Darlene shook her head. “Something is terribly wrong. Trish is extremely upset, and she said David never arrived.”
“Maybe he decided to come by in the morning. Or he tried to knock and nobody answered. Your father is upstairs, and if Trish went straight to her flat, no one would have heard him knocking.”
Darlene put her hands on her hips and shook her head. “You know as well as I do that David is crazy about her, so he wouldn’t have gone home to wait for in the morning. And as far as no one hearing David knocking, he would have woken the whole neighborhood if he had to. You saw how frantic he was.”
“Yes, he was distraught,” Phillip said and put his hands in his coat pocket.
Darlene rushed to the phone.
“Who are you calling at this hour?” Phillip asked.
“The police. I’m going to report David missing. I’ve got a bad feeling. I could be wrong, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
*******
The next morning Trish showered, got dressed, and packed. She decided to go to the Bahamas. After all, she had a vacation home there now. Her plan was to get some sun, confirm information with the caretakers, and figure out what she was going to do for the rest of her life. She got the keys along with the paperwork for her settlement a few days ago. She wrote a check to David for the rest of his fee that day, but he wouldn’t take it. Actually, he tore it up.
As she wrote another check for the rest of his fee, a voice that sounded like her father, popped in her head. If that boy didn’t care about you, he would have taken your money.
“It was an act to sucker me in,” she mumbled as she tore the check from the book. She stuck it in an envelope addressed to David’s office to the attention of Mrs. Hinkle. After all, it’s not like he didn’t earn it.
She picked up her cell phone. Trish called the airport to confirm her eight o’clock flight and connecting flights. After she hung up, she grabbed her purse, carry-on, and suitcase and headed up the stairs.
Trish clumsily entered the living room as Mr. Jacobs was setting a tray on the table. He had six coffee mugs and a pot of coffee on the tray. He looked up at Trish.
“Mr. Jacobs, I’m leaving town for a while. I have an eight o’clock flight. I have some out of town affairs to attend to.”
He had a grim look on his face. “It was my call not to wake you. I thought you needed rest before you had to deal with this. Put those bags down, honey. You’re not going anywhere.”
Panic gripped her body. “Oh God, is it Darlene. Did something happen to Darlene?”
He shook his head from side to side. “No, she’s fine. Sit down, honey. I’ll tell you what’s going on. I’ll pour you some coffee.”
“You’re scaring me. Tell me what has happened.”
At that moment, Darlene and Phillip came through the front door. They stopped when they saw Trish standing there looking petrified.
“Oh, honey, don’t worry. We’ll find him,” she said.
“What the hell are you talking about? What is going on? And why are you two wearing the same clothes that you had on last night?” Trish asked, becoming frantic.
“You haven’t told her?” Phillip asked.
“I was about to,” Mr. Jacobs said and sat down on the sofa.
“Trish, no one has seen David since the party. He hasn’t called anyone, and no one can find him,” Phillip said.
“We’ve called the police several times. They said there were no accidents that fit David or his car’s description, and we have to wait twenty-four hours to file a missing persons report. We’ve been out all night looking for him ourselves since they won’t help. That’s why we’re in the same clothes as last night. We came home to take a break, and I was going to change,” Darlene explained.
“Yeah, I’ve been doing the driving. I haven’t been home,” Phillip said. “We even stopped by the hospital to see if he was admitted to the emergency room.”
Trish blew out a breath of frustration. “That’s because he is with Heather- Heather Young. They’re probably held up in a hotel room in town. Did you try The Wingate Hotel?”
“Um, no,” Darlene said as she looked at Trish like a deer in headlights.
“He isn’t with her,” Phillip said with disgust and walked over to the table to fix a cup of coffee. “David isn’t going to trade a real lady for a painted hussy like her. Even I give him more credit than that.”
“Me, too,” Darlene said. “I truly believe something happened to him, Trish. David was on his way to the house last night to explain to you what happened on the dance floor.”
