Angels In Red

by Laudan, Adelle

  “You don’t seem all that surprised,” Jenna said.

  He leaned forward with his hands clasped on the desk in front of him. “I’ve always considered Daniel to be a very complex personality. I’ve been at the ranch for quite a few years now, and you can rest at ease, I don’t believe he’s sexually abusing any of the girls.”

  She drew in a ragged breath, struggling to keep it together. “Thank God.”

  Jacked sat on the edge of his seat. “Maybe he isn’t, but he sure has those ladies wrapped around his little finger.”

  “Surely you’ve suspected something amiss. It doesn’t take a PHD to figure that out,” Buffy retorted brusquely.

  Jenna smirked, repressing laughter at her friend’s not surprising remark.

  Dr. Gilmore shifted in his seat, totally dismissing her crass remark.

  “I’ve kept my position at the ranch for that very reason. The older girls are very tight-lipped when it comes to their relationship with Daniel. I would’ve quit a long time ago if I based my decision solely on how that man speaks to me, but my job is to care for the mental well-being of the residents. I couldn’t...and never will, abandon them. They’ve come to be my family in many ways.”

  “Thank you for being there for my sister and the others. Nobody is more relieved than me that there doesn’t appear to be any sexual abuse going on. If that’s the case, though, then what is that man up to? I still feel the older girls are being exploited in some way. Are they in danger of physical harm?” Jenna expelled a sigh of frustration. “The way those girls, including Angel, act toward Daniel isn’t natural. It’s like my sister believes Daniel is her boyfriend, for lack of a better word. What could he possibly have to gain by leading them on like that?”

  “It’s simple. The root of that man’s evil is the almighty dollar. The sick bastard is greedy, money hungry, and he’ll stop at nothing to get what he wants without jeopardizing the façade of loving curator of the Ranch. For God’s sake, the man drugged you.” Charles started to pace. “The question is, how do the girls possibly help him gain financially given their physical and/or mental limitations?”

  “I’m not sure we’re headed in the right direction, but according to Daniel, my mother did pay cash on her monthly visits. Maybe she isn’t the only one? Isn’t it possible he’s using the older girls to get to their parent’s bankrolls?”

  Dr. Gilmore cleared his throat. “You’ve definitely given me food for thought, Jenna. I really should be leaving. I’m never late, and we don’t want to draw any unnecessary attention to me. I think we all need to take some time to digest everything we’ve discussed. I will help in any way that I can.”

  “How do you think we should handle things as far as Daniel is concerned? I’m sure he is awaiting some kind of response after what he did to me.” Jenna balled up her hands, beyond angry at how she’d been drugged and almost lost Jack because of his twisted mind. “For whatever reason, Angel is very protective of Daniel. I don’t want her seeing me as a threat to him.”

  Dr. Gilmore stood. “I suggest you all do nothing for a few days before surfacing. I promise I’ll keep a close eye on Angel. That way, Daniel will think his plan has worked, and it gives your sister time to settle after the threat Buffy posed working at the ranch.”

  Jenna couldn’t help but titter at her best friend’s eye roll.

  “Now, I really need to be on my way.” He shook Jack’s hand, then Charles’ before offering Buffy a slight nod and making his way out of the office.

  “I’ll walk you out to your car.” Jenna followed him out of the library. Her mind swirled with every conceivable emotion.

  Jenna sat on the staircase, balancing a clipboard on her lap, almost every item on her list checked off. Redecorating the old homestead kept her mind busy over the past few days of keeping a low profile. The heavy brocade drapes were being replaced with exquisite, hand embroidered lace. Full enough to ensure privacy, yet sheer enough to bathe the room in much needed sunlight.

  The front door opened, filling the foyer with a crisp morning breeze.

  “Hey kiddo, why are you sitting there all by your lonesome?”

  She got up to give Charles a hug. “The new curtains are being hung as we speak. Come take a look.”

  Charles clasped her hand and followed her lead into the living area. He folded his arms across his thick chest, raising one hand to rub his jaw. “They sure do breathe new life into this place, don’t they?”

