Chapter 19
Evie was never in Hawaii.
Lainie got back to her room, but she wasn’t sure how. Her mind reeled as if she were on the deck of a ship pitching in stormy seas. Her body vibrated with shock as she tried to process everything Isaacs had told her.
Stan and this Benton woman had likely killed Evie in California, then come here to stage the shark hoax.
To say that Ben’s theory stunned her was an understatement. She felt flattened, as flat as Wile E. Coyote when the large anvil crashed down on him. She didn’t know what to do with the information.
How could she tell her parents?
What had happened to Evie and where was her body now?
It was late. She wanted to call her boss but thought it was better to wait until the morning.
In reality, she’d lost her voice. She didn’t know how to articulate what she’d heard to someone else yet.
Maybe by morning she’d know what to tell her family.
Her nephews had lost their mother. Would they understand when it was explained to them that in all probability their father did it?
“What a nightmare,” Lainie muttered.
The hotel phone rang, startling her. Everyone she knew would call her on her cell. This could only be Isaacs. More bad news?
After taking a second to gather her thoughts, Lainie answered. “Yeah?”
“It’s Ben. How are you holding up? You were quite shell-shocked when you left.”
Lainie sat on the bed, waiting a beat before answering. “I feel like I fell into an alternate universe. What is real and what is fake? Since you’re here and you’ve discovered this fraud, what will the Bureau do about it?”
“First and foremost, try to find Crystal Benton. I don’t think she’s still here. I’m flying to California in the morning. I’ll know more when I’m back in the office and I’m briefed on the latest updates.”
“Is Benton likely to give you any answers?”
“I doubt it. Only if we have some leverage. It would be nice if . . .” He stopped and it took Lainie a second to realize why.
“You were going to say, ‘if we had a body.’”
“I was, I’m sorry. But I could also be speaking about my partner. I have no idea where Efren is or what happened to him.”
Lainie pinched the bridge of her nose. “I want to know where Evie is as well. I never liked Stan, but I always thought he was harmless, kind of a doofus. I never imagined he would be so evil and cold.”
“Hmm, how long will you be staying in Hawaii?”
“I guess I should go back tomorrow as well. There is nothing left for me to do here.”
“Would you like to meet early for coffee? Maybe share a ride to the airport?”
Lainie thought for a moment. Right now she was exhausted, all played out.
All she wanted to do was sleep. She hoped she’d feel better in the morning, and she did want to know more about the FBI investigation into Vine as well as the search for Benton.
But her heart was so very heavy. “What time is your flight?”
“I have to be to the airport at ten.”
She’d have to get up early and think about the day. “I’m too tired to think about the morning. And I don’t have a flight yet. Maybe I’ll touch base with you in Long Beach.”
“I understand. Take care, Detective Jensen. I’m very sorry for your loss.”
Lainie placed the phone back in its cradle and sat on the bed. She opened the drawer by the bedside, hoping there was a Bible inside. She knew hotels were moving away from keeping Bibles in the rooms, but she hoped one had survived here. Her hope was rewarded.
Lainie took the book out and opened it to the Psalms. She rubbed her forehead with her fingertips and tried to remember the verses that used to provide her the most comfort. Psalm 23 came to mind, and she turned there.
I need to move back to God. I want to feel the peace that I once did.
“‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want . . .’” The words rolled over her, not providing the comfort she needed. Snatches of a verse about God being with you in fire and water came to mind, but for the life of her she couldn’t remember where in Psalms it was, or if it was even a psalm.
Frowning and squinting tired eyes, she searched the back of the book for words related to what she remembered. After thumbing through several references to fire and water, she found the verse. It was in Isaiah.
“‘When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God.’”
Lainie read the verse over and over as tears filled her eyes again.
“Oh, Lord,” she prayed. “The river is overflowing me, and the fire is scorching my heels. Please forgive my backsliding, my lack of faith. I have no strength of my own to get through this. I am broken and weak, please keep this from overwhelming me.”
She lay back on the bed, tears rolling down her cheeks. The Bible fell from her hands, and she drifted off to sleep.