Chapter Seven
“WHAT ABOUT THE MUSIC ? Your brothers say you’re very talented.”
Laredo didn’t have a chance to answer because Marina appeared with drinks and a guilty look.
She placed the glasses on the table. “I have a fire to put out in the kitchen. So it’ll be a few minutes before I join you.”
Did he imagine her smirk? Well, he didn’t mind more time alone with Diana at all.
Diana’s eyes went huge. “Fire in the kitchen? I hope not literally?”
Marina chuckled. “Not literally. I’ll be back soon, and so will your food.”
He took a sip of the cold, tangy liquid. He hadn’t answered Diana’s question, had he? “My brothers can be partial. Though I do like to think I’m talented.” Especially now, when he wanted to impress Diana. Even if he hadn’t used his singing abilities to court women before—at least, not intentionally.
She had such large, expressive gray eyes, and he ached for those eyes to look at him with admiration. He nearly flinched. Unless he got stage fright again.
He reminded himself to watch their surroundings instead of getting lost in her enigmatic eyes. His gaze swept around the restaurant. Everything still looked safe to him. He caught Kai’s eyes, and his brother nodded and gave a thumbs-up. More patrons had already come into the restaurant, but they all were familiar faces. Then Laredo’s gaze returned right where it had been before, to her gorgeous eyes, as if drawn by a magnet.
Now there was an even louder call than the call of the land or the call of the ocean or the call of the music sounding in his temples. The call of her enigmatic eyes. He knew it was a siren’s call—not because of her nature but because there could be nothing between them—and yet he couldn’t look away. She hadn’t even cast a fishing net for him, like the ones on the ceiling, and yet he was swimming toward it—well, the net, not the ceiling.
“Do you regret not becoming a musician?” She scooted closer, pressing in tight against the wooden table between them. Was the answer that important to her? As if afraid to let him see her attentiveness, she ducked her head, lifted the lemonade glass to her lips, and sipped, almost hiding behind it.
“I’m still a musician. It’s just that my audience is much smaller than of... some people.” He gulped another sip of tea for courage, and his fingers tightened around the smooth, cold glass with its amber liquid.
Could he tell her his first painful experience? That wouldn’t impress her—quite the opposite. He’d only talked about this with a few of his brothers.
He breathed in deeply and put his glass down. “I booked my first gig in a different city. I figured if I didn’t do well, it wouldn’t be as embarrassing as here because nobody I know would be there. I auditioned for a restaurant looking for a singer to replace one on vacation. They told me to come back on Friday with my guitar. I was ecstatic.”
She didn’t say anything, only nodded. The way she kept her gaze on him unnerved him even as it sent a flutter through him.
“On Friday evening, as I stood on the makeshift stage, I couldn’t sing. I couldn’t utter a single word. My fingers didn’t move as if they didn’t belong to me. The guitar just hung on my neck. Even my legs didn’t obey. I just stood there, staring at the patrons and their tables. Until my legs started moving again and carried me away from the stage in shame.”
“I’m sorry. You got stage fright.” She reached as if to touch his hand, then drew hers back. “It’s understandable.”
“I got stage fright,” he echoed.
What was he doing? He wanted her admiration, not compassion.
“It’s not your fault. It could happen to anyone.” Her voice thickened with more than compassion. “It’s admirable that you overcame it. I heard you’ve been singing at the local restaurants, including this one, and your performances are popular.”
“I didn’t overcome it.” He drained his glass as his throat got parched, like sometimes on stage. “If it’s just in my hometown, I see familiar friendly faces. People support me. It made it easier.”
“What if people who know you and support you were to show up in other places? Would that make it easier?”
“I... I don’t know. After that first time, I didn’t try to perform in another city again. Does... does that make me pathetic?” Way to impress a girl. Not!
