Matter Of Trust

by Lisa Harris

  “Where was the last place Jenny saw her?”

  Ty worked to steady his breathing. “Jenny said they spoke after lunch at the church, and Kayla told Jenny she needed an hour or so by herself to pray. Jenny went back to finish up some of the food for tonight, but when she returned with the rest of the staff Kayla wasn’t around and she hadn’t finished any of the wedding stuff. All she could figure was that she went to the church’s prayer room and fell asleep. We all know how tired she’s been lately. She went to check on her but saw no sign of her. That was twenty minutes ago.”

  Chloe dug into the pocket of her jeans then tossed her husband the car keys. “I’ll stay with the boys and make some phone calls. You two go find Kayla.”

  Ten minutes later Ty and Nick pulled into the church parking lot. With the wedding scheduled to start within the next two hours the parking lot was already filling up with some of the wedding party.

  Jenny was inside pacing the kitchen floor, her cell phone pressed against her ear. She held up her finger and motioned for them to wait. A moment later she snapped the phone shut. “She’s never done this before. I’ve called everyone I can think of; no one’s seen her, and she isn’t in the building.”

  “What about her car?”

  “It’s gone as well. None of this makes sense. We all know she was under a lot of pressure lately, but she’d never walk out on a job. Never.”

  Ty still hadn’t shelved his theory that Abbott was involved. “Show me where you think she was last.”

  Jenny stumbled from the kitchen, then scurried down the center aisle of the church auditorium. In the dim light of the room a half dozen people bustled around, making final touches in preparation for the ceremony. The door to the prayer room was half open. Jenny pushed it the rest of the way, then slipped in before them.

  “As I told Ty I can’t be certain this is where she went, but she headed this way, and it’s a place she likes to come when she needs a few moments of peace.”

  Ty glanced around the room. Approximately six by six, the room was painted in subtle hues of blue, with no furnishings other than a wooden bench and three other chairs. A large painting of the cross hung on the back wall. On either side, light filtered through to stained-glass windowpanes. The only other thing in the room was a potted plant in the corner. No place to hide anything. No clues that even placed her in the room.

  He glanced behind the ceramic pot just in case. “Wait a minute.”

  “What is it?” Jenny stepped up beside him.

  Ty bent down and picked up a cell phone that had fallen behind the plant. He didn’t have to take a second look to know it was Kayla’s. “She’s been here.”

  The phone had a long crack along the side. Something had happened in this room. Ty’s own cell phone rang, and he reached into his pocket to answer it. “Ty, this is Penny. Abbott’s got Kayla.”

  fifteen

  Ty parked his car at the marina, then checked the time on the dashboard. He had three minutes to spare. Penny’s instructions had been explicit. Twenty minutes to get there. Find his friend’s boat, the Angelina. And come alone. Any signs of police involvement meant he’d never see Kayla alive again. He felt for the tiny tape recorder in his front pocket that Nick had handed him at the church and wondered if he’d made the right decision to bring it. Abbott wasn’t a fool, and Ty wasn’t willing to risk Kayla’s life. Even if it meant Abbott won in the end.

  He moved to the end of the floating walkway, replaying Penny’s message over and over in his head. The thought that Penny might be involved sent a shudder of fear through him. He was still uncertain if his former secretary was simply being used as a pawn in Richard Abbott’s game or if she’d been on his side all along.

  Either way Kayla’s life was in danger.

  He stared out across the blue waters of the harbor, took in the details of the scene and remembered all the summer days he’d spent out on the ocean with his parents. Somewhere, among the dozens of boats, was Kayla. It took him two and a half minutes to locate the Angelina. The sleek vessel was tied up at the end of one of the floating walkways, not in its usual slip. Convenient if Abbott was planning a quick getaway. But how did he find the key?

  Abbott sat near the helm wearing a sweater and khaki pants. If it were possible, the man looked worse than the day Ty had walked out of the office on him. Pallid skin, thick jowls, thinning hair, all signs of stress … and guilt as far as he was concerned. Penny stood beside him, her hand possessively on his arm.

