“Rory?” Mara screamed this time.
The door opened as Lyla Banks entered.
“Mara, are you all right?” Lyla asked.
“No, not Rory, Robby,” Deirdre said, turning to Mara.
“Robby? Who’s Robby?” Mara asked Deirdre first, and then she turned to Rory. “Who the hell is Robby?”
“Robby Keegan, my former husband. The father of my children, Liam and Kelly Keegan. Not Liam and Kelly Eagan, and not your children, Mara. My children. Oh, how clever you were to change their last name so close to the one they were born to, Robby. Little kids, traumatized by the abrupt removal of their mother from their lives could be convinced of anything, couldn’t they, Robby?” Deirdre was no longer crying. Her voice had grown in strength and volume as Mara shrunk in horror.
“The car accident, the suicide?” Mara asked.
“All lies. He abducted them. It’s all here,” Sam said, pointing to the folder Neil still clutched.
“Neil?” Mara asked, looking desperate for a different answer.
“It’s true. There’s documentation here, which makes it seem irrefutable. I’m sorry, Mara,” Neil said.
“You son of a bitch,” Mara said to Rory. “How could you do this to those children, to her, to me?”
Neil stepped between Mara and Rory, who was huddled over in a corner, with his back turned to the lynch mob. Then Rory rushed to the counter.
“I demand police protection from these insane women,” he said.
Neil stood behind Rory. Sabrina knew he was making certain the women he wronged didn’t attack him as he insisted the desk officer get Janquar. Now Sabrina understood why Neil was acting so strange. The Leonards had obviously asked him to act as their liaison with local law enforcement. Once Neil heard their plight, he had to have agonized over how this would affect people he knew and cared for on St. John. Oh, what a mess.
“Mr. Eagan, you heard Detective Janquar. Have a seat and be patient. No one is going to hurt you in a police station, sir,” Office Milan said in a tone that Sabrina understood meant “Don’t mess with me.” Sabrina wished she were as confident as Officer Milan seemed to be that one or both of the two women Rory Eagan had betrayed wouldn’t add to the injury Mara had already inflicted. Even though he deserved it, Sabrina knew it would only make things worse. But then again, she didn’t think things really could get worse.
That was, until Lyla Banks stepped around Neil and up to the counter and said, “Officer, I’m sorry to interrupt, but I need to report a stolen gun.”
Chapter Forty-Two
Kelly walked up the long, narrow winding road, which climbed at such an angle that it was almost perpendicular. Great for the inner thighs, she kept telling herself.
She’d done all her homework in school so she and Seth could enjoy the little time they had with each other. He didn’t know she was coming, but she knew what time he came home from pool cleaning each day because he always called her.
She had been invited to his place many times and even knew he kept a key under a concrete frog statue next to the door mat, but she’d never had the opportunity to grab a couple of hours like this.
At the top of the hill, she found Seth’s small apartment building and went around back until she saw unit C. She looked around for the frog, finally finding it hiding under an overgrown lipstick plant. She lifted up and found the key.
Kelly unlocked the door, wishing she had brought some beer or at least a snack. It was bad manners not to come with a little gift the first time.
Inside, the apartment was dark, shades drawn down, and it smelled of chlorine and sweat combined. She didn’t care. This was where Seth lived. Where she might live if they decided to be together on St. John.
Kelly looked at her cell phone. It would be at least another half hour before Seth arrived home. She reached into her backpack and took out a spare pair of shorts and a tank top she had packed from her locker. She folded her uniform neatly and tucked it into her backpack. Mara was wrong. She really was organized.
But Seth was a bit of a slob. She supposed this was the way of most boys. Kelly began picking up a little bit here and there. She made a pile of what she assumed was dirty laundry, taking much of it off the mattress on the floor, which served as Seth’s bed. She straightened the covers and puffed the pillows. She picked up some surf magazines, making sure the corners were aligned. Mara always said, “If you have to have piles in your room, Kelly, at least make neat ones.”
