Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
Courtney drove around the strip mall twice, pausing each time at the bookstore’s back door in search of Dana, who was nowhere in sight. Sigh. She let the engine idle and waited, checking her phone to see if anything had changed in the last five minutes or so.
Nothing.
She drove around the building again, and when that didn’t yield a Dana sighting, she got out of the car and checked out some of the adjacent stores. Not spotting her anywhere, Courtney wound up going back to the bookstore to see if she was there. It was entirely possible she’d opted not to wait in the alley, given the unsightly garbage. Dana had a low tolerance for anything unappealing.
She’d once refused to eat a restaurant entrée because it wasn’t properly centered on the plate. The food placement, she said, was suspicious. Another time, she’d thrown out shoes because there was mud on the soles. Courtney had offered to clean them, but Dana had declined, even though she was assured they’d be good as new. “But I’ll always know they’ve been soiled!” she’d replied, asking Courtney to order a new pair instead. Knowing her personality, it was easy to imagine her taking one look at the disgusting alley and turning around to go back indoors.
But Dana wasn’t inside. Weird. Courtney dug out her phone and tried calling, but it went to voicemail. Odd. The disappearance of one of the country’s bestselling authors was alarming, but she didn’t feel the need to panic yet. Dana prided herself on being a free spirit. It would not have been unlike her to run into an old friend and decide to go out for drinks. Dana loved being spontaneous, and she often said that getting day-drunk was an underrated pleasure.
Still, Dana usually answered her phone even in that case, if only to tell the story of what had happened. She did enjoy a good story.
She might have wandered over to one of the other stores in the strip mall and was now trying on hats, not even concerned that Courtney would be left wondering about her whereabouts.
You never knew with Dana.
While still in the store, Courtney called home, getting Martha, the housekeeper. “I’m trying to track down Dana,” she said. “Have you heard from her?”
“Haven’t seen or talked to her since the two of you left this morning,” Martha said.
“Can you ask if anyone else has seen her?”
Martha sighed as if she’d been asked to do something difficult. “No need for that. I just walked through the house not ten minutes ago. I’m telling you she’s not here.” Shifting gears, she said, “Say, if you’re stopping at the store on the way home, could you buy some eggs?”
Courtney shook her head. “I’m not going to be stopping at the store. Dana’s missing.”
Martha laughed. “She’ll turn up eventually. She always does.”
Easy for her to say. She wasn’t Dana’s keeper. It would be Courtney’s head on a platter if something went wrong. Really, there was no winning. Dana had done a typical Dana-detour, and now it was Courtney’s job to figure out what had happened. If she went home and Dana had popped into a nearby store to browse for a few minutes, she’d catch hell for leaving her behind. But if Dana had decided to suddenly get an Uber to the airport to take an impromptu trip, she’d find it comical that Courtney had been concerned.
“Courtney, you’re such a worrier,” Dana often said. “Life is short. Live a little!”
Courtney wouldn’t put up with this from anyone but Dana. At one point in time, she’d pulled Courtney out of a dark place, and she’d kept her afloat ever since. They’d known each other all their adult lives, ever since they’d been assigned as roommates at the university, freshman year. Anyone could tell they were complete opposites, but despite that, they’d immediately clicked, Courtney’s yin to Dana’s yang. Opposite yet complementary forces. Ever since then, they’d been as close as two friends could be. And after all this time, there was no turning back. Their lives were as intertwined as a strand of DNA.
Half an hour after talking to Martha, and not being able to get any other family member on the phone, Courtney made the decision to go home and wait for further instructions. If Dana got angry, so be it. She knew she could talk her down from any bad mood. Dana wouldn’t stay mad for long.
At the house, she pulled the car into the circular driveway, parking near the fountain. Everyone commented on the grandeur of the house, but after all this time, she was used to it.
Dana’s mansion . Courtney had been aware that such luxurious homes existed in the North Shore suburbs of Milwaukee, but she never had a reason to go inside of one, and she certainly never thought she’d live in such a place. River Point was a village of luxury homes, all of which were discreetly located on winding tree-lined streets on expansive lots.
Dana believed in going all out, so it was enormous, with ten bedrooms and eight bathrooms. The size of the homes in the neighborhood required a staff. Or at least an onsite couple like Martha and Ronald.
