The Beach Hut on Plum Island

15. CHAPTER 15

Harriet and Finn finished their meal and, by mutual agreement, decided not to discuss Finn’s previous life with Trudy.

“Why don’t we try and figure out what’s going on with this mystery?” Harriet suggested. “We can go back to my suite and try to figure things out. I have my laptop, and I know my way around a few things to find out the information we need.”

“Is that your way of saying you know how to hack?” Finn laughed as he paid for their meal, and they left the restaurant, heading for Harriet’s suite.

“I’d never say anything like that,” Harriet said with a grin while the elevator swished them to her floor.

Ten minutes later, Harriet and Finn were seated in the living room of her suite. Harriet had her laptop on hand while she sat with pen and paper on her lap.

“Let’s start from the top,” Finn suggested, his voice steady despite the chaos swirling around them.

Harriet nodded, her pen poised over the paper. “Let’s start with Titus’s announcement about coming to Plum Island, bringing Leon and Estelle. That was the beginning of this entire mess,” she noted, her handwriting a swift scrawl.

“Then there’s the shift in his plans for marital alliances,” Finn added, leaning over to see her notes. “Initially, Titus wanted Gray to marry Estelle, but Gray was already seeing Trinity Woodrow in secret.”

Harriet drew a line to a new note. “Which led Titus to concoct that surprise engagement between Leon and me.” She paused, her lips pursed in distaste as she tapped the pen against them before writing again. “Except our fake engagement threw a wrench in that plan.”

Finn rubbed his chin, his mind on the next piece of the puzzle. “And then there was Leon’s attempt to kidnap me. We still need to figure out why.”

“He clearly wanted to remove you from the scene in order to put his engagement to me back on track,” Harriet figured.

“My thoughts exactly,” Finn agreed.

Harriet jotted that down along with another note. “Gloria Gladstone was quick to make a trip to Plum Island to save her son.”

“Yes.” Finn nodded, his brow creasing. “That was almost as if it was planned how quickly she got here.” His eyes narrowed suspiciously. “You don’t think that she may have planned the whole thing? Including Leon getting caught so she had the excuse she needed to cut him off.”

“Could be,” Harriet had to agree with that. “Then, there was the early arrival of the royal party, which got here around the same time as Gloria.”

“Gloria didn’t seem very convincing nor too forceful in arguing for me to drop the charges against her son,” Finn pointed out. “Almost like she was stalling for time to stay here.”

“Maybe that has something to do with Estelle breaking into my room and then trying to blackmail me into helping her set my uncle and Gloria up.” Harriet jotted down the few points they’d just discussed. “Then there’s the mysterious appearance of Faith Vanderbilt.” Harriet shook her head as she played with the pen. “Why has no one even mentioned Faith’s appearance or the significance of where my uncle always seems to seat her?”

“What significance is that?” Finn asked.

“My uncle has Faith seated at his right,” Harriet explained. “That’s traditionally reserved for someone of significance to the king.” She bit her bottom lip. “Like the queen or the king’s intended.”

“Oh!” Finn’s brows rose. “Do you think that your uncle and Faith are romantically involved?”

“That could explain his sudden fascination with America and all his secret escapes,” Harriet reasoned.

“That’s true,” Finn agreed. “How do you find that out?”

“Ask,” Harriet shrugged. “Or snoop by torturing the truth out of Murphy.”

“Haven’t you done enough to that poor man?” Finn sighed.

“He’s tough, he can take,” Harriet said, waving a hand.

Their discussion turned to the hastily called meeting where Titus wanted to see if Harriet and Finn’s engagement was real and how Titus had tried to get Finn to drop the charges against Leon, which Harriet made Finn refuse to do.

“Did you write that down?” Finn teased. “Harriet made Finn refuse to drop the charges against Leon.”

