“The other woman,” Jackson finished.
Anniston nodded. “I’ve already contacted Ms. Ellerbee to ask her about it. She claims she phoned Walker that night to cancel their rendezvous scheduled for the following Tuesday. She said she had to go out of town. Which prompted me to check with her law firm. I was able to confirm her trip to Atlanta where she went to take a deposition. She was there for two days. The only other call that came in took place at eight twenty-five that evening. That was from Walker’s father, landline to landline. I talked to Royce before I got here. He claims the reason for the call was nothing sinister. Royce wanted Walker to arrange to take Nathan Hollister out on the boat that weekend to try and catch swordfish.”
Jackson’s expression hardened into a frown. That excuse didn’t add up. “Since when does Nathan Hollister have any interest in catching a trophy fish? The Nathan I knew didn’t even like setting foot on a boat. He’s worse than Garret. That’s the one place where Nathan and I went our separate ways. I loved the water. He didn’t, had a fear of it so much that he usually distanced himself from anything aquatic, preferring instead to stay on dry land.”
“Are we talking about the banker?” Tessa asked.
Jackson got up to pace, no longer able to sit in one place. “Yeah, and childhood friend. I didn’t realize he and Royce were so tight these days.”
“As president of a bank, Nathan would have to mingle with the large account holders,” Tessa pointed out. “And maybe he simply got over his fear over the years.”
“Maybe.” But Jackson didn’t buy it. “Garret never got over his dislike of boats.”
Anniston chose to move on. “Hawkins also provided us with a little bonus. He turned up a surveillance video of Livvy making a withdrawal the day she disappeared. He sent me a copy. It seems the Wednesday she went missing, at ten forty-eight in the morning, she walked to the ATM on the corner of Pearl Street and Seafarer Way where she took out five hundred dollars, the maximum she could take without going inside the bank. Not exactly a break in the case, but it’s significant because if you watch the video, Livvy seems…distracted. You might even say nervous.”
Anniston clicked the keys on her laptop as everyone crowded around to peer at the screen, all hoping it would lead to further insight into Livvy’s actions that day that might break the case wide open.
“Watch and tell me what you think.” Anniston hit the button to show Livvy walking along the sidewalk leading up to the bank. “This is from the camera across the street. Some of you may not know it but this intersection is the busiest in town. Keep watching. Right there in the middle of the block is where she comes into camera range.”
Jackson’s eyes remained riveted to the monitor while the scene played out. “This can’t be right. Are you sure this happened that morning?”
“The time stamp has been verified.” Curious, Anniston wanted to know, “Why do you say that?”
“Because I went to the bank and talked to Nathan myself. Remember? Nathan never said a word about Livvy withdrawing that kind of money.”
Anniston eyed Jackson with open distress. She’d seen that same look on Garret’s face several days before, a look that had retribution written all over it. She wanted to tamp it down before it had a chance to take root. “Could’ve been Mr. Hollister wasn’t aware of the transaction until much later. Or it was overlooked in all the other activities. I know at the time the authorities focused on releasing the surveillance of her at the supermarket that Wednesday afternoon with the kids. That’s standard police procedure for getting the last known sighting out to the media. That video was responsible for jumpstarting the public’s awareness about the family going missing. That’s initially what created the firestorm that brought the reporters knocking.”
Jackson wasn’t so sure. “Nathan’s the bank president, nothing goes on there that he doesn’t know about firsthand.” But instead of saying more, his eyes drifted back to the screen where the frame showed his sister standing in front of the building, swiping her card and waiting for the machine to spit out the cash. “She really has lost a lot of weight since I saw her last spring.”
Mitch nodded in agreement. “She’s so much thinner than she was at Christmas.”
“Look at the dark circles under her eyes. To me, she looks tired, like she hasn’t been getting a whole lot of sleep,” Garret added. “And what’s with the guarded way she moves. Do you see that? Watch her look around as if she doesn’t want to get caught.”
