Missing in Jinx Cove

by Savannah Mae

  Bea reached for the door handle in case they needed to make a quick exit.

  Calliope turned her head, venom in her gray eyes. “What did you say?”

  Juliana gulped but didn’t let the hateful look discourage her. She continued, “I said it was your car. How do we know you weren’t in on it?”

  Lyra said, “I don’t think you mean that. Let’s be rational. Of course, my sister had nothing to do with what happened to you. Her car was stolen.”

  “From the coffee shop,” Calypso said.

  Juliana snickered. “That’s not what Detective Randall said. He said you dropped your car off at the mechanics in the middle of the night the night before we were attacked. That’s funny because Mike told us you didn’t have an appointment to have your car fixed. I think you made a deal with someone to—”

  “To what?” Calypso screeched. “To kidnap a couple of dingbats? Why in the world would I want to do that?”

  Juliana offered a smug grin. “I haven’t figured that out yet, but I will.”

  “Oh, yeah, how do you plan to do that? The last I checked the five-and-dime doesn’t sell brain cells. Unless you’re a secret genius, and I’m dense, I don’t get a smart cookie vibe from either one of you,” she said.

  Bea sank in her seat.

  Calypso took notice. “See, even Sophie doesn’t believe you. She looks like she wants to crawl into a hole and get as far away from you as possible.”

  Bea sat up straighter, forcing her worry lines to disappear before Juliana said another word.

  “For your information, I’m more than a pretty face. Too bad I can’t say the same for you.” Juliana glanced at her sister and winked. “Should I?”

  Bea shook her head. “Please, don’t.”

  “Do you think I was born yesterday? Let me tell you, I spotted you the second I laid eyes on you at the sheriff’s office. I know what you are. Your skills are useless for our purposes, so if you’ll kindly step off your high-horse, we can get to business,” Calypso said.

  “Whoa. What do you mean? What do you think she wants to tell you?”

  Lyra took a deep breath and groaned. “I told you not to do this.”

  “Why not? You’re the one who brought up the book. I think even they can figure out we’re not on the way to pick up a cookbook. Let’s cut the bologna and put all our cards on the table.”

  “Calypso,” Calliope pleaded. “Don’t do it. It doesn’t matter what you think you know. It’s none of our business.”

  “Will someone please translate what she said? What do you think you know about us? No. Before you answer that, answer this. Why have you had a chip on your shoulder about us ever since we came to town? We did nothing wrong. If we’re such a bother, we can get out of the car now and, hopefully, you’ll never have to see our faces again.”

  Juliana chimed in, “Until we go to court, that is.”

  Lyra threw her head back. “Can we please relax?”

  Calypso pulled the car into the street, mumbling under her breath, “Fine, but we can’t ignore the truth. I mean, it’s obvious, isn’t it?”

  Bea held her breath.

  Juliana didn’t have a filter. Even if she did, it didn’t do the job as well as her sister would have liked. “I will prove who did what and why. Do you want to know how? Hold onto your socks, ladies. I’m a private investigator.”

  Calypso laughed.

  Bea sank into her seat again. “She is. Granted, she’s never solved a case, but hey, there’s a first for everything, right? Crazier things have happened, haven’t they?”

  Chapter 12: The Abney Family

  “No. What I want is an explanation. How could you do this? You know he had nothing to do with it,” Melanie insisted.

  Stu, the desk sergeant, shrugged. “I know you’re frustrated. I get it. What, with your boyfriend in a heap of trouble, you’re out of sorts, but I know Eddie. He wouldn’t arrest him if he didn’t have a good reason for doing it.”

  She placed her hand on top of his. “Ben’s your godson, for goodness sake. Isn’t there something you can do to help him?” She fought back tears as she pleaded with him.

  He pulled his hand away and looked around the room. “I wish there was. Believe me. You’re not the only one who is upset about this. When I heard he arrested someone, I was excited, but when I saw who it was, my heart sank. Not Ben.”

  “See. That’s what I mean. Tell them that. Ben has to get to L.A.”

