Between the Raindrops

by Schussler, Susan

  “We don’t know for sure what has happened, but it’s starting to look suspicious, Jon. We’re heading back to the hotel. I think we need to start there, and we need to contact the police.”

  “No police! It will be a media circus. I’ve seen it before, and she’ll end up dead.”

  “I have a couple of friends in the department, and they’ll be discreet. I’ll call them, and they will help us out, OK? We need cooperation from the hotel staff. The police will help us with that,” Sam stated in a calming voice.

  They made their way to the hotel and parked the BMW in the garage below. Sam had completed his calls by the time they arrived, and his two police buddies were on their way. It had been almost two hours since Will got the fake text, and he had no idea where Sarah could be. He hadn’t calmed down yet. He was in full panic mode, blaming himself for not realizing right away that the text was a fake. It was his worst nightmare come true, and he didn’t know how to find her. He just knew he had to find her fast.

  Will and Sam rushed out of the car, still contemplating where to look for clues before the police arrived. They knew it could have been just some random fan, but they needed to explore all possibilities. Sam wondered who could have known that Will and Sarah would be at the hotel. He grilled Will on the people who may have had the opportunity or motive to harm Sarah. It was a more logical place to start than the vastness of crazy fandom.

  “It could be anyone, but we should begin by looking at people you know. Let’s start where she was last seen. Is there any reason to suspect the reporter?” Sam asked as they headed up the elevator from the garage.

  “I don’t think so. I’ve known her for more than three years, and she’s never shown a psychotic side. She flirts, but I can’t imagine what would motivate her to hurt Sarah. Maybe there’s more she can tell us about why Sarah left,” Jon answered as they entered the lobby. “I’m going to head up to Paris’s to see if she can tell me anything more before your boys get here. I can’t just sit around and wait.”

  “No, Jon, there may be some psycho loose in the building. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I let you wander around the hotel by yourself. They’ll be here soon,” Sam said adamantly. “What about your old girlfriend, Mia? She always seemed a bit unstable to me.” He smirked slightly. “Could she be involved?”

  “I don’t know. She called over the holidays, but I missed her call, and she didn’t leave a message. I don’t even know if she knows I’m engaged. I never had a chance to tell her.”

  “Would it upset her to find out you’re getting married?”

  “I think it might freak her out a bit. I meant to tell her myself, but with Sarah’s accident, I just forgot all about her. We’ve always kind of been there for each other, as friends. She might feel a little abandoned. She’s got some issues with that, but how would she even know we were at the hotel?”

  “Twitter?” Sam offered. “How about your publicist, Remi? Why was she so late?”

  “I’m not sure. I never really found out.”

  “How does she feel about you getting engaged? Has she mentioned any concerns about how it’s going to affect your image or marketability?” Sam asked as he stood up and unbuttoned his sports coat.

  “Yeah, we’ve talked about it quite a bit, actually.”

  “You’re her biggest client, and she wouldn’t want anything or anyone screwing with her biggest moneymaker, would she?” Sam questioned.

  “No. She thinks I’m too young to get married and is afraid that it will ruin my image. She doesn’t think that my fans will accept me marrying anyone not in the business.”

  “How did she seem when you saw her?” asked Sam.

  “She did appear a bit shaken, but I didn’t ask her about it because I was so focused on catching up to Sarah. I could call her,” Will said as he reached for his phone.

  Sam held out his hand with his fingers spread. “No, that would just tip her off if she’s involved. Is there anyone else who knew you were at the hotel?”

  “Isaac knew about the interview. He isn’t taking the engagement too well, either,” admitted Will.

  “Do you think he could be involved?”

  “He does seem upset. Just yesterday, he asked me why we couldn’t just shack up. He was practically screaming at me. I thought he was just being dramatic, as usual. He said I was making a huge mistake and I would regret getting married. I told him I was going to do what I wanted. I don’t know. I’ve always trusted these people.” He looked at Sam in anguish, not knowing what to do. He’d always worried about the crazy fans and paparazzi—not the few people he trusted.

