by Jaden Skye
“Come in immediately,” Abby went on. “Phil’s not home yet and it’s better this way.”
“Phil’s your husband?” Olivia asked as she walked into the beautiful home, with wooden moldings, ceiling beams, and charming, personalized accents.
“Yes, he is,” Abby answered quickly. “We’ve been married two years.”
Olivia nodded, looking around. “Your home is magical,” she offered.
“Thanks.” Abby was happy to hear that. “I decorated it. Phil loves it as well. Actually, he needs it. He himself can be stuffy, but I’m the fresh breath of air in his life.”
Olivia smiled. She liked Abby immediately; it was refreshing to be here with her.
“Phil’s older than I am,” Abby continued. “He’s a bit settled in his ways.”
Olivia was interested to hear that and surprised that Abby was sharing her life so readily.
“Look, I know this is not about me and Phil,” Abby said then as she led Olivia into her large, white tile kitchen and pulled out a chair at the counter. “Please sit down here and I’ll get you some coffee.”
“I just had some,” said Olivia. “Let’s talk.”
Relieved, Abby sat at the counter opposite her. “I heard that you know that I was with Raine at the casino the night of the party,” she started.
Olivia was startled. “Word sure does get around. How do you know that? Nessa told you?”
“Yes, she did,” said Abby. “Nessa called immediately after you left and told me all about you.”
“You two are good friends?” Olivia wanted to check that again, hear what Abby had to say.
“Very,” Abby answered without blinking an eyelash. “We’re all, more or less, very good friends.”
That was certainly not what Nessa had told Olivia. Olivia decided to say nothing about that at the moment.
“You don’t want anyone to listen to our conversation,” Olivia went forward immediately, “so I assume you have something secret to tell me?”
Abby blinked her eyes a few times and shook her head. “I wouldn’t say secret, but personal,” she replied. “There’s definitely a difference.”
“Yes, there is,” Olivia agreed.
“I mean I don’t need Phil finding out that I was with Raine gambling at the casino at the end of the party,” Abby added.
“Of course not,” Olivia went along.
“That’s not the kind of thing Phil would take well to.” Abby gave Olivia a quiet glance. “I’m sure you understand?”
“I do,” said Olivia. “Do you go to the casinos often?”
“No, I don’t, very seldom.” Abby shook her head forcefully. “Raine does, though, all the time. She goes to both the one here in Miami and the one in Key West.”
“Would you say she’s addicted to gambling?” Olivia had to ask.
“I’ve thought that myself,” Abby answered, noncommittally.
“Is Phil aware of that?” Olivia asked, wondering how he would like his pristine wife to spend time with a gambling addict.
“Of course he isn’t,” Abby retorted quickly. “And why should he be? What difference should it make to my husband what Raine does?”
“I just thought maybe you and Raine went out together with your husbands as couples?” Olivia asked.
“Yes, sometimes we do, of course,” Abby commented. “In fact, our husbands happen to be good friends, and I can understand why. They’re similar.”
“How?” asked Olivia, electrified.
“They’re both extremely successful, very particular.” Abby closed her eyes slowly. “Both have strong views about how life must go.”
Olivia found it interesting to hear that. “It can be hard to live with someone like that,” she mentioned.
“It can be, doesn’t have to, though,” Abby said flippantly in return. “So of course Phil doesn’t know much about Raine’s private life. Phil’s a banker, doesn’t need to hear that Raine lost tons of money regularly.”
“Really, tons of money?” Olivia’s eyes grew wide.
“Yes, she was definitely in debt a lot of the time,” Abby went on. “I told you Phil can be stuffy. If he found out, he might not have thought it was a good idea for me and Raine to be friends!”
“Do you lose money too?” asked Olivia quickly.
“No, hardly ever, I told you,” Abby insisted, “I just went to the casino that night with Raine. She was high, she was woozy, and frankly, I didn’t want her to be there alone.”
“Why didn’t you tell her that?” asked Olivia.
