Missing in Jinx Cove

by Savannah Mae

  Juliana blurted, “We need a place to stay tonight. The people across the street said you’d let us stay at your place.”

  Calypso reached for a pot to throw at her, but Lyra grabbed her arm before she hoisted it across the room.

  Chapter 9: The Abney Family

  Ben hadn’t stopped smiling since they’d left Abracajava.

  “I’m glad you’re happy. I wish I could say the same for me,” Melanie mused.

  “Happiness is a choice,” Ben said with a laugh because he knew she hated it when he quoted Facebook memes to her. “I choose to be happy.”

  She shot a glare at him. “The only reason you’re happy is because some pretty girl thought you were cute.”

  He shrugged. “What’s wrong with that?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Everything. You know how you are. You let that stuff go to your head, then, I have to watch you gloat for months.”

  He shook his head. “Not this time because I won’t be here. If you want to see me gloat, you’ll have to follow me on social media or look for me in the next blockbuster movie.”

  “Unbelievable,” she muttered. “You already act like you’re a superstar and we haven’t even left town yet.”

  He reached over and squeezed her hand. “Yeah but think about how cute you’ll look in my car while I’m gone. You always wanted to get your hands on this vehicle. Whatever you do, promise me you won’t get a scratch on her. This is my baby.”

  She snorted. “This is a Honda Accord, not a Mercedes.”

  Ben looked in the rearview mirror as a car sped up behind them. “Slow down.”

  She turned to see. “Who is that?”

  He gunned the gas. “I don’t know, but I can already tell I don’t like him.”

  The car kept up the pace with them.

  “I can’t see who it is. The windows are tinted,” Melanie said as panic set in.

  “Can you see the plates?” he asked as he switched lanes.

  They moved behind him.

  “There’s no front plate,” she said. “Why are they so close to us?” She pulled down the visor to watch them in the mirror. “Should we call the police? Maybe they’re drunk or serial killers. Or worse, what if they’re the kidnappers?”

  He switched lanes again.

  The car sped up, bumping their rear bumper.

  “Whoa!” Ben jerked the wheel. “What’s wrong with this guy?” He swerved the car onto the side of the road.

  “What are you doing?” she yelled.

  They watched as the car moved up next to them.

  “Go around,” Ben yelled.

  Melanie held onto her seat. “What is this? What do they want with us?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know.”

  “What do we do?”

  He slammed on the brakes. “Call the police.”

  She pulled out her cell phone and waved it in the air, shouting, “I’m calling the police! They’ll arrest you!”

  The car stopped.

  “Dial,” Ben said as he grabbed the door handle and pulled. “Stay here. I need to see what this guy’s problem is.”

  Her hands shook as she dialed 9-1-1. “Wait for the police to come.”

  He didn’t listen. He approached the car and reached for the driver’s side door handle, but the car sped off before he could get his hands on it.

  As the dispatcher answered the line, Melanie read off the license plate number.

  “I’m sorry. What’s your emergency?” the dispatcher said.

  “This is Melanie Abney. There’s a black car. It followed us on County Road 22. It bumped into us.” She stopped as Ben got back in the car, breathless.

  “Did you get the license plate number?” he asked.

  The dispatcher said, “You were in an accident? Is anyone hurt?”

  She explained what happened. When she was done, she smacked Ben’s arm. “I told you to wait for the police. That guy could have run you over.”

  “Are they on the way?” he asked as he fought to control his breathing.

  She nodded. “Yes. They said to wait here for them.”

  He checked the time on his phone. “I’ll miss my flight. Maybe we should go. The guy’s gone now, so we don’t have anything to worry about.”

  She shook her head. “We can’t leave. They said to stay here. One of us is already on their radar. Do we need to add more suspicion?”

  He punched the steering wheel. “I can’t believe this. What was his problem? Have you ever seen that car before?”

  “No. I don’t think so,” she answered.

  “It had in-state plates.” He leaned his head on the steering wheel and closed his eyes. “I need to get out of here. The more time I spend in Jinx Cove, the worse things get. This Hollywood thing is a sign.”

