Tara rolled her eyes.
“You’re still pissed off?” Kurt asked, filling a small glass with ice.
She didn’t respond.
He let out a ragged sigh. “I guess that answers that. Lainey? Sammy? Would you like something to drink?”
“No. They’re both fine,” Tara said firmly before Lainey could answer.
“What’s with the attitude?” Yury asked, turning around.
“She’s upset about doing films,” Kurt explained.
“I don’t know why. There are worse things one could be doing,” Yury, said, fiddling with his camera. “Besides, I’m a generous man. You do well, we both make money and who knows? You might one day get your own apartment.”
Tara sat down on the sofa. “Yaay. Thrilling,” she muttered.
“She’s a stubborn one, I give her that,” Yury said to Kurt, smiling in amusement. “But, we can work with that.”
Kurt sighed and looked at Sammy. “Kiddo, you want something to drink?”
“Leave them alone,” Tara said in a cold voice. “Why can’t you just take the photos and let them go back to their rooms?”
“Enough,” said Yury angrily, looking back at her again, his eyes hard. “I’m getting tired of your mouth. You shut it or I will.”
Tara’s face paled. She looked down at her hands.
“Teenagers, huh?” laughed Kurt nervously. “You want a drink, Yury?”
“Yes. I will take a Vodka-sour,” Yury said. “Something tells me I’m going to need it tonight.”
Chapter 14
Carissa
WHEN CARISSA STEPPED into Beth’s home, she was met with different variables of somatic energy. Fear. Sadness. Anger. Hopelessness. Guilt. Everything one would expect during such a terrible time. She also became conscious of something else that was of great importance.
She quickly pulled Dustin aside. “I’m fairly certain that someone, who has actually stepped foot in here, took Lainey,” she whispered excitedly.
His eyes widened. “You’re serious?”
She nodded.
“Do you think it’s Tom?” he asked, glancing toward Lainey’s father, who was on his cell phone.
She’d already voiced her concerns about Tom on the ride over. Not only was he hiding something, which even she couldn’t quite grasp, he might certainly have a valid motive. Especially, if he was a serious gambler. The thought of him selling his daughter, however, seemed over the top. As much as it was always possible, she sensed that Tom’s love for his daughter, as well as his ex, would never allow him to stoop so low. At least, she hoped.
“I have a hard time believing he’d do it,” she whispered.
“But, you’re not certain?”
Carissa looked over at Tom again. There’d only been a few times when she’d been ‘certain’ about someone’s innocence. Unfortunately, this wasn’t one of them. “No.”
Beth hung up her jacket and walked over to them. “Have you picked up on something already?”
“I may have. Can I talk to you alone?” Carissa asked, unbuttoning her wool jacket.
“Yes. Of course,” she replied. “Why don’t you let me hang up your jacket and then we can go upstairs and talk in Lainey’s room?”
‘Sounds good.” Carissa took it off and handed it to her. “You have a lovely home, by the way.”
Beth smiled sadly. “It seems dull and empty to me now, without my daughter home. But, thank you.”
Carissa gave her a sympathetic smile. “She definitely gives this place life. I also feel it’s hollow without her.”
“It won’t be the same unless we get her back,” she replied in a husky voice.
Carissa nodded.
Choked up, Beth turned away and went to go hang up her jacket.
Helen, who’d disappeared into the kitchen, walked back into the living room. “I’m making some tea. Would anyone else like any? Or coffee? Or, hell, a shot of whiskey?”
William chuckled. “Does that go for me, too?”
She gave him a stern look. “You wish. Not with your high blood pressure. You can have some decaffeinated tea.”
“Why does staying healthy have to be so boring?” William drawled, walking over to the large picture window facing the street, where two news vans had just pulled up. He sighed. “Looks like the media is back.”
“They must have gotten wind about Carissa helping us,” Beth said, walking over to stand next to him.