  “Jon, everyone is a suspect. We can’t rule anyone out until we find Sarah, but we will find her. There are cameras everywhere in this hotel and in the parking garage. We just have to get access to the security tapes. That’s why we need the police, and they will be here any minute.”

  They didn’t have to wait long before Sam’s buddies arrived, though it seemed like hours to Will. The two officers were dressed in street clothes, not uniforms. The four men sat down in a secluded corner of the lobby to talk discreetly. Will and Sam described the entire incident, and Will took out the one printed picture he had of Sarah in his wallet. He had forgotten it was there at first. It was the one he had downloaded off the Internet—the one of Sarah and the other guy at the fair. He quickly folded the stranger out of sight before handing it to the officers. The rest of his pictures were digital and on his phone, so he was relieved to have something to give them.

  After watching Will fold the paper, one officer asked, “Who’s this guy?” He flipped the paper over. “Could he be of interest?”

  “No. He’s nobody—doesn’t even live here,” answered Will.

  The officers explained that they would talk to the staff and check the security camera footage. Having more than two hours of video from multiple cameras to review, they needed to get started right away. The tapes would provide the quickest, most accurate information. One officer would start with the hallway outside Paris’s suite on the fifth floor, using the times Jon had given him as a reference and paying special attention to the thirty minutes of time when Jon was down at his car. The other officer would focus on the parking garage footage, looking for anything suspicious.

  Will and Sam headed upstairs to see if Paris could give them any more information. She hadn’t been ruled out as a suspect, and she ran a gossip site, so they were leery about how much information to share with her. Rather than let her know that Sarah was missing, they decided to see if she could give them any insight as to why Sarah had left in the first place. Paris seemed a little dazed when she first opened the suite door, but then joked that Jonathan had come back to complete the missed interview.

  “Paris, what did you and Sarah talk about while I was gone? She refuses to talk about it, and I just want to understand why she is so upset,” Will asked her as he sat down on the couch.

  “Just small talk,” she replied. “Do you want something to drink?”

  Not waiting for a response, she slowly brushed her bottle-blonde hair to one side as she walked over to the small table, assembled three glasses in a line, and opened the ice bucket. She tweezed several cubes into each glass and filled them halfway with designer vodka.

  “She’s young. Give her some time. She probably just needs to think things through. God, Jon, you’re a lot to take on.” She offered one of the glasses to Will as she brought a second one to her lips and took a sip. “Take it. You look like you could use a drink.”

  He held up his hand, shaking his head. “Seriously, I just want to know why she was so upset. What exactly did you say?” Will, tired of playing games, didn’t want to waste any more time. He wanted to know why Sarah would have left the suite at all. “What was said? That’s all I want to know.”

  “It was nothing. We just talked a little about your man-whoring past. She seemed a bit intimidated by it.”

  Will stared at her in disbelief. “What?”

  “I just wa
nted her to be prepared. She seemed like a nice girl, and I thought she should know what she would be facing if she married you. Everyone knows you won’t be faithful. No one in Hollywood is,” she said matter-of-factly, taking another sip of her drink.

  “What the hell are you talking about? You don’t know me.” Will narrowed his eyes at her. Sarah didn’t need anyone adding to her doubts. No wonder she’d left.

  “What do you mean? I’ve known you for years, Jon. She deserves a heads-up, don’t you think?”

  Will turned to Sam, communicating that it was time to leave. Just then, Sam received a text. He glanced at it and casually passed the phone to Will. He read the message. His eyes met Sam’s, and Will stood up. Sam headed for the suite entrance as Will made his way past Paris.

  “Sarah?” Will roared as he crashed through the bedroom door and scanned the room. He flung open the closet door, not knowing what to expect. He stormed to the bathroom and pulled back the shower curtain. Sarah wasn’t there. “Where is she?”