The place was beginning to look pretty good until Kelly stepped into the tiny bathroom. The sink definitely needed some kind of miracle in a spray bottle. Kelly walked over to the small kitchen, noting that countertop fridge and tiny stove also were grimy. The sink was no better. She saw a cabinet beneath it and opened the door. She found a cleaner called Wowzie and an old sponge next to it. As she reached in to grab the sponge, her hand touched something cool and smooth. She lifted it and pulled it out. She was holding a gun, she realized, and almost dropped it out of fear. Kelly looked back in and saw a large camera and a backpack. She pulled them out, her heart pounding, not knowing why she didn’t just get up and run.
This was not good, she knew. Liam’s words, warning her that she didn’t know Seth all that well, rang in her ears. Kelly was stunned to learn that you could be having sex with someone, could know the nooks and crannies of his body, but not have a clue about what was under his kitchen counter or in his head.
She figured she’d better learn what she didn’t know about Seth. Kelly unzipped the main compartment to the backpack and pulled out several large stiff envelopes. She opened one to find two pieces of cardboard sandwiching a pile of photos. Photos of her house, her road, Mara’s car, her father’s car. Photos of the Banks’ house and their car. There were a couple of photos looking out at Ram Head. But from where? She shivered as she realized these shots had been taken from Villa Mascarpone.
Kelly opened the next two envelopes and found photos of her, Liam, Mara, and her father. Why was someone taking so many pictures of her family and the Bankses, although there were only a few of them?
She looked on the fronts of the envelopes. They were all addressed to Deirdre Leonard in South Hadley, Massachusetts.
The pictures were weird, but the gun terrified her. Why did Seth have all this stuff? Should she call Henry and have him come get her? Kelly saw a third thick envelope and decided she should see what was in it before panicking.
She heard the doorknob turn and saw Seth’s surprised expression as she stayed sitting on the floor, everything laid out around her: the gun, the envelopes, the camera, and backpack.
“Babe?” he said, closing the door behind him.
“I thought I’d surprise you,” Kelly said, knowing she had shocked him. “Seth, what’s with all of this stuff?”
“I can explain, Kelly. I just wanted to wait for the right time,” he said, placing his own backpack on the floor.
“I think that this is about as good a time as we’re going to get.”
“Kelly, trust me. I haven’t done anything wrong. Honestly. I just have some things to tell you about yourself that you don’t know about. I didn’t want to upset you. How much time do we have? Can we head up to our special spot on Ram Head? It’s stopped raining,” Seth said, coming over and sitting next to Kelly.
“Maybe a couple of hours,” Kelly said, feeling the warmth spread throughout her body as Seth kissed her neck.
“Perfect. Let’s head out while there’s still plenty of light,” Seth said, grabbing the backpack on the floor, stuffing the envelopes, camera, and gun back inside.
“Why do you need those?” Kelly asked, picking up her own backpack, reaching to place her cell phone in her shorts pocket.
“You’ll see. It’s part of what I need to talk to you about. Don’t worry, I’m going to take care of you,” Seth said as he led her to his scooter.
Chapter Forty-Three
Henry enjoyed having Liam’s company while he transported guests from the fe
rry to their villas. Sometimes he missed being with people like he had been when he worked for the airlines. He and Liam dropped the last group of guests at their villa and headed back to Cruz Bay.
Henry had been happy to share his experiences with Liam about coming out with his own family and how some of his friends had handled it. He suggested Liam talk to a counselor before he made any announcement, if for no other reason than he would have professional support from a therapist no matter how it went down.
“Time to pick up your sister, Liam. Want to give her a call on your cell and tell her the party’s over?” Kelly had been considerate to find something else to do so Liam would be able to talk to him one on one. Liam had his sister in his corner, and Henry was sure Mara would be supportive too.
Liam made the call to Kelly while Henry waited, parked near Bar None.
“She’s not picking up,” Liam said, a look of concern coming over his face.
“Do you know where she is?”
“Um,” Liam said, shifting in his seat.
“Come on, come clean,” Henry said.
“Seth’s, but don’t say I told you, please.”
