Beauty and the Feast

by Julia Barrett

  “No Señor Abbott. I haven’t found her, but I do know where her phone is.”

  “Her phone? What? Where?”

  “Sí, Señor, her cell phone. It is at the church. I called the phone number and a woman answered.”

  “A woman?” asked Gabe. “Not Eva?”

  “No, Señor, it was the secretary from the Catholic church, the church where Eva worked last night. She said someone had found the phone in the parking lot early this morning and they’d turned it into the office.”

  “Has she seen Eva? Has she spoken with her?”

  “No, Señor. She has not seen her, but then, she was out of the office most of the day. She said she merely answered my call because she was hoping it was the owner of the cell phone.”

  “Did you go by Eva’s house?”

  “Sí, Señor. I drove to her house, but her car was gone. I waited for an hour to see if she would return, but she did not. I left a note on her door.”

  Gabe felt like he’d been kicked in the chest. He could barely breathe. He rose to his feet and began to pace. Quincy appeared in the doorway, listening to the conversation, as Gabe continued. “What about the church? Did you go by the church? Did you check to see if her car was still in the parking lot?”

  “Sí. Her blue car was not there.”

  “Her car wasn’t there?” Jesus. Gabe had a ticking time bomb inside and if he didn’t hear something about Eva soon, he was going to explode. Something was very wrong. He knew it.

  “Tell him to call the cops,” he heard Quincy say. “Tell him to find out if there’s been an accident… or better yet, you call them. You’re Gabriel Abbott. They’ll take you seriously.”

  Gabe decided his brother was right. He told Luis he would contact him the minute he had any word about Eva.

  Just as Gabe clicked off, Marsha’s cell phone rang. She grabbed it, trying not to disturb her boss. Marsha listened in silence, then she stared, wide-eyed, at Gabe.

  “Gabe, it’s Jennifer, from the office. She went in today to check messages. She picked up a message for you. I think you need to listen to this yourself.”

  “Marsha, I can’t think about work right now. Can we do this later?”

  “No, Gabe, the message is about Eva.”

  “Mr. Jamison, this is Gabriel Abbott. You have information for me about Eva Raines?”

  “Yes, Mr. Abbott. I’m sorry to bother you and I’m sorry to leave such a cryptic message, however, I have a responsibility to protect my client’s confidentiality.”

  “I don’t really give a flying fuck about your client’s confidentiality,” Gabe said impatiently. “My concern is only for Eva. Where is she?”

  “First let me reassure you that Eva’s safe. According to one of my contacts, she’s being held at the Napa police station,” Eddie Jamison replied.

  “Being held at the Napa police station!” Gabe exploded, “Why the hell is she at the Napa police station? What the hell is going on? Is she all right?”

  “Please Mr. Abbott, I swear that Miss Raines is unhurt, but she was the victim of a very dirty trick and I’m on my way to Napa right now to try to rectify the situation.”

  Gabe sputtered for a moment. “Jamison, you’ll have to forgive me, but you aren’t making any sense. I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. What reason could the Napa police possibly have for holding Eva? What kind of dirty trick? What the hell is going on?

  Edward Jamison sighed. “It’s complicated, Mr. Abbott.”

  “I don’t care if it’s brain surgery, Jamison. I want to know what’s going on. Now.” Gabe motioned to Marsha. He put his palm over the receiver. “Call Luis. Tell him to get down to the Napa police station and make sure Eva’s okay. Tell him to get there as quickly as he can. Then call Ted Rose at home. Say it’s an emergency. I want him at the Napa police station in case Eva needs a lawyer. He can send the bill to me. And get me two seats on the next plane home. I don’t care what it costs.”

  Gabe removed his hand from the receiver. “Mr. Jamison, I want you to explain, right now, in plain English, exactly why in the hell my woman is at the police station.”