“Darlene, you know I love you, and I don’t mean any harm when I say this, but you haven’t seen, heard, and had the experiences that I have had. There are a lot of guys out there who are good at pulling the knight in shining armor act. Even the most experienced women can be fooled by the best smooth talkers.”
“What about me and Phillip?” Mr. Jacobs asked. “I’ve lived a long time, and I am an experienced financial advisor. I wouldn’t have gotten as far as I have if I couldn’t read people. I had a talk with David on the night that you and Darlene went to that club. Believe me, he has no desire to be with that woman. He wants you. Phillip travels all over the world, and he’s a success in his own right. Once again, he wouldn’t be successful if he couldn’t read people.”
“In the financial world,” Trish countered. “And Mr. Jacobs don’t you think you’re a little bias considering that you like David?”
“I’m not bias. I’m not crazy about either one of the Shaw brothers. Will you listen to what I saw last night?” Phillip asked.
Before Trish could answer, Phillip spoke. “Darlene and I were in the balcony with a couple of other guests. We could see the entire dance floor,” he said and sat down with a cup of coffee in his hand. “We saw you and David dancing, you left a couple of minutes before midnight. While you were gone, he waited for you- alone- or so I thought- at first. I noticed the blonde chit in a black dress. She stood out to me because she didn’t have a drink or a noisemaker in her hand. She just stood there like she was waiting for something or someone. She was a few feet from David- it didn’t appear she noticed him. Matter of fact, it looked like he was looking for you to come back. He didn’t notice her. The clock struck twelve, I gave Darlene a hug, and we were blowing our noisemakers as we were looking down on the crowd. I noticed the blonde chit looking about - she stopped when she spotted you making your way through the crowd carrying two champagne glasses.” Phillip took a sip of his coffee.
“That’s when Phillip pointed Heather out to me,” Darlene said and sat down on the sofa next to her father. “As soon as she saw you, she made a B-line straight to David. She waited until you got close enough to see them. She patted him on the shoulder, David turned around, and she laid a big kiss on him.”
“Yes, love. The chit set both of you up. No doubt,” Phillip said in his thick British accent.
“We saw your heart break right there in the middle of all those people. We saw which way you ran, and we saw David trying to go after you.”
“We tried to catch you outside, but you were already riding away in a cab,” Phillip said and sipped his coffee again.
Trish thought for a moment. “Okay, let’s say David and I were setup. It obviously worked. He didn’t come over last night. So, her plan worked to come between us. He has to be with her. Especially, if there were no accidents reported fitting his description and you checked the hospital. He couldn’t have just vanished.”
Mr. Jacobs poured a cup of coffee. “He could if he got kidnapped.”
“Now that’s just crazy. Who would kidnap him?” Trish asked as she shook her head.
“Maybe a client who he lost a case for?” Phillip threw out.
“David doesn’t lose cases,” Trish said. “I think he’s at The Wingate Hotel. I really do guys.”
There was a pounding at the door.
“Come in,” Mr. Jacobs yelled.
Ted whirled int
o the house closing the door behind him. “Any word?”
“No,” Mr. Jacobs answered.
Ted looked terrible. His hair was disheveled, and he hadn’t shaved. He had on a green dress shirt, which was wrinkled, his signature black leather coat, and a pair of black jeans. He looked at Trish and her luggage. “Where the hell are you going?”
“I have an eight o’clock flight,” she answered plainly.
“Unbelievable! My brother is missing, and the woman he loves packs her bags! Put that crap down, you’re not going anywhere!” Ted exclaimed.
“Ted, we just told her. Give her a break. She didn’t know,” Darlene snapped.
Ted bit his lower lip. He looked down in shame. “I’m sorry. I should have known,” he said as he shook his head and looked up at her. “I guess I’m running on empty and I’m….”
Trish shook her head. Why hasn’t David called anyone? He’s got everyone worried sick. “Forget it. I can see how worried you are. Have you tried The Wingate Hotel?”
“Yes, he’s not there,” Teddy answered.