“That’s my take.” Anniston swung the laptop back around to where she could key in another site. “And her last post on social media occurred shortly thereafter when she posted a picture of a pug at the local shelter she was thinking of getting for the kids.”
Lenore put her hands over her mouth. “I didn’t even think of checking online. Let me see the entire post.” Her eyes darted from word to word. “That’s so strange because Walker had nixed that idea several months back.”
“Really? Well, according to Hawkins, that afternoon before she left work, Livvy went online and made several online purchases, specialty coffee from an online retailer, and several books about housebreaking a dog. She buys a few video games for the kids before hitting a home goods site where she selects a rug and a set of towels from the same vendor. All those items were delivered to the house the day after the first search, a Monday, five days after she went missing.”
Jackson made a frustrating growl in his throat. “Which is further proof she didn’t plan on leaving.”
Anniston pointed to the monitor. “When you put it all together, it seems like no big deal, like Livvy had a fairly routine day in the ordinary life of a wife and mom, just taking care of business.”
“Except for the cautious way she acts at the ATM machine,” Garret pointed out.
Anniston blew out a frustrated puff. “I’m not sure what any of it means. Keep in mind there might be a simple explanation for her demeanor. She could’ve been wary of withdrawing that kind of cash and was simply making sure no one was standing behind her.”
Jackson thought of something. “I’m curious. Was the five hundred dollars found in the purse she left behind at the house?”
“Good question. I checked the handbag. It contained zero cash.”
“So what happened to the money? Livvy didn’t load five hundred dollars’ worth of groceries into the minivan at the Winn-Dixie.”
Anniston picked up a can of Coke and popped the top. “No she didn’t. Besides, she used her debit card at the market. For me, all this adds up to Livvy and Walker were taken out of the house for some unknown reason. My take is, for what it’s worth, this abduction took weeks of precise planning. But in the end, the stars had to line up just right in order to pull it off without leaving behind any witnesses. I’ve gone door to door in the neighborhood. I can’t find a single person who saw the couple leave with their kids.”
“So where does that leave us? It sounds like we’re right back where we started with more questions than answers.”
While the statement was fairly accurate, it didn’t sit well with the private detective. “On the contrary, I believe we’ve made incredible inroads. I know it seems slow going, but we’ve been able to come up with a full circle of suspects.”
Jackson shifted his gaze around the room to find his brothers. “We need to talk about what happens next. I’ve come to a decision. I should’ve said this some time back but…now’s the time. You guys should feel free to go back to what you were doing before all this happened, regardless of what you committed to when you got here. It’s not the same for me. Once I go back to work, I’ll likely end up sitting in my office twenty stories above the city looking out at traffic or draw an assignment half a world away. I don’t have the freedom you guys have. Mitch, the treasure hunter, and Garret, the globe-trotting, world-renowned surfer.”
Jackson ran his hands through his hair. “Livvy and I grew up close. Ask Mom and Dad. At least I thought we were. Obviously I let our relationship sl
ide over the years. I should’ve listened more when she called, answered her emails sooner and in more depth. I should’ve been a greater part of the kids’ lives. Maybe that’s the reason I’m not willing to go back to my job without having all the answers. It’ll drive me crazy not knowing what happened to her.”
Mitch shoved out of his chair, a muscle in his jaw twitching. “You realize it could take months to find those answers, if we ever get them at all.”
“I do, that’s why I’ve already asked my boss for an indefinite leave of absence. He wasn’t happy about giving it to me. I wouldn’t take no for an answer. Because of my precarious work situation I wouldn’t ask either one of you to give up more time here. This could turn into an indefinite period where nothing’s resolved.”
Garret stood up, thumbed a wave toward his older brother. “You don’t have to ask me. If you’re staying, then so will I. I’m not leaving my family in the lurch.”