“I did, I begged her to go back to the hotel. She wouldn’t listen, she was on a roll. Raine could get like that at times. Not always, but sometimes.” Abby eyes started to fill with tears. “I’m terrified now about what happened to her! Absolutely terrified.”
“Of course you are,” Olivia breathed, beginning to feel terrified as well. “Does Sean know about Raine’s gambling and debts?”
“I have no idea about that.” Abby seemed to be feeling out of sorts now. “I never asked her about personal matters like that. She once told me that her debts did get paid somehow, so I left it at that.”
“You never wondered how?” asked Olivia, amazed.
“Of course I wondered.” Abby stood up now, uneasy. “But there’s just so much I really wanted to know. I like Raine, I enjoy her company. We do all kinds of fun things together. The gambling was a part of her life that was her business!”
“But it’s become our business now too,” Olivia replied. “If she was indebted to someone and couldn’t get the money to pay, that could be a clue to finding out where she is now.”
“I know, I know.” Abby broke down in tears then.
“What happened the night you spent with her at the casino?” Olivia zeroed in.
“Nothing unusual, I guess. She played the tables, drank a lot, lost money, laughed. People knew her there, she’s a regular.”
“I mean was there anyone there in particular interacting with her?” Olivia went on.
“No one in particular that I saw,” Abby breathed.
Olivia thought Wayne should check out the casino, and that she should probably do it as well.
“Did you ever go to the casino here in Miami with Raine?” Olivia needed more details from Abby. Was the person she was indebted to located up here? Did they track Raine down to the casino in Key West that night?
“I went with her to the casino in Miami once or twice.” Abby could barely speak now. “It was normal, nothing much. I could see, though, that as time passed, she became more and more frantic. She had to win. Became insistent upon it. Borrowed more and more when her luck started to run out.”
Abby’s words went through Olivia like a knife. Had Raine’s luck run out now? Was her life over?
“Listen,” Abby continued talking, “Raine’s father, Edward, is on the way down. He’s actually staying here at our place.”
“Really? How come?” Olivia was interested. She vaguely remembered meeting Raine’s father years ago at school. He was a tall, stately man, who’d been kind to both of them.
“Raine’s father and mother just got through a bitter divorce,” Abby quickly replied. “Her mother’s seeing a much younger guy, and Edward’s disgusted. He wants nothing to do with her. Raine’s mom is staying at her house now, taking care of Raine’s daughter.”
“I heard that,” said Olivia.
“It’s a huge mess,” Abby went on. “There’s enough tension there anyway to rip out the moon.”
Olivia took a deep breath.
“I think Raine’s father would love to see you when he arrives,” Abby went on. “It would be good for you too, to talk to him.”
“Definitely,” agreed Olivia.
“And then you’ve got to talk to both Miranda and Sloane,” Abby continued, distraught now. “Somebody knows what’s happened to her!”
“They’re other friends at the party?” asked Olivia.
“Sloane is the bride-to-be.” Abby was growi
ng anxious. “She also lives in Miami and so does Miranda. Right now, Sloane’s spending a lot of time at Raine’s house, trying to help. Miranda was also at the party, constantly watching Raine’s every move. I wondered why.”
“I’ll talk to both of them,” Olivia assured her.
“Miranda’s newly divorced and a bit different,” Abby continued. “She keeps count of what everyone else has. Sometimes you get the feeling she’d rip it all away from you in a second if she could. That’s another reason I decided to join Raine at the casino that night.”
“You were afraid that Miranda would turn up there?”
“I didn’t know. It was possible,” said Abby. “Miranda turns up unexpectedly all the time. I felt uneasy around her, I’m telling you!”
“I hear you,” said Olivia, as a harsh burst of rain began striking the windows.
“Oh my God, the storm is hitting,” Abby said as she ran from one window to another, shutting them.
Olivia followed Abby, helping, and as they got to the front window, Olivia saw a long, dark car pull up and park.