“I did!” Harriet rolled her eyes, laughing. “After that, Uncle Titus demanded a meeting between myself and him, kicking everyone out of Gray’s room.” Her eyes widened in realization. “This could’ve been the perfect time for someone to get into my room and put sleeping powder on my pillow.” She looked at Finn. “You were in the hall with everyone else. Do you remember who left?”

Finn’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he recalled that day. “Murphy organized chairs for everyone out there to sit on.” He told Harriet. “I stood with Harley, Alex, and Gray chatting. Estelle and Gloria sat together. I remember that because I made a mental note to avoid that part of the hallway.” His eyes widened. “Your mother needed to go to the bathroom, so Murphy opened your suite for her and Gloria to go to. While Dawn took her aunt to her suite to use the bathroom.”

“Gloria and my mother went to my bathroom?” Harriet frowned. “I don’t think Gloria would’ve put sleeping powder on my pillow as she wouldn’t have had time.”

“And there was security in all the suites at all times,” Finn told her. “There was a female security detail that went with the ladies into your suite and Dawn’s suite. When they were done, the security detail swept the rooms and locked up.”

“I’m sure my mother would’ve used the bathroom in my bedroom as she wouldn’t allow Gloria into my bedroom, so Gloria would’ve used the small guest bathroom in the spare bedroom.” Harriet guessed.

“Other than that, all the guests were together until I went into the room to speak with you and your uncle,” Finn told her. “The guests in the hall were discussing going to Cobble Point Restaurant for dinner.”

“We need to circle back to this point,” Harriet told Finn. “There may have been someone who we didn’t account for who arrived late at the dinner or left earlier.”

Finn nodded in agreement. “Before we went to dinner, your uncle and you sprung your plan to acquire Gladstone Acres on me.” Finn tapped the page for her to write it down.

“Then you nearly got us arrested for having lied to my uncle about our engagement,” Harriet told him. “You could’ve given me some sort of heads-up about that.”

“I knew you’d catch up and go along with it.” Finn grinned. “Then we did a double charade by telling him we’d fallen in love for real.”

“After that, we discussed the plans for getting you to Greece and came up with taking Alex and Daniella to separate parties in Europe.” Harriet jotted down on the pad. “Now that I see it, I agree with my mother that it wasn’t a very good plan.”

“We didn’t have a lot of time to come up with something better,” Finn defended their planning. “Oh, and don’t forget the olive groves and fruit trees being ruined back on Joyce Isles by that…,” Finn clicked his fingers. “What’s the disease that’s wreaking havoc on the trees?”

“Xylella fastidiosa,” Harriet added, a frown knitting her brow. “You know we overlooked checking that detail to ensure my uncle was speaking the truth and not just trying to motivate us to help him get Gladstone Acres.”

“Why would he lie to us about something like that?” Finn looked at her questioningly.

“He doesn’t have a very good history for being completely honest with us,” Harriet reminded him and wrote next the section about the olive plant disease; verify this point.

“Then we all went to dinner, and you and I performed our new getting re-engaged for Titus, your parents, our friends, and the other people present at the dinner,” Finn told her, and Harriet wrote that down.

“Then we put the plan in motion for the trip to the UK as a cover to get to Greece trip.” Harriet’s neat handwriting wasn’t that neat at the moment as she jotted down points, underlining and circling various points. “All these plans fell apart when I was drugged. The fire alarm was set off. I landed up in the hospital.”

“Let’s make a sublist beneath this point,” Finn pointed to the last one on the page. “You got into bed with some ginger tea.”

“Then a message threatening me that I was going to pay for what I did from an unknown number was sent to me,” Harriet added. “I fell asleep and was awoken by one of the security detail but don’t have any recollection of this.”

“You had your phone with you and passed out in Gray’s arms,” Finn continued for her. “I’m not sure if the text was already on your phone, but I found the second message from a blocked number after you passed out.”

“I was taken to the Plum Island Clinic,” Harriet said. “Where it was found that I had sleeping powder in my hair.”

