The Missing Piece

by Sala, Sharon

Ruth sent a text message, and less than a minute later, two women came hurrying into the kitchen, then did a double take when they saw Wyrick.

  “Girls, this is Miss Wyrick. She and Charlie Dodge will be staying with us for a few days. Miss Wyrick, Louise is on your right, and Arnetta on your left. Anytime you need something, all you have to do is ask. The phones in your rooms are connected to our in-house communications. Pick up the receiver and press the star button, or nine for the kitchen, and someone will answer.”

  “Nice to meet you, ma’am,” they said in unison.

  Ruth pointed at the suitcases. “Those bags belong to Mr. Carter. Take them to his room.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” they said, and began rolling them out of the kitchen as Charlie came back with his luggage and Wyrick’s.

  “This is all of it,” Charlie announced.

  “Then off we go,” Ruth said.

  Wyrick was somewhat in awe of the size and decor of the place, and quite taken with an old suit of armor in the hall. The ornately framed family crest was an elegant reminder of the Dunleavy family’s lineage.

  There would be no family crest, no matching DNA, no bloodline to anyone for Jade Wyrick. There was no one like her, and never had been. Not anywhere on the planet.

  They reached the grand staircase, but instead of climbing the steps, Ruth took the two of them behind the stairs to an elevator. She pressed the button and the doors opened instantly.

  Wyrick and Charlie walked in with their bags, and Ruth followed, explaining the layout of the castle as she pressed a button to the second floor.

  “This is more convenient when there are things to be carried. Feel free to use it rather than the stairs, if you wish. As you can see from the panel, there’s a level down below, which is mostly for storage and where power units for heat and cooling are located. But it also houses the Dunleavy wine cellar, which is quite large. The second story is all family bedrooms, with a wing for guests. There are quite a few rooms not in use at this time. The Grand Ballroom is on the third floor. It’s quite magnificent. Anytime you want a tour of the property, just let me know.”

  The elevator stopped and opened into the hall above.

  “These two suites are adjoining,” Ruth said, as she led them down the hall and then into the rooms. “This one is yours,” she told Wyrick.

  “This room is amazing,” Wyrick said, looking up.

  The ceilings had to be at least thirty feet high, and the dark green draperies over the tall arched windows were velvet. The living area had a massive stone fireplace, a long sectional sofa covered in some kind of dark leather, with dozens of colorful throws and pillows scattered along the length of it. The armchairs were leather, too, in an oxblood red, while a huge wrought iron chandelier hung from the ceiling, lit with bulbs made to look like candles. A long table with six chairs stood at the other end of the room.

  Ruth showed them down a short hall and into the bedroom, where a massive four-poster bed with a gold-and-green velvet canopy dominated the room.

  Ruth beamed, as if she was solely responsible for the elegance. “Your en suite bath is through those doors, and the dresser and wardrobe are empty, so feel free to use them as needed.”

  “It’s like a fairy-tale room for a princess,” Wyrick said.

  Charlie hid a smile as Wyrick put down her bags and wandered off to inspect the bathroom, and then he heard what almost sounded like a squeal before she hurried back.

  “Biggest claw-foot bathtub I ever saw,” she said.

  “Yes, ma’am.” Ruth nodded. “It’s French, and an antique. Bathtubs in medieval Ireland weren’t what one would call comfortably functional. The family chose beauty and elegance over authenticity there. All the bath salts and bubble baths are there to enjoy, as well.”

  Charlie arched an eyebrow at Wyrick’s delight, and when she saw it, she glowered, only to have Charlie mouth, You promised. She had a feeling she was going to regret that.

  “Mr. Dodge, your suite is right through this door,” Ruth said and led them into an identical room, with the same decor as the one Wyrick had been given. “As you’ll notice, your adjoining door has different dead bolts, so neither occupant can go into the other room without both parties unlocking it from their side. Privacy first,” Ruth said.

  “Part of me feels like I just stepped back in time,” Charlie said. “It’s really impressive.”