  * * * *

  Eva sat in a hard, cold, metal chair beside Officer Scott’s desk. He’d gone to get a cup of coffee. He asked Eva if she wanted one and she’d gratefully answered, yes. She leaned an elbow on his desk and rested her head on her hand, closing her eyes. She was so bloody tired, and she had no idea how much longer they’d keep her. She’d answered every question she could, given them all the information she had. There was nothing else she could do but hope they believed her story. And why shouldn’t they? It was God’s honest truth. The big question in her mind was, why would someone do this? Pretend to be Jerry Harding, hire her for an expensive catering job, use what was apparently a disposable cell phone and give her a stolen credit card number? She’d never done anything to anyone, at least, nothing that would deserve this kind of retribution. Unless… Eva lifted her head and opened her eyes… unless the credit card wasn’t stolen but whoever did this reported it stolen after they’d already gotten her to spend her own money.

  Officer Scott returned with her coffee. “It’s not the greatest,” he said, “But it’s high octane and you look pretty beat.”

  “Thanks,” Eva nodded. “Officer, whose credit card was it?”

  “Hmm?” the man replied as he sat down at his desk.

  “Whose credit card was reported stolen? The credit card this guy used to hire my services.”

  “Oh, some woman in San Francisco.”

  “What’s her name? Can you tell me her name?”

  “Yeah,” the man shuffled through some paperwork. “The card was reported stolen sometime Friday night by a woman named Lindstrom, Karen Lindstrom.”

  Eva sat very still, staring at the floor, trying to control her temper. Trying to breathe. That woman. That awful, horrible woman. She should have known. Damn it. She should have known she’d try something like this.

  Eva raised her head. Officer Scott was looking at her, an odd expression on his face.

  “You know this person?”

  “No. I don’t know Karen Lindstrom,” replied Eva, trying to keep her voice even. “I know her daughter or her sister or her niece, Stephanie Lindstrom. She did this. She’s responsible for all of this. I promise you, Officer, that card was not stolen. Stephanie Lindstrom did this. She’s the person who set this whole thing up.”

  “Why would she do that, Miss Raines?” the police officer asked, one eyebrow askew.

  “Do you know who Gabriel Abbott is, Officer?”

  “Yeah, sure, he owns Gabriel Vineyards.”

  Eva took a deep breath. “Well, I’m seeing him. I’ve been seeing him for a while. The woman he was seeing before, the woman he had been dating, is named Stephanie Lindstrom. She’s a lawyer in San Francisco. She and I had an incident a week or so ago.”

  “An incident?”

  “Yes. I embarrassed her at a party in San Francisco. In front of her friends. I know she did this. This is payback, pure and simple. I can promise you that credit card wasn’t stolen. She merely reported it stolen after she caught me. She baited her hook and she reeled me in. Jeez! Could I possibly have been any more dense?” Eva shook her head. “What an easy mark. She stuck me with twenty-five hundred dollars worth of food and wine. God, I am so stupid.”

  From over her right shoulder, Eva heard someone clear his throat.

  “Officer Scott, may I have a word with you?”

  Eva turned around and looked up. She recognized the man from Gabe’s barbecue. What was he doing at the Napa police station? “Sam? Right? Sam, what are you doing here?”

  “I’ll explain in a moment, Miss Raines, but first I’d like to speak with Officer Scott.”

  Eva watched, perplexed, as Sam handed his open wallet to the police officer. Officer Scott checked the man’s ID and rose from his desk. He motioned to Sam and the two of them vanished into another room. The door closed behind them. What the
hell is going on now? Eva didn’t think she could take any more surprises today. Her stomach began to twist, her head to whirl, and she felt a little nauseated. She set the coffee aside. She hoped to God Gabe was all right and Stephanie hadn’t somehow managed to involve him in this mess.

  “Miss Raines, you’re free to go.”

  Eva lifted her head from the desk. She’d dozed off, her cheek against a manila file folder. She felt as if she was in a fog, and for a moment, neither the speaker nor his words registered.

  A semi-incoherent huh seemed to be the only response she could come up with.

  Officer Scott spoke to her again. “You are free to go, Miss Raines. Mr. Jamison has explained everything to us and we won’t be needing any further information from you. I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”

  “I don’t understand,” Eva replied. “What’s going on?”

  “I’m going to let Mr. Jamison tell you the whole story. After you hear what he has to say, if you want to pursue the matter further, you come back and see me tomorrow. I’ll be happy to help you. Right now I think you could use a little sleep.”