“While you were being taken to the clinic, I searched your room,” Finn told her as she wrote. “I took all the evidence that I thought could have been drugged. I didn’t know at this stage that it had been sleeping powder or that it may have been on your pillow. But I do know that when I left your suite, your linen was still on your bed.”

“After you got to the clinic, you heard that sleeping powder had been found in Estelle’s room, and when you went back to get my pillows, the linen was gone,” Harriet put the points down, circling the note about the sleeping powder found in Estelle’s room.

Finn nodded solemnly. “We deduced that the fire alarm was a diversion, probably to kidnap you. And then Murphy took your linen to a secret lab for analysis while your mother took over the plans for Greece. Your uncle vetoed any plans to go to the UK for the wedding guests and especially the royal family.”

“While Liam is buying back Gladstone Acres, you helped me get out of the hospital and trapped me in my suite,” Harriet scribbled, grinning at Finn, who rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Then I escaped and sought out Estelle. She gave me the phone with evidence on it for you to see. It has nothing to do with the current case, but I just need to note this.”

“Write this: Harriet used a cruel method of entrapment to force Estelle and Murphy to admit what each of them had done and admit to having a romantic relationship,” Finn dictated. Then, he saw what she had written. “Hey.” He tapped the page, and they both laughed. “Write what I’ve said, please.”

“Fine,” Harriet said, laughing and enjoying their time together while they pieced together the puzzle of their mystery. She wrote what he’d dictated. “Happy?”

“Yes, thank you.” Finn laughed. “Then write about how you fired, then rehired, and then demoted Murphy only to fire him again and get him arrested.”

“But I’m adding the reason why I did that,” Harriet told him, jotting it down. “Gray called to let me know that Uncle Titus was missing. His jet is gone, but his pilot is still on Plum Island, and his personal belongings are still at the beach house.”

“Which leaves us not knowing anything,” Finn pointed out as he read the information Harriet had written.

His shoulder brushed hers, sending a shiver down her spine that woke the fluttering things in her belly. Harriet took a mental breath to calm her wayward emotions to concentrate on the mystery at hand.

“I think we need to find the missing jet’s flight plan,” Harriet suggested.

“And we need to have a chat with Leon,” Finn noted.

“We also need to talk to Dawn and ask her what she knows about her aunt and Uncle Titus,” Harriet added.

“What has that got to do with anything?” Finn asked. “Should we be prying into their business?”

“It could have a very significant factor in what’s going on,” Harriet insisted. “As we’re here in the hotel, let’s start with Dawn.”

“Okay,” Finn agreed. “But only because I think she’ll also have more information for us on who arrived when at the restaurant.”

“Good thinking,” Harriet said. “But before we go…” She got onto the internet and logged into her uncle’s flight plan logs.

“What are you doing?” Finn asked. “And is it illegal?”

“I’m not sure,” Harriet told him honestly. While she was pulling up the logs, another thought hit her. “Did you know that Estelle was an attorney?”

“No, I did not,” Finn said, his shoulders stiffening. “I thought we agreed not to talk about what was on the phone Estelle gave me.”

“She actually gave it to me,” Harriet pointed. “And you did say you wanted to go through it with me. Up until I called your late ex-wife a monster, we were doing well.”

“Harriet, please, can we just concentrate on your family?” Finn asked. “It’s a lot to digest on its own without throwing my crazy family into the mix.”

“Of course,” Harriet said and backed off. “Ah, here it is.” She looked at the log and frowned. “It has my uncle headed for Las Vegas?” She shook her head. “He was only going to spend six hours then and fly back to Boston. So he should only be gone for around eighteen hours. But then, why leave his pilot here? Who’s flying the jet?”

“But the flight was canceled at the last minute, and the route planned for London?” Finn’s frown matched Harriet’s. “Do you think he’s on his way to meet Liam?”

“No.” Harriet shook her head. “Has Liam even left yet?” She stared at the screen in confusion. “I have no idea why he’d change the flight plan at the last minute.”

“There are three crew and five passengers,” Finn pointed out. “Does it list their names?”