  Ruth smiled again. “If you need anything, pick up the phone. As I mentioned, the star button or the number nine will reach the staff,” Ruth told them and then left.

  “I’m going to unpack now,” Wyrick said.

  She’d been in the midst of new research on Miranda Deutsch and then Wilma Short, and wanted to get back to it, but first things first.

  She hung up her clothes, then took the bag with her equipment to the sitting area and began setting it up on the long table.

  As soon as she was up and running, she retrieved the files she needed, and was about to begin when her phone signaled a text. She frowned when she saw it was from Merlin.

  Two men came to my door this evening asking for you. I told them you had been here for a brief visit, but that you were already gone. I have security footage of them talking to me if you’re interested.

  “Son of a bitch!” She slapped the phone down on the desk, then leaned back in her chair and shut down her thoughts so she could be calm enough to shed the anger.

  Within seconds she heard footsteps. Charlie must have heard her curse. Without turning around, she threw her arms up in the air and shouted, “I’m fine!”

  The footsteps stopped. She was willing him to leave, and when he did, she picked up her phone and sent back a message.

  I’m interested. Hang on to it until I get back. I’m sorry that happened. I should not have gone to your place. I will move out when I return.

  About three minutes later he responded.

  I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that. And they won’t be back. I have searchlights mounted on top of the roof. I might even have turned them on to strobe function as they were driving out. It’s quite the sight. Makes the place look like the yard of a penitentiary during an inmate escape. And I might have used the remote to shut the iron gates on the back end of their car as they were leaving.

  Wyrick almost smiled at that, and the tension in her stomach was already fading.

  She sent one last text back.

  I owe you one.

  She took a deep breath, then got up. When she turned around, there was an ice bucket and a drinking glass on the counter that hadn’t been there before, and an unopened can of Pepsi beside it.

  Charlie.

  She filled the glass half-full of ice, poured in some Pepsi, then carried it to the window and pushed back the drapes. She took her first sip looking out at the front of the estate and wondered what it must be like to be so grounded in your ethnicity that you’d chosen to replicate an Irish castle, reminiscent of your Celtic roots.

  She tried to imagine what kind of house she would build that fit who she was and where she’d come from, and then realized there was nothing but a laboratory. The rest of her memories were so far removed from her reality they might as well have been holograms.

  I am a freak. An experiment. I don’t have family. I don’t belong to anyone. I don’t belong anywhere.

  Charlie’s voice was right behind her. She turned abruptly, startled that he’d been able to sneak up on her, then she saw he was in his sock feet.

  “Am I in danger here or am I allowed to speak?” he asked.

  She narrowed her eyes. “You took off your shoes.”

  “Yes. No shoes is one of my small passions. Stop changing the subject. What happened?”

  “I got a text from my landlord. They found me again.”

  Charlie frowned. “Does that mean you have to move?”

  “I nee
d to get back to the Wilma Short file,” she said instead of answering.

  Charlie didn’t bother with a second question. Good. She was through sharing.

  She took her Pepsi, sat down at the computer and was soon deep into background checks.

  Charlie watched her long enough that it bothered him how invested he was becoming in her personal life, and then went back to his laptop and began pulling up everything he could find on Jason Dunleavy. Neither the family nor the police knew if the incidents involving Jason and Carter were connected. The odds were strong that they were, but not necessarily a given.

  Sixteen

  Miranda Deutsch dressed in black for the dinner with her father, as an homage to the grief of her breakup. But this wasn’t just any little black dress. It was a purchase from the now-defunct trousseau. She’d pictured Jason being the first one to see her in it, but now it seemed fitting it was her father, instead.

  Johannes was her constant, her touchstone. He’d fought her battles with her, and sometimes for her, and without judgment. He was always there for her, and she’d taken that for granted. But no more. His words had shaken her out of being the aggressor in relationships. From now on, men came to her, or not at all.