  “What do you mean? Sarah isn’t here. I told you, she left.”

  Will put his arm around Paris’s shoulders and pulled the phone out of his jacket pocket. Grasping her shoulder tightly, he held the phone in front of Paris’s face so she could read the text: Be careful. Sarah never left the suite while Jon was at his car. After he was sure she had read it, Will tossed the phone to Sam, who was standing in front of the only exit from the suite. Will slid his arm across Paris’s neck, forcing her into a headlock. He was raging. He couldn’t believe he’d left Sarah with her. How could he have been so stupid, so trusting?

  “You’re hurting me, Jon!” Paris gasped.

  Will knew what he needed to do. He was an actor, after all, and could be very persuasive. “I’m going to snap your neck if you don’t tell me what you did with her. You know I will,” he said coolly, without emotion, though he was anything but emotionless. “Sam, you remember when I played that Special Forces agent? Great training. They taught me how to kill a man fifteen different ways. Killing her would be nothing. Tell me where she is, Paris,” he demanded in a low, bone-chilling monotone.

  “I don’t know!” She wheezed as he tightened his grip.

  “You know, no one would blame me. People expect celebrities to crack. It happens all the time. We have way too much pressure in our lives—always on show, constantly being picked apart by the press. This is your last chance,” Will declared, his frigid voice breaking with a murderous tone.

  “She wasn’t good enough for you. She didn’t deserve you,” Paris blurted out in a raspy voice. “You’re better off this way.”

  Will loosened his grasp as he noted her words. Wasn’t. His heart plummeted. All hope of finding Sarah unharmed drained from his body. He stared right through Paris with a blank expression as she turned to face him. Will felt the blood drain from his face, and his throat started to constrict. His breathing became shallow; he stood locked in place, just staring into space.

  “No,” he whispered.

  Will continued to stare, numbly vacant, unable to believe that this could be happening. After all he and Sarah had been through, it couldn’t end like this. It didn’t make sense. They were meant to be together, Jack had said. Why would Paris hurt her? Sarah was so innocent, so naive when it came to the evils of the world. She never had a chance. Will knew it was entirely his fault. It was Jack’s death all over again. He should have protected her. He should have had some security. He never should have let his guard down. Will was rigid, imagining the horror of what he had let happen.

  “It wouldn’t have worked. She wasn’t right for you. It’s supposed to be me,” Paris proclaimed.

  Will barely heard her comments.

  Sam looked over at her in disbelief. “What the hell?”

  Then his phone vibrated, the sound breaking Jon’s trance. His eyes met Sam’s as Sam took the call.

  “They found Sarah. She’s alive,” Sam announced.

  Jon ran his hand through his hair, taking a deep breath, and exhaled in an uninhibited release. Then he crossed the room toward Sam.

  “It will never last. She’s not good enough for—”

  “Shut the hell up!” Jon interrupted, glaring at Paris, willing her dead.

  “They found her in the trunk of a car in a hockey equipment bag. Who plays hockey in LA?” Sam asked, not knowing Paris’s husband was a pro hockey player. “Go and see Sarah. They’re in the garage. The ambulance just got there. I’ll stay here with the Wicked Witch until the police come up. They’re on their way.”

  Will nodded at Sam with gratitude.

  “You can be pretty scary when you want to be, Jon,” Sam added, patting him on the shoulder and opening the door.

  “Thanks!” he yelled as he sprinted for the stairs. He wasn’t going to wait for the elevator. His legs were like jelly, and he seemed detached from his body, but somehow, he managed to jog down five floors and then one more to the garage. The fog was thick in his head. Sarah was alive, but in what state, he didn’t know.

  As Will entered the parking garage, he was slowed by a uniformed police officer. The officer was instructed to keep everyone out of the crime scene, but when he recognized Will, he let him through. Obviously, the officer had been informed of his relationship to the victim. Will didn’t even have to say anything, and now that Sarah had been located, he didn’t care that more police were involved.

