She snorted. “I don’t know why.”
“Robyn! Where’s that confident person I saw minutes ago?”
“Just being honest.” She looked away. “Two and a half years ago I was overweight and depressed and didn’t care whether I lived or died. It took almost dying and two years of therapy to get to the point where I wanted my life back.” She picked at the hangnail again. “I wonder how Chase will like the ‘new’ me?”
“He’s going to be surprised, for sure. But you’re the same person, stronger, for sure, but still that sweet, loving Robyn I grew up with.”
“Always the encourager.” Robyn gave her a quick smile. “Enough about me. I’m not the only one who’s different, and I want to know what happened. But first, tell me about Alex.”
Livy ignored the comment about her being different—she didn’t want to go there. “What about him? We just met two days ago.”
“Two days or a hundred, I can tell you one thing, he’s mighty fine.” Robyn wiggled her eyebrows. “And I noticed he seems very considerate of you. Flying you up here . . . fixing your coffee this morning.”
Livy searched for words and came up empty. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Robyn grinned. “Okay, have it your own way. So, what’s happened in your life to make this change I sense in you? And it doesn’t feel like a good change.”
Livy stiffened. She wasn’t sure if she liked the bold way her cousin asked questions. “What do you mean?”
A slight frown creased Robyn’s brow. “I’ve never seen you hesitate like you did about me going back to Logan Point. As long as I can remember, you were always our leader, even more than Taylor, and always ready to right a wrong.” Robyn gulped a breath. “Oh, I saw where Taylor got married. Is he a good guy?”
Livy nodded. “One of the best. But how did you know?”
“Susan subscribes to the online Logan Point Gazette. Is Taylor home for good?”
“Already teaching at the University of Memphis.” Livy stretched. “We better get dressed if we’re going to leave here on time.” She felt Robyn’s gaze boring into her and looked up. “What?”
“Are you sure there’s nothing going on between you and Alex?”
“Yes, I’m sure.” She sat up straighter. “Our relationship is purely business—he wants to find Samantha Jo Woodson, and I wanted to find you, which I’ve done. And since I want to catch the man who did this to you, I’ll continue to work with him, but there is absolutely nothing romantic between us. Never will be.”
Robyn raised her eyebrows, but she dropped it. “How about your job in Memphis?”
Livy glanced away. They were back to that. She stood and picked up her coffee cup. “I’ve taken a leave.”
“Sit back down here and tell me what’s happened. Thirty months ago, you wouldn’t even take a vacation. What gives?”
Livy shook her head. “We don’t have time to get into it.”
“We can take five minutes so I can at least know how to pray for you.”
She didn’t want to talk about Justin Caine. “Mac suggested I take a leave, and let’s leave it at that for now. We’ll have plenty of time to discuss it later.”
“It took me two years of therapy to understand that hiding a problem only makes it worse. Are you getting help for whatever it is you don’t want to talk about?”
“I’m talking to Taylor.”
Robyn shook her head. “Taylor is too close to you. She won’t tell you the hard stuff. Besides, counseling isn’t even her field.”
Livy checked her watch. “We need to get packed if we’re leaving for Logan Point.”
“You can’t run away from your problems,” Robyn said. “Believe me, I know.”
11
Alex gripped his cell phone, his voice hollow inside the hangar. “The first of March is still almost three weeks away. I’m not coming home right now just to fill out paperwork for the bar exam.”
“Three weeks isn’t very long,” his grandfather said. “Your father and I are very much interested in seeing if you follow through this time.”
He kicked the front tire on the Bonanza as a south wind whistled around the metal building. It’d be the first time his dad showed an interest in three years. His relationship with him had always been rocky, and it had always seemed like his dad never had time for him unless it had to do with one-upping Alex’s mother. It had taken Alex until he was grown to figure out it was a generational thing. Josiah manipulated his son and criticized everything he did while doting on his grandson.
