Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
She couldn’t believe she’d said it, yet she couldn’t hold back the words. It was like they’d been pressing against her throat, clamoring to break free. And God, did it feel good to say them.
Because it was the truth. She’d missed him so much she almost couldn’t believe he was really there, so close she could reach out and touch him, after all this time.
Close enough to touch, but wildly off limits.
He always had been, not that it had ever mattered.
He was the only man she’d ever loved, the one she thought she’d spend the rest of her life with.
Nearly fifteen years had passed, but in that moment when their eyes locked, it was as if every single second had slipped away, back to the past where it was just him and her. It had been almost perfect, except… He didn’t say it back. He’d stiffened, then disappeared without a single word.
She clenched the strap of her purse between her fingers, her heart pounding in her chest. Of course he hadn’t said it back.
He probably hated her with every fiber of his being.
It also didn’t escape her notice that Knox couldn't even bring himself to say her name when he’d introduced her to Mason.
A sharp pain of hurt sliced through her chest, but she forced it down as she smiled tightly.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Kane. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“You as well.” Mason turned his inquisitive gold gaze on her. “So, Ms. Beaumont, Knox tells me you've been receiving pictures.”
“That's correct.” She withdrew the folder from her purse and passed it to him. “As I told Knox, each one of these was left under my windshield wiper while I was in town. Different places, different times, but always the same style.”
She watched as Mason flicked through the various 5x7 black and white photographs. “And this started about a month ago?”
She nodded, though his gaze was still fixed on the photos. “I had just moved back from New York, and they started about a week or so after I moved home.”
“You haven’t argued with anyone, haven’t had anything out of the ordinary happen?”
She shook her head. “I keep mostly to myself.”
His eyes flicked to her. “Anyone else close to you having trouble that you’re aware of?”
“Not that I can think of. No one has mentioned anything.” If anything had happened to her mother, she most certainly would have heard about it. Her father was wealthy and had his fair share of competitors, but she was fairly certain he hadn’t experienced anything threatening, either.
He stacked the photographs and held them out as if to return them to her, but she waved him off. “You can have those.” God knew she didn’t want them, and the police couldn’t do anything with them.
He nodded. “We’ll keep them on file for you, then. So, there was no catalyst that you're aware of?”
She shook her head. “I wasn't really here long enough to run into anyone.”
He stared at her thoughtfully. “You said you lived here before, right?”
Her cheeks burned and she hesitated, thinking of Knox and Vivi. “Yeah, I left about thirteen years ago, right after graduation. Since then, I’ve lived in New York.”
“Anyone you can think of who might be upset you came back?”
Besides the obvious? She knew from the expression on Knox’s face earlier that he hadn't known she was back in town. Though he tried to conceal it, she knew him too well. When she stepped through the doorway, his eyes had widened a fraction, the color draining from his face like he’d seen a ghost.
She knew he still despised her for everything that had happened back then, but even if Knox had been aware of her moving back, she knew he wasn’t responsible for the photos. It wasn't in his nature to hurt anyone, let alone her, even if she deserved it.
“No.” She shook her head. “No grudges that I'm aware of.”
“Okay.” He nodded decisively. “Here's what I'd like to do. The person obviously feels safer in the city where he or she is less likely to stand out.”
“She?”
In response, Mason just shrugged. “Not out of the realm of possibility.”
No, she guessed it wasn't. They were just pictures, after all. Anyone could take a picture and leave it by her car. “What do we do now?”
Mason tipped his head to one side. “Whoever’s leaving the pictures is obviously practiced at blending in with their surroundings. He or she knows how to move at the exact right moment to avoid being spotted.”
She really didn’t like the way that sounded, but it made sense.
“Anyway,” he continued, “I can definitely run detail for you. I forgot to ask Con—are you wanting 24/7 surveillance? That can get pricey,” he warned, “but it’s something to consider.”