“That makes you human. It’s common knowledge that one of the things that terrify people the most is public speaking—some studies even rank it higher as something people fear more than death. And you had to sing and play a musical instrument at the same time. That’s much more difficult.” This time, when her hand moved, it touched his in a silent show of support, then drew back.
Yet, no matter how brief, that touch reached all the way to his heart. He might be the one who knew how to play guitar strings, but she could already play his heartstrings without realizing it.
The scent of steak and potatoes told him their food arrived even before Marina’s footfalls did. Marina placed the plates from the tray on the table. “If you need anything else, please let me know.”
“It all looks awesome.” Diana picked up a fork, then slid further along the bench to give space to Marina.
“Thank you.” Marina sat. She’d brought shrimp scampi in garlic sauce for herself, and they emanated such a mouthwatering aroma he nearly doubted his regular choice.
“Is it okay if I say grace?” He directed his question at Diana, already knowing Marina prayed regularly.
After a moment’s hesitation, Diana shrugged. “Sure.”
“Is it okay to ask if you’re a Christian?” His stomach clenched as he waited for the answer.
Again came a brief hesitation. “I am, but my faith isn’t deep.”
If he tried to bring her closer to God, would she be open to it?
He said grace, Marina added her amen, but Diana said nothing. And it played with his heartstrings again, this time the note ringing sour.
Marina scooped up some shrimp scampi. “Okay, I asked my kitchen staff and patrons about Pat.” Marina never wasted time on pleasantries and went straight to business. “She dined here twice, but nobody noticed anything pertinent. She seemed to be in a good mood, friendly, smiley.”
Diana munched on salmon. “That’s my friend. Did she dine alone?”
“Yes.” Marina reached for her napkin and dabbed her lips. “Both times.”
“That’s strange. I mean... she makes friends easily. Unlike me. I keep to myself, but Pat is outgoing.”
“Could one of her new friends turn abusive?” Marina probably noticed Diana’s wince because she hastily added, “I’m just coming up with ideas. Or maybe she was in the wrong place at the wrong time and witnessed something nefarious? I’ve been trying to reconstruct her timeline in the four days before she disappeared. What she did besides working on the ranch. Who she talked to.”
“Thank you.” Diana shoved rice over her plate as if her appetite disappeared. “Anything stand out so far?”
“Not to me. I’ll email it to you once I have more material. I know most of the business owners in town. I talked to them, and they said you’re both welcome to watch their surveillance recordings if you’d like.”
Diana perked up and scooped up a tomato. “That would be fantastic.”
Marina spread her napkin in her lap. “I’ll email you both a list of businesses, once I know which ones she visited.”
“Thank you. I can’t imagine how you managed to do all that research with...” Diana gestured around. “Managing the restaurant and putting out fires.”
“I also have a thriving family life with the best husband in the world.” Marina winked and pointed her fork at Laredo. “No offense to the rest of my husband’s brothers. As for your question, Diana, I’m the eldest daughter. I learned time-management skills at a young age.” A note of sadness lay heavy in Marina’s voice at the last sentence.
“It must be wonderful to be part of a large close-knit family,” Diana said wistfully.
“It often depends on the family.” Marina took several sips of her drink with a deliberate slowness. “Sometimes it’s not so much close-knit as it is bound together. And when people grow up, those bounds get untied. My siblings and I grew apart after graduating high school. Most of us left our hometown. Now some of us are back, and we’re trying to grow closer again.”
“I hope it goes well.” As Diana lifted her glass again, her gaze was unreadable.
“It is.” Then Marina’s lips curved up. “We called our female friendship circle the Hibiscus Sisterhood. It’s not just siblings, but these days, we might as well call it the Lawrence Wives’ Club because most of us married the Lawrence boys. Diana, you’re welcome to join us for lunch sometimes. My cousin’s grandmother will have a birthday soon, so we’ll also be planning the celebration.”
Diana swallowed and poked into her salmon. “I don’t think I qualify. I’m, um, not married to any of the Lawrence brothers.”
