Chapter 29
I had just pulled away from the curb when a call from Giovanni rang through the car speakers. When I answered, he said, “Good morning, cara mia. Where are you?”
“I just left Talia’s house. Is everything okay?”
“Vaughn Lambert is at the gate, asking to see his son. What would you like me to do?”
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. “Have Marco tell him that I’m on my way and I’ll speak to him when I get there. What’s his demeanor like?”
“Civil but uptight, from the information Marco gave me. How was your visit with Talia?”
“I spoke with her father, and he told me Vaughn has been by his house twice, demanding to speak with Talia. He accused her of knowing where Logan was and not telling them. This was before I spoke with him yesterday to let him know Logan was staying with us, of course.”
“Do you consider him a suspect?”
“I didn’t before. Now, I’m not so sure.”
“Will you let him speak to his son?”
“Maybe. It might help me get a better read on him. His demeanor was a bit off when I last spoke to him.”
“How can I be of help to you?”
“Your presence is all the help I need. Does Logan know his father’s there?”
“I don’t believe so. He’s in the den, sketching.”
“Will you let him know and ask him how he feels about speaking to his father?”
“I’ll do it now.”
We ended the call, and I sped up. When I turned onto our road, Marco’s silhouette stood out near the gate. Vaughn’s car idling in front of him.
A text message came through from Giovanni letting me know Logan had agreed to talk to his father.
I parked in front of the gate next to Vaughn, and I stepped out.
Vaughn did the same, walking over to me with his hands in his coat pockets, his posture rigid. His eyes flicked to the house, then back to me.
“Morning, Georgiana,” he said.
“Morning. I hear you’d like to see Logan.”
“I would.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to see him yet.”
It wasn’t true, but I’d said it to gauge his reaction.
His expression tightened. “Why not?”
“It could compromise the investigation. No one is supposed to know he’s here.”
I heard footsteps coming from behind, and a moment later, Giovanni was at my side, introducing himself to Vaughn.
“I just want to see my son,” Vaughn said. “I want to make sure he’s all right.”
“He’s fine,” I said. “It’s just like I told you yesterday. He’s safe, and he’s protected.”
Vaughn pointed at Marco. “By him?”
Marco met his gaze but said nothing.
“He’s protected by Giovanni, and Marco, who’s our security guard, and me,” I said. “I just came from Gabriel Kinkaid’s house. He told me you went to his house twice, trying to talk to Talia.”
He nodded. “I was looking for my son.”
“They said you were agitated, and when Gabriel refused to let you talk to Talia, you raised your voice.”
“I did no such thing.”
I moved a hand to my hip. “I’m just telling you what he told me.”
“If you’re not going to allow me to see my son, I will speak to the police about you keeping him here.”
Giovanni and I exchanged glances.
“You can do whatever you like,” I said. “Logan’s eighteen. If he wants to be here, it’s his decision.”
“Please, just … just let me see him.”
I went quiet, hoping to give him the impression I was deliberating whether to give him what he wanted. “I’ll let you speak to him, but we’d like to be in the room when you do.”
Vaughn threw his hands in the air. “What you’re asking is ridiculous. I get that you’re looking out for him while you investigate Audrey’s murder, but as the boy’s father, I don’t pose a threat, and you know it.”
Except I didn’t know it—not for certain.
“It’s the only option I’m giving you,” I said. “You can take it, or you can leave.”
He hesitated, then nodded. “Fine.”
“I need to speak to him first for a moment,” I said. “Then you can.”
Before he had the chance to respond, I turned toward the house, motioning for Marco to open the gate. We made our way to the house, and while Giovanni stood in the doorway with Vaughn, I looked for Logan. I found him at the kitchen table, eating a sandwich as Luka rested at his side.
“I wanted to make sure you’re still all right with talking to your dad,” I said.
“Yeah, it’s fine. He’s going to ask a lot of questions. He always does. What do you want me to tell him?”
“Everything, as much as you feel comfortable sharing.”
He reached for a glass of water. “Why?”
Because I want to know if he acts suspicious.
Except I couldn’t say that.
“It might be good to be honest with him about what’s happened,” I said. “Then maybe he’ll be more comfortable with you staying here.”
I stepped into the hallway, giving Giovanni a nod, and they joined us in the kitchen. As soon as Vaughn set his eyes on Logan, he rushed over, wrapping his arms around him.
“Son, I’m glad you’re all right,” he said. “We’ve been worried.”
“I know,” Logan said. “I’m sorry.”
“I understand why Georgiana feels you need to be here, but you should come home. We can protect you.”
Logan glanced at me, then back at his father, and he drew a breath. “I need to tell you something. Before Audrey died, she found something. A locket. It belonged to a girl who went missing many years ago.”
Vaughn raised a brow. “What does this have to do with you?”
“Everything. Audrey was convinced the girl wasn’t missing. She thought she was dead, that someone killed her. I think she was right.”
Vaughn clenched his jaw a moment, then softened. “What made you both believe she was murdered?”
“There’s this old cabin in the woods. It’s where we found the locket. But I think Audrey found something else—a bone—a human bone.”
“Why is this the first I’m hearing about it?” Vaughn asked.
“I just … I wasn’t sure, and then Audrey was murdered, and then someone left a note on my truck telling me to leave the past alone or I’d end up like her.”
Vaughn froze, and I watched his face. The flicker of his eyes. The tightening of his mouth. The way his breath caught, then steadied.
Was it grief?
Fear for his son?
Or something else?
I couldn’t be sure.
“I understand now why you left,” Vaughn said. “But even after all you’ve told me, I’d like you to come home. Your mother and I can protect you.”
“I’m safer here,” Logan said.
“You’re being ridiculous. You don’t even know these people.”
“I’m staying,” Logan said.
Vaughn turned toward me, finger wagging. “This is your doing. You’ve put a bunch of nonsense into his head. You don’t even know why Audrey was murdered yet. Might not have anything to do with this missing girl.”
“It has everything to do with her,” I said. “And as for your son, it’s like I told you before. Staying is his decision.”
“You’re manipulating him, both of you.”
“I’m looking out for him. Someone left a note on his truck. That doesn’t concern you?”
“Of course it does. But it doesn’t mean he needs to sit in this house until the investigation is over.”
“He’s staying,” I said.
Vaughn leaned closer to me, and Giovanni stepped between us.
He didn’t touch him, and he didn’t speak.
But his silence sent a message.
“Stand aside,” Vaughn said, his voice raised. “I’m getting my son out of here.”
“Enough,” Giovanni said. “You don’t raise your voice in this house, and you don’t make demands here.”
“You have no right to tell me what to—”
“I have every right,” Giovanni said.
Silence followed, thick and unyielding.
“Dad, I know what I’m doing,” Logan said. “I need to stay.”
Vaughn looked from Giovanni to Logan, then back again.
“This isn’t over,” Vaughn said.
“No,” I said. “It isn’t.”
Vaughn jerked around and raced past us, heading for the front door.
Giovanni followed.
And I stood there, thoughts swirling around in my head.
One moment, I started to believe Vaughn was involved in Audrey’s death somehow. The next, I wondered if he might be protecting someone—Tilly perhaps.
And that possibility unsettled me more than any other.