Knox hadn’t seemed too worried about the situation. At least, not enough to warrant having someone around every minute of the day. “Unless you think it’s necessary, maybe just while I’m out?”
“Probably smart to start with,” he agreed. “How do you feel about taking some extra security measures?” he asked. “If your home already has a security system, we can add cameras pretty easily.”
She shook her head. “I’m living with my parents at the moment, but I may take you up on that. I was planning to contact a realtor and start looking for my own place soon. From a security standpoint, which is better—an apartment or house?”
Mason leaned back in his chair and lifted one shoulder as he studied her. “It really depends. That old phrase ‘there's safety in numbers’ is true to a point. But it's also good to be away from the city if anything major ever goes down.”
She absorbed that for a minute, then finally nodded. “Okay, I'll weigh my options and see what's available.”
“What I need is for you to let me know whenever you go into town. If you could give me some advance notice so I can get into place, that would be great.”
She nodded. “Definitely. That shouldn’t be an issue.”
“Perfect. Do you have standing appointments, or anything coming up that you’re aware of?”
“My family and I have brunch at the country club each Wednesday and Sunday at eleven o’clock.”
Mason jotted it down. “Anything else?”
“I don't have a job yet,” she admitted, “so I don't go anywhere specific on a daily basis. I really only go into town if I need something.”
The fact that she was a 30-year-old woman, jobless, living at home with her parents sent a hot spear of shame through her. Mason seemed to take it in stride, though.
“Sounds good. Is there anything else you need?”
She shook her head. “I don't think so. I’d just like to find whoever is doing this and get him—or her—to stop. I can't begin to understand why he’s sending me photographs.”
“We’ll find them,” Mason assured her. “It’s just a matter of narrowing down a motive and finding them at the right place and time.”
He seemed so confident that she couldn’t find it in herself to doubt him. “I really appreciate it,” she said as she stood. “What do I owe you for today?”
“Nothing. Consultation is free,” Mason said as he opened the door for her. “If you haven’t already, I’ll have you fill out a contact form and we’ll touch base about future payment and everything soon.”
“Perfect.” She slung her purse over her shoulder and preceded him into the hallway. She snuck a glance toward Knox’s office as she turned, but his door was closed. She swallowed down the disappointment that crept up her throat and quickly turned her focus back to Mason.
“I’ll give you my number so you can reach me directly,” he said as they fell into step together. “Like I said, give me as much of your schedule as possible. The more surveillance I can do ahead of time, the quicker we can find your photographer.”
Vivi's dark eyes settled on her as she stepped into the lobby, and she could practically feel the unease and resentment emanating from Vivi's petite form in waves.
Had Knox told her what happened? She couldn't be sure.
Vivi had been so young then, and she was the only one who truly knew what happened. Even Knox only knew half the story.
Mason headed behind the reception desk and tipped his head Vivi’s way. “Get her registered, would you, Virginia?”
She blinked, caught off guard by the use of Vivi’s full name. She remembered Knox telling her once that his parents had traveled frequently with a friend’s band and had named Knox and Vivi after cities where the band had played—and quite possibly where they’d been conceived.
He wasn’t quite sure, and she seriously doubted the elder Castillos—God rest their souls—did either. Though they had been nice enough from what she remembered, they were both flaky and unstable, preferring a good party to spending time with their own children.
She offered Vivi a little smile as she stepped up to the desk.
Vivi reluctantly slid a clipboard with a registration form across the counter, looking very much like she'd rather throw it in the trash.
She didn't blame her. She knew her actions back then had hurt both of them.
She'd done what she thought was best at the time, and she couldn't take it back even if she wanted to.
She took a minute to fill out the form before passing it back to Vivi. “Anything else?”
Vivi had remained silent up to this point, and she shook her head, forcing a tight smile to her lips. “That's all.”
She was almost overwhelmed with the urge to apologize to Vivi, to tell her she was sorry for everything she'd done.