Mitch wandered the room until he came back full circle near his brothers. “I told you the day I picked you up from the airport that I’m in this thing till the finish. As long as we’re able to give this our all, then we’ll be okay. I’d already decided to stay on island. I even told my crew they could start looking for another gig on a boat somewhere else if they wanted.”
“Will Walsh stay?” Jackson wondered.
“You bet, as long as we need him. That’s the kind of guy he is. I’m not sure about the rest of the crew, though.”
Garret pushed his way into the middle, stretched an arm out, slung it over first Mitch’s shoulder then Jackson’s. “The Indigo brothers are up to the task.”
“Damn straight,” Jackson muttered as he grabbed Tessa’s hand. “There’s something we need to take care of. I’ll meet you all back at the house later.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight - Fire
Jackson and Tessa made their way outside to the Mainsail parking lot. He took out his cell phone, all the while trying to bank his gnawing suspicion. But it wouldn’t go away. He tapped into his email account, skimmed through a bunch of saved messages in his inbox from last year. His gut instinct told him he needed to go ahead and follow through. He’d already decided to confront Nathan and wasn’t surprised when Tessa seemed to already know the plan.
“We’ll take my car,” she offered. “You seem to have a lot on your mind.”
“Are you sure you’re up to this? We haven’t been getting a whole lot of sleep since the night that note showed up. Maybe you’d rather take a pass on coming with me.”
Tessa had studied Jackson’s face during the meeting and could tell the wheels were turning. “No need to try and ditch me. I’m fine. Better still, since I decided to keep busy and keep my mind off the visual of that horrible letter. This way, I’ll have a purpose. I know something got to you in there.” She tilted her head to try and read his demeanor. “Whatever’s bothering you, involves the bank president. So out with it.”
“I’ll feel better after I ask Nathan a couple of questions.”
“Ah. About his need to get a trophy fish for his wall when he has a deep fear of the water?”
“That too.”
When Tessa realized that was about all she would get out of him, she yanked the car into gear. “Do you want to tell me how to get to the Hollister house?”
“It’s a few blocks from my grandmother’s cottage on the other side of Sugar Bay. Follow the loop from the marina around to where the houses start getting a lot bigger.”
She followed his directions, heading past the wharf, driving the short distance without asking any more curious questions. When they reached a bend in the road, he pointed to a grand Southern style home with a spectacular waterfront view and dock access.
“Wow, you weren’t kidding. For a guy who doesn’t like the water your friend lives practically on top of it.”
“Yeah, but that’s Wendy’s doing. The big house, the big mortgage, the important contacts. It seems banking’s been real good to Nathan over the years.”
“Want me to go with you?”
“Nah, if I make an ass of myself, I prefer doing it without witnesses.”
Stubborn man, she decided as she watched him get out of the car.
The sophisticated digs were draped in early evening shadows as Jackson stepped under the portico and rapped on the door.
Wendy Hollister, a dark-haired beauty, had class written all over her. At least that’s the way Jackson had always thought of her. She answered the door wearing a pair of rose-pink silk pajamas.
“Hi Wendy, I’m looking for Nathan,”
“Nathan isn’t here. He went out of town yesterday on business. Bank convention.”
Jackson narrowed his gaze on Wendy, noted what sounded like a party coming from inside the house. He didn’t think the festive music was from the television. “I didn’t realize Nathan’s job took him out of town quite so often.”
Upbeat Wendy shook her head. “It doesn’t really. This is the first time in over a year.”
“When’s he due back?”
“I’m not sure exactly. His note didn’t give me a lot of detail.”
“He left a note to tell you he was going out of town? He didn’t tell you this in person?” Jackson asked, scratching his chin. “I don’t understand. Could I see the note?”
Wendy’s look turned sheepish. “Okay, so it wasn’t exactly a note. He sent me an email yesterday afternoon. By the time I got home from work he’d already packed and was on his way to Miami International to catch a flight to Denver.”
“You didn’t think that was strange?”