“No, that will be recorded in a separate log that none of us can access except for Murphy or now Harley,” Harriet told him, biting her lip in contemplation. “What we can do is find out if there are any of King Titus’s guests missing as well as security detail. Murphy said Titus didn’t tell him of any plans to travel. The only person who’ll be able to get that information is my father.”

“Even I know that your uncle would alert the head of security before going on a trip,” Finn said. “Which points to him potentially being kidnapped. Would Gray be able to get access to the information?”

“No, not unless something happened to my father,” Harriet said. Then, she told him that her father was still the actual reigning monarch and that her uncle was more than just a figurehead.

“Oh!” Finn nodded.

Harriet found it rather peculiar that Finn wasn’t more surprised by the information but she shook off the feeling that he already knew. It wasn’t the first time that day that Harriet had gotten the feeling he already knew about something he couldn’t possibly have known unless he was part of her family.

You’re being paranoid, Harriet,she told herself. You’ve fallen for the man, and you’re scared of what it’s going to mean when this is all over, and you have to give his ring back. So you’re just looking for excuses to push him away before this ends.

After her stern talking to herself, Harriet drew in a soft, calming breath and brushed aside those nagging thoughts to concentrate on the problem at hand.

“If my uncle has been kidnapped, I don’t plan on waiting around for a ransom note,” Harriet told him. “I need my phone.” She blew out a breath. “All my contacts are on it.” She looked at Finn. “You have Harley’s number, right?”

Finn nodded. “Do you need to call him?” he asked.

“Not yet,” Harriet said.

“If your uncle has been kidnapped, what will happen?” Finn asked, his brow furrowing.

“Plum Island will be crawling with Feds in a shake of a cat’s tail for one,” Harriet told him. “No one will be able to enter or leave. All parties, including any of Alex’s and Daniella’s wedding celebrations, will be canceled. Everyone on the island will be questioned and won’t be able to go anywhere.”

“Everyone?” Finn looked at her. “Surely they can’t lock down the entire town?” His frown deepened. “That’s a huge endeavor.”

“Trust me, not when there’s a king that’s gone missing on American soil,” Harriet pointed out. “Which means we don’t have much time to find my uncle. This time, it won’t just be Alex and Daniella’s trip to Europe that’s canceled.”

“Okay!” Finn widened his eyes and blew out a breath. “Well, let’s try to avoid any Joyce Isles conflict and find out what happened to your uncle.” He looked at her. “As you don’t have your phone, we’ll have to do this old school.” He shook his phone. “Although we do still have my phone, and I’m sure someone you know will have the numbers you need.”

“Starting with Dawn,” Harriet said. “And she lives next door. Let’s hope she’s home.”

Harriet grabbed her card key and wallet, opting to leave her purse as it would just get in her way. She slid her slim card wallet into the pocket of her jeans as they exited her room. They stopped when they were greeted by two bodyguards.

“Oh!” Harriet’s eyes went from one to the other. “I forgot about them.” She looked at Finn.

“Princess, Mr. Shaw,” the bodyguards greeted them. “Are you going somewhere?”

“Just next door to see Miss Vanderbilt,” Harriet informed them. “No need for an escort.”

“Sorry, Princess, but we have our orders,” the one bodyguard told her.

Harriet sighed. “Of course you do.” She looked at Finn, and he smiled.

“It’s fine, we’ll work around them,” Finn whispered.

“I was thinking more along the lines of ditching them,” Harriet whispered back. “You don’t know where they took the sleeping powder, do you? Because that would come in handy right now.”

“No!” Finn shook his head. “And I wouldn’t tell you if I did. I’ve seen what it can do.”

“Fine!” Harriet sighed and stepped up to Dawn’s door, frowning when she realized that her bodyguards were missing. She turned and looked at the two men following them. “Where are the bodyguards usually here? Is Miss Vanderbilt not in?”

“I’ll check, Princess,” the bodyguard said and spoke into his sleeve.