She didn't know what had happened to Vivi after she and Knox split up.
She'd heard that Vivi went to live with a family friend while Knox was in the Marines, but she never knew of anyone close to them.
She opened her mouth, then immediately closed it again. Now wasn’t the time or place. Once they got over the shock of seeing her again, she’d apologize. And—if they’d let her—finally tell them the truth of that awful summer.
Swallowing down the remorse that clutched at her throat, she turned her gaze to Mason. “So, I’ll just let you know if I need to go anywhere, then?”
He nodded and gestured toward the form she’d just completed as he pulled his phone from his back pocket and handed it to Vivi.
“Yep. I’ll send you a message so you’ve got my number.
” Her fingers flew across the screen, presumably entering her contact info into his phone before passing it back to him.
Almost immediately, her phone vibrated within her purse, and she pulled it out to check the alert.
Sure enough, a text message appeared on the screen from an unknown number.
She recited it back to him, and Mason tipped his head as he stowed his phone away again.
“As I said earlier, let me know when you need to go somewhere, so we can catch him in action.”
“Sounds good. Thank you again.” She turned to Vivi, nervous butterflies battering her insides as she met Vivi’s wary gaze. “It was good to see you.”
Something flitted across Vivi's dark eyes before she gave a little nod. “Same. Have a good day.”
The dismissal was clear, but it was more than she could ask for.
She headed out to her car and made her way home.
Instead of parking in the garage, she left the car out front and entered through the front door.
As she turned to make her way toward the western wing of the house, her parents’ maid, Letitia, appeared in the doorway of the sitting room, a bright smile on her face.
“Good morning, Ms. Everleigh.”
“Hi, Lettie.”
She knew her mother would reprimand her for her familiarity, but she didn’t care.
Lettie was the only person in her family who seemed to ever care about her wellbeing.
She’d allowed her to sneak into the kitchen on multiple occasions when she was young, especially after school when they were the only ones at home.
She’d taught her how to bake, how to cook, how to stay sane in a home full of pretentious facades.
Lettie stepped toward the antique sideboard and picked up an envelope, then extended it to her. “This came for you, miss.”
She flicked a glance at the letter, her brows drawing together in confusion when she saw her ex-husband’s name on the addressee line. “It came here?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Odd. They’d been divorced for nearly a year, and he was still back in New York.
He’d never lived anywhere close to here, so she couldn’t help but wonder how the company had gotten his address mixed up with hers.
It was even stranger considering she’d gone back to using her maiden name after they separated.
She briefly considered marking it return to sender to let them know, then changed her mind.
Though their marriage hadn’t worked out, Fletcher and she were still on good terms. He’d left a voicemail last week asking how her move had gone, but she’d yet to respond with everything going on.
She’d give him a call to let him know she’d received the letter, see where he wanted her to forward it.
She slid the envelope into her purse. “I’ll take care of it, Lettie. Thank you.”
Making her way to her room, she dropped her purse on the dresser and extracted her phone.
She pulled up Fletcher’s number and waited for the call to connect.
After several rings, it rolled over to voicemail, and she infused a smile in her voice as she left him a message.
“Hey, sorry I haven’t had a chance to get back to you.
Everything’s been great here, but I wanted to let you know, I got some mail that I think belongs to you. ”
She pulled the envelope from her bag and turned it over in her hand, inspecting the return address. “It looks like it might be important, so I didn’t want it to get lost in the system somewhere if you needed it.”
She hesitated for a second, feeling awkward. “Anyway, just call me back when you get a chance. Bye.”
She hung up and dropped her phone back into her bag, staring at her reflection in the mirror above the dresser. Instead of seeing herself as she was now, she envisioned seventeen-year-old her, head over heels in love with the boy next door.
The boy from the broken family on the wrong side of the tracks. The boy who’d grown into a man, so handsome and sure of himself. A man who despised her. Which made sense, because she hated herself for everything she’d done, too.