  “Honestly, Officer Scott, I don’t understand…”

  Officer Scott looked at Mr. Jamison. “Eddie, I think you better do some fast talking.”

  “Eddie?” Eva blurted out. “His name is Sam. He works for Abbott Industries.”

  “Miss Raines,” Eddie Jamison extended a hand. “Let’s get out of here and we can talk.”

  “Uh-uh,” replied Eva, “I’m not going anywhere with you until I know who the hell you are and what the hell is going on.”

  Officer Scott and the man named Eddie exchanged glances.

  “All right,” said the police officer, “You can use my supervisor’s office. He’s not here tonight. Feel free.”

  Eva rose to her feet. She nearly keeled over as a wave of dizziness engulfed her. Both men grabbed for her and eased her back into her chair. Officer Scott put his hand on the back of her head and quickly lowered it between her knees.

  “Have you eaten today?” asked the man who was named either Sam or Eddie.

  “Can’t remember,” Eva mumbled. “I don’t think so.”

  “Scottie,” called out Officer Whitson, “There’s an attorney on the phone. He says he’s on his way in for Miss Raines. He says Gabriel Abbott instructed him to call. And I’ve got a gentleman named Luis Gonzales asking about her. He says Gabriel Abbott sent him to make sure Miss Raines is all right. What do you want me to do with them?”

  “Tell them she’s coming out,” said Officer Scott, “Before this turns into a circus,” he muttered under his breath. “C’mon, Miss Raines, let’s get you home.”

  “I’ll drive her,” said Eddie-Sam.

  “No,” said Eva, standing carefully as if testing her legs. “I don’t know who you really are and I’m not riding with you. Anyway, I need my car and it’s still at the office. Luis can drive me. You can follow us and whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of Luis and in front of the lawyer and in front of anybody else who wants to be present.” She turned to Officer Scott. “Excuse me,” she said, “Where’s the women’s restroom because I think I’m going to be sick.”

  The man pointed down the hallway.

  “Thank you,” said Eva politely. She turned on her heel and vanished behind a swinging door.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Eva, Luis, and Edward Jamison sat together in Eva’s living room. Mr. Rose, Attorney at Law, had stayed behind at the police station to glean whatever details Officers Scott and Whitson were willing to provide. He’d written down Eva’s home phone number and told her he’d call her first thing in the morning. Luis had chauffeured Eva to the ATAP office. She’d climbed into her car without a word to anyone, started up the engine, and driven home. Two vehicles had followed hers. She’d walked through her front door, grabbing Luis’ note. She left it open.

  “Make yourselves comfortable, gentlemen,” she’d said, before she’d vanished into her bedroom. She’d brushed her teeth and taken a long, hot shower. She’d finally reappeared in the living room, barefoot, her hair wet and braided, wearing an old pair of baggy, comfortable sweats. Luis and Eddie Jamison rose to their feet.

  “Señorita…”

  “Miss Raines…”

  Eva held up a hand and disappeared into the kitchen. She reappeared shortly with a tray containing a pitcher of sweet ice tea, three glasses, and a plate of chocolate-dipped shortbread cookies. She set everything down on the coffee table, poured two glasses of ice tea, handed a glass to each man, poured a third glass for herself, and sat down in an oversized chair, folding her legs beneath her.

  “Sit,” she said.

  Both men sat.

  “Luis,” Eva motioned toward him, “you first. How did you know where to find me?”

  “So sorry, Señorita. Señor Abbott phoned me today. He was very worried about you. He had not heard from you and he was afraid something had happened. He asked me to come by your house—”

  Eva interrupted, “Yes, I grabbed the note when we walked in.”

  “Sí. I waited for you at Señor Abbott’s home. Do you remember? We had planned to have breakfast together?”

  “Oh Luis, so much happened that I completely forgot. I’m so sorry I left you waiting.”

  “It is of no consequence, Señorita. I was at the home when Señor Abbott called me. He asked if I had heard from you and of course, I told him that you had not arrived as planned. He was very upset, Señorita. He had been calling your cell phone for hours.”

  Eva interrupted again. “I lost my cell phone yesterday, after the wedding.”