Now he could understand why his dad had checked out of his life early on, but it still hurt, especially since Alex’s refusal to take the bar had driven a wedge between him and his grandfather. “Once I find Samantha Jo, the bar exam becomes a nonissue.”
“If you find her.”
“I’ll find her.” And not because it was part of some deal with his grandfather, but because she was a living, breathing person. He ended the call and massaged his jaws where he’d clenched them.
He loved his grandfather, but it was getting harder and harder for Alex to respect him. State Senator Josiah Jennings had wielded power in Texas for so long, he’d lost sight of what was really important.
Josiah. Alex tried to remember when he’d started thinking of his grandfather by his first name. Probably when he walked the halls of the state capitol building with him and saw how political deals were made, or sitting at the dinner table with his father and grandfather and other Texas legislators. Talk about what went on behind closed doors.
It was only in retrospect that he realized his grandfather had been grooming him even then to eventually take what the senator thought was Alex’s rightful place in state politics. First become a practicing lawyer and then run for office after he had a few years of practice behind him. They probably had his dad’s job of district attorney in mind.
Just last month, Josiah had announced his retirement, and Alex had heard his father was gearing up to run for the senate position. He’d probably win, and the pressure to bring Alex into the fold would intensify.
It’d been their plan all along, and Alex had been naive to think otherwise. He’d actually believed his grandfather understood his love of flying when Josiah gave him the Bonanza on his twenty-third birthday. Nothing was said about it being a bribe to attend law school, at least not until after he’d flown it. At that point, he would have done anything to keep the plane. His mother had warned him, but Alex hadn’t listened. She’d been right—the plane had just been another way to control him.
He was surprised his grandfather had agreed to the deal involving Samantha Jo. Well, not really, considering Josiah didn’t believe Alex would find her. He would prove him wrong, because it was either find her or take the bar . . . or be disowned.
In spite of his frustrations at his dad and granddad, he didn’t want to be disowned, and not because of his grandfather’s money. It was about being a Jennings and a Texan. The name was rooted deep in Texas history—all the way back to the Alamo. It was a heritage he wanted to contribute to, just not as a lawyer like his dad or a politician like his grandfather.
Alex pushed the problems with his family out of his mind. Time to do his preflight inspection, and he didn’t need anything to distract him. In the air was no time to discover he’d overlooked something during his checks. As soon as he finished checking the fuel for water or trash, his other problem intruded. He couldn’t understand why Livy was against Robyn returning. He hoped she wouldn’t keep second-guessing him.
He took out his phone and dialed Ben Logan. When the sheriff answered, he said, “Can you reschedule the appointment with the Nashville detective and meet with me and Livy this afternoon? In private.”
“Where are you? I tried to call earlier and it went to voice mail.”
“I’m at an airport near Bristol, Tennessee.” Alex glanced at the side of his phone. “My phone’s on silent. Sorry. Is anything going on? Has Samantha Jo surfaced?”
“No, nothing like that. Evan McCord has been trying to reach Livy, and she’s not answering either.”
“Maybe her phone is on silent as well. I’ll tell her when she arrives here at the airport.”
“She’s with you then?”
“Yes, we were following a lead. That’s what we want to talk to you about.”
“Can you meet me at my house by two thirty? Livy will give you directions.”
Alex checked his watch. It was almost ten. If the girls would just come on so they could get in the air. He glanced toward the terminal building and relaxed. Livy and Robyn were coming through the glass doors. “We should make that easily.”
After stowing their luggage, Alex helped both onto the wing before he climbed into the pilot’s seat. Once they were settled with Robyn in one of the backseats and Livy in the front beside him, he handed them both earphones.
“So we can talk,” Livy said with a grin at Alex.
He couldn’t keep from smiling back. She seemed to have shaken the mulligrubs, and her live-wire personality had resurfaced.
“You’ll love this, Robyn. I promise.” Livy bounced in her seat. “And I’ll get to see what the trip looks like in the daytime.”