  Where was the loyal secretary he’d worked with for three years? He’d considered her a friend. “You’ve been in on this all along, Penny?”

  Penny avoided Ty’s gaze. “What can I say? Abbott pays well.”

  “Glad you could make it, Ty. Your friend’s boat is a beauty.” Abbott pulled off his sunglasses. “I’m considering making an offer on one myself. Of course, I’m prepared to put out quite a bit more on a bigger one. Oh, and if you’re wondering how I got the key, well, let’s just say I have my ways.” He laughed.

  Ty drew in a deep breath. Where are You, God?

  He stepped onto the familiar boat wishing the marina weren’t so quiet. The weather was too cold for most people to consider going out today despite a clear sky and calm sea. Somehow Abbott had even managed to use the weather to his advantage.

  Abbott tapped a gun at his side. “Don’t get too close, please, Ty. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you.”

  “Where’s Kayla?” He refused to play the old man’s games.

  “Twenty-eight feet, pedestal steering, three-blade propeller—”

  “I said, where’s Kayla?”

  “You always were so focused on the task at hand, weren’t you, Ty? You need to relax. That’s what I’ve done. Look at me. I’ve shed the tie and suit jacket and replaced it with something a bit more casual. Why? Because I realized life’s too short to follow the rules.”

  “You know I couldn’t care less about your plans to spend more of the company’s money, Abbott. I want—”

  “I know. You want Kayla.” He finished the last sip from a wine glass as he maneuvered the boat away from the dock and toward the open waters. “Search him first, Penny.”

  Ty stood rigid as Penny patted him down. She drew the tape recorder from his jacket pocket and threw it onto the deck.

  “I’m disappointed, Ty.” Abbott twisted the stem of his wine glass between his fingers and shook his head as Penny stepped away from Ty. “Weren’t my instructions explicit enough? Twenty minutes. Come alone. No police. Did you actually think a tape recorder fit into the equation? I’m tempted to end this whole thing right now without your ever seeing Kayla.”

  Ty pressed his lips together, certain that any signs of begging on his part would only end up provoking the man.

  Abbott waved his hand in Penny’s direction. “Bring her out, Penny. Though I will warn you, Ty. Don’t try anything else foolish. Trust me. You’ll regret it.”

  Thirty seconds later Kayla stumbled onto the deck in front of Penny. Ty moved to help her, but Abbott reached out and stopped him with the barrel of his gun.

  The boat rocked beneath him. Ty forced himself to stay where he was, his focus now on Kayla. “Are you all right?”

  Kayla nodded, then took a seat where Penny told her. When had life spun so completely out of control that he’d been the cause of Kayla’s kidnapping? He could see the fear in her eyes, mixed with hope that he’d do something to save them both. His head began to pound. Nothing made sense. Kayla sitting with her arms tied behind her; Penny taking orders from Richard Abbott.

  Abbott, on the other hand, seemed to feel no remorse over the situation. “Penny’s the perfect secretary, you know, especially when it comes to gathering information from the enemy.”

  Ty decided to ignore the implications. All he knew was that he’d trusted Penny, and she’d betrayed him.

  Just as he’d betrayed Kayla.

  Ty tried unsuccessfully to swallow the lump in his throat. A little of
his own medicine perhaps? He hated the fact that he’d hurt her. Hated more that he was the cause of her being hurt again. If only he’d been able to protect her…. “So what happens now?

  Abbott slid his sunglasses back on as the shoreline grew smaller. “I suppose you have the right to know. I’m just sorry I don’t have the time to let the law take care of things. It would have been nice to see you rot in jail the next twenty years. That’s what you’d planned for me, isn’t it?”

  Ty shook his head. “I have the right to know what?”

  “Face it, Ty. With all the bad publicity the company is looking at right now because of your case, shareholders are nervous. I can’t let the company go bankrupt. I have to think of its future.”

  “You should have been thinking about the future of the company when you stole from its assets.” Ty took a step toward Kayla. “Besides, you can’t seriously think you’ll get away with this.”

