Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
Ian had a superior look on his face when he told Courtney the car was not available for her use.
“You won’t let me take the Audi?” she asked in surprise. “But Dana said it’s mine to use whenever I want. And I want to use it right now.” She drove more than Dana did. She kept her sunglasses in the overhead holder and stored Kleenex in the center console. She wasn’t the registered owner, but in so many ways, the car was hers. Dana had once said as much and laughed about it. She found driving stressful and sometimes called Courtney her chauffeur. The arrangement worked for both of them.
“Sorry, but it’s not possible. Ronald is taking it to get it washed and detailed.” For emphasis, he tapped the surface of the desk with one curved finger. “This has been on the calendar for weeks.”
This was the first she’d heard about it, and what were the chances it would be scheduled for a Sunday? Doubtful. She thought for a second. “Then I’ll call the police. Or take an Uber.” Without waiting for a response, she left the room. Nothing more to say.
From behind her Ian called out, “Your worrying is premature. The police won’t even start an investigation until forty-eight hours have passed.” Dana would have flipped him the bird on her way out the door, but they were brother and sister and had that kind of relationship. Courtney just ignored him and kept going.
In the hallway, she found Brayden lingering outside the door, waiting for her. The kid had a worried look. She gave him a nod. “Thanks for your support.”
As Courtney walked, Brayden kept pace, talking as they went. “I’m worried about Aunt Dana too. I keep calling and she never picks up. She almost always does for me.” It was true. Dana had a real fondness for Brayden.
“I know. I’m really afraid for her.”
He put out an arm to stop her. “I think it’s better to file a police report in person.” Fishing in his pocket, he pulled out his car keys. “You can take my car.”
“Really?” Relief flooded through her. Finally, someone who agreed. She never would have guessed it would be Brayden.
“Sure.” He shrugged. “I don’t have any plans anyway. Do you want me to go with you?”
“No, I don’t think that’s necessary. Unless you want to?”
“I kind of do, if you don’t mind.”
She considered for a moment, then nodded. “Okay, let’s go.”
He agreed to let her drive, which was better, because in his short driving career, he’d already dinged a mailbox and scraped a concrete barrier in a parking structure. His parents had quietly paid for the damage to the neighbor’s mailbox, but the scrape on the fender of his red Mustang remained. His father saw it as a visual reminder to be more careful, but Brayden didn’t seem to care either way.
Inside the garage, she clicked on the key fob to unlock the doors and slid behind the wheel. When they were both inside, seat belts fastened, she checked out the dashboard. “This is pretty sweet,” she commented, pressing the garage door opener.
“My dad’s choice. He said I’ll be the envy of everyone at college next fall.”
“He’s probably right.” Courtney knew she would have loved it at his age.
“Nope. It was wasteful to buy it. I told him not to, and then he said I was ungrateful. Joke’s on him, because I’m not even taking it to school. Too big of a hassle. I’d rather walk or use a ride service.”
Courtney suddenly had a new respect for Brayden. “What kind of car would you have picked out?”
“If I needed a car, I would have gone for a Subaru Impreza. It has some great features and is more practical.”
“Ah.” She drove out of the garage onto the circular drive and continued on down the driveway. When they were almost to the road, she heard a man’s voice screaming for them to stop. Framed in the rearview mirror, she saw Ian running behind them, arms waving, face bright red. Courtney took her foot off the accelerator. “What the...?”
Brayden hit the dashboard repeatedly and said, “Don’t stop! Keep going!”
She hesitated. What if Ian had heard from Dana in the last few minutes and everything was fine? But then again, what were the chances of that happening in such a short time period? Besides, he seemed flat-out furious, which didn’t track with good news.
“Go!” Brayden screamed. “Go, go, go!”
Ian had just made it to the car and pounded a fist against the trunk, jolting her into making a quick decision. She smashed down on the gas pedal, and the tires squealed as they sped down the driveway and onto the road.
“That was awesome!” Brayden said, leaning back in his seat. “You just peeled out of there.”
“Your dad seemed enraged.” Courtney’s stomach clenched. “I’ve never done anything like that before. And I have a sick feeling about it.” As a kid she’d had a visceral reaction to getting in trouble. Even as an adult she hated conflict, which made her question every decision she ever made. Dana had tried to cure her of it by having her repeat positive affirmations, but the negative emotions still stuck. “What if he had a good reason for wanting us to stay?”
“Like what?”
“Maybe he heard from Dana?”
Brayden snorted in derision. “She would have called one of us first.” He reached back and pulled out his phone, then tapped on the screen. “Still nothing.” Without looking up, he said, “He’s just pissed off that he can’t order you around. Believe me, I’ve been there.”
As they drove through the leafy subdivision, Courtney felt her pulse slow. This was the right thing to do; she felt it in every fiber of her being. “Let’s hope the police will take this seriously.”
“They will,” Brayden said. “Nothing ever happens in River Point, and Aunt Dana’s a big deal.”