  “It is in the church office, Señorita. I called and the secretary answered. She is keeping it for you. I came here, to see if I could find you and when I could not, I went by the church and checked the parking lot to see if your car was there. Señor Abbott was very distressed, Señorita Eva. I think he was prepared to call the police.”

  “Is that how you found out where I was?”

  “I don’t know how he knew where you were, Señorita. He called me and told me you were at the Napa police station and said I should drive there to make sure you were all right. Are you all right, Señorita? A young woman like you should not be in a police station. It makes no sense to me. Yo no comprendo, Señorita.”

  “Pero yo comprendo, Luis. Soy bien, muchos gracias.” Eva turned to Eddie Jamison. “Now, Mr. Jamison…is it Eddie or Sam?”

  “Eddie Jamison, Miss Raines.”

  “All right, Mr. Jamison, first of all, let me say that your means of getting my cell phone number was quite creative. I commend you. Second, does your client intend to reimburse the expenses I incurred just so she could get her kicks? Twenty-five hundred dollars may be pocket change to her, but it comes close to cleaning out my savings account.”

  “I haven’t spoken with my client, Miss Raines. And I’m sorry. I was paid to do a job. I did it. I want you to know I had no idea something like this would happen. The minute I learned what my client had done, I contacted an old colleague of mine in the Napa Police Department and I phoned Mr. Abbott and informed him of what had happened. I doubt my client plans to reimburse you, at least, I doubt she will reimburse you without some incentive. I advise you to do as Officer Scott suggested and speak with him tomorrow about filing a complaint against Miss… against my client. I’ve given him the name of a gentleman who is willing to come forward and give a statement to the police.”

  “The man who contacted me? The fake Jerry Harding?”

  “Yes.”

  Eva shifted restlessly in her chair. Both men remained silent as she stared out the window into the darkness for quite some time. Eva reached a decision.

  “Luis,” she said, shifting in her chair again, “Thank you for riding to my rescue. It means a lot to me. Could you please do me an enormous favor and call Gabriel to let him know I’m all right?”

  “Señorita, I think you should call him yourself. He wants to hear your voic
e, to speak with you.”

  “I’m tired, Luis, I want to crawl into bed and I can’t talk about this anymore tonight.”

  “But Señorita, he will be upset if he does not hear from you.”

  “Then he’ll have to be upset.” Eva turned toward Eddie. “Mr. Jamison, despite everything, I want to thank you for intervening when you found out what had happened. You didn’t have to do that. You could have hidden behind the rules of client confidentiality and nobody would have blamed you.”

  “I would have blamed me,” Eddie replied.

  “Well,” Eva said, “as my Jewish grandmother would say, that means you’re a mensch.” Eva looked toward Luis. “A good man,” she explained.

  Luis nodded his agreement.

  “Well, gentlemen,” Eva unfolded her legs and rose from her chair. “I can’t say that it’s been fun, but I’m exhausted, so if there’s nothing else, goodnight. I’m going to bed.”

  “Goodnight, Miss Raines,” Eddie took her hand, “And again, I apologize.”

  “Thank you,” Eva replied.

  “Buenos noches, Señorita,” said Luis. “Sleep well.”

  “Goodnight Luis.” Eva leaned over and kissed the older man on the cheek, “And thank you.”

  “I still think, Señorita, that you should call Señor Abbott. He will be beside himself,” said Luis.

  “I can’t right now, Luis. Tell him I’m sorry, but I just can’t talk to him right now.”

  “All right, Señorita Eva. Goodnight then.”

  The two men left together. Eva locked the front door behind them. In a daze, she carried the pitcher of ice tea into the kitchen and placed it in the refrigerator. Eva walked through the house slowly, turning off lights. She sat on the edge of her bed for a moment, nibbling on a piece of shortbread, hoping the dry cookie would settle her stomach, but it didn’t seem to work. Eva finally gave up and crawled under the covers. She switched off the light on her bedside table and curled into a ball. The tears she’d held back for hours finally spilled out and her body was racked with sobs. Eventually, exhausted beyond measure, Eva quieted and fell into a fitful sleep. She had a lot to do in the morning.