“When I was little, I wanted a magic sleeve that I could talk to people with, too,” Harriet told Finn, who chuckled. “I was so disappointed when I realized they had a device on their wrists.”

“Miss Vanderbilt left with Mr. Gains an hour ago,” the bodyguard told Harriet. “Her security detail went with them. Mr. Gains needed a translator, and Miss Vanderbilt offered to help him.”

“What?” Finn said. “Sam, Lady Julie’s bodyguard, was supposed to go with Liam as the security detail and translator.”

“I’m sorry, sir, but that’s all the information I know,” the bodyguard told them.

“Thank you,” Harriet said, turning to Finn. “Okay. Change of plans. Let’s go visit my mother and find out why Liam took Dawn instead of Sam.”

They were about to leave when Gray’s suite door burst open, and Trinity Woodrow stumbled out. “Help, please!”

“Miss Woodrow?” Gray’s bodyguard grabbed Trinity as she swayed.

Harriet and Finn looked at each other before rushing toward the room. Her heart was pounding like she was running a marathon as she sprinted to the door, skidding to a stop.

“Trinity,” Harriet turned toward the woman as Trinity vomited.

A bodyguard grabbed Harriet and pulled her out of the way while the one that was holding Trinity pulled her into the room. Finn managed to slip into Gray’s suite before Finn’s bodyguard could stop him, so he had to follow Finn into the room.

Harriet tried to pull herself loose from the bodyguard who was holding her and commanded, “Call Doctor Thornton and get her here now.”

“I’ve already alerted control, and they are taking care of it,” Harriet’s bodyguards told her.

“Harriet!” Finn shouted from inside the room. “Come quick.”

Harriet managed to glance into the room, and she felt like it stopped beating when she saw Finn kneeling beside Gray lying on the floor. She watched Finn feel for a pulse as Finn’s bodyguard reached down to grab Finn’s hand, but it was swatted away.

“Mr. Shaw, don’t touch him,” Finn’s bodyguard said, but it was too late. Finn was already assessing Gray’s condition. “Either stand back or help me,” Finn told his bodyguard. “I’m a trained paramedic, and this is the crown prince.” He looked at the bodyguard. “So, like I said, stand back or help me.”

The bodyguard nodded and looked over toward the door. The bodyguard, who had gently put a now unconscious Trinity onto the sofa, walked over to the suite door. Harriet knew what was about to happen, and panic surged through her.

“Gray!” Harriet screamed and started struggling to get to him while her bodyguard’s guard’s grip around her waist tightened. “Let me go!” She yelled, pushing against the man’s arms. “Let me go!”

“This is a medical code red,” the bodyguard inside the room said to the man hanging on to Harriet. “Clear the floor and isolate Princess Harriet.”

“NO!” Harriet seethed as she kicked and wiggled as much as she could. “Don’t you dare close that door! I’m your princess. Let me get to my brother,” she said through gritted teeth. “Finn.”

“I’m sorry, Princess.” The bodyguard closed Gray’s door.

“I’m sorry, princess, you know the rules.” The bodyguard’s voice was low but had a slight wobble as the man lifted her as if she was as light as a feather. “We have to clear this floor.”

Ignoring her desperate punches and kicks, he moved quickly down the hall into the elevator, calling to his team to secure the top floor and lock it down, stating medical personnel only.

Everything seemed to slow down as Harriet realized that not only was her brother there but Finn as well. He was now in lockdown on the floor. Harriet had no idea what was happening. Flashes of her isolation when she had meningitis rolled through her mind alongside images of her brother lying lifeless on the floor.

“It’s going to be okay, Princess,” the bodyguard who was still hanging onto her told her. “The team has told me that Doctor Thornton and Doctor Westmorland are on the way. Doctor Westmorland used to work for the CDC, so he’ll assess the situation.”

Harriet felt like she was drifting through a terrible nightmare state as she listened to the man who held her prisoner in the lift. She hardly noticed when it dinged to the ground floor, and she was whisked off out of the hotel. Harriet did know the protocol for potentially hazardous diseases—protect the royal family at all costs.

