Chapter 16 #2
Belinda leaned hard into Austin, who seemed to be holding her up.
“I shouldn’t have left her yesterday. I knew she wasn’t right.
Jesus Christ, I’m a nurse. I should’ve seen the signs.
If I’d insisted on one of us staying over, she’d still be here.
” She pressed her face into Austin’s chest. “I’m so sorry, baby.
We should have just bought her a GPS tracker the first time she wandered rather than wait and see if she really needed it. ”
“Yes. Why didn’t you?” I asked, watching Austin’s jaw tick in annoyance.
He cupped the back of Belinda’s head. “That was my fault. I guess I haven’t wanted to see how truly bad she really is.
I should’ve listened to you.” He stroked Belinda’s hair.
“Yesterday wasn’t your fault.” He shot an accusatory look my way.
“Chloe was upset and confused. We just didn’t know how badly. ”
I shook my head. “Well, she wasn’t that way when we left her. She was calm and even offered us tea.”
Austin broke from Belinda and strode toward me. “And what exactly are you insinuat—”
“Calm down.” Wright put his arm out a second time. “Both of you. None of this is helping to find Chloe. You can join the search soon, but first I have some questions that need answering, and—” He turned to me. “—I’d very much like to see that scrapbook.”
Austin’s steely gaze narrowed. “What scrapbook?”
I ignored his question and followed Wright into the house.
In the small lounge, Teddy was sleeping on Chloe’s chair, his gaze fixed on me like he was waiting for some kind of explanation.
My heart stuttered and tears inexplicably pricked my eyes.
I stroked him as I passed on my way to the bookcase.
The shelf that hid the exercise book was just as I’d left it.
I slid the covering books aside and . . . nothing. The scrapbook was gone.
I was pretty sure my heart stopped in my chest.
Feeling rattled, I set about emptying the entire bookshelf into neat stacks on the floor, but the exercise book was nowhere to be found.
My frantic gaze found Mads who gave a tiny shake of his head as if to say, Enough.
Don’t give him the reaction he wants. His gaze flicked sideways to Austin who was watching me with eyebrows raised, like he was questioning my sanity.
To be honest, I was beginning to question it myself.
Ignoring Mads’ warning, I stormed over and shoved Austin none-too-gently. “What did you do with it?”
He shoved me back. “Fuck off. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Nick,” Mads cautioned, more forcefully this time.
But I was too angry to pay attention. “The scrapbook,” I spat at Austin. “You took it. When you found out I was Chloe’s son—”
“I didn’t know you were Chloe’s son,” Austin huffed, looking to Wright as if he was asking the detective to do something about this crazy man. “You said it yourself just a moment ago, Chloe and my father didn’t tell me. You can’t have it both ways, Nick.”
It was all I could do not to fucking punch the man right in his smirking face. “But you knew something was up,” I insisted. “You didn’t like the fact Chloe was talking with us. You were worried your little secret might get out so you searched the cottage to try and find out who we were.”
Austin’s gaze flicked to Detective Wright. “What’s he talking about? What secret? What cottage?”
I glanced sideways to find Wright staring at me, his brows bunched. He opened his mouth to say something, no doubt to ask about this search I was accusing Austin of, but I was on a roll.
“You found Chloe’s letter where she called me her son and you stole it,” I blurted, sensing if not actually hearing Mads groaning behind me.
“Maybe to confront her with it, maybe for some other reason. You figured if I was her son, then she might have more information about me here in the townhouse. And so you searched here too. Or maybe you just badgered her into telling you what she had. Is that what you did, Austin? Did you threaten an old woman until she told you what you wanted?”
“Nick! Stop it.” A hand wrapped around my bicep and yanked me away. “Not the time, baby. Not the time.”
“I know nothing about a letter or a damn scrapbook.” Austin spread his hands wide, looking to Wright, who was still staring at me. “He’s lost his mind. I was nowhere near their cottage yesterday.”
“But you knew where it was, didn’t you?” I kept pushing. “You were there when I told Chloe.”
“I was busy all afternoon,” Austin growled in reply. “I had a class after lunch, then I was in my office prepping an exam to submit for approval. I left around three fifteen. Tell them, Belinda.”
Belinda looked between Austin and Wright before turning to me.
“It’s true. Like I told Detective Wright, I was worried about Chloe, so I called Austin at school and asked him to check her on his way home.
He called me from the townhouse around three thirty, and I spoke to Chloe on the phone.