Alex couldn’t believe this was the same person he’d had to practically bribe to make the trip yesterday. “I talked to Ben Logan and set up a meeting at his house for two thirty. We’ll go from there.”
He turned the key, and the prop caught the first time. Livy raised her eyebrows, and they laughed together. “Did Ben reach you?”
She shook her head.
“He indicated someone by the name of Evan McCord was trying to get in touch with you.”
“Mac?” Livy’s brows pinched together, and she took out her cell phone. “It’s dead, and I forgot to bring my charger. I’ll call him later.”
He wanted to ask who Mac was, but she might tell him it was none of his business. And she’d be right. He hadn’t thought to ask Ben if Livy was seeing anyone. Maybe he should. With her looks, it’d be hard to believe someone wasn’t pursuing her, and he may have just imagined that there’d been a spark between them last night.
After getting clearance, he taxied out to the runway and took off into a clear blue sky. Almost immediately they encountered strong headwinds that would slow the flight. Two hours later, dark thunderheads banked to the west. Twenty miles back, they had encountered small pockets of turbulence, so Alex was glad to see the small airport.
While he piloted the plane, Livy and Robyn spent the first part of the flight coming up with Robyn’s cover story. They decided that Livy had met “Sharon” in college, and they had renewed their friendship on Facebook. When Sharon lost her job, Livy offered her a place to stay while Sharon looked for a new job.
After that the flight had been quiet, except for a few comments from Livy as she tried to figure out where they were. He suspected they were all thinking about what would happen next.
Once on the ground, he taxied to the hangar he’d rented from Sam the day before while he’d waited for Livy to arrive. That it had an airplane tug was a bonus. No pushing the plane into the hangar. A gust of wind whipped through the opening between the buildings as he closed the door and ran to the terminal building where Livy and Robyn waited. Livy opened the door and he ran in, just ahead of the rain. At least his plane was out of the weather.
“Why don’t we take my SUV?” Livy said. “After we talk to Ben, we’ll have to drive back by the airport to go to Kate’s. We can get your car then.”
He nodded, and Livy borrowed a rain slicker from Sam and dashed out to pull her car under the drive-through. Alex glanced at Robyn. She had grown paler the closer they got to Logan Point. He wanted to point out that Sam, who hovered nearby, hadn’t known her and no one else would either. “Sharon.” Alex took her by the arm. “I don’t believe I introduced you to Sam.”
Robyn startled, and then her face flushed, putting a little color in it. She held out her hand. “Sharon Arnold,” she said. “Alex was kind enough to give me a ride here. Tomorrow I’ll have to find a way to Memphis to look for a job.” She tilted her head. “Unless you know of one around here? I was a waitress at my last job.”
Sam rubbed his chin. “Plenty of those jobs here. I heard Johnny B’s was still lookin’ for a waitress. And Molly’s Diner too.”
“Thank you so much.” She flashed him a brilliant smile, and his face turned red.
Alex raised his eyebrows. See, you can do it. Livy’s horn sounded, and he nodded to Sam. “I’ll be back in an hour or so to get my car.”
“No hurry. It’s not going anywhere.”
As he held the passenger door for Robyn, he said, “Piece of cake.”
“I didn’t know what you were doing at first.”
“But you caught on. You’ll do just fine.”
“She’ll do fine at what?” Livy said.
“Just practicing a little,” Alex said. “Let’s not tell Ben right away who Robyn is. See if he has a clue.”
“Not a bad idea, for a PI.”
He made a face at her. Looked like it was going to take him becoming a cop to get any respect.
A little before two thirty, Livy pulled into a long drive and stopped by an electric gate to key in the code. Alex shifted in his seat and looked around. A two-story white brick was to the right, and a ranch style was to the left. “Why the tall fence and electric gate?”
“A few years back, a drug dealer tried to get to Ben’s dad. The big house is Sheriff Tom’s.” She turned down the drive to the ranch style. “This is Ben’s.”