  She smiled. “That’s exactly what I’m trying to do.”

  “Well then, I’d say, mission accomplished.” He reached over and patted her back.

  “Miss Jenna, do you have a minute?” a worker standing on a step ladder called out to her. He held a framed painting of her mother over the fireplace. “Is this where you want it?”

  “Raise it up two inches on the left side...perfect.” Jenna nod her approval. “This is how I like to remember my mother.”

  A local artist had been commissioned to paint the portrait just before she was born. Given all the secrets that lie beneath her smile... Her heart ached for all she must’ve endured being married to a man like her father. A stranger would never have guessed their marriage was anything but perfect.

  Hell, up until she died, I thought it was, too.

  “Do you think she’d approve of all the changes around here? I’m so looking forward to bringing Angel here one day, hopefully in the near future.”

  “I think your mother is very proud of the woman you’ve become, and pleased at what lengths you’ve gone to, to ensure Angel’s happiness.”

  She swallowed hard. “Thank you, you’re a very special man, and you’ve made a beautiful difference in my life.” Her words came out all raspy, thick with emotion.

  Charles turned his head to cough into a hanky he quickly pulled out of his pocket. His attempt to hide the dabbing of his eyes failed miserably.

  “Excuse me. The dust in the air from all the renovations is playing havoc with my hay fever.” He folded the monogrammed hanky back into his pocket. “I hate to change the subject so abruptly, but I wanted to fill you in on a couple things I discovered while doing a little investigating on my own.”

  “What investigating?”

  As if on cue, a shadow darkened the room as a billowing cloud blocked the sun’s rays. Today was the first day in quite some time she didn’t wake up with thoughts of getting even with Daniel for what he did to her. No matter how good of a day she had, or how hard she tried to block him out, he always found a way in.

  “I’m sorry. I know he’s the last person you want to talk about right now, but I did tell you I’d keep you informed. I wasn’t able to identify the guy Jack found in the motel room, but I now know it definitely wasn’t Daniel who booked the room.”

  Jenna frowned. “Of course Daniel is behind all of it. The coward probably hired someone to do his dirty work.”

  He held up his hand and gave her a stern look. “If you let me finish...the guy who runs the motel never heard of Daniel Meed, but, when he described the man who did book your room, it became very clear who his accomplice was.”

  Jenna arched her brows in anticipation. “Well?”

  “None other than, Howard Meed.”

  Jenna literally felt the blood drain from her face as she sank into an over-sized armchair by the fireplace.

  “It seems Howard is a regular customer, two or three times a week. He books a room for a couple of hours, a different girl on his arm every time. He uses the alias, John Dresser, and always pays very generously in cash.”

  “Oh God, please don’t tell me Howard was guy in my bed.” She gagged.

  “Oh no, Jenna. I’m definitely not saying that. Unless Howard shed eighty pounds and grew a full head of hair, he’s not even remotely in the running.”

  Her shoulders bowed with relief. The thought of that man next to her, seeing her naked, was enough to ruin her appetite for the rest of the week.

  Charles walked over to stand beside her chair and
squeezed her shoulder. “I didn’t mean to upset you, but I did promise…”

  She covered his hand with hers. “Yes, I know. I really do appreciate it. I’ll just be glad when we have enough to put both of those assholes behind bars so I never have to think of them again.”

  “You and me both, kiddo.” He gave her shoulder another squeeze before withdrawing his hand. “If you don’t need me for anything, I’d really like to pay my fiancée a visit today.”

  The red tinge to his cheeks brought a smile to her lips. “I’m so happy for the two of you. You go ahead, and be sure to say hi from me.”

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Now that all the workers were gone and Charles left to spend time with his new fiancée, Jenna felt very alone. She was really happy he found love, but it made her miss Jack even more.

  She fetched the phone from her pocket and pressed HOME, smiling as she looked around at all of the changes. Even though the results were breathtaking, she realized it would never be her home again.