When they got into town, she took a turn into the strip mall. “I want to check in with the bookstore first.”
He nodded. “Makes sense. That’s where she was last seen.”
She circled the building, going around the back, then stopped the car alongside the back door. “This is where she would have been waiting.”
“Gross.” Brayden craned his head to look in both directions. “Maybe she went back into the store?”
“I checked and she didn’t.”
“If she didn’t go back through the same door, she’d have to walk the length of the mall to go around it. I can’t imagine her doing that.”
Courtney drove around to the front lot and pulled into a parking space. “I’m going to run inside and see if they saw or heard from her. It’ll only take a second.”
“I’m coming too,” Brayden said with a decisive unlocking of his seat belt.
As they opened the door to the store, the sensor pinged, announcing their arrival. “Our first customers of the day,” the owner, Heather, proclaimed from behind the counter. “Welcome to the Parsonage Bookshop.”
Heather never remembered Courtney. Never. People seldom did. Dana always swept in first with her big personality and stunning cheekbones, smelling of glamour and Chanel. Who could compete with that? Courtney didn’t mind not getting any attention, but having to introduce herself multiple times did get tiresome. She knew she didn’t stand out, but it wasn’t like she was invisible. She walked up to the counter. “Hi, I’m Courtney—Dana Broderick’s assistant?”
“Of course. Great to see you again,” Heather said smoothly.
“Have you seen or talked to her since we were here yesterday?” She felt Brayden’s presence next to her elbow.
“Dana? Can’t say that I have.” She chuckled. “Did you lose one of America’s favorite authors?”
Courtney shifted uncomfortably. “No, nothing like that. She’s just not answering her phone. But then again, she deserves some time to herself. She works so hard. Her new book is—”
“Hey!” Brayden interrupted. “That’s Aunt Dana’s phone.”
He stretched over the counter and pointed at the shelf on the wall behind Heather. Sure enough, there was Dana’s phone. Courtney would have known that glittery case anywhere. “That is her phone.”
Heather reached back and took it off the shelf. “Well, no wonder she’s not answering.”
“Where did you find it?”
“When Terry was closing up last night, he found it on the ground by the dumpster. It has a lock screen, so we just thought we’d hang on to it until someone came back to claim it. It hasn’t rung at all, at least not that I heard.” She slid it across the counter.
Courtney took the phone from Heather’s hand and turned it over. No doubt about it, this was definitely Dana’s phone. A slideshow of mental images flooded her brain as she imagined how it came to be on the pavement out back. She could see it all in her mind’s eye: Dana waiting by the back door, then being snatched, her phone flying in the scuffle. A knot twisted in her gut as she envisioned her friend’s abduction. She swallowed and forced out a question. “You said this was found by the dumpster?”
She nodded. “Behind it, near the wall.”
“By any chance, are there security cameras in the back?”
Heather laughed. “Security cameras? No, why do you ask?”
“Just curious.” Courtney fumbled with an explanation. “I guess she just dropped it and didn’t realize it was gone.”
The store phone rang. Heather held up a finger before answering it. “Parsonage Bookshop.”
Brayden took Dana’s phone from her hand and spoke in code: “I think we need to go, Courtney, and talk to the people about the thing.” He tilted his head toward the door. “Right away.”
He pulled on her arm, and numbly, she let him guide her away from the counter. “Thank you,” she managed to get out, glancing backward as they went.
“Wait!” Heather yelled, extending the phone in their direction. “Courtney, it’s for you.”
“For me?” She looked at Brayden, who stood frozen, holding the door open for her. A mother and her little girl came into the bookstore at that moment, and not realizing the dynamics of the situation, the woman said, “What a gentleman. Thank you!”
“No problem,” Brayden said.
Heather held the receiver overhead and shrugged. “He asked for your number, but since you’re here...”
Courtney took the phone from her outstretched hand. “Hello?”
A man’s voice came through the line. “Is this Courtney Hart, Dana Broderick’s assistant?”
“Yes, it is.” He sounded pleasant enough. Mentally, she prepared an appropriate excuse for what was sure to be a request for an interview or a personal appearance. That was the typical ask. Or sometimes other authors wanted Dana to read their book and give an endorsement quote. A blurb, as it was known in the business. She hated when Dana agreed to do blurbs because it meant that she had to read the book and write the quote. Some of the books were good, but others were a total slog. Either way, it needed to be done. The publishing world was more political than most people realized. Literary circles were made up of agents, editors, and authors, all of whom owed each other favors. Blurbs were a necessary obligation, part of the cost of doing business. She heard the pleasant man on the other end of the phone clear his throat.
“Dana told me to call you.”
Courtney felt a jolt of surprise . This was not what she’d expected. She walked away from the counter and gestured frantically to Brayden. “Is she with you? Is she okay?” When he caught up to her, she held it between them. Brayden leaned in.