  She took one last look in the mirror, blew herself a kiss, then dropped a tube of lipstick into a Judith Leiber evening bag—a bejeweled replica of a Yorkie—that her father had given her last Christmas.

  Johannes was standing at the windows overlooking the gardens, and for a moment, she thought he looked sad.

  “I’m ready,” she announced, but his delighted smile as he turned around proved her wrong.

  “Miranda! You look beautiful! If only your mother had lived to see you grow up. She would have been so proud.”

  She loved the mention of her mother because they were rare.

  “Thank you, Father.”

  Johannes slipped his hand beneath her elbow. “The car is waiting. We are going to have a wonderful evening together and I hope you are hungry.”

  “I’m starving,” she said.

  He smiled. “Then we’ll have to do something about that!”

  The sun was less than an hour away from sunset when they exited the house. The chauffeur was standing outside the car.

  “We’re taking the limo?” Miranda asked.

  “Only the biggest and best for my girl,” Johannes said.

  Their chauffeur opened the door for them.

  “Good evening, sir. Good evening, Miss Miranda.”

  “Good evening, Perkins. We’ll be going to Morton’s tonight,” Johannes said.

  Miranda stepped into the limo, then settled in the middle of the backseat.

  Johannes slid in beside her as Perkins shut the door.

  “I trust the steakhouse suits you,” Johannes said, as the chauffeur got into the car.

  “Father! It’s Morton’s! Five-star service and steak to die for! Of course it suits me,” she said.

  “I want nothing but the best for you, and if you’re happy, then I’m happy.”

  Miranda leaned against his shoulder as they drove away. The houses became a blur as the limo went faster, and she imagined herself throwing the remnants of her broken dreams out the window and watching them blow away.

  * * *

  Carter was happy to be home, even though his situation had not improved. He still didn’t know who was after him, and now Jason had been targeted, too.

  He was in his room getting ready for dinner when it occurred to him that he should have given Charlie and Wyrick a heads-up about meals, and quickly rang Charlie’s suite.

  Charlie was doing background checks on the gardening and maintenance staff when the house phone rang. He reached across his laptop to answer.

  “Hello.”

  “Charlie, my apologies, but I completely forgot to tell you about mealtimes. We eat breakfast at 8:00 a.m., lunch at noon and dinner at 7:00 p.m.”

  Charlie glanced at the time. “That’s in twenty minutes.”

  “I know. Would you please tell Wyrick for me, and apologize for the late notice?”

  “Sure, but this place is huge. Where’s the dining room?”

  Carter laughed. “There are actually three. I’ll meet you at the foot of the stairs at seven, and escort you there.”

  “Okay. See you shortly,” Charlie said, then shut down his laptop.

  The door between their suites was still open, so Charlie walked to the threshold and looked across the room. Wyrick was at the computer. He’d seen that focused expression before; instead of barging in and startling her, he knocked.

  “Come on in,” she said without looking up.

  “Carter just called. Dinner is at seven. We’re supposed to meet him at the foot of the stairs. He’ll escort us to the dining room, and he sends his apologies for the short notice.”

  She finally raised her head. “We can’t find a dining room by ourselves?”

  Charlie shrugged. “He said there are three of them.”

  She hit Save, closed the laptop on which she’d been working and stood.

  “I have to change. Close the door on your way out.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said and pulled it shut.

  Wyrick went straight to the bedroom, chose an outfit from the closet, then went to the bathroom to put on makeup. Normally, it took her twenty minutes just to do her eyes, but tonight she was on speed dial. Not a problem.

  * * *

  Twenty minutes later, Charlie knocked on their adjoining door and when she opened it, for a moment he forgot to breathe.

  She was stunning. The gold and green eye shadows she’d blended together made her dark eyes look huge, and the gold sparkles on her eyelashes caught the light every time she blinked. He’d never seen her in a dress, but it was no less daring than the other outfits she wore to work. The fabric, at least what there was of it, was gold lamé, and clung to her body like a second skin. The hem of the dress stopped a good four inches above her knees, leaving her long legs bare all the way to her gold three-inch heels.