  “A sign of what? That you’re desperate to leave your life and sell your soul for fame and fortune?” She made her disdain for his sudden interest in L.A. known every chance she got since he announced his big decision. “I don’t understand why you want to do this. Those shows are fake. What you see on television is a sham. Wait until your face is plastered all over the tabloids. You’ll wish you’d never left Jinx Cove.”

  He sighed.

  “Go ahead. Say what you have to say. Say something to prove me wrong,” she challenged him.

  He chuckled. “I don’t want to prove you wrong. I don’t have to. Nature handles that on its own.” He squinted to see something in the rearview mirror. “I see flashing lights. The cavalry is here.”

  She turned to see. “Good. Maybe there’s still time to catch the guy.” She giggled as she thought about the irony. “Hey, so about not scratching your car. I guess that idea is null and void now since you violated your own rule.”

  He narrowed his eyes at her. “Don’t even try it. If I ask you to take care of my baby, I mean guard it with your life.”

  A police cruiser pulled up behind them.

  “Oh, great. It’s Eddie,” Ben groaned. “He doesn’t have a clue what to do. Who gave him a badge?” He lowered the window as the deputy approached. “Hello.”

  Eddie said, “Step out of the vehicle, please.”

  “Hi, Eddie,” Melanie said with a wave.

  He nodded. “Driver, step out of the vehicle.”

  “What? We called you. Bad day? Did our call wake you from your nap behind the courthouse?” Ben teased.

  “Don’t make me ask you again, man. Get out of the car now and keep your hands where I can see them,” he ordered.

  Chapter 10: The Montoya Sisters

  Juliana hung up the phone and threw herself on the bed, face first.

  “Well?” I asked. “What did she say?”

  “Nothing,” she mumbled.

  I glanced at the pile of pillows next to her and contemplated what it would be like to be an only child.

  “You told her about what happened to us and she didn’t have anything to say about it? Are you sure you spoke to our mother because the woman I know would have thrown a hissy fit?”

  She rolled onto her back. “Yes, it was her. She didn’t have much to say. She’s busy, I guess.”

  Again, with no explanation. A classic move from my clueless older sister.

  “Hey, do you have a minute? This is kind of important,” I urged.

  She sat up and checked her reflection in the bureau mirror. “Good. At least, I don’t look like I’m on the worst vacation ever.”

  “Focus!” I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. “What did she say? Tell me everything. Does she know how to get us out of here faster?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t think so. Why? What are you worried about? The sisters let us stay, so we’re good.”

  A knock on the door stood between me and a jail sentence.

  “Girls?”

  I recognized the voice as Lyra’s, the nicer Jinx sister. “We usually have dinner at 6. Feel free to come down and eat with us, if you’d like.”

  “That depends. What’s for dinner? I�
�m on a diet,” Juliana said.

  It was a reflex. When my palm hit the back of her head, she yelled, “Mom!”

  “What was that?” Lyra sounded concerned.

  “Nothing. We’re fine. Thank you for the offer. I think we’ll take you up on that. Let us know if there’s any way we can help, please,” I offered.

  She hesitated as someone else spoke to her. When they were done, she said, “Don’t worry about it. Calypso handles the chopping duties for us. Calliope makes dessert. We have a system.”

  I volunteered my sister. “Juliana loves to chop vegetables. Her knife skills are impressive. Why don’t you let her help? It’s the least we can do for all you’ve done for us.”

  Juliana glared at me, whispering, “I don’t cook.”

  I waited for Lyra to walk away before I explained, “You saw the way Calypso glared at us. She hates us. Do you want her anywhere near a knife? I don’t. Besides, if Mom heard you say you don’t cook, she’d have a heart attack. I don’t know why you pretend you’re so much better than anyone else. We never had maids or cooks. We made dinner as a family. You can do plenty in the kitchen. You’re just lazy.”

  She threw herself back on the bed. “She’s in a play. Tonight’s opening night.”

  “Who?” I asked.