“No problemo. I know where Seth lives. I’ve delivered his check there once or twice. Let’s do a little surveillance,” Henry said.
Henry drove the van up the steep road that led to Seth’s apartment, swinging around back to see if Seth’s scooter was there. No scooter.
He picked up his cell phone and dialed Seth’s number. No answer.
Henry got out, went up to the apartment, and knocked.
No answer here, either. He didn’t like this. Kelly had been his responsibility, even if she had taken off before he’d had the chance to pick her up.
He tried opening the door, but it was locked. Running a vacation villa business where guests were always losing keys made Henry suspect there was what he called a “hidey-hole.” He looked around, noticed the concrete frog, which was what sat on the steps of at least half the inhabitants of the island, and found the key.
He looked over at Liam, who sat in the van looking uncomfortable.
When he opened the door, Henry was surprised to see how neat Seth’s place was. Having a girlfriend must’ve improved his housekeeping habits. Henry called out, “Inside, Henry looking for Seth and Kelly,” but there was no answer. That’s when he saw the fancy telephoto Nikon D750 lens cap on the floor, the same cap for the lens he had seen on Carter Johnson’s camera when he’d delivered appetizers to him. He picked up the lens cap with his handkerchief and placed it in his pocket.
He backed out of the apartment, deciding not to touch anything else. He had a very bad feeling, which he tried to hide as he got back in the van.
“They must be off somewhere. Got any idea where so we can retrieve your sister before she gets in trouble with Mara?” Henry asked as casually as he could.
“Not really,” said Liam. “Unless they hiked out to Ram Head.”
Chapter Forty-Four
“All right, what do we have here? Officer Milan tells me we’re about to have mayhem,” Leon Janquar said as he pressed forward into the waiting room. Sabrina knew Milan must have pushed a panic button of sorts because he’d never picked up a phone or let his eyes leave the room.
“I’m just trying to report a stolen gun, Detective,” Lyla Banks said in her best matriarch voice.
“That man stole my children. I want him arrested for kidnapping,” Deirdre said, standing and pointing to Rory Eagan.
“He probably killed Carter Johnson, the investigator we hired to find the children,” Sam added.
“The hell I did. It was probably that old geezer who’s perpetually trimming bushes. He was out there that morning. Showed me a photo the tourist had taken. I’m surprised he didn’t chop him up instead of shooting him,” Rory said to Janquar.
“You miserable excuse for a man. How dare you make unfounded accusations like that about my husband when you’re nothing but a drunken, crude, miserable husband and father,” Lyla said, stepping toward Rory, but not before Leon Janquar filled the space between them.
“Okay, folks, we’re going to have to simmer down here. Do you have any evidence showing Mr. Eagan kidnapped your kids, ma’am? Do you know where they are now?”
Neil turned to Janquar, handing him the folder.
“It’s all here, Lee. It looks legit. It seems Mr. Eagan, a.k.a. Robert Keegan, fled Massachusetts some thirteen years ago with his two children from a former marriage with this woman, now Deirdre Leonard. He simply never returned them from a visit and vanished with them until now. Deirdre Leonard is the mother of Liam and Kelly Keegan, not Eagan,” Neil said, gesturing toward Deirdre, who had now become very quiet and pale.
“She spent thirteen years searching for them. Carter Johnson, whose real name is Joel Levin, finally found them for us after all of these years. We feel awful about what happened to him,” Sam said, putting his arm around Deirdre.
“I have never stopped looking for my children. Never. Robby has stolen something no one can ever replace. They deserved to be raised by their mother, not to be told lies about her. He told them I was a drunk who drove into a tree because I couldn’t handle being their mother. They must have believed I didn’t love them enough to want to raise them. What a horrible legacy to hand to your children. They aren’t even twins, but school records show he’s raised them to think they are,” Deirdre said, pointing toward Rory with her index finger, like a lawyer arguing to a jury. Sabrina admired the ferocity of Deirdre’s love for her children. What would life have been like for her if she’d had a mother who loved her enough to stay instead of running away?