“Who’s that?” asked Olivia. “Phil?”
“It’s not his car,” breathed Abby. “It must be Raine’s father, Edward. Oh my God, the storm has really begun! Where is Phil? Why is he late again?”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Heavy winds and rain tossed against Raine’s father as he got out of his car and pushed his way up Abby’s driveway.
“Come in, Edward, come in!” Abby flung the door open, helping him inside.
“Crazy weather,” he muttered, shaking off the rain.
“I’m so glad you got here before the worst of it.” Abby gave him an embrace as if she were his own daughter.
“Thank you, sweetheart,” Edward responded, then turned to look at Olivia.
“Do you remember me?” asked Olivia.
“Of course I do,” he responded. “You were Raine’s good friend and roommate at college.”
“Yes, I was.” Olivia was delighted that he knew who she was.
“I heard you’d become a private detective and are down here helping us, now,” Raine’s father said, looking a bit confused.
“I’m helping, of course,” said Olivia, “but not exactly a private detective.”
“Of course you are,” Abby objected. “And you’re doing a wonderful job. What’s the difference between what you’re doing and any private investigator Sean could have randomly hired?”
“Experience,” Olivia started to say, but Abby stopped her.
“It’s better to have someone who knew Raine and the family than someone who couldn’t care less about what happened to her.”
“Okay, enough of this!” Edward raised his hands. “What actually is going on? Tell me! What kind of game is Raine playing now?”
“We’re not sure yet.” Abby’s eyes filled with tears. “You’d be better off talking to Olivia.”
Edward looked at Olivia through suddenly bleary eyes. “I’d be glad to do that, naturally.”
“I’ll give you two your privacy,” Abby said then, as she whirled around, eager to take her leave.
“There’s no need for you to go,” Edward called out after her. “I have no secrets!”
“It’s better this way,” Abby called back, obviously eager to be someplace else.
When Abby had left, Edward turned back to Olivia. “Abby’s a sensitive type, always has been. She can only take so much of life. Her husband makes up for it, though. They’ve made a good match. He’s got both feet planted solidly on the ground.”
“So I heard,” said Olivia.
“What else did you hear?” Edward was becoming more focused now. “Let me have it! What exactly is going on with my daughter?”
The way he said it, Olivia wondered if this was something they’d been through before.
“I need to know what you think happened,” Olivia responded quickly. “Tell me more about Raine. Why do you think she might be playing this game with us?”
“Do you have all night?” Edward responded and smiled bitterly as he ushered Olivia into the living room and sat down on a plush sofa with her.
“I have as long as it takes,” Olivia replied.
“You’re a good woman, Olivia,” Edward murmured, touching Olivia deeply. “That’s hard to find these days.”
“Thank you,” Olivia replied. It felt good to hear that.
“Okay, where do I start now?” Edward went on. “I’m sure you’ve heard by now that my daughter had a gambling addiction?”
“I’ve heard that several times,” Olivia replied.
“Her gambling craze has actually been going on a long time,” Edward continued. “It started pretty soon after she married Sean.”
Olivia was surprised to hear that.
“In the beginning she was good at hiding it,” Edward continued. “I told myself it was the hunger for excitement Raine was born with. Even when she was little she needed all kinds of thrills. You couldn’t just leave her alone with nothing planned. As soon as she married Sean and then found the casinos that hunger grabbed her big time.”
Olivia found it frightening listening to him.
“Raine always waiting for the big kill!” Edward was becoming upset. “She was sure she’d win millions. I said to her time and again, so what if you win millions? What are you going to do with them? She’d laugh and say it didn’t matter! She just had to win! But she didn’t. She lost big time, actually.”
Olivia found the story both gripping and painful.
“Raine lost again and again and wouldn’t face it.” Edward’s face grew flushed. “She always said next time things would turn around! Her big stash was waiting right around the corner.”
“It wasn’t, though,” Olivia echoed.