  “Mom. That’s why she didn’t have much to say. She was in rehearsal,” she explained. “I told her we’d rent a car in the morning and head back.”

  “I guess that’s the plan then. We’re stuck here all night.” I looked around the room. It was impeccably designed. The sisters had nice taste. “It’s better than a hotel room.”

  Juliana mumbled a response as her eyelids fluttered and she drifted off to sleep. I felt bad for being so mean to her. She might have been a knucklehead, but she was still my sister and we’d just been through the worst ordeal of our lives. I made a promise to myself to treat her better when she woke up.

  I slipped off my bed and tiptoed to the adjoining bathroom. It was equipped with a Japanese soaking tub and a separate rain head shower. “This place is heaven,” I whispered as I turned the faucet on in the tub. “A bath will do the trick.” I quickly undressed and sank into the warm suds.

  Just as I got settled, a shrill scream erupted from downstairs.

  “Arrested! Why?” someone yelled.

  I jumped up and bolted for the door, straining to hear.

  Juliana called out, “What is that noise?”

  I wrapped a large bath towel around my body and poked my head out the door. “Shh! That’s someone downstairs. I think she said someone got arrested.”

  “For our kidnapping?” She wiped her eyes. “Let’s go find out.” She ran out of the room.

  “Wait. I’m not dressed,” I protested, but she didn’t care. She came back and pulled me with her.

  When we walked downstairs, the conversation between the sisters stopped.

  Calypso looked me up and down. “No.” She pointed up the stairs. “Not in my house you don’t. What you do in your fancy Hollywood life is your business, but you won’t—”

  Lyra stopped her. “Leave it alone. It’s a marked improvement from what you make us witness daily.” She motioned for me to join them. “Don’t mind her. She’s cranky because she’s old.”

  “You’re older than I am,” Calypso retorted.

  “But I’m nicer, so there,” Lyra answered with a wink. “Join us, girls. You’ll want to hear this.”

  A coat rack was next to the front entrance. I grabbed a long, black duster and draped it over my shoulders.

  Calypso groaned, “Sure. Feel free to wear my clothes, why don’t you? I mean, it’s not like I haven’t already sacrificed enough for you. I let you stay here. Apparently, you rode in my car. Why not wear my clothes while you’re on a roll?”

  Lyra warned her again, “Leave the poor girl alone.”

  “What happened?” Juliana asked. “Who got arrested?”

  Calliope cleared her throat. “That’s a little complicated to explain. We heard it second hand, so some of the facts might be tainted.”

  “Okay. What can you tell us, then?” I asked.

  Calypso threw her hands in the air and said, “They arrested Ben. Don’t make me say it again because, I swear, I want to rip someone’s head off their neck for this. How dumb do you have to be to arrest someone like him? He’d never hurt anyone.”

  “Ben? The cute guy from the coffee shop?” Juliana asked. “Why? What did he do?”

  I groaned, “You sure know how to pick them, don’t you? Of course, you flirted with one of the guys who kidnapped us. That’s your style. Flirt with the enemy.”

  She shook her head. “He didn’t do it.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “You need to buy a dictionary because your definition of flirting is wrong.”

  “He didn’t kidnap you,” Calypso snapped at me. “Did you not hear what I said? He’d never do anything to anyone. It’s a setup.”

  “By who?” Lyra asked.

  She narrowed her eyes at her. “By the jealous, yellow-bellied stooge.”

  “Who is that?” I asked.

  She looked at her sisters. “That’s for me to know and you to keep your pretty little noses out of until I settle a score with them. Now, give me my coat, so I can get to work.”

  I handed the duster to her. “Work? What kind of work?”

  She shook her head and stormed out of the house without another word.

  “Calypso Jinx, you, stop right there!” Lyra yelled as the front door slammed shut in her face.

  Chapter 11: The Jinx Sisters

  Calypso had already backed the car out of the driveway by the time Lyra and Calliope caught up with her.

