairs across from his desk. ‘Please, sit.’
They obeyed and Vanessa felt like a child called to see the principal as Christian sat behind a vast desk whose chair was at least four inches higher than hers. She sat up straighter. ‘I still say we should call Wade Baylor.’
‘And I say we should wait.’ Christian’s voice was firm. He looked at Zane. ‘When did you last see Brody?’
‘Friday around six o’clock when I left our office. I usually get at least one phone call from him over the weekend, but not this time. I called him twice but my calls went to voicemail. Monday he wasn’t anywhere on the first or second floors at the business or up in his loft apartment. He hadn’t left any word about being gone on Monday so by that afternoon, I started making calls. No one I know had seen or heard from him. The same yesterday.’
‘Does he have a girlfriend he could be with?’ Vanessa asked.
Zane looked at her, obviously slightly surprised. ‘No. At least not one I know of. Besides, he wouldn’t let even a girlfriend distract him from the business, especially when there’s something important we needed to discuss. Our company’s going public soon.’
‘Has he been acting differently?’
‘Well … he’s been really wound up. Kind of hyper and short-tempered. But that’s understandable considering what’s going on with Blackbird. I haven’t been a model of patience myself. I’m nervous, can’t sleep—’
‘Was Brody not sleeping?’ Christian asked.
‘He never said but his eyes were red and he looked tired.’
Christian raised his eyebrows. ‘Why didn’t you call me when he didn’t show up?’
Zane shifted in his chair, looking guilty. ‘I didn’t want to alarm you. I also know how suspicious people around here are about him. I had my fiancé Libby call you and use a fake voice to ask if Brody was home for Christmas yet.’
Christian looked annoyed. ‘That spacey woman was your fiancé?’
‘You’ve met Libby. She is not spacey,’ Zane returned indignantly.
‘She sounded spacey on the phone when she called twice – Monday morning and yesterday afternoon. Why did she use a fake voice?’
‘We didn’t want to scare you. We thought we were being thorough but discreet.’
‘Thorough but discreet? Is that what you call it?’
Zane’s hands clenched on the chair arms and raised his voice. ‘Look, I’m here now, aren’t I? I didn’t want to jump to conclusions, start an uproar over nothing, but now I know this has gone beyond a lapse on Brody’s part. This is something serious.’
‘All right. Arguing won’t get us anywhere. Was there anything unusual in his loft?’
‘No. Well, it was messy. Brody’s usually meticulous when it comes to his living space.’
‘Did you check the bathroom? That’s where he keeps his medications. Were they there?’
Zane hesitated. ‘I don’t know everything he takes for the schizophrenia. Nothing was in the medicine cabinet except aspirin, bismuth, antihistamine, a couple of other over-the-counter things.’
‘His prescription medicines were gone?’
‘Yeah. At least they weren’t in the bathroom or kitchen.’
‘When did you discover this?’
‘A couple of days ago.’
‘And it didn’t occur to you to call me, Zane? You didn’t think that might be something serious?’
Zane’s eyes narrowed. ‘Look, Chris, he’s not only my business partner, he’s my best friend! You think I’m not concerned about him?’
Christian took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a few seconds. ‘Please lower your voice, Zane,’ he finally said calmly. ‘I know you’re concerned. So am I. That’s why I wish I’d known sooner, but I suppose you did what you thought was best for Brody.’
Vanessa tried not to sound sharp. ‘And now what do you think is best for Brody, Christian?’
‘If you can’t find his meds, it sounds like he has his medicine with him. That’s good as long as he’s taking it. But he’s not answering his phone. That’s bad.’ He sighed. ‘I know nearly every place Brody could be in Everly Cliffs. I’ll make calls to people who might have seen him. I’ll go to the places he could be that are deserted.’ He paused. ‘He might even be at our house. Dad left it to Brody and me. I still live there but he has keys to every door.’
‘How could he be in your house and you not know it?’
‘There’s a guest house. It’s small but he always loved it. He used to hide in it when he was a kid.’
‘And if he isn’t in any of the places you think he might be?’ Vanessa asked.
‘Well … then I’ll call Wade Baylor.’
‘Isn’t he the sheriff?’ Zane burst out. ‘Oh no. No way, man. Not after what Brody’s been through in this town!’
Vanessa looked at Zane. ‘You don’t understand—’
‘I understand fine, thank you. I know you’re upset about what happened to your sister but you’ve got it in for Brody. You always have. I know all about you.’
‘You don’t know one damned thing about me!’
‘Hold it, you two,’ Christian said sharply. ‘Brody is my brother. He’s the only family I have left. I care about him more than anyone in the world, Zane, but I have to think about his mental condition.’
‘You’re going to let all hell loose because she wants it!’
‘Listen to me, Zane,’ Vanessa said. ‘If Brody isn’t taking his meds, he could act erratically, get himself blamed for something he hasn’t done. Don’t you understand that Christian has to notify the sheriff for Brody’s own good?’