  “He has to what? L.A.? Why? Who does he know there?” Stu asked.

  She saw movement out of the corner of her eye.

  She waved. “Detective Randall, can I speak to you? There’s been a big mistake.”

  He and Eddie exchanged glances. He said something and walked ahead of Eddie. “I know you have questions, but now isn’t the time. Why don’t you go home and get some rest?”

  “Rest? How can I rest at a time like this? Where’s Ben? What have you done to him?” Her voice shook.

  He nodded to Stu. “How’s it going?”

  Stu mumbled, “It’d be a whole lot better if you let him go.”

  The detective sighed.

  “Well?” Melanie urged.

  “He’s fine,” Isaac said.

  She glared at Eddie. “What did you do with him?”

  He pretended like he didn’t hear her and walked away.

  “Wait! Someone better tell me where he is right this minute. You know he didn’t have anything to do with it. He never even met those women before today.” She checked her watch. “Whatever they told you is a lie.”

  Isaac motioned for her to sit on a bench. “Let’s have a talk.” He grabbed her elbow and walked her over. “I know you’re upset, but it won’t do you any good. Let us talk to him, then, we’ll go from there.”

  “But you don’t know him like I do. He’s a good guy. In fact, I think he’s the only good guy left in the world, as far as I’m concerned. Can I see him?”

  “Not right now. Take my advice, go home. There’s nothing you can do here. If you want to help him, let us get to the bottom of this.”

  She hung her head in defeat. “I can’t leave him here. He’s my friend.”

  Stu interjected, “She’s practically his wife. Have a heart. Let her see the kid.”

  Isaac narrowed his eyes at him. “Thanks for your help, but I think I can handle it.”

  Stu grumbled, “I hope you’re right because if you got this wrong, there will be a heavy price to pay.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Isaac asked.

  “It means we stick together here. Everyone knows everyone, and everyone looks out for everyone else. Nothing happens in this town without …” His words trailed off as Renee escorted Ben out of a room.

  “Ben!” Melanie yelled.

  He looked up, dark circles under his eyes, but he didn’t utter a word.

  Isaac stood. “Go home, Miss Abney.” He walked away to join Renee and Ben.

  Melanie wanted to cry.

  Stu tried to comfort her. “It will be okay. Once they figure out they’ve got the wrong guy, they’ll spring him. If not, you can always use some of your voodoo to straighten things out.”

  She shook her head. “No. I promised myself I’d only use that as a last resort.”

  He nodded toward Ben. “And this doesn’t qualify as a last resort?”

  The front doors flew open and Ben’s mother, Penelope, ran to the desk. “Where’s my boy?”

  Stu gulped.

  Melanie answered, “He’s in there with the detectives.”

  Penelope broke down in tears when she saw her. “What happened? I thought he was on his way to L.A.”

  “He was. I don’t know what happened.”

  Penelope’s whole demeanor changed. Her brows furrowed. The veins in her neck jutted out. “What do you mean you don’t know what happened? You were there, weren’t you? Did you pass out? Were you hurt? How can you not know what happened to my son?”

  Melanie gulped. She’d neve
r seen her so angry. As kids, she and Ben found themselves in questionable situations, but never anything that ended with one of them behind bars.

  Penelope turned her wrath on Stu. “And you, Stuart, how could you let this happen? Why didn’t you stop this? Obviously, someone made a mistake. Walk back there and get my son.” She caught a glimpse of Renee through the glass wall that separated the offices from the main lobby area. “There. I want to talk to her.”

  Stu’s eyes were wide. He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m sorry, Penelope, but I can’t do that.”

  She banged her fists on the glass to get Renee’s attention. “Let me in or I’ll punch my fists through this glass and drag him out myself.”

  Renee froze as she watched her pound on the glass.

  “What do I do?” Melanie asked.

  Stu shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t get paid enough for this.” He groaned as the front doors opened again. “Who is it now?” When the Jinx sisters walked in, he mumbled, “Of course, it’s them. Like I don’t already have a big enough headache to deal with tonight.”