  “You don’t have to come with me. I can handle matters on my own,” she groaned as her sisters climbed into the car. “Besides, one of you needs to stay here to watch the Barbie dolls. We already know one of them is a thief.”

  Lyra pulled the keys out of the ignition. “I didn’t want to do this, but you’ve forced me into this position. Number one, you have no right to call those girls names. In case you forgot, they are victims of a horrendous crime. Yes, so are you. Before you even say anything, let’s establish that, but what you experienced is no way as bad as what they’ve been through, so don’t you dare take your anger out on them.”

  Calypso and Calliope stared at her in disbelief for several seconds before Calliope couldn’t stand it anymore.

  “Bravo. That was an excellent speech, but there’s one tiny flaw with your argument,” she said.

  “What’s that?” Lyra asked.

  “I mean two-hundred-and-fifty thousand little problems.”

  “The money?” Lyra groaned. “I forgot about that and the gun and the …” Her words trailed off.

  “The ski masks and the map,” Calliope chimed in. “We’re all traumatized. That’s why you have to think this through. You can’t go after a sheriff’s deputy without risking serious repercussions. We don’t know why Ben was arrested. From what I gathered, Melanie doesn’t know either. Let’s wait and find out what happened before we stir up more trouble.”

  Calypso rolled her eyes as the Montoya sisters stepped out the front door. “What do they want?”

  Lyra waved them over. “Hop in.”

  “I don’t want them to come with us,” Calypso said.

  “Too bad,” Lyra said. “It’s my car, so I decide who gets to ride with us.”

  Calliope asked, “Are we going to the sheriff’s office again?”

  Lyra shook her head. “Nope. We are on our way to Abracajava.”

  Juliana and Bea climbed in.

  “Nice to see you own clothes, Betty Sue,” Calypso said.

  “Bea,” Lyra corrected her.

  Calypso started the car. “I don’t need to know her name.” She sped out of the driveway, blocking a moving vehicle. The car honked at her. She waved her fist at the other driver. “Get out of my way. I’m on a mission.” When she righted the car, she glanced over her shoulder. �
�I’ll call you what I want to call you.”

  “Which is?” Bea challenged her.

  She clipped the curb as she made a right turn. “Sophie. You look like a Sophie to me. I used to know a redhead named Sophie.”

  Bea didn’t respond.

  “I never liked her. She thought she walked on water,” she completed her thought.

  Juliana giggled.

  Bea glared at her as she spoke to Lyra, “What do you want us to do?”

  Lyra shrugged. “I’m not sure yet. There might not be anything to do. I want to grab something, then we can go from there.”

  “Grab what?” Calypso asked. “What do you need that’s so important?”

  Lyra gave her a pointed look and said, “The book.”

  Calliope gasped. “Why?”

  “What book?” Juliana asked. “Are you part of a book club? I’m not much of a reader myself.”

  “Really? I’m shocked,” Calypso said.

  Lyra glared at her. “Don’t. What did I tell you?” She turned her head. “It’s a recipe book. I left it at the shop. We’ll pick it up and head home to make dinner. How does that sound?”

  Bea cocked an eyebrow at her. “And you needed us for that? What about Ben? I thought you wanted to find out what happened to him? How will a cookbook help?”

  Calypso slammed on the brakes. “That’s enough of this. We all know there’s something fishy about this whole kidnapping hoax. Let’s call it what it is and move forward because I won’t stand for any more shenanigans.”

  Lyra and Calliope exchanged concerned glances.

  “What do you mean? Our kidnapping wasn’t a hoax,” Juliana said.

  Bea spoke up, “I’m sorry, but when did you decide we made up what happened to us? We didn’t steal your car. We didn’t ask to be thrown into the trunk. Who would ask for that? And, I know for sure, we had nothing to do with whatever crawled up your—”

  Juliana interjected, “What she means is what do you have against us? If anything, I think we have more than enough cause to sue you for damages.”

  Everyone gasped.

  She continued, “Technically, we wouldn’t have been tied up and thrown into the trunk if it hadn’t been for you.” She pointed to Calypso.