‘She’s right, Zane.’
Zane glared at Christian and Vanessa. Finally he muttered, ‘I still don’t think it’s the best idea.’
‘I’m sorry you don’t see it that way.’ Christian shifted an intense gaze at Vanessa. ‘I will call Wade Baylor.’
‘When? You can’t wait until tomorrow—’
‘Just give me until … say eight o’clock tonight.’
‘That’s a long time.’
‘No, it isn’t, considering that I’m actually going to a few places, not only making calls.’
‘I don’t like it.’
‘Oh, all right,’ Vanessa huffed, then stood and reached for a pen and piece of paper on Christian’s desk. She wrote down the number of her public phone. ‘This is my cellphone number. If you find out anything, call me immediately. And call me before you call Sheriff Baylor. Don’t call my grandmother’s house.’
Christian glanced at the number. ‘Yes ma’am! Any further orders, Your Majesty?’
‘I don’t mean to interrupt whatever the hell is going on between you two,’ Zane said with weary sarcasm, ‘but is it really true that Roxanne Everly is back?’
Vanessa and Christian exchanged looks before Christian said, ‘Yes, Zane, it’s true. She turned up last night. She’s in bad shape and in this hospital. The sheriff put a guard on her room – she’s safe – but you can understand that we want to keep her return on a need-to-know basis for her sake and for the family’s.’
‘Sure, I see why you want to keep it on the down low and not only for her sake or the family’s – for Brody’s, too. He went through hell when that girl was kidnapped! He’s never gotten over it.’ Zane took a couple of deep breaths, clearly fighting for control. ‘Libby and I are staying in town tonight at the Everly Cliffs Motel. I’ll give you my cellphone number and I’d appreciate it if you’d let me know anything you find out about Brody.’
‘I will, Zane. What about your girlfriend? Will she … well … be talking to people?’
Zane bristled. ‘She’s my fiancé and despite you thinking Libby’s spacey, she isn’t. She’s intelligent and loyal and kind, and she loves Brody – like a friend, of course. She hasn’t told anyone he’s missing and I won’t tell her the Everly girl is home. Satisfied?’
‘Yes. And I’m sorry I said she was spacey.’
‘Thank you.’ Zane looked around aggressively. ‘She’s probably smarter than all three of us put together.’
Vanessa almost smiled at Zane’s obvious love for his fiancé, thinking it would be nice to be so admired and cherished. It would be better than nice.
‘I’d better get to work,’ Christian said. ‘I have to see three patients and then my day here is done. I’ll make all my calls on my cellphone – none on the hospital phone.’
Vanessa nodded. ‘Good idea.’
Christian’s gaze met hers. ‘I really will do my best, Vanessa.’
‘I know you will. You love your brother.’ She paused. ‘But if I don’t hear from you by eight o’clock, then I’ll call Sheriff Baylor.’
FOUR
Vanessa tried to calm herself down as her car climbed the hill toward Everly House. The news that Brody Montgomery had gone missing just when Roxanne had returned was beyond upsetting. Hadn’t Roxy said her captor had disappeared and that’s why she’d been able to get away? Could Brody have left Portland, left Roxy, giving her the chance to escape? It seemed probable if he was her captor, but she’d promised to give Christian a few hours to search for his brother and a policeman sat right outside of Roxanne’s room. Certainly she was safe enough for now?
As Everly House came into view, Vanessa smiled. Grace’s grandfather, Abraham Everly, had inherited a fortune built decades earlier through the Oregon fur trade with the Native Americans and increased tenfold by maritime business with England. In 1905, he’d commissioned the house, abandoning the tall, elaborate Victorian mode in favor of the newer Edwardian style. The house was longer and wider than most Victorian houses but only two stories high except for a four-story red-domed tower in the shape of a lighthouse Abraham had added so he could look at the Pacific Ocean. Vanessa’s grandfather Leonard, Grace, and Vanessa had loved the lighthouse and spent hours in it, but her father didn’t like it and her mother Ellen said it made her nervous. Roxanne simply wasn’t interested in looking through a telescope at the ocean.
Built of brick, the house featured balconies, porches, and verandahs, all decorated with elaborately carved white wooden railings. The windows were large, flooding the house with light during the day. Vanessa had lived at Everly House all of her life and the grounds had always been kept immaculate and the house in first-rate condition by Pete McGuire, who seemed like part of the family and lived in a small cottage near the home. She pulled up in front of the house, got out of the car, and looked out over Everly Cliffs. Somehow the little town looked bigger from up here.
A stiff breeze blew loose strands of hair around Vanessa’s face. She took a deep breath, appreciating how clean and bracing everything smelled.
‘Miss Vanessa, you’re here! And driving a silver Ford Tahoe of all things. Is it big enough for you?’
Vanessa looked to her right and saw Pete walking toward her. He seemed thinner than the last time she’d seen him, his face a bit gnarled, his thick hair gone entirely white, but his smile was as warm and affectionate as ever.