“Harriet!” Alex’s voice broke through the haze that had settled over her.

Before Alex could get to her, three bodyguards stepped in his way.

“Let him through!” Harriet’s father snapped.

Harriet stood feeling like she wasn’t really there as Alex flew toward her but was pulled back before he could touch her.

“Young man, you know the drill,” Pat told Alex. “Until Harriet has been tested, this is as far as we’re allowed to go.”

Harriet frowned when she saw her father, and her eyes scanned the faces gathering around them as the code red protocol started locking down the hotel.

“Where’s my mother?” Harriet asked, and something in her father’s eyes hit alarm bells in her system.

“Can we get the princess to the clinic?” Pat commanded. “I’ll meet you at the clinic, sweetheart.” He turned to Alex. “You wait here and keep me informed of what’s going on.”

“Okay,” Alex nodded and looked at Harriet. “Are you okay?”

All Harriet could do was nod as she wasn’t quite sure how to answer that question. Physically, she was, but inside, emotions were churning like the sea during a bad storm.

The next hour was torture as Harriet had to be disinfected. As she put it, she ended up back in a pair of peach scrubs with wet hair. Even her wallet, jewelry, and watch were taken. While she was scrubbed and had her blood taken, skin swabbed, and so on, no one could tell her what was going on with her brother, Finn, or Trinity.

“And where is my mother?” Harriet mumbled. She’d seen her father pop up at the window a few times while she sat in her isolation box.

Harriet glanced at her bare arm. Her watch was gone, which meant she was no longer being monitored or tracked. An idea took root as she looked around the isolation room she was in and wondered if the door had been locked. Harriet slipped off the bed and walked to the window through which she was stared at like a goldfish in a bowl.

There was no one in the passage. She tried the door handle, but it was locked.

“Nice. I’m a freakin’ prisoner,” Harriet muttered, touching her pulled-back hair. “Shoot. Not pins.”

Her eyes scanned the room. There was nothing she could use to pick the lock.

“This is what it must feel like to be in one of those rooms but without the padded walls.” Her voice was filled with frustration.

Voices alerted her, and she turned as the door was unlocked, and a nurse she’d never seen before stepped into the room.

“Good news, Princess Harriet,” the nurse smiled. “You’ve been given the all-clear.”

“Oh, good, so I can go!” Harriet looked at the nurse, hoping the woman knew that was a statement, not a question.

“I’m just waiting for the doctor,” the nurse told her, marking off something on her tablet. “But it won’t be long long now.”

Harriet nodded and watched the nurse walk out of the room, pulling the door closed, which Harriet managed to stop before it clicked closed automatically locking the door. She waited for the nurse to walk away, too engrossed in her phone to check whether or not the door had shut.

“You’ve gotta love technology sometimes,” Harriet mused as she pulled the door open and stealthily slipped out of the room.

Harriet made her way to the reception area and waited until it was clear before making a dash toward the front door, only to be stopped by Alex.

“Just the person I was coming to see,” Alex grinned, then looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Wait a minute. Are you making a hospital break?”

“I was trying to until you blocked my exit,” Harriet pointed out. “Do you have any news about my brother, Finn, and Trinity?”

“Finn is fine,” Alex assured her. “There was nothing contagious.”

His face fell, and Harriet’s heart lurched. “But…” she prompted.

“Gray and Trinity were poisoned,” Alex told her, his voice soft. “But luckily, Finn recognized the signs and knew what to do.” He gave the top of her arms a gentle squeeze. “Finn saved Gray’s life.”

“He didn’t even hesitate,” Harriet told Alex, her heart filling with love. “Finn just dashed into the room and took over. He didn’t even worry if there was a biohazard.”

“Finn’s a good man, Harriet.” Alex smiled. “I’m so happy that things worked out between the two of you. Now, when Daniella, Emily, and I go on our European tour, I know you’re with a good guy.”