Evidently Ben had been watching for them, because he opened the door before they knocked. They stepped into a large room that served as a living room, den, and kitchen. It was a man’s room. Paneled, blinds, no curtains, leather furniture. Alex liked it.
A boy who looked to be the age of Robyn’s daughter shrugged into a raincoat.
“My son, TJ,” Ben said to Alex. “School dismissed early today, and my mom is taking him to the movies.”
The pride in his voice struck a nerve. The sheriff wasn’t much older than Alex, but he seemed so settled and knew what he wanted out of life. He glanced at Livy as she kidded with the boy. As much as she liked kids, why hadn’t she already married? Maybe she was like him and hadn’t met the right person.
A horn tooted and Ben tousled his son’s hair as the boy raced for the door. “Either me or your mom will pick you up later.”
After TJ left, Livy nudged Ben. “The big day is Valentine’s Day. Right?”
A broad grin flashed across the sheriff’s face. “Yep. And TJ is already officially a Logan.”
Evidently Alex missed something, and he shot a questioning glance at Livy.
“It’s involved, but the short version is Ben’s getting married to Dr. Leigh Somerall. And I say it’s about time.”
“You’re right about that too. Nothing fancy, just us and a few of our friends at church that evening. Are you coming?”
“Of course I’ll be there.”
Ben grinned again and then shifted his gaze to Robyn. “Who’s your friend?”
Alex waited for Livy to speak, but she nodded for him to take the lead. “We’ve come up with a plan to catch whoever took Samantha Jo, and she’s part of it.”
He eased into the barn and closed the door. Yesterday he’d raised the blackout shades after he’d realized Sharon needed sunlight. She’d finally quit screaming, probably because she’d lost her voice. He tugged at the ski mask. It’d felt good outside where it was cold, but inside the barn, it itched.
He stood for a moment, his gaze drawn to the girl in the cage. Yes, the red hair looked much more natural. His mother had agreed with him as well. She should; it was the same color she’d used for years. He swung a plastic bag back from his shoulders, and Sharon looked up. Once again he smelled her fear, and smiled.
“Thank you for leaving the shades up.” She spoke barely above a whisper.
He’d known she’d come
around. He lowered his voice, altering it just in case she might remember talking to him. “You’re welcome. I’ve brought you something to read while I’m gone.”
“You’re leaving?”
She was upset. His heart lifted. She was coming around ever so much faster than the last girl. He shook his head. That one had been a mistake. How had he ever thought she might be his Sharon?
“I’m only leaving for a day. There’s food in this bag and bottled water.” He set it on the floor outside the bars. This was a short trip to Nashville. Just long enough to turn the girl’s purse in and get Ben Logan and Olivia Reynolds looking in a different direction. “You can open it and pull what you need through the bars.” He’d learned that lesson with the last one as well. She’d talked him into opening the door and then tried to escape.
“What if this place catches on fire?”
“It’s not going to. You should be comfortable enough with heat and food and water and something to read.” He narrowed his eyes as tears formed in her eyes. If she started screaming again, he’d have to sedate her.
“Why are you doing this to me?”
“It’s for your own good. Being a waitress isn’t a job for a woman like you. Those men only have one thing on their mind. I’m just trying to protect you.”
“Then turn me loose. Please,” she sobbed.
“Oh, Sharon.” His voice hardened. “I know what you want to do. You want to be with those men. Just like . . .” He shook his head. “Don’t you understand? You’re mine now. You’ll never be free again.”
Rain drummed on the roof as Robyn consciously relaxed her muscles under Ben’s curious glance. She in turn watched his face for any sign of recognition. If he didn’t know who she was, this crazy plan they’d concocted might work. She held out her hand. “Sharon Arnold.”
The sheriff shook her hand. “Ben Logan. Why don’t we sit at the kitchen bar and one of you tell me what this plan is.”
“Mind if I make some coffee?” Livy asked. “We didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.”
“Sure. Coffee is in the cabinet over the coffeemaker. Creamer is in the refrigerator.”
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