With each question Wendy’s chipper attitude began to wane. “Look, I have my own busy career at city hall. Nathan often goes his way and I go mine. I have company right now and I need to get back to my…guest.”
Jackson wanted to keep her talking, at least until he figured out what might be going on inside the house. “That’s right, you’re Mayor Oakerson’s assistant. How long?”
Wendy beamed. “Three years now.”
It occurred to Jackson that he’d never noticed Wendy Hollister was a bit of an airhead. “Will you call me when Nathan gets back in town? In the meantime I’ll try to touch base with him via email or his cell phone.”
“Sure. That’s a great idea.” With that, cheerful Wendy shut the door in his face.
Jackson headed back to the car disheartened but a lot more curious.
As soon as he settled into the passenger seat, Tessa wanted to know, “What was that all about?”
“It seems Nathan’s taken a side trip to Denver.” Perplexed, he pulled the seat belt across his lap as Tessa pulled away from the curb. From his pocket, he took out his phone, dialed his old friend’s number.
He held the device out so she could hear. “Going straight to voicemail.” He left a message. “Nathan, this is Jackson. Give me a call first chance you get.” He rattled off the number for his cell. “It’s about Livvy. I’d appreciate hearing from you as soon as possible.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Tessa watched him. “Are you gonna tell me what this is all about? You aren’t this worked up over an ATM transaction that Nathan kept to himself.”
Jackson should have known she’d be able to read him. “Remember that day right after I got here I went to see Nathan at the bank to find out about the finances. He mentioned to me in a funny, offhand sort of way that he had a thing for Livvy. I didn’t think anything of it at the time.”
“So?”
“My hunch is the two were having an affair, a wild, heat-of-the-heart affair.”
Tessa tapped the brake and slowed the car down to a crawl. “That’s pretty weak, Jackson. I mean you and Livvy go back years with this guy. From what you’ve said he was your best friend. What makes you think…?”
“There’s more. I went back and looked at several emails Livvy sent me over a year ago. In quite a few she never failed to mention Nathan. She had lunch with Nathan. She spent a Saturday going to an antique mall with Nathan. I didn�
�t think much about it at the time, just thought two friends sharing a meal, an afternoon together. No big deal. In other words, I blew her off. I think she was trying to tell me something even then, and I was too preoccupied to listen. Livvy was unhappy, Tessa. I suspect she’d finally reached her limit with Walker at least a year ago, and was ready for something new, maybe even ready to divorce him and move on. I think on the days Walker took off for Miami, Livvy and Nathan spent a great deal of time together.”
Tessa chewed her bottom lip. “We could really use Livvy’s address book right about now, something with a list of her contacts, a calendar she kept, that sort of thing. It would be a snap if we had access to her computer. That would likely be a goldmine. We should work on Hawkins to get the desktop back.”
“We’ll give Anniston that chore. She seems to have a way with the cop.”
“I’m getting a sense there was a relationship there between those two once upon a time.”
“I got that same feeling. So the other day aboard The Black Rum, I did some snooping on Hawkins. He grew up in the Miami area and was at the police academy as an instructor during the same time Anniston was there as a recruit.”
“Ah, so the plot thickens. Hawkins and Anniston had a fling.”
“Don’t tell Garret. He has a thing for her.”
“So I’ve noticed. But in case you haven’t been paying attention, it looks to me like the feeling is mutual. She’s quite taken with Garret. There’s a lot of sexual tension between those two.”
“Anniston’s interested in him? Really? Weird. I wouldn’t have figured that.”
“Me either. I seriously doubt her type is a surfer who travels the globe to exotic places looking to catch the next big wave. But there you go.” Tessa pulled to a stop in front of the house on Quay Avenue and cut the engine. “Attraction rarely confines itself to boundaries or limitations. Opposites do attract. Look at my father and Suzanne.”
“Are we opposites?” Jackson asked, taking her hand.
The Indigo Brothers Trilogy Boxed Set Page 32