Why did things in Laredo shift at those words?
Marina patted Diana’s forearm. “It doesn’t matter. It’s a weird coincidence we sometimes laugh about. You’re welcome to come anyway.”
Diana stiffened in her seat and blinked twice before rubbing at her arms. “Thank you. I appreciate the offer.” She leaned forward, her plate forgotten. “Could you please tell me more about Pat’s activities while she was here? I mean, besides working on the ranch. Whatever you already have.”
“Sure.” Marina nodded her approval of the question. She forked up a shrimp and smothered it in garlic butter, perhaps giving her thoughts time to line up in order. “She went to the beach, then visited a candy store. The next day, she dropped by the souvenir store. Any of this sound out of character?”
Diana shook her head, sending her shoulder-length sandy-blonde hair flying and causing a nearly irresistible urge to run his fingers through it. “No. She enjoys the beach and sweets and trying new things. Could she have witnessed something she wasn’t supposed to at any of those places?”
“I talked to those business owners. Nothing peculiar seemed to have happened those days. A purse was snatched from a tourist near Scoops of Sunshine—the candy store. But that had happened several days before Pat arrived.” Marina helped herself to a biscuit. “You mentioned Pat made friends fast. Were those friendships short-lived?”
Diana’s gray eyes narrowed. “Yes. Except for ours. We’ve been friends since we were children. Pretty much as long as I remember myself, I remember Pat.”
His heart aching for Diana, he barely stopped from reaching out to her. How heartbreaking to have a lifelong friend missing and not know what happened to her. As if losing her husband wasn’t enough.
Lord, please help Diana heal. Please help us find Pat.
“What about her romantic relationships? Were they short-lived, as well?” Marina’s fork twirled another shrimp through a generous puddle of butter and herbs. A dollop splashed on the painted tabletop when she brought the fork to her mouth.
“Yes.” Diana’s voice tightened. She reached for a napkin to sop up the grease spot, wiping it away as if wiping away the irritating query. “Look, if you think Pat broke hearts right and left, it’s not true. She fell in love easily and fell out of love just as easily. But she said she always got out of relationships before things got too serious, before anyone could get hurt.” Diana balled up the napkin in a tight wad. “I blame Pat’s attachment issues on her mother.”
Marina’s gaze steeled. She set a half-eaten biscuit back on her plate, then spread out both hands, palms up. “I’m not here to judge by any means. I’m here to uncover the truth to help bring your friend home.” She lowered her hands and touched Diana’s arm, loosening that clenched grip on the napkin. “That means we might dig up unpleasant things. Like a former boyfriend holding a grudge—maybe even hating Pat for breaking up with him? Perhaps he could’ve followed her here and tried to reconcile. When she refused, things might’ve turned violent. I don’t want to alarm you, but I had such cases in my law practice.”
The napkin dropped free and unfurled to reveal the greasy spot. Both women stared at it.
“I get it. It’s like when I have to give a patient a painful shot. Or poke into a vein to set up the IV. Or clean debris from a wound. I understand we have to go through this.” Diana rubbed her forehead, and her troubled expression made him want to reach out to her again. “I haven’t met most of Pat’s boyfriends. But according to her, the breakups were amicable.” Her lower lip trembled. “I–I just don’t know anymore.”
At this point, he couldn’t help himself. He covered Diana’s hand with his. “We’ll figure this out. Barrett and Marina are fantastic at what they do.”
Though Barrett still wasn’t here yet and couldn’t help. The investigation was taking him longer than anticipated. A part of Laredo suspected his brother wasn’t in a huge hurry because his newlywed wife was with him, and they were in a romantic country neighboring the one she’d grown up in and most likely missed.
