CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Cara
“I’m sorry to see you go,” Kelisha said, her fingers nervously tapping on her desk contradicting the calm tone of her voice, “but the sooner the better. I just have the worst feeling about this whole thing.”
“I feel the same way.” I’d worried the whole way over here. Kelisha had sent me a text saying the police had finished going over my dressing room, and that she had everything packed up and ready for me to come get it.
Edward, who had freaked out when I’d told him about the peephole in my dressing room, had driven me over here so he could help load boxes into the car.
I’d told him that he wasn’t allowed to hurt, maim, or kill Monty if he happened to see him, but he hadn’t laughed at my joke.
Things were incredibly tense, and we were all feeling it.
Her eyes locked on mine. “Well, I hate to tell you this, but I’m highly unsatisfied with the police’s response to the peeping Tom situation.”
I frowned. “What was their response?”
“Basically, that you had a superfan and that you should be careful.” Kelisha rolled her eyes.
“They didn’t even seem to care when they realized this jerk has been watching you undress for months or even years.
It’s ridiculous.” She sounded disgusted.
“I think they had a heads-up that Monty Hart hangs out around here, so they were ready to look the other way no matter what.”
I bit my lip. This part was going to be even harder, if possible, than telling her I needed to leave the company.
“Kelisha, I doubt we’re ever going to get any justice from this, but if it comes down to it, would you be willing to tell others what you’ve told me about your concerns over the Hart family?
I know they’re powerful, and that might put you in an uncomfortable situation. ”
She paused, her fingers going still. Her warm brown eyes lifted to mine, and the finger tapping started up again.
“Yes,” she finally said. “Though we don’t have any solid proof.
It’s all just suspicions. But if you’re able to make a case against them, I’d tell my thoughts about the Harts.
It doesn’t sit well that they’ll more than likely get away with what they’ve done to you.
They’ve basically run you right out of town.
” She paused and looked out her window for so long, I wondered if she wanted me to leave.
I was about to get up and tiptoe out when she turned to me and spoke.
“The Harts are powerful people. I’m not going to lie; Garrison Hart scares me.
He’s the type of man who… can make people disappear. ”
My eyes widened a little. My main fears were about Nora and Monty. Not Garrison. Maybe that had been foolish.
“There are lots of rumors that surround his ‘story’ of success. There were plenty of people he stepped on to get where he is today. But they either magically moved out of state, never to be seen again, or they don’t speak up. Ever. It’s out of fear of what he might do to them, I’m sure.”
“And you think he’s going to do that to me?” The fear inside of me was growing. “You think he might make me ‘disappear’?”
She paused, as if thinking carefully about her words. “It’s not that, exactly. It’s just… well, he’d do anything to protect his children. Anything.” She put extra emphasis on the word, though by this time, she didn’t have to. I’d gotten the picture.
“You think I should just get out of town and never look back, don’t you? You don’t think I should try to prove that Monty stalked me, or that Nora had Eric Hightower tamper with the stage lights, do you?”
“I just think you should be very careful and think long and hard about whatever you decide to do.” She looked down at her finger as if she just realized she was making the tapping sound.
She folded her hands. “But if you’re asking my advice?
I think if you’re safe and happy in Wixby, I’d leave things alone. ”
“What about you? Are you scared because you pressed the police to investigate when the Harts didn’t want you to?”
“Don’t worry about me. I think as long as he still wants something from me, I’m safe.”
I frowned. “And he wants… Nora to be principal dancer,” I said, putting the pieces together.
“Exactly. And I can make that happen. You and I know I’m going to promote Mitzi Simmins, but Nora doesn’t have to know that.
I can drag things out for several weeks, making her go through try-outs and all sorts of things.
By the time I announce someone else for promotion to principal dancer, you’ll be long gone, and I’ll have one foot out the door, so to speak.
” She sighed and rubbed her temples. “I’m sick of the politics of this position.
No one knows this, and I want to keep it that way, but I’m leaving at the end of the season. ”
I made a sound of shock. I couldn’t imagine the Moonlight without her. “Where will you go?”
“I’m retiring.”