“Thank you,” Harriet said, fighting back against the guilt. “You say Gray’s going to okay?”

“Daniella and that new doctor say Gray’s going to pull through,” Alex told her, his eyes narrowing. “Have you seen your father? Do you know how he is?”

“Excuse me?” Harriet looked at Alex, confused. “What do you mean?”

“Oh!” Alex’s eyes widened. “Your father was taken in for observation when your mother’s bodyguard, Sam, found him passed out in the living room of the beach house.”

“Was he poisoned as well?” Harriet’s mind became a whirl of confusion. “Why is Sam even here, and where is my mother?”

“I’m not sure about your mother or Sam,” Alex told her. “But your father was drugged with the same sleeping powder you were. Doctor Face wants to keep him overnight for observation. Still, he’s very agitated and has been desperate to see you.”

“Who’s Doctor Face?” Harriet asked as Alex turned her around and started marching her back into the hospital. “Where are we going?”

“To see your father, and then, I’ll help you get out here,” Alex promised. “I know Finn will be happy to see you. They have him trapped at the hotel.”

“Why?” Harriet asked.

“I’m not sure,” Alex told her. “I’m not privy to royal business.”

They stopped in front of the room that Harriet would’ve known right away was her father’s as it was heavily guarded.

“Princess Harriet to see her father,” Alex told the men in black. “We promise we’re not aliens.”

Harriet had to grin as the guards just shook their heads. “They’d probably just zap us with that memory wipe thing they have.”

“Yes, that’s why my memory is so full of holes about the time I’ve spent on Joyce Isles,” Alex said, grinning at the bodyguards.

Harriet knocked on the room door before entering and smiled when she saw her father dozing in the bed.

“Father, it’s me,” Harriet said softly as she approached the bed.

Pat came instantly awake. “Oh, there you are, Harriet.” He breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ve been so worried about you, Gray, and…” He swallowed, glancing at Alex. “Thank you for getting Harriet, Alex.”

“You’re welcome, sir,” Alex told him. “I’m glad you’re okay.” He looked at Harriet. “I have to find Daniella.”

Alex said goodbye and left the room.

“That was rude,” Harriet told her father.

“Alex already knows, but I know he won’t say anything,” Pat told her.

“Gray’s going to be okay, Dad,” Harriet assured him.

“I know, Daniella told me,” Pat said. “What a wonderful woman she is. I’m so happy for Alex and you, sweetheart.” He sighed. “It seems this town has been good for all of you.” His eyes clouded over. “Harriet, you know, with your uncle missing…”

“You know about that?” Harriet asked him.

“Of course I do,” Pat told her. “How do you think I got found? Harley needed someone to sign the transfer of temporary head of security over to him so he could access flight logs.”

“Great,” Harriet sighed. “I fired Murphy for a good reason.”

“You did the right thing, Harriet,” Pat told her, pride shining in his eyes. “But, now, with your uncle missing, Gray, and myself in the hospital…”

“Oh no!” Harriet’s heart dropped. “Isn’t there someone else?” She gestured with her hands. “What about Mother?”

“Harriet!” Pat reached out and took her hand. “You’re in charge, and I need you to find your mother and my brother.”

“Uh…” Harriet’s brows shot up as her heart lurched in her chest at her father’s words. “Wh… what?”

“I need my Harriet, who has an inquisitive mind and total disregard for the rules right now,” Pat surprised her by saying. “I need you to go find our family, and I have a good idea of where you can start.”

“Do you know where Uncle Titus’s jet was taken?” Harriet asked.

“New York,” Pat said, stifling a yawn. “Excuse me.”

“You get some rest,” Harriet told him and kissed his cheek. “I’m going to find Mom and Uncle Titus.” She was about to leave but stopped. “What was Faith doing with Uncle Titus?”

“He didn’t really say,” Pat told her. “But from the position she kept being seated, and if I was to hazard a guess, I think they may be romantically involved.”