  “Trust Me.”

  Ty felt a tiny seed of confidence grow. This wasn’t over yet. What had Nick said? It all boiled down to a simple matter of faith. Either God was in control of everything, or faith in Him was empty. He was going to choose to walk by faith.

  He took another step forward.

  “Stay where you are.” Abbott held up his gun and shook his head. “Here’s how I see it. I’ve already managed to create enough evidence to keep the DA, the SEC, and whatever other organization you can think of busy with evidence to convict you. They’ll find some of the money—enough to satisfy them—in an offshore account connected to you. So, yes. I know I’ll get away with it. The whole world now knows that Ty Lawrence is nothing more than another power-hungry executive who tried to make a fortune the wrong way. You’ll never be able to stand up to the big boys.”

  “Think what you like, but you know you can’t get away with this.”

  “Oh, really?” Abbott cut the engine, walked across the deck and shoved Kayla’s chin up with the butt of his handgun. “Because here’s the way it’s going to play out, and, frankly, you don’t have any way to stop me.”

  He pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket with a gloved hand. “This is a signed confession and suicide note, written by none other than Ty Lawrence. No one will question when a man recently arrested and facing the reality of spending the next few decades in jail kills himself on his friend’s boat after murdering his ex-fiancée. Penny was always so good at passing along information, like the fact that your friend’s boat, the Angelina, is docked here for the winter.”

  “Why this boat?”

  “It’s the perfect place for a murder/suicide, isn’t it? And saves me a cleaning bill for the mess you’ll leave behind. With that and the physical evidence the police will have no problems proving the theory correct.” Abbott leaned against the railing, looking confident. “Once I am cleared of being involved in any wrongdoing, I’ll be free to leave the country. Health reasons, you know. The doctor says I’m working too hard. I’ll resign from my position as CEO; then I can spend my millions where no one can touch me.”

  A cold wave of horror swept over Ty, but he wasn’t willing to end things yet. “The police won’t stop looking for all the money, and eventually you’ll slip. One day they’ll tie it to you.”

  Abbott moved back toward the helm. “Maybe, but $175 million is worth the risk, don’t you think? Though if you hadn’t started turning in data to the police, I’d planned to wait around until I had at least a quarter of a billion.”

  Ty glanced at Kayla. He couldn’t stand seeing her sit there with her hands tied behind her back and a bruise marking her cheek. All he had left to fight with were his words. “I don’t think any amount of money is worth the risk. And there’s something else I find interesting. You taught me everything I know about negotiating. Surely you don’t think I’ll simply agree to go along with your little plan.”

  “Penny, tie him up. I don’t want you to finish your grim deed, Ty, until we’re out to sea.” Abbott glanced at his watch. “Don’t worry, though. It will all be over in thirty minutes. We’ve got another boat coming to pick us up, but of course you won’t need a ride at that point, will you?”

  Ty felt a shudder whiz like a bullet up his spine. The man was insane.

  Penny grabbed a length of rope and had Ty sit in a chair beside Kayla. “You know you can still get out of this, Penny.”

  Penny looked at him. “Last time I heard, the law doesn’t take too kindly to premeditated murder. I’d say that puts me in pretty deep.”

  Abbott laughed as Penny wrapped the rope around Ty’s wrists. “You could have had all of this, Ty. Never understood that storing-up-treasures-in-heaven garbage. Seems to me this is reality and enjoying it right now makes a lot more sense.”

  “Except heaven’s real, too, Abbott. Just like hell.”

  Ignoring Ty’s response, Abbott called to Penny to throw him another drink from the cooler. She grabbed one and tossed it toward Abbott, but her aim was too long. Distracted, Abbott turned to catch the bottle. Ty scrambled to untie the rope before Penny could tighten the knot. There was no time to think. He lunged for Abbott. Caught off guard, the portly man didn’t have a chance. Ty slammed into his right side. Abbott’s attempted shot clipped the bow of the boat.