Marina accepted the compliment without protesting and sipped her drink. “We are. I’ll call and talk to Pat’s neighbors and see if anyone ever heard someone arguing with her. Or knocking on her door in frustration when she wasn’t there. If you have a list of the places she frequented, I’ll contact the owners and staff. She mostly worked from home, so I can’t talk to her coworkers. It would’ve been a long shot, anyway. I’ll put feelers out in case anyone saw her with someone here.”
“Thank you for doing all this.” Diana brought her hands together in a praying motion. “As mentioned, I’ll be happy to pay you.”
Marina’s mouth curved up. “You’re helping Laredo, and we’re helping you. We consider it a family matter.”
Longing inside him hinted he wished Diana could become part of the family. Or at least someone who wouldn’t walk away. Why couldn’t he be this drawn to a local woman?
His phone buzzed, but he ignored it, his concentration on this meeting and conversation.
“Please feel free to answer.” Diana gestured to him. “It might be something important. Including new information about Pat.”
She had a point. He fished his phone out of his jeans pocket and frowned at the caller ID. Why would their family pharmacist be calling? He didn’t have any prescriptions left at the pharmacy to be filled for himself or his family.
He answered the call. “Hello, Dr. Carol.”
“Good afternoon, young man.” At sixty-four years old, Dr. Carol Mims addressed every male above one year and below fifty as a young man. A fixture in town, she’d helmed the pharmacy, Sunshine Healing, since before he’d been born. Many of the locals trusted her opinion about illnesses and medicines more than they trusted their family physician. “I might have some information about that young blue-haired woman you’re searching for. She came to my pharmacy. A lovely young woman. Very friendly. Well, I’m not fond of blue hair and all those holes in the jeans I’d love to patch up, mind you. But again, she was very friendly.”
“That’s most helpful, Dr. Carol. If possible, we’d be grateful to see your camera recordings.”
“Of course. But I wasn’t done, young man. Don’t interrupt me.” Dr. Carol’s voice hiked a little. “It was the day she presumably disappeared, so I hope this will steer you in the right direction. Because she wasn’t alone.”
Everything in him tensed. Was this the breakthrough they needed? “She wasn’t? Who was she with?”
“A young man I’ve never met before. I don’t think he’s local. You’ll see him on the camera footage.”
“Thank you! We’ll drop by Sunshine Healing as soon as we can. You’ve been very helpful.”
“I strive to be, and you’re welcome.” Dr. Carol disconnected.
He looked at Diana’s expectant face, her eyes huge. Would this be a breakthrough or false hope? He prayed for the former, then relayed the conversation. “Dr. Carol didn’t recognize the guy with your friend, so she thinks he wasn’t local. Maybe he was a tourist Pat just met. Or maybe she traveled here with someone she knew or he followed her here. Port Sunshine is considered a rather romantic place, including for Christmas. They are on camera, so that should give us something, right?”
Diana jumped up. “We need to find him.” Then she deflated and plopped on the bench again. “Oh, sorry. You’re not done with lunch yet.”
“I’m done.” He pushed his plate away, though some steak remained. “It’s okay. We can leave.”
Marina’s lips curved again as she chewed on another shrimp scampi. “And I probably need to put out another fire in the kitchen by now.” She braced both hands on the tabletop, then pushed herself to her feet. “Let me get boxes for your food and pack up a tub of Dr. Carol’s favorite seafood soup to thank her.”
“That’s very thoughtful.” He sent his sister-in-law a grateful glance before she headed to the kitchen.
Diana’s fork flew as, in mere seconds, she shoved more food into her well-defined mouth than she had during the entire lunch. “I know I shouldn’t have my hopes up.” She wiped her mouth with a napkin. “I doubt we’ll be able to identify the guy. But maybe it’ll give us a hint about what happened. I should be able to see from Pat’s body language if she was into him. If so, she might’ve taken a road trip with him. Or even a trip abroad.”
Laredo drained his glass, and the cool, sweet liquid spread through him as much as this hope now did. This could be important. The guy in Sunshine Healing might’ve been the last person who saw Pat before she disappeared.