I couldn’t hide the look of surprise on my face. “I didn’t think you were old enough to retire…”
The corner of one side of her mouth turned up. That’s about as big as Kelisha’s smile ever got. “I’m older than you think I am. But more importantly, my wife makes way more money than I could ever hope to. I don’t really need to work.”
My eyebrows shot up. I hadn’t known Kelisha was married. She didn’t ever share details about her personal life, and she’d never brought a significant other to any dance company events or shows. She didn’t wear a ring, either.
“She’s a real estate agent. She made a killing over on Kiawah and Sullivan’s Island when she first started out. She’s older than I am, so she’s been at it long enough to see the boom of wealthy tourists deciding to retire here.”
Ah. The islands were two of the hottest, most expensive places to live in all of South Carolina, not just Charleston.
“She’s already settled in our house on Tybee. She opened her own real estate office in Savannah and works part-time.”
I smiled, genuinely happy for her. Tybee Island, Georgia, would be an amazing place to retire.
Just outside Savannah, the island was a quaint, laid-back beach retreat.
“That’s great. I love Tybee. My mom’s mother lives in Savannah.
When we visit her, we usually stay on Tybee so we can enjoy the beach.
” I didn’t need to add that Mom’s mother lived in a cavernous, stuffy mansion and didn’t like children.
She hadn’t been able to handle the six of us running wild around her normally quiet home. Kelisha didn’t need to know all that.
She nodded. “Maybe we can see each other again one day after all of this gets settled. I’d like that.” She must’ve seen the look of worry on my face. “But like I said, don’t worry about me. I’ll only be here a few months longer after you leave.”
A slightly awkward silence fell over us. Though we’d grown closer lately because of the messed up events going on, we’d rarely talked about anything other than dance before a couple of months ago. I couldn’t think of anything else to say. It was obvious she felt the same way.
“Well, I guess that’s it,” she said, standing up. “Good luck, Cara. I wish you all the best. I think you’d make an excellent dance teacher. And, of course, if you decide to join another company after all, let me know. I’ll give you a glowing recommendation.”
“Thank you.” That was a relief. Leaving like I was, in the middle of the season, would require an explanation. A recommendation from her would help tremendously if I decided not to buy the dance studio in Wixby.
We walked over to her door, but just before she opened it, she seemed to think of something else to say.
“I feel like I should tell you something else. Something important that I’ve been keeping under wraps.
I wouldn’t normally tell you but given the circumstances, I think you have a right to know.
Theo has been trying to track down our master electrician. ”
I gave her a blank stare. I didn’t know why that was important.
“Theo is the facilities manager, as you know, and he’s been trying to track down the master electrician who inspected the stage lights before the season started.”
“Didn’t the police already talk to that guy?” I asked.
She looked around as if afraid someone would overhear her even though we were in a closed office. “Supposedly. But Theo saw the guy they talked to.”
I nodded, prodding her on.
“It wasn’t him,” she hissed.
A chill ran down my spine. “What do you mean it wasn’t him? Could Theo be mistaken?”
She shook her head. “He’s worked with the guy for twenty years. But the guy the police talked to? He’d never seen him before in his life.”
“Did Theo tell the police?” My heart was beating ridiculously fast.
“He tried.” She crossed her arms over her chest tightly, as if trying to calm herself. “They just told him he must be mistaken. They wouldn’t listen to him. And as he was leaving, Theo saw them talking and laughing with Garrison Hart.”
“My God.” I was caught between wanting to sit back down and talk to Kelisha more about everything or running out of the building to safety as fast as I could. “Has Theo found the guy? The master electrician?”
A look of pure fright flashed across Kelisha’s pretty face. “He’s missing.”
“What?” I gasped.
“Theo says he’s not returning his calls and when he went to the guy’s house, no one answered the door.”
This was getting scarier. “Has his family reported him missing?”
“He’s a widower with no children.”
“So, Theo thinks…” I trailed off, not wanting to put my suspicions into words.
Kelisha filled in for me. “He thinks maybe the Harts paid the guy he saw at the police station to say he’d inspected the lights before the season.
” She paused. “And he thinks this all adds up to one thing—the lights, the peephole in your dressing room, the Harts telling everyone you’re marrying Monty, the missing electrician—we all need to be careful.
Very careful. And you, my dear, need to get out of town as soon as possible. ”