  Home is with Jack and the dogs.

  She frowned to hear the digital message service cut in.

  Where are you, Jack?

  A beep sounded in her ear. “Hi, Jack. It’s just me, missing you. Give me a call when you get this message. I love you.”

  Jenna sulked and disconnected. “Now what am I going to do?”

  Buffy. I’ve wanted to buy Angel something pretty to wear since noticing her wardrobe is pretty plain. It definitely doesn’t reflect her vibrant personality.

  Her friend’s number connected on the first ring.

  “Grant residence. How can I help you?”

  Jenna recognized the housekeeper’s voice. “Hi Gail, its Jenna calling. Can you put Buffy on the phone for me?”

  “I’m sorry, but Buffy went on a shopping trip with her mother. I think they plan to be back sometime tomorrow. I’ll tell her you called.”

  “Thanks. Don’t worry about it. I’ll call again tomorrow some time.”

  Jenna closed her cell and flopped back in her chair. She slapped her thighs and stood. “I’ll just have to go without her then.”

  It was the perfect day. A bright blue sky being the perfect backdrop to a scattering of big, white, fluffy clouds. Since John was nowhere to be found, she took the less conspicuous Sedan into town.

  Dina’s Boutique was the place to go for cashmere. The woman stocked every color and style imaginable. She lucked out and found a parking spot a few shops away. A miracle in itself at that time of day.

  The bell above the door announced her arrival, and Dina herself greeted her.

  “Well, hello, Jenna. It’s been far too long since you paid me a visit.” The woman air-kissed both sides of her face.

  “Yes, it has. I’m in the market for a couple of your gorgeous cashmere cardigans.”

  Dina’s face lit up. “You’ve come to the right place. Please, follow me.” The boutique owner’s skirt swayed as she walked.

  Jenna frowned. Across the store, Buffy’s mother chatted with another woman over a printed dress in her hand. She surveyed the room and found no sign of her friend.

  “I’ll just be one minute, Dina. I see someone I’d like to say hello to.”

  She made her way through the maze of racks. Buffy’s mother turned to watch her approach.

  “Jenna? How nice it is to see you.” The woman gave her a quick hug and stepped back. “You’re looking wonderful, my dear.”

  “It’s funny to find you here. I just called your house and Gail told me you were on a shopping trip with Buffy until tomorrow.”

  Mrs. Grant quickly looked away and laughed. “You know how Buffy can be. I can’t keep up with her when she has her mind set on shopping. I came home, and she’s still out and about.”

  Jenna eyed her suspiciously. The woman was obviously making up the story as she went along. “Where did she go shopping?”

  Waving one hand, Mrs. Grant replied, “Oh, we went from one city to the next. I don’t even remember where I left her.” She tittered nervously, still unable to maintain eye contact. “You’ll have to come over for tea soon, but there really is someplace I need to be.” She lightly kissed Jenna’s cheek and made a quick departure, giving her another wave at the door before she disappeared.

  That was weird.

  Her chance meeting with Buffy’s mother took some of the wind from her sails. She had Dina choose three new sweaters for her sister—one in hunter green, one in butter-yellow and one in a lovely shade of cranberry.

  Happy with her purchases, she left the boutique and went to another store to find Lily of the Valley perfume with one of those spray pump attachments. She imagined her sister would get a kick out of it, especially when she recognized it as the scent their mother always wore.

  On the way home, gray clouds rolled in blocking the sun, setting an even drearier tone to the day, totally mirroring the change in her mood since running into Buffy’s mother.

  Why did she lie about the shopping trip?

  The whole situation left her confused, and hurt by the deception. They’d been friends since grade-school, and as far as she remembered, never lied to each other.

  “Why now?”

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Jack took his buzzing cell from the inside pocket of his suit jacket. “Shit, its Jenna.”

  Charles shook his head. “Don’t answer it. You can call later when you get back to your cabin. If she so much as catches a whiff of what we’re doing, it’s game over.”