“Oh, no you don’t. You were a terrible mother, a lush, not competent enough to raise a puppy, let alone my two kids. I saved them from you. Look at how wonderful they turned out,” Rory said, turning on Deirdre.
“I was a good mother, Robby, and you knew it. You didn’t take them from me because I was a drunk or a lousy mother. You took them from me because I dared to divorce you, to end your tyranny over me and two little kids, who cowered when you came home after being out drinking and sleeping around. You thought you were in charge and when I said, ‘No more. I don’t have to accept this kind of behavior,’ you snapped. You aren’t responsible for how lovely the children are, Robby. She is,” Deirdre said, looking over at Mara.
“Mr. Eagan, it looks like we need to have another conversation now. I have to warn you, if what this woman is saying is true, we’re going to be having a little visit from the FBI,” Janquar said, opening the door to the back of the station once again.
“Wait, she knows I didn’t do anything to that man at Villa Mascarpone. She was with me that whole morning,” Rory said, looking over at Tanya, who had entered the room without Sabrina noticing. She was standing as far away from the group in the room as you could without exiting. She looked pale, and Sabrina knew she was just a one-way ticket away from going back to Texas. She certainly didn’t have a job at Ten Villas anymore.
“Mr. Eagan,” Janquar said, indicating Rory should come with him.
“Wait, I want a lawyer. Mara, call one of your lawyers to get over here, right now,” Rory said, moving slowly toward Janquar.
“Get your own lawyer. For the kidnapping and the divorce.”
Neil looked at Sabrina, his blue eyes fixing on hers in a knowing way. Neither of them was good at handling human emotion and this was a whole ocean of it. She sensed he might be unraveling and reached over for his hand, squeezing it.
“You’re okay, Salty. You’re okay,” he whispered.
“So are you, Neil. You are doing fine,” she said.
The relief was palpable once Rory Eagan exited the room.
Tanya walked over to Mara, tears running down her face.
“I pray you will forgive me, ma’am.”
Mara said nothing, just nodded.
“My husband may be ill, but he didn’t harm anyone. Someone stole our gun,” Lyla said, piping up once more to no one in particula
r.
“I’m sure this will all get sorted out, Lyla,” Neil said.
Maybe, Sabrina thought, but how? Where was their gun? Who had killed Carter Johnson? What would happen to Kelly and Liam?
Sabrina heard the door to the entrance of the police station open behind Neil and her and wondered, Dear God, who and what now?
“What’s going on? Why is everyone here?” Sabrina heard Henry ask and turned to find him entering with Liam. Mara rose immediately, seeming to sense trouble, and moved toward Liam. Deirdre remained seated, her eyes fixed on the son she hadn’t seen in more than a decade. Sabrina ached for her. She couldn’t imagine ever having children, but if she did and someone ripped them from her arms, well, she didn’t want to think about what she might do.
“Henry? Liam? Where’s Kelly” Mara asked, panic in her voice.
“We’re not sure, Mara. We think she’s with Seth, maybe hiking out to Ram Head,” Henry said.
“How stupid can she be?” Mara said, raising her eyes up to the heavens. No, Sabrina thought, she wouldn’t have made a good mother at all. She would be the kind of mother ready to wring Kelly’s little neck for being so dumb about men.
“We checked Seth’s apartment—that’s where she said she was going—but they weren’t there,” Liam said.
“But this was,” Henry said, pulling the telephoto camera lens cap from his pocket with a tissue. “I’m sure this cap was part of Carter Johnson’s fancy camera equipment, the stuff I saw out at Villa Mascarpone. I came right here once I realized—”
“Oh my god,” Mara said.
“Oh, no,” Deirdre said.
“I’ve got to go to her,” Mara said.
“Me too,” Deirdre said.
“Just wait a minute while I get Lee,” Neil said.
“I’m not waiting for anyone. I won’t lose Kelly again,” Deirdre said, moving toward the door, Sam two steps behind her.
“I’ll start driving them out in the van, Neil. You and Janquar can catch up with us,” Sabrina said, grabbing the keys from Henry.
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