“Great. I can see the headlines now,” said Tom dryly. “Desperate couple seek advice of psychic to find missing child. My co-workers will never let me hear the end of this one.”
“Why does it matter?” Beth said sharply. “I mean, if they give you crap about using every resource we can to find Lainey, then they can go screw themselves.”
“I agree,” said William, looking back over his shoulder at Tom. “And if she helps locate my granddaughter, they’ll be eating crow later.
Tom was silent.
“This is definitely good for us,” Dustin said, walking up to the window. “The more coverage on Lainey, no matter what it’s about, can only help.”
As they watched the reporters and camera crew unload out of the news trucks, Carissa followed Beth upstairs to Lainey’s room.
“Cute,” Carissa said when she walked inside. The furniture was white, including the small desk in the corner. The walls were light blue and decorated with posters of kittens and puppies.
“We just painted it recently. It was pink and now Lainey wants nothing to do with the color.”
“She’s outgrown it, huh?” Carissa asked, amused.
“Yes. It’s too girly, apparently.”
Carissa smiled and looked at the posters. “She wants a pet, doesn’t she?”
“Yes. She’s been begging for a dog.” Beth shut the door and sat down on the blue and green bedspread. “Mike, my fiancé, is allergic to them though. So, it’s probably not going to happen.”
“What about a cat?”
“Mike doesn’t like them,” she replied. “Unfortunately.”
Carissa closed her eyes for a minute and took a deep breath. After a few seconds, she looked at Beth again. “I feel as if... Lainey thought you and Tom were going to get back together. She’s not very happy about you and Mike getting married, is she?”
“No. It’s going to take some time but,” she smiled wanly, “she’ll get over it.”
Carissa looked over at Lainey’s dresser and suddenly had a vision of socks.
“Does Lainey have a big sock collection?” she asked.
“No,” said Beth, looking amused. “Why?”
“I don’t know. I just keep seeing socks. It’s strange.”
Carissa brushed it off and continued looking around the room, trying to get a better understanding of what kind of girl Lainey was. Intuition told her that she spent a lot of time alone. Drawing pictures and playing computer games. Too much time in her bedroom, for someone so young. “Your daughter is very shy and has a hard time making friends, doesn’t she?”
Beth looked surprised. “Yes. She does have a couple at school but is so shy that she often feels left out of things.”
“The other kids don’t always see her,” Carissa replied.
She frowned. “What do you mean? I don’t understand.”
“Lainey hangs back from the crowd and is afraid of being rejected. So, instead of taking a chance, and being hurt, she won’t make the first move in developing a friendship with someone new.”
“Yes, that definitely sounds like her,” Beth replied with a sad smile. “When Tom and I separated, I noticed that she became less outgoing in general.”
“It’s an insecurity thing but I really feel as if she’ll get over it,” Carissa said. “You know, sometimes children blame themselves for their parent’s separation.”
“I heard that, too. Which is why I sat down with her and we talked about the divorce and how she was definitely not to blame,” Beth said, sounding surprised. “I mean, I did
n’t tell her about Tom’s gambling. I just told her that we’d grown apart.”
“I’m sure as she gets older, she’ll have a better understanding. You could always tell her the truth. That he’d developed some habits that you didn’t care for.”
“Maybe. Tom said that he quit gambling, however.” She smiled wryly. “I could see Lainey trying to get us back together if she thought it was the only reason we broke up in the first place.”
“But, wasn’t it the main reason?”
“Yes, but we also fought a lot.”
“Because of the gambling,” said Carissa.
Beth sighed. “Yes. Still, it’s too late. We’ve both moved on.”
Carissa wanted to tell her that Tom hadn’t, but she wasn’t there to bring the couple back together.
“Speaking of Lainey having friends, you mentioned that there are a couple she’s really close with, right?”
“Yes.”
“Have their parents been in the house lately?” Carissa asked.
“No. Not for a long time, actually.”