The first time Courtney saw the house was right after the seller had accepted Dana’s cash offer. Dana had given her a guided tour and narrated as they went from room to fabulous room. “Italian Renaissance architecture and old-world craftsmanship,” she’d said enthusiastically. “Every inch speaks of luxury.” As they walked, she pointed out the marble floors, high ceilings, custom mahogany and cherry inlays, as well as the hand-painted murals. “And best of all,” she’d added, “there’s an apartment over the garage for you! It’ll be perfect for our late-night brainstorming sessions.”
She hadn’t been wrong. The apartment became Courtney’s own cozy nest. Being so close was convenient, and since she was now living rent-free, she was able to stash away most of her income. Another bonus? Being able to use Dana’s Audi anytime meant she didn’t even need to own a car. No car payments, no insurance, no maintenance. It made sense, this life of hers. Unconventional, maybe, but a good fit for both of them.
Courtney went in through the front door and walked past two women dusting and vacuuming. One of them caught her eye, so she gave her a smile as she continued on to the kitchen, where she found Martha and Ronald drinking tea. “You’re just in time,” Martha said enthusiastically. “I made cookies!” Ronald held out the plate, and Courtney took one to be polite.
Martha and Ronald had worked for the previous owners and came with the house. They lived in a guest cottage in back and oversaw the teams of workers needed to keep up the place. Landscapers, cleaners, maintenance workers. And of course, all the construction crews for those times Dana randomly decided that one of the many bathrooms needed to be remodeled or that she wanted a vegetable greenhouse or a statuary garden added to the property.
“Has anyone heard from Dana?” she asked between nibbles. “She was supposed to be waiting for me behind the bookstore and just disappeared. I wasn’t sure if I should stay or come back without her.”
Martha shook her head. “Neither of us have heard from her. And I’ve been keeping an eye on my phone since you called.”
“I’m starting to get worried.” She popped the rest of the cookie in her mouth.
Martha gave her a reassuring smile. “I guarantee you haven’t seen the last of her.”
“Tried her cell?” Ronald asked.
“I did and got voicemail.”
Neither of them looked alarmed. Worrying was Courtney’s department. “I guess I’ll go check with Antonio and the family and see if they know anything.”
In the home gym, she found Antonio. He was working out, of course. He’d come into their lives as Dana’s personal trainer. Somewhere along the way, he’d moved in, ostensibly for convenience’s sake so that he’d always be around for those times Dana felt like engaging in a fitness plan. Which was seldom, not that it was any of Courtney’s business. Now Dana referred to Antonio as her fiancé, although as far as anyone knew, there’d been no proposal or ring. More of Dana’s fiction.
Recently he’d begun meeting with other clients, meeting them at a local gym. He came and went at all hours, and no one seemed to care either way.
“Ah, Courtney,” Antonio said, elongating her name. “How are you?” He had a vague accent that no one in the house had been able to place. His life story was even vaguer and changed with every telling. If it were up to her, she’d have run a background check on him, but that wasn’t her place. It was surprising that Ian—Dana’s brother, business manager, and agent—hadn’t voiced some objection when Antonio had moved in. But Ian was easygoing when it came to the household. His focus was on maximizing revenue streams, and he was passionate about spreadsheets and negotiating contracts. Dana’s relationships didn’t seem to interest him.
“Fine,” she said. “But I seem to have misplaced Dana. Do you have any idea where she is?”
He set down his barbell and shook his head. “I am sorry to say I cannot help you. Did you try her cell?”
Why did everyone assume she wouldn’t try the obvious thing? “I did.”
Antonio shrugged his shoulders. “She could be anywhere. Good luck.” He leaned over and picked up the weight to continue doing biceps curls.
Well, that was no help at all. Antonio was hard to figure out. He didn’t seem to have feelings for Dana, and yet he’d hung around far longer than most of her men. Courtney had cautioned Dana once, saying she thought he was after her money, but Dana had waved away her concerns. “Antonio is harmless. He doesn’t have any access to my financials. He’s just along for the ride.” So that was that. Antonio had the benefit of living rent-free, along with dinners at pricey restaurants and the occasional trips when Dana wanted to be accompanied by a handsome man. And Antonio was handsome in a rugged, slicked-back-hair sort of way.
Not Courtney’s type, but with her limited experience, she was hardly the expert on relationships. She and Dana were opposites in that way too. Dana had a revolving door of past boyfriends, while Courtney’s romantic life had no doors at all.
She left Antonio and made her way to the other end of the house, ending up outside of Ian’s office. His workspace was separate from the wing his family lived in, something he’d insisted on. She knocked politely, opening the door after he called out, “Come in!”
Courtney didn’t enter but lingered in the entrance.