She was still confused, but since that’s pretty much par for the course lately, I told Austin to come home.
He arrived back before four.” Her breathing hitched.
“I should’ve stayed. One of us should’ve stayed. ”
Her answer threw me for a moment until I played it back in my head. “Was anyone with you in your office?”
“Nick, enough.” Mads’ hand landed on my shoulder, his grip almost painful. I tried to shrug him off, but he only clamped down harder, softly hissing, “Stop it.”
Austin threw his hands in the air. “I give up. I have no idea what you’re on, mister, but you are out of control. You have no proof of anything you’ve said. Not even that you’re Chloe’s son. You could be anybody, so I’d appreciate you pissing off right now!”
“I’ll decide who goes and when.” Jonothon Wright cast a wary gaze between Austin and myself before settling on me. “Tell me about this letter that you seem to think has been stolen, Nick, since this is the first I’ve heard of it.”
I glanced at Mads who was shaking his head, clearly disappointed in me.
I’d screwed up. Fuck. I sighed and tried to get a grip.
“I told you that Chloe sent me a letter a few months back, saying she wanted to reconnect. Well, I brought it with me. It was there yesterday morning on my bedside table and gone by the time we got back.” I shot Austin a murderous look.
“Cleaners?” Wright suggested.
Mads answered, “No, we checked with the owner. Plus, the patio door was open and Nick is positive he latched it. He was careful because we’d bought an expensive book at an auction in Nelson the day before.”
Wright arched one brow. “Define expensive.”
Mads looked my way and answered, “Twenty-thousand dollars, give or take.” He shrugged. “It’s a collector’s piece.”
Austin’s mouth fell open and I almost laughed. Yeah, you missed an opportunity there, arsehole.
Wright blew a low whistle. “That’s one expensive book. But it wasn’t taken, I gather.”
Mads shook his head. “No. Nor was Mads’ watch, which was sitting on the other bedside table. Only the letter was missing, which suggests an interest in that item in particular.”
I huffed and eyeballed Austin. “Can’t think who might be interested in that, can you?”
Wright ignored the comment. “Why didn’t you mention this when we were there this morning?”
I looked to Mads and then away. “Because we can’t prove anything, and because I knew you’d look at me just like you’re doing now.”
Wright barely blinked. “And how would that be?”
“Like I’ve lost my fucking mind.” I dropped my head forward with a sigh. “And maybe I have.”
The corner of Wright’s lip twitched but he kept his thoughts to himself. Instead, he questioned what Mads knew about the letter before asking if there was anyone else who could verify its existence.
Mads’ warm hand landed on my forearm. “Did you show Samuel?”
I grimaced. “No. I read it to him over the phone and we talked about it, but he didn’t actually see it.”
Wright interrupted, “Your brother-in-law, the cop, right?”
I nodded.
“Then get him on the phone.” Wright exchanged a weary look with the constable standing in the doorway, taking notes. “Hopefully we’ll get more sense out of him than these two.”
Ignoring the barb, I got Samuel on the line and handed Wright my phone. He kept his eyes on me as they talked, but the one-sided conversation offered little indication as to whether Wright was buying our story or not.
“Yes, he is.” Wright looked me up and down. “A background check, huh?”
Shit. If running a background on Austin got Samuel in trouble with his boss, I’d never hear the fucking end of it. Not to mention, the man would likely never help me again. The worst of it, I’d deserve it.
Whatever Samuel was telling the man, the conversation went on way too long to be comfortable.
Finally, Wright gave a bark of laughter, followed by another of those enigmatic looks and an amused, “I can see that. A pain in your arse? You don’t say.
” Wright shot me a wide grin. “You have my sympathy.”
While Mads struggled to keep a straight face, the fucker, I rolled my eyes and wondered how much time I’d get for murdering my brother-in-law.
Eventually, Wright finally ended the call and handed my phone back.
“Your brother-in-law backed up your story. He believes Chloe is your mother and added there is no way on this blue earth that you’d be involved in her disappearance, if for no other reason than he would personally string you up.
He said that although it pained him to admit it, he could vouch for your honesty, if not your tact. ”
I changed my mind. Murder was too good for the man.
“Always the comedian,” I growled under my breath. “So, you believe me then?”
Wright waggled his hand. “Let’s just say I’m willing to give you some leeway for the moment.”
Finally. “What about him?” I pointed at Austin. “You haven’t even asked him about the bank accounts.”