Something niggled in the back of her mind about Beth’s fiancé. She felt like she needed to ask more questions about him. “What does Mike to for a living?”
“He’s a painter. He and his brother, Mitch, own an art gallery in Minneapolis.”
“Ah. He doesn’t live here with you, does he?”
“No. In fact, Lainey and I will be moving into his place after the wedding.” Beth’s eyes suddenly filled with tears. She picked up a small, stuffed llama from the bed and stared down at it sadly. “We’re supposed to at least.”
“Where is Mike at the moment?”
“Out of town on a business trip. Madison.”
“Does he often travel a lot?” she asked. With her daughter being gone, it seemed a little strange that Mike wasn’t around to show his support.
“Only when he and Mitch are going to be holding a show and need to find art to fill it.”
“Mike is an artist, then?” said Carissa, imagining him with a paintbrush. Her intuition told her that Mike was very passionate about his work and spent grueling hours locked away in his studio.
“Yes. A very good one. I’ll have to show you the painting he just made recently. It’s of Lainey and me. He’s incredible.”
Carissa smiled. “I would love to see it.”
“It’s downstairs. I haven’t hung it up yet. We’re moving into his place soon and I figured I’d wait until then.”
Carissa imagined that she’d also not put it up because she knew it would upset Tom.
“How does Tom feel about your engagement?”
“We don’t really talk about it. It’s really none of his business and I know it probably bothers him anyway.”
“I’m sure,” Carissa replied, trying to tune into Tom again. From what she gathered, he was feeling a lot of guilt about why they split up. She shared that with Beth.
“At least he isn’t blaming it on me,” she replied, wiping her tears.
“He knows it was him and... nobody could blame you for not wanting that kind of stress in your life,” she told her. Carissa sensed that there were times when Beth wondered if she’d made the right choice and even felt a bit regretful. “Speaking of his gambling - did he ever owe any large sums of money?”
“Not that I’m aware of. I mean, he spent too much when we were together, but I don’t think he ever ran up any big gambling debts.”
They talked some more about Tom and Beth asked her point blank if Carissa thought he was involved.
She pictured the brooding man in her head. “I don’t think so.”
Beth relaxed and sighed in relief. “I was worried there for a second that you were going to tell me otherwise.”
Carissa gave her a sympathetic smile. “You still have some feelings for him.”
“I suppose part of me always will love him.” She stared off into space. “I try not to think about what could have been if he’d given it up and it’s painful. Other than the gambling, he was the perfect husband and father.”
Carissa nodded.
“I know I already asked but... do you think we’ll find her?” Beth asked.
Carissa wanted to console Beth and tell her not to worry. Tell her that Lainey would be found and everything would be okay, like most might in similar situation. But, she didn’t dare. She’d learned that as a psychic, it wasn’t wise to give any kind of false hope as it could be held against her later.
“I am hopeful that we will, but I can’t always see the outcome of situations like this. Dustin and I will both do whatever we can to try and locate her.”
“I understand,” she replied softly. “By the way, did you see the news about the missing boy?”
“No, but Dustin told me about it.”
“Do you think the same people might have taken him?”
Carissa let out a sigh. “I don’t really know. It’s always possible, I guess. I’ve been so focused on Lainey that I haven’t given it much thought.”
Beth sighed. “I feel like I should reach out to Sammy’s parents.”
“You could. In fact, I might want to do that myself to see if I feel any connection.”
“I’ll see if I can arrange something,” Beth said.
“There is one thing that I wanted to share with you that’s a little disturbing. I feel that someone, who has been in your house, is responsible for taking Lainey,” Carissa confided. “Do you have many visitors or has anyone been here recently doing repairs?
“Wait a second,” Beth said, her eyes wide. “I had someone here, about a month ago, replacing my water heater. He was an older guy in his fifties. Very friendly. I think his name was Bernie.”
“Did he come in contact with Lainey?” Carissa asked.