  Calypso slapped her hands on the front desk. “Great. You’re here. Do me a favor and don’t try to talk me out of this. I’m an old woman and I’m set in my ways. If I want to speak to the detective about my case, I can.” She stopped cold when she saw Melanie. “Oh, look. Where is your hoodlum friend?”

  Melanie and Penelope responded at the same time.

  “He’s not a hoodlum!”

  Calypso smiled. “Twinsies.”

  Lyra pulled her away from the front desk before Penelope attacked her. “Have you ever been able to read social clues? It’s like your brain cells fell out of your ears. I told you we didn’t need to come here. There’s nothing we can do. If the detectives have something to tell us, they’ll call.”

  “No, they won’t. They only call with bad news. Remember, no call means good news. Isn’t that how the whole thing works?” Calypso batted her eyelashes. “I might have gotten that wrong. Since I can’t seem to keep my brain cells in my head, I don’t know anymore.”

  Renee burst through the door, her eyebrows creased together. “What is this?” She scanned their faces, then, stopped at Penelope. “I’m sorry.”

  “You should be. You’ve made a huge mistake,” she retorted.

  Isaac walked out of another door. “You’re right. We have made a mistake.” He stepped aside to allow Ben to pass. “You’re free to go.”

  Chapter 13: The Montoya Sisters

  I hesitated at the door. The Jinx sisters appeared to have the market covered on how to barnstorm a place to get what they want. I figured it wouldn’t work for us. We were new to town and, if Calypso had anything to say about it, we weren’t welcome for this part of the adventure.

  “Why did you stop?” Juliana asked as she reached for the door handle. “Don’t you want to know?”

  I shrugged. “Will it make a difference? Even if he did have something to do with our kidnapping, what can we do about it?”

  She narrowed her eyes at me. “If he did it and he’s in there, it will answer so many questions about the whole thing. It’s not like kidnapping is a normal part of our day. Don’t you want to know why? I do. As soon as we get those answers, we might be able to get the rental car back and get out of here.”

  She didn’t get it.

  “Do you think the rental car company will let us anywhere near the car again? No way. We’ll still have to find a rental car company.” I glanced at the door. “I don’t want to see him. We should go back to the car and wait for the sisters to come out and tell us what they learned.”

  She stopped, seeming to consider my suggestion, then, shoved me aside. “Fine. You can stay here, but I don’t have to. I want to see his face.”

  I couldn’t let her go in alone. Her abilities meant everything to her, but I didn’t trust them. The visions usually amounted to misguided fantasies and a whole lot of nothing. Our mother told me to encourage her, but until she could prove she actually had visions, I couldn’t jump onboard that crazy train.

  “Wait for me.” I followed her inside and stopped short when I saw Ben. “Wait. What happened? I thought you were arrested.”

  A petite woman with a tear-stained face turned in my direction. “Who are you?”

  Detective Randall sighed. “All right, everyone, the show is over. Ben, go home. Everyone else, I appreciate your concern, but you can’t stay here. We have work to do. I suggest you go home and let us do our jobs.”

  “So, he’s free to go?” Juliana asked.

  Ben took the petite woman’s hand. “Let’s go.”

  She pulled her hand out of his. “No. Not until someone explains to me why you were picked up in the first place.”

  “Detective?” I urged. “What happened? If it wasn’t him, do you know who attacked us?”

  He scanned our faces. “No, not yet. This is still an active investigation. As soon as we have any credible information, we’ll let you know.” His gaze darted back and forth across the small alcove. “I have work to do.”

  Calypso threw her hands in the air. “I’ll say. You almost locked up an innocent man.”

  He moved to leave, then, stopped, hesitating in front of her.

  Lyra scolded her, “See what you’ve done. He’s under an unbelievable amount of pressure. He doesn’t need us adding to his misery.”