“Get yourself some coffee, son,” Mr. Jacobs said and gestured at the coffee table. “You look exhausted.”
Ted walked towards the coffee table and poured himself a cup.
“Ted, did you ask the desk clerk if Heather Young had a room there?” Trish asked.
“Yes. Heather hasn’t been there since her last surprise visit to town.”
“How do you know he wasn’t lying?” Trish asked.
“Because I slipped the desk clerk forty bucks. He better not have been lying,” Teddy said and took a big swig from the coffee mug.
“Did you try his apartment?” Trish asked.
“Of course, I did. That was the first place I went when Mom called me,” Ted said and topped off his cup.
“Well, there’s only one other place I can think of,” Trish said calmly.
Chapter 36
Everyone in the room looked at her. You could hear a pin drop. “Where do you think he is Trish?” Mr. Jacobs asked.
“New York City,” Trish said.
“New York City,” Phillip, Darlene, and Teddy repeated.
“Yes, they could have easily flown or drove last night. Possibly drove. New York is only four to five hours from here.”
“They? You think he went to New York with Heather?” Teddy asked.
“Yep,” Darlene answered for Trish.
Teddy looked at Darlene and back at Trish. “Are you insane? He didn’t go to New York with that tart.”
“Why not? It’s not that farfetched. She tried to convince David to go back with her before,” Trish said.
Teddy rolled his head back to the ceiling and brought it back down to look at her. “Why would David go to New York with her, when he is in love with you?”
“He’s not in love with me. I know because he has never said it. David loves Heather. I don’t think he ever stopped loving her,” Trish said defensively.
A hint of red flashed around Teddy’s neck. “Maybe…just maybe he was holding back because you needed time and space to think?” he asked sarcastically.
“There’s no reason to get snippy. I’m just trying to come up with a logical explanation as to why-”
“No reason to get snippy! My kid brother is missing, and you’re acting like we’re playing a game of Clue!”
Darlene’s face flushed red. She jumped off the sofa. “Don’t you yell at her like that you…you…jackass!”
Ted turned to look at Darlene. He was about to say something when Phillip intervened.
“All right!” Phillip yelled without leaving his seat. “Let’s not get overheated.”
“It’s not going to help David if we all start turning on each other,” Mr. Jacobs reasoned. “Ted, I seriously suggest you take a couple of deep breaths before you say another word. Trish, if David went to New York he would have called someone by now. His parents, his brother. No one has heard from him, honey.”
“Love makes people do things they don’t normally do,” Trish said barely above a whisper. She should know. Trish left her hometown for her first husband and threw herself at her divorce attorney, who she hated as a child, just a couple of weeks ago.
“No matter what state of mind David was in, he wouldn’t leave town without letting someone know. My mother is about to have a nervous breakdown, and my father has rung his hands so much it’s a wonder his skin isn’t raw,” Ted said.
Trish frowned. For the first time, she actually considered that he vanished without a trace. Where could he be?
The phone rang.
“See!” Trish exclaimed.
“See what, love?” Phillip asked with confusion. Everyone else in the room looked at her.
She dropped her luggage and power walked to the phone. “I bet you twenty dollars that is the Dear Jane phone call,” Trish said. Actually, she hoped it was. She would rather believe that he left her for another woman, than something happening to him.
“You’re in denial now,” Ted mumbled.
Trish picked up the phone. “About time you called, you coward. You got your family worried sick,” she answered.
“Um, I think you got me mistaken for someone else, miss,” the woman said.
“Oh,” Trish said with slight embarrassed. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine, miss. My name is Annie, I’m a nurse at Clary Memorial Hospital,” she said.
Trish’s fingers tingled. She was wrong. David was hurt. He was hurt and alone and here she was thinking that he was a womanizer and a bastard.
“I’m looking for a woman named Trish Truman.”
“Yes, I’m Trish,” she said cautiously.
“Good, I finally found someone. I’m calling about Mrs. Ruth Hinkle. She’s had a terrible accident.”