  The deep V would have called attention to her missing breasts, except for the fact that the entire head of a fire-breathing dragon was framed within that space.

  “Way to show me up,” he murmured as they left the room.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, but she’d already given Charlie Dodge a mental thumbs-up on style, and tonight was no exception.

  He’d gone for dressy casual in gray slacks, a pale blue shirt he wore open at the collar and a gray-and-blue-plaid sport coat. Despite her three-inch heels, he still towered above her.

  As promised, Carter was waiting. He saw them appear, and then watched them descending the stairs in silent awe. Wyrick was stunning.

  “Good evening, Miss Wyrick, Charlie. My apologies again for the short notice. I hope you’re hungry. Chef Peter was all excited to be cooking for guests, and from the wonderful aromas, I think we’re in for a treat.”

  Everyone else was already seated as they entered the room.

  “Good evening, family. Charlie and Miss Wyrick are with me, and will be dining with us until their work here is done.”

  “Hello again,” Edward said, smiling.

  She smiled back. “Just call me Wyrick.”

  “Welcome to our table,” Dina said, but her gaze was locked on that dragon head, and for once, Kenneth was speechless.

  Carter hid a grin as he seated Wyrick, then Charlie in the next chair down. He’d never seen his sister at a loss for words, and it didn’t last long.

  Dina said, “Miss... I mean Wyrick, your tattoo is—”

  “Striking!” Kenneth interjected.

  “Um...yes, striking,” Dina agreed. “Um...was it painful...having it done, I mean?”

  “Not as much as when they removed my breasts,” Wyrick said and then smiled.


  Dina flushed. “Oh, my God. I am sorry. That was appallingly thoughtless of me. I think I was so struck by the power of it that I forgot my manners. You’re a beautiful woman. That’s all I mean.”

  And because Wyrick knew that was a big deal coming from this woman, she accepted the compliment graciously.

  Charlie was still in a bit of shock. He’d never seen Wyrick in a social setting of any kind, and not only was she comfortable, she was nailing it.

  And to everyone’s relief, as the meal service began, her friendliness lightened the mood.

  * * *

  After dinner, the Dunleavys moved to the library, following their tradition of nightcaps. Wyrick was sitting beside Edward again, revealing a side of her that Charlie had never seen. She was holding the cold soda she’d requested without taking a sip, letting it go warm in her hands as they talked.

  Charlie was still nursing his single shot of bourbon, while Carter had opted for a beer. He wasn’t much of a beer man, but it was a safe choice because he’d also been the one to remove the cap.

  After a few minutes, Wyrick caught Charlie’s attention. He read the look. She was ready to quit the party, so he set his drink aside.

  “Wyrick and I want to thank you for a great meal and wonderful company. We’ll see you in the morning. Carter, if it’s okay with you, I need to talk to Jason after breakfast.”

  “Of course,” Carter said. “Rest well.”

  Wyrick touched Edward’s shoulder. “Good night.”

  “And a good night to you,” he said.

  “Oh, I forgot to tell you Mack Doolin left Dallas,” Charlie said as they walked back to their rooms.

  “How do you know that?” she asked.

  “Don’t trust the bastard, so I had him followed.”

  “Why?” she asked, pausing outside her door.

  “Because he pissed me off. If you need anything, knock. Otherwise I’ll be in bed.” Then he went into his suite and closed the door.

  Wyrick locked herself in her own suite, then locked Charlie out at their adjoining door. Showering off her makeup every night was like shedding the skin of her public self. By the time she got into bed, she was Jade again. She thought about what she wanted to release, then consciously saw all of it in her mind, like pages in a book. One by one, she mentally threw them away. The last page in her memory was of Charlie, pulling her off Mack Doolin in unapologetic anger. That one she was going to keep. She brought the covers up beneath her chin, and within seconds, was in a deep and healing sleep.