  Will sprinted toward the flashing lights of the ambulance, where he knew he would find Sarah. When her silhouette came into view, his heart melted with relief. He slowed to catch his breath, just for a second. She was sitting up on a narrow gurney about a foot off the ground. When their eyes locked, Sarah began to cry. The tears were dripping off her cheek by the time he reached her. He sat down next to her on the gurney and wrapped both his arms around her. He touched his hand to her cheek, feeling the moisture against his palm, and gazed into her eyes. He tucked her hair behind her ears and held her in silence for several seconds.

  “I’m sorry I took so long.”

  She chuckled with relief as she continued to sob. “I’m just glad you’re OK. I kept asking where you were, but no one would tell me.” Her body shuttered as she sucked in a breath. “Don’t ever leave me again,” she choked out between sobs.

  He knew that she needed to cry, to let go of her emotions. She’d feel better in the end. He squished his eyes together in frustration, wishing he could take away all that had happened to her. He wanted to cry too, but he wanted to be strong for her, and there were so many watching eyes.

  So he pulled her even closer and whispered in her ear. “I won’t.”

  Will held her for several more minutes before one of the officers who had viewed the security footage approached him. The officer pulled Will aside to discreetly fill him in on what had transpired.

  “I’ll be right here, Sarah,” Will said as he stood up. “They need to check you out again anyway.” Will and the officer stood about six feet away from Sarah as the paramedics reassessed her, but Will did not take his eyes off her.

  “As soon as we got access to the security office, we started with the tapes,” the officer told Will. “No one was seen leaving the fifth-floor suite between the time you left and the time you returned. That’s when we sent Sam the text. We wanted you to know Sarah still could be in the room and you might be in danger. Then, as we continued to watch, we saw a woman knock on the suite door. She went into the suite briefly and returned to her car in the garage.”

  “That was my publicist,” Will admitted. “She went up to let Paris know that I wouldn’t be back to do the interview.”

  “Shortly after the first woman left, a second woman came out of the suite. The second woman retrieved a bag from a vehicle in the garage and dragged a luggage cart back to the room. After about thirty minutes, she came out of the suite again, pulling the cart with a large canvas bag on top. It was definitely big enough to hide a body. The tape showed her heaving the bag into the trunk of a Mercedes, full this time
. Once we located the black Mercedes seen on the video, we broke the window and popped the trunk release inside the car to find the hockey equipment bag. It was a huge bag, and Sarah is so small that she fit inside it easily.

  “She was unconscious, and her respirations were pretty shallow when we got her out of the bag. The paramedics were pretty confident that Sarah had been drugged with some sort of narcotic, so they started an IV on her and gave her a drug called Narcan. It counteracts the opiate’s effects, and it brought her out of her stupor. I’ve seen it used before on overdoses—it’s like a miracle. It was a good thing we found her so quickly, because who knows where she could have ended up? In her state, she could have stopped breathing altogether. You and Sam did a great job figuring out that she was still at the hotel.”

  “It was all Sam. I’m such an idiot,” Will replied. He was overwhelmed with the thought of what had happened and didn’t want to imagine it any worse.

  “She’s safe now. That’s all that matters.”

  “Thanks for all your help—and your discretion,” Will added.

  The ambulance staff finished checking over Sarah and wanted to bring her to the hospital as a precaution. Will was allowed to ride in the back with her, which was against company policy. Sometimes being famous had its perks, and he was glad he didn’t have to break his promise about leaving her.

  At the hospital, the emergency room doctor evaluated Sarah and ran some blood tests to see what kind of drugs were in her. As they waited for the results, Sarah quietly shared what had happened while she was in the suite with Paris. She told Will how she started feeling dizzy shortly after he’d left. She said Paris started telling her how she should go back home because she would never be good enough for him and how he was just going to cheat on her. So Sarah decided to go find him. When she stood up to leave, everything went black.