“Yeah, she’s fine. She’s just got herself in a not-great situation.”
A not-great situation . What did that mean? Courtney said, “I need to talk to her.”
“I’m sorry, you can’t right now, but I assure you she’s fine. She’s drinking a cinnamon dolce latte at the moment.”
“Is she in the room with you?”
“Not exactly.”
Brayden jumped in, saying, “What in the hell is going on?”
A long pause and then, “Is that Brayden?”
She answered, “Yes, that’s Brayden. We’re both worried sick about Dana, so you better explain what’s going on right now.”
“Hey, buddy, nice to meet you! Your aunt said to let you know that she misses you.”
Was this man not hearing them? Courtney spoke more assertively. “We need to know where she is and that she’s okay.”
“I can’t tell you where she is, but you don’t need to worry about her. She said to tell you to pick up the dry cleaning tomorrow and to make an appointment at the salon. Oh, and there was one other thing—” A long pause was followed by the sound of fingers snapping as if he was trying to remember. “Oh, I know! Take her diamond necklace to the jeweler to get the clasp fixed. She said if I asked you to do it pronto that you’d know it came from her.”
So Dana was out partying while she and Brayden were driving around the village, searching for her? Two people were worried sick while Dana went off and did whatever she pleased. A life lived with no consequences. Must be nice. “Tell her I need to talk to her,” Courtney said, looking at Brayden and shaking her head. It was rare for her to get annoyed with anyone, much less Dana, who never did things out of malice. She was just being herself. But this time, she’d gone a bit too far. “I have to go.”
“Don’t go!” The man’s voice came out as a shout. “She’s actually been kidnapped. They couldn’t make the ransom call because they didn’t have a way to contact the family. Well, they tried calling her brother’s phone at work, but it only goes to voicemail.”
“Kidnapped?” An uneasy sensation came over her. Nothing this man said made sense. It also sounded like he was making it up on the fly. She didn’t know what to believe. Was this part of a reality show prank? Were they being filmed? From Brayden’s expression, he was also puzzled.
“Yes, that’s why I called the bookstore to get your number. You’ll be getting a call soon with the ransom requirements.”
“I don’t think this is funny,” Courtney said.
“It’s not a joke. She’s been kidnapped and is being held for ransom. Just give me your number and you’ll get more information.”
Brayden spoke up. “Why don’t you tell us the ransom requirements right now? This minute.”
The guy sighed. “I’m not in charge of that. Plus, I think the terms might be changing.”
“The terms might be changing?” Courtney asked.
“Yeah, there’s been some discussion, and it may or may not be getting more complicated. If you just give me your cell number, you’ll get a call later today with more information. If all goes the way it should, she’ll be home by tonight.”
“So, wait! She’s been kidnapped, but not by you? What are you, the spokesperson?”
He sighed heavily. “Something like that. Look, I don’t like this any more than you do. Just pay them what they want, and she’ll be back home in no time.” After a long pause he added, “Your number please?”
After she gave it to him, he repeated the numerals back in a slow, painstaking manner.
“Correct,” she said.
“You’ll hear soon.”
Brayden said, “We want proof that she’s okay. You send us a picture of Dana holding today’s newspaper or no deal.”
“Umm... I don’t know where I’d get a newspaper.”
Courtney leaned in closer to the phone. “Figure it out.”
“Okay, I will. It was nice talking to both of you. Goodbye.” And then a click.
They both stood for a second in stunned silence. Finally, she asked, “What just happened?” Behind them, the door pinged and an elderly couple entered the store. Heather raised a hand in greeting.
Brayden shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“Did it sound like a ransom call to you?”
“No. Not at all. He actually said it was nice talking to us. And he reminded you about the dry cleaning and that other stuff. Plus, he didn’t even try to disguise his voice.”
“I know.” It didn’t make sense. “And he didn’t tell us not to call the police.”
“They always say not to call the police. It’s in every movie I’ve ever seen. That’s like Kidnapping 101.”
“Right? But it was smart of you to say we wanted a picture of Dana with today’s newspaper.” She wished she’d thought of it. The call had caught her off guard.
“But what was the deal with him saying he didn’t know where he’d get a newspaper? Like where the hell is he that they don’t have newspapers? I mean, I know most people read the news online, but they still sell them at stores and gas stations, especially on the weekend. Is he in a cave somewhere?”
“Good question.” She walked over and handed the store phone back to Heather. “Thanks so much.”
“Great seeing you!” Heather said enthusiastically, reminding her of something Dana had said once, that customers came into the store to revel in Heather’s tidal wave of charisma as much as to buy books.
Courtney lifted a hand in farewell and turned back to Brayden. “Now I don’t know what to think.”
As they headed out the door, Brayden said, “Maybe the police can figure it out?”
“Maybe.” She stepped off the curb into the parking lot and unlocked the car door with the press of a button. “Or maybe someone at home knows more than they’re telling us.”