  He didn’t like avoiding her calls, but nod in agreement and put the phone away. “You’re probably right. She’d definitely have a ton of questions if she found out I’m here.”

  “Women have an uncanny way of knowing what we’re up to without us having to breathe a word.” Charles grimaced as he ran a finger under the collar of his shirt, and tugged on his tie.

  Jack chuckled. “I hear you.” Having never explored Thunder Bay, he had absolutely no idea where they were, however, he did notice they now drove through an upscale part of the city. “How much farther?”

  “A couple of minutes.” Charles rolled down his window. “You can almost smell the money in this neighborhood.”

  “I can’t wait to meet this guy.” Jack clenched and unclenched his hands. It was hard to agree not to beat the crap out of the guy. He just hoped he could find the restraint. “Is he a very big guy?”

  Charles snorted. “If you’re worried about him in case of a physical altercation, don’t be. The only exercise that moron gets is from tipping a bottle, and screwing anything in a skirt.” He put the blinker on to make a turn. “In fact, he’ll probably piss his boxer shorts when he realizes who you are.”

  “I still don’t understand how Jenna’s father could give her away to a man like that?”

  “I suspect some kind of blackmail involving a whole lotta money.” Charles shrugged. “We’ll probably never know the whole truth, unless we get lucky and can get Howard to spill his guts.”

  Charles slowed down in a cul de sac, coming to a stop in front of a mammoth mansion that dwarfed the substantial homes on either side of it.

  “He lives here? This whole place for him alone?” The place was even bigger than Jenna’s.

  “The prick needs a lot of space to fit his ego.”

  Jack laughed. “Well, let’s see if we can take him down a notch or five.” He reached for the door handle only to be stopped by Charles’ arm across him.

  “I know you’re going to want to kick the shit out of this guy when you meet him. But remember, our plan doesn’t involve going to jail because of his big mouth. When you feel like punching him, try to picture Jenna’s face visiting you behind bars.”

  Jack briefly closed his eyes to get a grip on his rising anger. “This isn’t going to be easy.”

  “You’ve never met this man. Trust me, it’s going to be a whole lot harder than you can even imagine.”

  They got out of the car, and Jack followed him up a short stone path to the entranc
e, scanning the area for cameras.

  “Isn’t there some kind of security system in a place like this?”

  “At the door, but don’t worry, I booked an appointment.” Charles put on a fedora.

  “Are you telling me he actually agreed to see us?”

  His friend smirked. “Not exactly.” He winked at him before stepping up on a landing where a camera and intercom flanked one wall. He straightened his tie and positioned his hat low on his brow before pushing the button.

  “Hello?”

  “This is David Stern. I have an appointment with Mr. Meed.”

  “One moment please.”

  Jack tried to read his expression, but he wasn’t giving anything away. Having kept out of the line of the camera, he chose to keep quiet in case they realized there were two of them.

  A loud buzz startled him, followed by the distinctive click of the front door unlocking. The door opened to a man straight from the pages of a British Regency, dressed in full butler attire.

  “Mr. Stern?” The man looked down his narrow nose at Charles and then at him. “And you are?”

  “Oh, Howard must not have mentioned I was bringing my business partner with me, Mr. Brian Swank.”

  The butler eyed them both, seeming to be assessing the situation.

  Jack wished he’d known about their aliases before now. “Very good, gentlemen, if you’ll follow me.”

  If a home’s décor reflected the personality of its owner, Howard Meed had the charisma of a rock. Not one painting or photo hung on the long hallway the butler led them down.

  The man came to an abrupt halt, rousing him from almost running right into Charles’ back. Jack’s adrenaline surged through his veins, and he made a concerted effort to curb his rising anger.

  Charles’ pulled at the lapels of his suit jacket, and quickly exchanged a knowing look before the door was opened.

  “Mr. Meed? David Stern and his partner, Brian Swank, are here to see you.”

  Howard sat with his back to them, pecking at a keyboard with two fingers. “Take a seat. I’ll just be a second.”