  He leaned one hand on the door. “I’m not miserable … yet. I’m confused. Do you want me to solve this or not?” He held up one hand to ward off our responses. “A serious crime was committed. Two serious crimes. I want to get the facts right. What I don’t understand is why you continue to meddle in an ongoing investigation? Don’t you want me to find out who stole your car and who kidnapped Juliana and Beatrice? That’s not to mention the question of the money or the gun.”

  Juliana’s ears perked up. “Money? What money?” She narrowed her eyes at me. “I told you Mom wasn’t too busy for us. She put up a reward for our safe return. Since we’re safe, do you think we could get our hands on the money?”

  I was dumbfounded by her ignorance. Anyone who knew my mother would know she’d never part with her money. Nope. Instead, she’d put up such a stink, people would empty their bank accounts to make her stop. I doubted she’d set up a fund for us.

  “Where did the money come from?” I asked.

  He rolled his eyes. “That’s what I intend to find out. Stu, can you get them out of here before something else happens?” He didn’t wait for his response. Without so much as a goodbye, he opened the door, slammed it shut behind him, and left Stu with a lobby full of angry people.

  “You heard the man,” Stu said as he ushered the Jinx sisters to the front door. “Go on. Get out of here. We have work to do.”

  Calliope snorted. “I think we all know you haven’t done any official work in decades. We’ll leave, but not because you want us to.”

  Calypso laughed. “Don’t be so hard on him. He can’t help it if he’s still not over your breakup.”

  He blushed. “That was fifty years ago, and she didn’t break up with me. I broke up with her.”

  “Ah, so, you know exactly how long it’s been since you were a couple?” Calypso teased.

  “What does that have to do with what happened to us?” I asked out of frustration. Ben and the woman I assumed was his mother had made their way outside. “Did they arrest Ben or not?”

  Stu pointed to the door. “No, but that’s all I know. I’m sorry. If you could please leave, it would make my job a lot easier.”

  Juliana challenged him, “What is your job? Official butler? What does anyone around here actually do? It seems to me everyone spends more time arguing than doing anything meaningful like crime-solving. If I’d known I’d have to solve my own kidnapping, I would’ve brought my supplies.” She turned her sarcasm on me. “If someone didn’t guilt me into a girls’ trip, I’d be home right now, enjoying a little R & R with my boyfriend.”

  “Which one?” I teased. “
The married one or the one who doesn’t support his children? Oh, yeah, I forgot, he’s in prison.”

  She shot the glare of death at me. “How long have you been married? That’s right. You’re not. Liam plans to marry someone else. That’s why you wanted to go on this ridiculous trip. You thought it’d make you forget about him. So, did it? Did you forget all about him?”

  I wanted to cry, but even more than that, I wanted her to cry. “How mean! Like your life is perfect. Excuse me, but I’m not the one who had to move back home because I couldn’t keep a job. I swear you’re more hassle than you’ve ever been worth. I don’t know how Mom puts up with you.”

  I hadn’t noticed someone else had joined us.

  “What did you say, young lady?” my mother’s voice bore a certain authority. I’d recognize it anywhere.

  My ears perked up. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. “Mom?” I turned to find myself staring at the angry end of her long-manicured finger. “How did you get here? I thought you had a thing.”

  Juliana, for all her bravado a second earlier, wilted like a flower at the first sight of frost. “Mommy! I knew you’d save us.” She pointed at me. “See, I told you she wouldn’t let us down.”

  Stu leaned on the front desk, breathless. “Who is this?” He locked eyes with my mother. “Wait a minute. You know who you look like?”

  She beamed from ear to ear. She got this all the time. Feigning innocence, she said, “No. You must have me confused with someone else. I’m just a mom, officer.” She added a wink and a quick toss of her hair with her words.

  Calypso inched closer to her, her nose scrunched up. “Well, I’ll be—”

  My mother’s stiff smile softened into a genuine million-dollar smile. “Long time no see, sugar plum.”

  “It’s been a while, Glenda the Good Witch,” Calypso retorted. “I knew it.” She turned to her sisters. “I told you.”

  Lyra scratched her head. “These are your daughters?”

  Stu stomped his foot. “I got it. You’re the actress. Consuelo something or other.”