Chapter 14
“I’ll go get Greg.” Morgan ran to the kitchen where she found her handyman hanging out with Tina, sampling the evening’s social hour snacks. “Grady MacDonald is at the front door asking to speak with you.”
His eyes grew round as saucers. “D-did he say why?”
“He said it was official police business.”
Greg brushed past her with an unreadable expression on his face.
Morgan trailed behind at a slower pace and caught up with the men, now both standing in the foyer.
“…and was wondering when you last saw Hailey Varnum.”
“Hailey and her aunt went to the mainland to visit family after the holidays,” Greg said.
“Did Hailey mention whether this was a planned trip?”
“It was kind of a last-minute decision. Why? Is something wrong?”
“We’re trying to locate her and her aunt. Primarily Hailey.”
“Is she in trouble?”
“I can’t discuss the reason, only to tell you the authorities would like to speak with her,” Grady said.
“I can give you her cell phone number.”
Morgan’s heart plummeted when she noticed Greg’s hand shaking as he pulled his cell phone from his pants pocket.
Grady flipped through his notepad. “I have a number.” He rattled it off.
“That’s the same one I have.”
“Do you have any other numbers, perhaps her aunt’s?”
“No, but she works next door at the Lilac Inn. Grace might have some others.”
“I spoke to Grace before I came here. The emergency contact number she listed has been disconnected.” Grady shifted his feet. “If you see or hear from her, please let me know.”
“Do you want me to send her to the police station?”
“I would rather you didn’t. Give me a call and I’ll handle it from there.” Grady thanked him for his time, told them goodbye and left.
Morgan closed the door behind him. “Do you have any idea why the police want to talk to Hailey?”
“I know she used to work in Port Huron. Something happened at her last job. She and her aunt decided to move to Easton Island which is when she took a job working for Grace over at Lilac Inn.”
“But she wasn’t in trouble with the law as far as you know,” Morgan pressed.
“Uh-uh. I’ll send her a message and see if she replies.” Greg tapped out a text. “I hope she’s okay.”
“Me too. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.” Morgan waited for him to leave and reached for her jacket.
A muffled noise from behind her caught her ear. She turned to find Tina hovering in the doorway. “Is everything okay?”
“Grady MacDonald is looking for Hailey.”
“Greg’s girlfriend?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, dear. Did he say why?”
“No, only that he wanted to talk to her and asked Greg to let him know if she contacted him.”
“I…” Tina’s voice faded.
“You what?”
“I've wondered about her. She’s a sweet girl, but when you ask her about her family, about where she came from, she clams up.”
“You think she’s hiding something?” Morgan asked.
“Maybe.” Tina tugged at her apron. “You know how you get a feel for people. My main concern is Greg. He’s a good guy.”
“But a little…na?ve as far as women are concerned.”
“Exactly. She seems more savvy and worldly than Greg, and I know he’s absolutely smitten with her.”
Morgan slid her coat on. “I’m running next door to see what Grace knows.”
During her trek to the inn adjacent to Locke Pointe, she mulled over Grady’s visit. Was it a coincidence Hailey and her aunt had packed up and left the island somewhat suddenly?
Like Tina, Hailey struck her as reserved, slightly standoffish and although polite, vague in most of her replies.
Cutting across their shared parking lot, Morgan circled around to the Lilac Inn’s rear entrance and gave the door a light rap.
A kitchen worker appeared. “Good morning, Morgan.”
“Good morning. Is Grace around?”
“She’s in her office. I’ll let her know you’re here.” The woman hustled off.
When she returned, Grace was with her. “Hey, Morgan.”
“Good morning. I hope I’m not bothering you.”
“Not at all. I’ve been thinking about you. How did it go last night?”
“Fine. So far, there’s no sign of my ex.” Morgan told her she spoke with Denver, who was also Grace’s father, and Captain Davey. “They both met with their staff and showed them a picture of Jason. Everyone has promised to keep an eye out for him.”
“I feel better knowing eyes are watching.”
Morgan noticed the employee listening in on their conversation. “I was wondering if we could talk in private for a minute.”
“Sure. Let’s go to my apartment.” Grace led her down a narrow hall to her private residence. Similar to the rest of the inn, the cozy apartment was both warm and inviting.
She motioned to a small seating area overlooking the gardens, currently covered in a thick blanket of snow. “I think I know why you’re here. Grady stopped by Locke Pointe to ask Greg about Hailey.”
“He did.”
“She’s off for the week on vacation. From what she told me, she and her aunt were heading to the mainland to visit family. Does Greg know exactly where she went?”
“No. He sent her a text message, asking her to call him,” Morgan said.
Grace lowered her voice to little more than a whisper. “Grady doesn’t want her to know he’s looking for her.”
“That’s what he told us—to let him know if we saw or heard from her.”
“At first I was confused, but the more I thought about it, some recent incidents have happened which lead me to believe Hailey and / or her aunt might be in some serious trouble.” Grace picked up the laptop sitting on her coffee table.
“So I started doing a little digging around. The more I dig, the more I’m wondering what Hailey Varnum might be hiding and who she really is. ”