“Yes. He was here for at least an hour and she was definitely home. It was on a Saturday.” Beth looked stricken. “He made a comment about her. Said that she was lovely, in fact. Do you think he might have taken her?”
Carissa stood up. She wasn’t getting any vibes about the man at all, but also hadn’t met him. “I don’t know but we can’t rule him out. You didn’t tell the police about him?”
“To be honest, I totally forgot all about the guy.” She groaned. “I feel like such an idiot for not thinking about him. He seemed so nice but I guess that doesn’t make him innocent.”
“Being nice doesn’t make him guilty either, but he should definitely be checked out. Let’s go and talk to Dustin. “
Chapter 15
Tara
TARA WATCHED YURY take pictures of Lainey and Sammy for the auction, her stomach twisting with fear and loathing. Although they’d left clothes on the children, Tara knew what awaited them would be more horrifying than posing in the nude. They would be sold and delivered to rich perverts who would do unspeakable things to them. Some of which Tara had undergone herself by the hands of Kurt, the sick, twisted asshole.
She glanced over at him as he paced in and out of the parlor on his cell phone. She hated him so much, and yet, she knew that Kurt was all she had for protection against Yury and the rest of the people involved in their organization. Yes, he’d done some terrible things to her, but she didn’t fear for her life. Not like she did around Yury, although there were times when she would have gladly welcomed death. The only thing that had kept her half sane was that ever since she’d grown a more womanly figure, Kurt had stopped touching her.
“Maybe I should get some pictures of you, too,” Yury say, now looking over at Tara. “For your...” he smirked, “modeling portfolio.”
She looked away, pretending that she didn’t hear him.
“Tara,” snapped Yury. “Look at me when I speak to you.”
Swallowing the lump in her throat, she turned to face him.
“Now,” he twirled his finger around. “Undress.”
“Please. No,” she begged, panicking. “Don’t make me do this.”
“You wish some privacy?” Yury looked at Dina and instructed he
r to take the children back up to their rooms.
“Come,” Dina said, grabbing both Lainey and Sammy’s hands.
Tara began to plead and beg again. The very idea of stripping in front of Yury made her sick to her stomach.
Kurt, stepped back into the parlor, noticed their exchange. “What’s going on?” he asked, hanging up the phone.
“We’re going to take some pictures of Tara,” Yury said, leering at her. “Hey. Did you not hear me? Remove your clothing.”
Shaking her head, Tara backed away.
The big man balled up his fists and began moving toward her. “So, you want to do this the hard way, huh?”
Kurt moved between them. “There’s no time for this. We need to meet with Hawk. He insists on seeing you.”
Yury’s thick eyebrows rose. “Me? Why?”
“He wants the rest of his money for the last two kids,” said Kurt.
“He’ll get paid after the auction,” Yury replied, looking irritated. “Like always. He should know this by now.”
“Apparently, he needs the money now and can’t wait.”
Yury grunted. “Tough shit. That’s not how we do things.”
“I tried telling him that but he wouldn’t listen. I have a feeling that something is going on. Normally he isn’t impatient like this.”
“What do you mean, you think something is going on?” Yury asked, scowling.
“I don’t know exactly, but... he’s acting strange. We need to find out why,” Kurt said, looking troubled.
Yury let out a frustrated sigh. “Fine. We will talk. Is he on his way?”
“No, he said he’d meet us at Ned’s bar. It’s only a couple of miles south of here.”
“This guy of yours is really pissing me off. You know this doesn’t make me happy,” growled Yury.
“Yeah, it’s kind of pissing me off, too. But, something is obviously going on and I’d like to get to the bottom of it.”
“I’ll get whatever it is out of him.” Yury looked over at Tara. “And you. When we get back, we’ll finish this discussion.”
She looked away.
“Make sure Dina keeps an eye on her while we’re gone,” Yury told Kurt. “I don’t trust her.”
Looking for Lainey - A gripping psychological thriller Page 7