Chapter Sixteen #2
Cesare returned to the office to see Sabrina still peacefully sleeping.
Travis hadn’t been entirely wrong. Sabrina had lived here her whole life, and when Cesare left to go home, Sabrina would no doubt want to stay in Kittery.
He was inclined to drop an obscene amount of money on the marine rescue, in part to show he was serious about his intentions with her.
And yet, he was just as inclined to burn it to the ground so she’d have less to leave behind when he dragged her ass back to Philly.
Cesare closed his eyes and breathed for a moment, trying to regain control over his own thoughts. He could not kidnap Sabrina. Cesare didn’t want her if she wasn’t willing. He would have to persuade her.
Cesare silently padded over to the desk he’d been using and wrote a note on a large piece of yellow notepad paper.
You were too beautiful to wake- I had to run some errands.
Call me when you wake up and tell me what you want for dinner.
I’ll be out, but I want to have something delivered for you to eat.
You may hear some noise- it’s a few repairs happening at my request. Consider it a small donation to the refuge. A gift.
Cesare left the note prominently displayed on the desk next to Sabrina’s cell phone, stealing one last glimpse of her lying asleep in bed, lips slightly parted and the curves of her body outlined underneath the thin covers.
With a muttered curse, Cesare left the room.
Half an hour later, he walked into York Public Library, eyes peeled for the director.
He found Diane in a downstairs youth room he hadn’t seen before.
She was kneeling at eye level with a young boy sitting sullenly on a couch.
Diane seemed to be listening very intently to what the boy was saying.
She pulled a protein bar out of her pocket and handed it to him.
Cesare watched with furrowed brows as he wolfed it down.
“Cesare!” She exclaimed as soon as she noticed him.
“Diane, how are you?” He grinned.
“I’m doing well, thank you. What are we looking for today?” She asked him curiously.
“I have a few more questions about local history. I was wondering if you might be available for a few minutes?” He asked.
Diane’s gaze narrowed. “Are you looking for literary sources or tea?” She queried.
Cesare gave a rueful shrug. “Both.”
“Hmmm.” Diane nodded. “I have both.” She grinned.
They found their way into an empty boardroom, and Cesare relayed the questions he had.
Diane’s brow furrowed. “We wouldn’t have any information about Portsmouth in that way.” She shook her head. “But I can tell you who the police chief was at the time.”
Cesare’s brows lifted in interest. “Really?”
“It was my cousin, Harold. Harry, for short.” She nodded with a nostalgic smile.
“Your cousin?” Cesare shook his head, amused. “It is a small world, no? Where could I find Harry?” He asked.
Diane sighed. “I’m sorry, Cesare.” This time her face became pinched and somewhat saddened. “He passed away a few years ago.”
Cesare sighed in disappointment, then looked back at Diane. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you.” She nodded. “Is this about the girl you were looking for around Kennebunk?” She asked carefully.
Cesare nodded.
“I would talk to Jason Rosenbaum.” She nodded. “He was a selectman, then he was a school superintendent. He was involved in a lot of community projects, and a lot of compromises.” She looked at him pointedly.
“What kind of compromises?” Cesare asked carefully.
“He had a public works contract for a while. A lot of high schoolers that could have found themselves in front of a judge, instead found themselves volunteering to clean trash up on the side of the road.”
Cesare nodded. “Was this before or after police involvement?”
Diane scoffed. “If it was typical small-town mischief, Harry would threaten them within an inch of their life and drop them off to clean up trash with Jason instead of making a report. He wasn’t trying to get anyone out of anything, just trying to keep kids that didn’t belong in the system out of a courtroom. ”
“So if someone was starting relatively harmless trouble, they got sent to Jason Rosenbaum.” Cesare mused out loud.
Diane nodded. “If your missing girl ever got caught drinking on the beach or speeding late at night with friends, there’s a high likelihood she met him.”
Cesare nodded, giving Diane a wan smile. “Is Jason in York?”
Diane shook her head. “Cape Neddick. He’s in Florida this week, but he’ll be back in a week or so.”
Cesare let out a low whistle of appreciation. “Have you ever thought about being a private investigator, Diane?”
Diane gave a slight chuckle as she waved a dismissive hand. “He’s been posting about it all week on Facebook. And no. If I left, there’d be nobody to feed my kiddos.”
Cesare raised a brow. “Your kiddos?”
“The youth room.” She sighed. “We have a group that comes through every afternoon. Nobody’s home until later so they come here. Sometimes they have food, sometimes they don’t.” She crossed her arms. “When they’re here, they’re my kiddos.”
Cesare tilted his head. “How many?”
Diane shrugged. “It varies, but usually five or six. If I don’t see them for more than a few days, I start asking around.” She admitted, her lips pursed in a frown.
Cesare stared for another moment before shaking his head. “They should call you Saint Diane.” He quirked a grin.
Diane shook her head with a laugh. “Oh please, no! I’m a congregationalist.”
◆◆◆
Cesare eventually left the library after reviewing more microfilm of old newspapers and checking a few entries of local property records.
He called Dante for an update when he returned to the hotel. His phone rang a few times and then a woman’s automated voice came on.
“I’m sorry, the person you are trying to reach has a voice mailbox that has not been…”
Cesare hung up, checking the time once more and wondering if Sabrina had woken up.
He hadn’t communicated a consequence if she didn’t call, but his hand still twitched at the thought of her round ass, regardless.
He discreetly adjusted himself in his pants, breathing into the ache growing low in his balls.
Cesare had never been with a virgin, but he’d be a dumbass if he didn’t take this slow.
He tried desperately to think of anything other than being balls deep in heaven, and entered the hotel room with a muttered curse.
He looked down at the bulge protruding from his pants and grudgingly went straight to the shower.