Ian was on the phone, of course, his feet propped up on the edge of his massive, ornately carved desk. She remembered when it had been delivered. Ian had called it one of a kind, but the truth was that his desk was a limited edition. One out of only two hundred and fifty. Still rare but not even close to one of a kind. Like his sister, Ian was good at hyperbole.
Even though he worked from home, he always dressed as if heading into an important business meeting, and today was no exception. Crisp white shirt, tie, pleated dress pants, a button-down vest, and shoes made of Italian leather. And of course, his signature statement—horn-rimmed glasses that seemed too big for his face. He gave her a friendly wave as he wrapped up the call. “Sounds good, then. We’ll circle back next week.” Once the call ended, he lowered his legs and turned to her with a smile. “Hey, Courtney. How can I help you?”
“I seem to have lost your sister.” She leaned against the doorframe.
He threw back his head and laughed. “Is that all? From the look on your face, I thought Dana was going to miss the deadline for her next book.”
“No. We’re on schedule and the manuscript is done. I’m in the process of going over it one last time.”
“Good to hear.”
“Sure, but I have no idea where she is.” She sighed. “After she was done signing stock at the bookstore, I pulled the car around and she wasn’t where she said she’d be. Then I went and checked in nearby stores before I went back to the bookstore. Not a trace of her.”
“She does tend to wander,” Ian said. “Even as a little girl we didn’t know where she was half the time. Have you tried—”
“Yes, I called her cell. No answer.”
“It sounds like you’ve done everything a person could do. Nothing left to do but wait. Believe me, you’ll hear from her eventually.”
“Do you think Kristy might know something?” Courtney knew it was doubtful, but she had to ask. Ian’s wife and Dana weren’t close, to say the least.
“Kristy is having a spa day. I’m guessing her phone is in a locker.” He leaned forward on the desk. “I wouldn’t worry too much. Dana never stays lost for long. Remember that time a group of her fans came to an event in a private jet and then she just took off with them to have dinner in New York?” He chuckled. “My sister isn’t like anyone else.”
He was right about that.
“She usually answers her phone, though.” Courtney mentally checked off each household member in turn and was left with only one she hadn’t spoken to yet. “I’ll go ask Brayden if he knows anything.” When Ian didn’t object to her questioning his son, she took it as permission that she could enter his family’s private wing.
But Brayden wasn’t any help either.
Per usual, she found him in his upstairs bedroom, door open, headphones on, playing some shoot-em-up game with his friend Charlie. Why they didn’t get together in person was a mystery. Charlie lived nearby; their properties shared a lot line. And both guys had media rooms, so in theory they could be playing this game on big screens, but for some reason they preferred to hole up at home, staring at their computer monitors.
Courtney had been standing just outside his doorway for a minute or so when he sensed her presence. Taking off his headphones, he asked, “Something wrong?” He was never overtly rude, but she always had the feeling he found her to be a bother.
“I lost your aunt at the bookstore. Any idea where she might be?”
“Were you crowding her space again?”
So typical. He’d just graduated from high school, but already Brayden thought he knew better. She said, “No, in fact, she told me to bring the car around back, but when I did, she wasn’t there.”
“You probably took too long.”
“No, I didn’t take too long.” Or did she? On the way out of the bookstore, she’d been waylaid by the owner, Heather, who had some questions about Dana’s upcoming event. They’d only talked for a few minutes, though. “Look, Brayden, I’m worried. Can you check your phone and see if she tried calling you?” Out of everyone in the household, Dana had a special connection to Brayden. She seemed to think that the two of them were free spirits in a family of control freaks.
Brayden looked at his phone. “Nope. She hasn’t called or texted.”
“Okay, thanks.”
“You need to relax, Courtney. Not everything has to be a big deal.” He picked up his headphones.
“Well, someone has to keep track of all the details.”
“Sure, but you’re like a helicopter parent. You gotta give her room to breathe.”
“Listen, Brayden. This is my job. She could have been abducted, for all we know.” A bit excessive, but the kid lived in a bubble and should know that bad things happened out in the world.
“Aunt Dana abducted?” He grinned. “I’d hate to see anyone who tried. They’d give her right back after a few minutes.”
“I’m serious. She could have been kidnapped.”
“Kidnapped?” He raised one eyebrow. “I think you’ve been watching too many crime shows.”
He clearly didn’t realize his aunt’s value. “If you hear anything, could you let me know?”
“Sure.” He pulled on his headphones and went back to the game, signaling the conversation was over.