“Of course not. Never! Finally she started to promise me she’d stop gambling soon. I was the stupid one to believe her. In the beginning I paid her debts.”
“It doesn’t mean you were stupid, it means you were kind.” Olivia felt terrible for Edward.
“No, kind would have been to get her into rehab!” Edward declared forcefully. “Kind would have been to recognize that my daughter was up against an illness! This was more than a search for thrills. She was trapped inside a vicious compulsion.”
Olivia was impressed with Edward’s honesty.
“But instead, I kept paying through the nose.” Edward’s voice started to grow jagged. “Then I had enough. After all, she was married to Sean. She belonged to him, not me. She was his responsibility, not mine. Even though she kept asking me to pay, suddenly I refused. Let Sean pay your debts now, I told her.”
“How did Raine react to that?” Olivia could only imagine.
Edward guffawed. “She couldn’t believe her ears. She kept coming back and asking again, thinking I’d change my mind. I didn’t, though. She was Sean’s at this point.”
“Did Sean know about her addiction?” Olivia wondered how all this had affected him.
“It seems he didn’t,” Edward remarked. “The first time Raine asked him to pay, Sean got furious. He absolutely refused. It was a small debt, too. I told him he was a no-good, rotten husband. He said he couldn’t care less what I thought. He wasn’t going to pay gambling debts for anyone. As far as I know Raine never asked him again.”
“He didn’t know her gambling had turned into an addiction?” Olivia needed to be clear on this point.
“As far as I know he didn’t,” Edward answered. “But how can I be certain? He’d barely talk to me after that.”
“My God,” breathed Olivia, “what happened? Who paid her debts?”
“That’s the question that torments me, too,” Edward continued. “When I once asked Sean about it again, he wouldn’t answer. If you ask me, that guy doesn’t have a heart. Neither does Raine. Once I stopped paying her debts, I became yesterday’s news.”
Olivia was horrified.
“Of course I kept check on my daughter in my own way.” Edward seemed to feel good f
inally talking about it. “Her gambling kept going, so somebody had to be coughing up the dough. I even know who her current lender is now.”
“Who?” asked Olivia instantly.
“A guy named Alan Dupris,” Edward answered. “Dupris’s a big player in the casino world. Holds lots of debts. Has big connections.”
“This is important information,” breathed Olivia, “very.”
“I’m sure it is.” Edward seemed agitated. “Pass it along. If anyone knows where Raine is hiding, it’s Dupris.”
“Does Sean know Dupris?” Olivia asked.
“Good question,” said Edward. “But that’s anyone’s guess, isn’t it? Sean can’t stand me now, will barely talk to me. If I had my way I’d break up that marriage. My daughter deserves much better than him.”
This was the first time Olivia had heard anything unpleasant about Sean. It was from an irate father-in-law, though. Olivia had to remind herself that what Edward said wasn’t necessarily true. The relationship had to be trying for Sean, as well.
“I heard that Raine also had a rough time caring for your granddaughter?” Olivia wanted to hear anything else Edward had to add.
“Yeah, that’s the way they like to put it,” Edward snapped. “Raine’s lousy mother keeps calling and telling me that. But if you asked me, I’d say Raine’s rough time was with Sean! When a woman’s happy in her marriage, it’s easy to be a mom, isn’t it?”
“I wouldn’t know,” said Olivia sadly.
“Yeah, I heard you’ve been through a lot,” Edward answered, suddenly sad. “I’m really sorry.”
“Thank you,” said Olivia.
“But it’s true, isn’t it?” Edward repeated. “When a woman is getting all the love she needs from her husband, it’s easy to give their baby love.”
“Maybe it is and maybe it isn’t,” Olivia replied. “I’m not an expert, but I have heard that postpartum depression is triggered by all kinds of things.”
“Nah,” Edward went on. “I blame it all on Sean. And there’s one thing more I want to say to you. Don’t probe too much into everything. Raine will be back by herself soon. And I don’t want her reputation to get ruined in the meantime.”