‘Pete!’ As he neared her, she rushed into his arms, taking him by surprise. ‘I’m so happy to see you!’
‘And I to see you!’ He drew back and looked at her. ‘Still the prettiest girl alive.’
‘Oh, you always were the charmer.’ His gray eyes were slightly faded and the lines in his forehead were deeper than she remembered. ‘Got a new girlfriend?’
‘A girlfriend! Who’d have me?’
‘Any woman with an ounce of sense.’
‘Am I interrupting a romantic moment?’
Audrey Willis stood in the open doorway of the house, her arms spread wide, her blue eyes alight. Vanessa hurried up the porch steps and Audrey swept Vanessa into a hug. Vanessa pressed her face into Audrey’s long, auburn hair that always smelled of lavender. ‘I feel like I haven’t seen you for a year,’ Vanessa said. ‘Where did the time go?’
Audrey smiled. ‘Faster for you than for me with your busy shooting schedule and continent hopping. It obviously agrees with you. You look beautiful!’
‘I look worn out. I feel at least fifty.’
‘You don’t even know what fifty feels like, silly girl.’ Audrey glanced past her at the SUV. ‘Why the big car?’
‘What is it with you and Pete and the size of the car? I brought Queenie along. I needed room for her cage. Besides, I just wanted it!’ They both laughed. ‘It’s a three-seater. Think Cara will like taking a ride in it?’
‘She’ll love it. She hates our tiny compact.’ The women watched as Pete opened the back of the vehicle and let out the dog. ‘Now come in while Pete gets Queenie out of prison. Grace can’t wait to see you.’
Vanessa hurried through the living room to the opened, wide sliding doors that led to the library, which had been converted to a first-floor bedroom since Grace’s fall. Her hospital bed and the metal tables for food and medicine looked out of place in the elegant mahogany-paneled room with its beamed, cream-colored ceiling, chandelier hanging from a gold ceiling medallion, and the ivory, rose, and light-blue Aubusson carpet on the gleaming mahogany floor. At the sight of Vanessa, Grace held out her arms. ‘My darling! How wonderful to see you!’
Vanessa embraced her, noticing how frail she felt beneath her cashmere robe. Her shining, silver hair reached her shoulders where it was turned into a slight pageboy style and she wore pearl stud earrings as well as sheer rose-colored lipstick, and blush. Behind her beige-framed glasses, she’d put a bit of mascara around her green eyes that were so much like Vanessa’s.
‘Surprised to see me down here in the library?’ Grace asked and before Vanessa could answer, she rushed on. ‘I couldn’t stay tucked away in my bedroom upstairs. When the doors are open, I can see all of the living room and the entranceway. I have to be here where the action is.’
‘I don’t blame you, Grace.’
‘It also makes things easier for Audrey than running up and down the stairs.’ Grace smiled. ‘Well, my girl, you’re looking fine.’
‘That’s what Audrey said, but I think you’re both just being nice. I hardly slept last night, and all I did this morning was wash my face a
nd brush my teeth and pin back my hair. I was in such a hurry to get here.’
‘Yes, of course you were. Who in the world would have thought Roxanne would come back?’
‘I didn’t think she could come back until now.’
‘Well, if I were religious, I would thank God.’
‘Oh, Grace, you only say you’re not religious to be shocking,’ Vanessa teased. ‘I see right through you.’
‘You always did. We’re kindred spirits, you and I.’ Grace winked at her. ‘Audrey baked brownies and she wouldn’t let me have even one until you got here. Please may I have one now, Audrey? I’m starving.’
‘Grace, I would too have given you a brownie earlier!’ Audrey protested.
‘You’d better hurry up and start serving. The children will be here soon and there won’t be any food left.’ Grace grinned.
‘Children?’ Vanessa repeated. ‘Is Cara bringing friends?’
Audrey was already heading out of the library. ‘One very special friend,’ she tossed over her shoulder.
‘Oh, a boyfriend.’
‘Don’t call him that. She’s too young to have a boyfriend.’
As soon as Audrey disappeared, Grace smiled at Vanessa. ‘He is Cara’s boyfriend. Sammy Sherwin. He’s very nice. You’ll like him.’
‘And so do you.’
‘He’s well-mannered and polite. He’s also bright and quite charming. I do like having children around, Vanessa. They make me feel less decrepit.’
‘You will never be decrepit.’
‘Tell my hip that. Of all the silly things to do! Break my hip right before the holidays.’
‘What happened?’
‘I got up in the night and tumbled down the staircase.’
‘Just like Dad.’
‘Well, not just like him. I hadn’t been drinking. That’s not kind but it’s true.’ She leaned closer to Vanessa. ‘I had a dream that you were calling for me downstairs. Maybe I was still half-asleep, but I got up and started downstairs without turning on a light. I’ve never done something so silly. Thank heavens I had my pager tucked in the pocket of my robe. I called Pete. I don’t know how long I would have lain at the foot of the stairs if he hadn’t come immediately.’
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