  Ty kicked the gun out of the man’s hand and shoved him to the ground face down. Within seconds two federal agents appeared on deck from the cabin below. One of them jerked Abbott to his feet then slapped a pair of handcuffs onto his wrists. The man was still trying to catch his breath as the other agent radioed for backup then read him his rights.

  Ty hurried to release Kayla. “Are you all right?” He drew her into his arms, needing to convince himself she was alive and this was over.

  “I think so.” She slid her wrists out of the first knot. “What is going on?”

  “I have no idea, but with Abbott in handcuffs something must be going right finally.”

  As soon as the rope came off, Kayla reached up and wrapped her arms around Ty’s neck. “I’ve never been so glad to see you in my entire life.”

  He looked down at her and tilted up her chin with his thumb. “Does that mean you forgive me?”

  Her smile worked to melt the anger that bubbled inside him toward Abbott. All that mattered anymore was that she was okay.

  She nodded her head. “I let fear blind me from the truth. Deep down I knew you were innocent. I just hate that it took a crazy man to show me the truth.”

  He pulled her close, relishing in the softness of her hair, the sweetness of her perfume, and the touch of her skin. “It wasn’t your fault, Kayla. I should have told you the entire truth a long time ago.”

  “Yes, you should have.”

  He ran his finger down her cheek. “I promise I won’t keep things from you ever again. In wanting to protect you and our relationship I almost lost you. It’s a matter of trust, something I want our marriage to be based on.”

  “Is that a proposal?”

  “I’m sorry to interrupt, Ty.” Penny walked toward them, the bottom of her windbreaker flapping in the wind. “You did well. I’m sorry you both had to go through what you did, but we got him. The entire conversation was being recorded. Richard Abbott isn’t going to see the outside of a prison for a very long time.”

  He shook his head, his arm tightening around Kayla’s waist. “That’s wonderful, but I don’t understand, Penny. You’re working for the government?”

  “Retired Petty Officer Penelope Waterford at your service, sir.” She saluted as one of the uniformed agents approached. “And I’m sorry about the phone calls and the encounter at the restaurant.”

  Kayla’s eyes widened. “That was you?”

  “Pretty good disguise, wasn’t it?” She shook her head as one of the agents dragged Abbott off the boat. “Abbott thought he needed to send warnings that showed he could get to you whenever he wanted to. In order to ensure he continued to trust me I had to go along with it.”

  “Penny was honorably discharged from the navy
three years ago.” The stocky blond man shook Ty’s and Kayla’s hands, introducing himself as Agent Stevenson with the Securities and Exchange Commission. “We recruited her to help take down Abbott from the inside. Unfortunately, he’s good, and we always seemed to be a step behind him. When Abbott told Penny what he planned to do, she came up with this plan and hid us down below. She vouched for your innocence the whole time. I’m glad to see she was right.”

  Ty felt himself relax as the boat sped back to the marina. The reality of spending the next twenty years in jail began to fade. “What about the charges against me?”

  The man repositioned the bill of his baseball cap. “I’ll need you both to give a complete statement, but I don’t think it will take much to convince the DA and the government that you’re innocent, Mr. Lawrence. And Abbott won’t be going anywhere for a long time.”

  The second officer docked the boat, then shut off the motor. “I need to ask the two of you to move off the boat. We’ll let you know when our men are finished, but for now it’s a crime scene.”

  Kayla ignored the throb in her head as Ty helped her off the boat and focused instead on how everything in her life had just changed—again—in the past ten minutes. A test of faith? Perseverance in the midst of adversity? Whatever it had been, she felt as if she’d failed the exam.

  “I’m sorry, Ty.”

  He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “For what?”

  She looked up at him, afraid he’d disappear and she’d wake up in the boat again. “For not believing you.”

  “I’m the one who should be asking for your forgiveness. I should have told you the government had questioned me. I just never imagined things getting this out of control.”

  She laced her fingers in his as they slowly walked down the floating walkway toward the other end of the marina. “I’m still reeling from everything. I thought you were guilty, and then Penny was involved.”