Trish looked up. Everyone in the room was staring at her. “What happened to her?” Trish asked.
“Her? Heather?” Ted asked.
Trish shook her head.
“She fell down the stairs in her basement. Luckily, someone found her and called an ambulance, but he didn’t leave his name. When the ambulance arrived, her front door was cracked opened. We’ve tried to contact her sons, but we can’t reach them. We also tried calling her employer a…Mr. David Shaw, but we couldn’t reach him either,” Annie said.
“Her sons are out of town for the New Year. Mr. Shaw is ….not available.” Trish said.
“Oh I see. When we told her we couldn’t get in touch with her emergency contacts she became agitated again.”
“What do you mean again?”
“Last night when she woke up in the emergency room she was hysterical. We couldn’t understand what she was saying. The doctor was afraid she might give herself a heart attack -considering the condition she was in -so he sedated her.”
“What!” Trish exclaimed. “Was the ER doctor drunk? She’s not crazy.”
“We had no choice, Ms. Truman. Mrs. Hinkle has a broken hip, a fractured arm, a sprained collarbone, a severe cut to her head, and a serious concussion. She was working herself up into a frenzy.”
“Okay, so she got upset again this morning because you couldn’t contact anyone on her list?”
“It seems so. I asked her if there was anyone else we could contact she gave me your name and this phone number. She also gave me the name…..Teddy Shaw. However, she could only remember his office number and since it’s New Year’s Day…”
“His office is closed. It’s okay; Teddy is here with me. I’ll tell him what has happened.”
“Good. Can you get here as soon as possible? I think she will calm down once she sees a familiar face.”
“Yes, I’ll leave now.”
“Good. She’s been moved to a private room. It’s on the fourth floor, room 406.”
“Okay, and thanks for calling,” Trish said and hung up. “It’s barely seven o’clock and all hell has broken loose.”
“What was that about?” Mr. Jacobs asked.
“Sounds like someone i
s hurt,” Darlene commented.
Trish rushed to her pile of bags and grabbed her purse. “It’s Mrs. Hinkle. She fell down her basement stairs last night. She’s in the hospital all alone and she’s scared. She asked for me and Teddy. Her sons are out of town.”
“Good Lord!” Mr. Jacobs exclaimed.
“Oh, that poor woman,” Darlene said.
“Yeah, some quack sedated her last night like she was a crazy person. I’m sure she was just scared. All they had to do was talk to her,” Trish said with disgust as she pulled her coat on.
“Trish, I know she asked for me, but unless she’s on death’s door-” Teddy said.
“It’s okay, I’ll just explain that you’re busy. I don’t want to tell her David is missing; she’ll get more upset than what she already is,” Trish said as she walked to the door.
“Are you sure you’re okay going by yourself?” Darlene asked.
“Yes, I don’t know how long I’ll be, but if you get any word about David call me on my cell phone.”
“Okay,” Darlene agreed.
“Hey, Trish,” Teddy said and strode to her. “Look, about a few minutes ago…”
“It’s okay, Teddy. I understand. I know you love him.”
Teddy brought her into his arms. He put his chin on top of her head. “And you love him, even though you never said it,” he whispered.
She smiled against his shirt and then brought her gaze up to look at him. “If anybody can find him, it’s you. His big brother. I have faith in you, Teddy.”
“Thanks,” he said with a weak smile.
Chapter 37
Trish slowly walked into room 406 and closed the door behind her. Mrs. Hinkle was propped up on the bed. Her arm was in a cast, she was wearing a clavicle brace, and her head was wrapped in thick bandages. Trish slowly approached the bed and sat down on the stool next to it.
“Mrs. Hinkle. Mrs. Hinkle, It’s Trish,” she whispered.
Mrs. Hinkle slowly opened her eyes. They were bloodshot and full of fear.
“It’s okay, Mrs. Hinkle. I’m here.”
She could only mouth her words at first, then she was able to say Trish’s name aloud.
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