31. Thirty-One
Thirty-One
Henry
I managed to get the computer up and running again half an hour after Juliet left to visit my grandfather. No computer problem was distracting enough to quell the quick jab of fear in my gut when she mentioned going outside, but I'd seen Gramps out there as well. As much as I’d wanted to keep her beside me, I couldn’t fault her for feeling restless.
Sally would be able to keep an eye on Juliet in the garden from where she was working in the kitchen. Hadn’t the view from the kitchen windows gotten me in trouble that first day when Juliet stormed out of my office?
Now that things had worked out, I could smile at the memory.
The gardens would soothe her, I hoped. Being outside usually calmed her nerves—when she wasn’t tumbling down hillsides, at least. With perfect clarity, I recalled the look in her eyes when she caught sight of the lake that day at the beach, those deep inhalations with her arms flung wide, the way she tipped her face up to the sun like a supplicant receiving a benediction.
My chest tightened with emotion as those images filled my head.
That was the way she should always look. She deserved to be carefree and utterly at peace, instead of pale and grieving and hanging on by a thread. Being cooped up didn’t suit my beautiful artist.
It was funny, I could admit now, that I’d originally expected her to be too flighty for the good of the inn’s future, too disinterested. Instead, here I was, wishing I could lighten the load she carried on those strong shoulders. Juliet had proven my stupid assumptions wrong time and again.
All I cared about now was keeping her happy and safe.
As I loaded the reservation software, a text from Libby came through on my phone. A name for the boogeyman.
Ted Holliston. Sent name and address from clinic records to Chief.
I blew out a breath, thanked her, and headed to the sitting room to tell Mrs. Gregson things were good to go on the computer front.
“I’m so sorry to drag you here on your day off, but thank you, Henry. I do appreciate you and Juliet stopping in.”
“Not a problem, Mrs. G. Getting out of the house probably did Juliet some good. She loves the gardens almost as much as Nan did, I think.”
Mrs. Gregson smiled fondly. “I think you’re right. Enjoy the rest of your day.”
I waved before making my way outside, but my limbs turned to stone when I got there and didn’t see Juliet or my grandfather. Moving between the flower beds, my lungs tightened.
The absolute quiet caused an icy ball to form in my stomach.
“Red?” I called. “Gramps?”
A soft moan floated from the far edge of the garden.
Without a second thought, I ran toward the sound, dropping to my knees when I found my grandfather on the ground. That ball of ice in my gut exploded, sending shards of frozen terror through my limbs. Juliet was nowhere in sight, but as I gently rolled Gramps onto his back, it was clear he had been struck by something.
By someone, I realized with growing horror.
“Help!”
I shouted the word as loud as I could, over and over until Sally’s face appeared at the kitchen window. She raised a finger to signal she was on her way, then disappeared from view.
If Gramps had been like this for long, Juliet would've found him when she came outside and called for help. There wasn’t a chance in hell that she'd have left his side willingly.
Unless she was forced.
“You’re okay, Gramps,” I said, pulling out my phone to call Chief Roberts’ cell. “Chief, it’s Henry. I’m at the inn. We need an ambulance. Right now.”
“Slow down, Henry. Tell me what happened.”
The words tumbled from my lips. “I found Gramps in the garden. He’s bleeding and Juliet is gone. She wouldn’t have left the grounds on her own. Whoever did this took her.”
Roberts sucked in a breath. “Heller?”
“It has to be him, but where the hell would he take Juliet?”
Think.
I knew this area better than anyone, had grown up playing on this property and spent hours exploring the woods with Aaron after school.
Where would a killer with a long-standing grudge against the family take her?
My grandfather locked a hand around my wrist just as Sally and Mrs. Gregson reached us, dropping to the ground beside me.
“Woods,” he rasped. “To the woods. Go. I’ll be . . . fine. Go.”
The woods.
“He took her into the woods. Nan’s clearing—that has to be where they went.”
“Henry, I’ve got officers on their way. Stay where you are, do you hear me?”
I didn’t bother to respond, just ended the call and looked at the women next to me. “The ambulance is on its way. I’m going after her. Will you stay with him?”
They nodded, their shock swiftly giving way to efficient action as they dabbed gently at my grandfather’s bloody temple and began asking him questions.
I looked toward the woods as I rose to my feet, my mind racing. The police were on their way, but I was closer. Juliet couldn’t have been gone more than a few minutes before I got outside.
Choking back the panic, I took off at a dead run. I slowed only once I reached the treeline behind the cottage, pausing to listen for anything beyond birds singing and leaves rustling in the breeze.
“I’m coming, Red,” I whispered, wishing the vise grip on my heart would ease. “I’m on my way, just hang in there.”
As I strode deeper into the trees, I forced myself to focus. Heller had Juliet, but I’d read those articles. He didn’t kill his victims in a hurry. He must have something planned, some sick game in mind for her. But how the hell was I going to get her safely away from him?
I would find her. There was simply no alternative that I could live with.