“That’s what I thought too,” Harriet admitted. “But why wouldn’t he have said anything?”

“That, my dear daughter, I will leave in your capable hands,” Pat smiled. “He pointed to the table beside the bed. “Take the envelope in the drawer. You need to slip past everyone and don’t put your watch back on.”

“You know about my watch?” Harriet eyed him suspiciously.

“Oh, honey, your mother and I know more about you than you think we do.” Pat gave her a tired smile. “Get yourself a burner phone. I’ve put everything you’ll need for your trip in the envelope.” His eyes were getting sleepy. “Take Finn with you and trust no one else.” Harriet nodded, and as she got up to leave, he grabbed her hand. “Be careful. I love you, Harriet.”

Harriet’s eyes widened in surprise as her father drifted off to sleep. “I love you too, Dad.” Pat had never just blurted that out before.

She dug the envelope from the drawer and, on impulse, stuck it beneath the scrubs shirt and the waistband of the peach pants.

“Thank goodness the peach shirt is so loose, or I’d look like I’d swallowed a book.” Harriet snorted. “Now to do what I do best and ditch the security detail. Operation New York is a go.”

She pulled open the room door and ran slap into Finn’s solid chest.

“Whoa there,” Finn said, with a chuckle as he caught her before she bounced into the door from the impact. “Where’s the fire?”

“That’s not funny,” Harriet said before leaping forward and flinging her arms around her neck. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” She hugged him. “And thank you so much for saving my brother.”

“It’s what I’m trained to do.” Finn frowned. “Where are you off to in such a hurry?”

“To get something to eat,” Harriet told him. “I’m starving.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him along with her. “Come with me.”

“Okay, what’s going on?” Finn whispered as he followed her.

She scanned the hallway until she found the closet she was looking for. “Quick, in here.”

They slipped inside, and she went straight for the shelf where they kept the new scrubs. Then, she pulled out a set that seemed to be Finn’s size.

“Okay, I know this sounds odd, but you need to change into these quickly,” Harriet told him.

“Can I ask why?” Finn frowned as she turned her back, and he slipped behind a set of shelves.

“I’ll explain in good time,” Harriet told him. “Oh, you’re going to have to leave your phone and watch and any jewelry that may be bugged or have a tracker in it.”

“Okay!” Finn said, and to her surprise, popped up in front of her dressed as she asked.

“Wow!” Harriet said, impressed. “That was fast.”

“I’m a surfer,” Finn reminded her. “I know how to change fast.”

“Great.” Harriet grinned. “Now we need to escape this hospital, and I know just the way to go.”

“Through the library,” Finn guessed.

“Nope!” Harriet shook her and grinned before turning and pointing to the windows behind them. “Through there.”

“That goes to an ally.” Finn smiled. “Quick thinking.”

They made their way to the back of the room, and Finn found something he could use to climb on to get out after he’d pushed Harriet through. A few minutes later, they were heading down the lane at the back of the bakery.

“Now, can you tell me why we’re sneaking around?” Finn asked.

“Because we need to ditch the security detail, find a car, and get to Boston,” Harriet whispered back. “From there, we’re off to New York.”

“What’s in New York?” Finn asked. “And I know we can get transport with no questions asked.”

“We can’t ask any of our friends or have any trace of us,” Harriet warned.

“No need to,” Finn said, pointing to the bus. “That goes to Newbury Port. From there, I can take us by helicopter to New York. No questions asked.”

Harriet and Finn caught the next bus, which was luckily within a few minutes of Newbury Port.

“But I can ask, right?” Harriet looked at Finn. “About the helicopter. Can they even make the distance from Newbury Port to New York?”

“This one can,” Finn assured her. “It’s a Eurocopter EC155, and I’ll have to log a flight plan, but no one around me knows I own it.”

“You own a helicopter?” Harriet gaped at him.

“Not only do I own it,” Finn told her with a grin. “I’ll also be the pilot!”