Chapter Thirty

“How did this happen?” Jamie asked Cookie. “How could Boxer just grab her like that?”

Jamie reminded herself to remain calm behind the wheel. Her tires churned over the sand as she left their brief beach retreat. Deuce remained pouting in the back seat, unhappy that his frolicking had been cut short. Cookie reached behind his seat to pet him, but Deuce ignored the affection. He had suddenly taken on the disposition of a cat.

“It had to have been when Becky wasn’t around or maybe when she was somewhere else,” Cookie offered. “I don’t have Becky’s cell number, do you?”

“No. And I don’t know that she would be able to call me, either, if she saw this go down. We’ll head over to the senior center and see what she knows since we need to get the journals now.”

Jamie picked up speed once she was back on proper roads, passing cars whenever possible without driving so fast as to garner a ticket. Her heart rate quickened so much that she felt as if she had been running a race even though her body remained still in the driver’s seat. She gripped the steering wheel so tightly that her nails dug into the padding.

Jamie had barely put her car in park before opening the car door. She reached behind the back seat to lift Deuce then placed him on the concrete. Small scatterings of sand fell off his paws. The pup followed Cookie and Jamie inside, where the furry sidekick was promptly greeted by adoring seniors.

“What an adorable dog!” The lady who bent over Deuce had a sweet face and wore a brightly colored caftan. Jamie would have guessed her to be in her mid-seventies. The woman was dressed for lounging.

“Would you mind watching him for a few minutes?” Jamie asked. “I need to speak to Becky real quick.”

“Of course, honey. I think she’s in the back. What’s your dog’s name?”

“Deuce.”

The lady smiled at learning his name. “Perfect name to be hanging out here with this group of old gamblers.”

Jamie left Deuce in good hands and found that Cookie had already walked to Erin’s back office. He was standing next to Becky, who leaned against the doorjamb, her hand over her mouth in disbelief.

“I didn’t see anything.” Becky’s voice cracked from panic. “They must have grabbed her from home or while she was out somewhere. I didn’t know, Jamie.” Becky wasn’t one to show her emotions, but Jamie knew how protective she was of Erin.

Jamie worked to calm her down. “This isn’t your fault, okay?” She reached her hand toward Becky but didn’t touch her. “I just need to know when you saw her last. What time was she supposed to be in?”

Becky took several deep breaths, her eyes studying the ceiling. “I saw her last night after we closed the books. She left here about ten. She said she’d be in tonight so I wasn’t worried that she wasn’t here today.”

“Cookie, can you go ask around out in the lobby? See if any of the seniors saw Erin at all today? Or anyone suspicious?”

“You got it,” he said, walking back out toward the main lobby.

“Becky, I need to get something out of the safe. I left something here, and I need your help to get it out. Do you know the code?”

Becky hesitated. “Yes, but…”

“Becky, they want what’s inside that safe, and it’s mine to give, okay? Erin was just holding it for me, and they’ll let her go if I give them what they want.”

Becky walked toward Erin’s office with Jamie following close behind. With a flip of the switch by the door, light flooded the space. Becky moved toward the lamp on Erin’s desk and lifted it, retrieving a key from underneath. She then took the key to the desk, bent down, and unlocked the middle drawer. It was as though Becky didn’t want to sit in Erin’s chair or occupy the space because she knew Erin should be there.

From inside, Becky retrieved a small green journal. “She changes the codes every so often and writes clues down here,” she explained, her voice peppered with a solemnness Jamie had never heard. “She usually leaves clues about what the numbers are—things I would understand. So the book just looks like words and phrases, no numbers. It’s her own little security hack.”

Jamie could see the worry on Becky’s face. “We’re going to get her back, Becky. You hear me?”

Becky’s expression was one of wanting to have hope but not completely believing Jamie’s words. She led Jamie back to the storage room, with Jamie closing the door behind them before the duo worked to move the table, the supplies, and the rug covering the safe’s location. Jamie remembered kneeling by Erin not long ago to place the journals there for safekeeping, and now she had to retrieve them to barter for Erin’s life.

Jamie stood back, giving Becky privacy while she typed in the code. The lock clicked twice and released. Becky opened the door and signaled to Jamie, who knelt down to take the journals from their secret place. She quickly tucked them inside her bag and stood back to let Becky secure the other contents in the safe. They returned the room to its previous status, neatly stacking the office and cleaning supplies and putting the rug back where it belonged.

The two walked back to the main lobby to find Cookie, who was surrounded by a group of admiring seniors in what appeared to be small talk. Deuce looked to be in a trance of joy, eating up all the affection Erin’s patrons offered him.

Jamie walked toward Cookie and inserted herself into the group. “Anything?” she asked simply, not wanting to say too much that would worry the ladies.

“No on both counts,” he replied. “Do you have everything?”

She nodded. “We’re good.” She turned to Becky. “Would you mind looking after Deuce for a bit while we’re out? He looks like he’s in doggy heaven.”

“Sure, but are you sure you don’t need me? I can’t just sit here and do nothing.”

“You won’t be doing nothing, Becky,” Jamie replied. “You’ve just given us what we need to get Erin back, and we need you here in case someone shows up.” She looked down at her pup. “So, you can keep Deuce?”

Becky smiled for the first time since they had arrived. “Love to. He can keep my mind off of… things.”

Jamie left her fur baby surrounded by admirers while she and Cookie slipped out of the lobby and headed to the car. The weight of the journals felt heavy, not in a physical sense but because they were worth Erin’s safety. Jamie placed them next to Cookie’s feet on the passenger’s side of the car.

“Okay, so we have the journals,” Cookie said. “Now what do we do?”

“I think we might need some reinforcements.” She locked eyes with him, waiting for him to understand her meaning.

When he did, he seemed unconvinced. “You mean get the Deltones involved? Are you kidding me?”

Jamie turned to face Cookie and put her hand on his forearm. “Listen to me, Cookie. We can’t do this without help. What if they get the journals and then they kill all of us? Why wouldn’t they? Boxer has no honor, and neither does Brian.”

“Do you really think Brian would let that happen to you? You’re family.”

“If he wasn’t willing to protect Kristen, why would he protect me?” She inhaled deeply and let out a sigh. “Plus, the Deltones have played straight. We know they weren’t responsible for Kristen or Manny’s deaths. You believe that, right?”

Cookie begrudgingly nodded but said nothing.

“If that’s true, how can we hand over all their secrets to the Acunas? They’re the ones who took our family from us, Cookie. You know that. How can we give them the journals after what they’ve done? So, they don’t have to pay for anything? I can’t live with that.”

Jamie watched Cookie’s expression soften. “You’re right. I know you’re right. I just don’t like it.”

“I don’t, either,” she said, “but I don’t see any other way.” She reached into her bag, touched the journals for comfort, then pulled out her phone. “I’m going to call Marissa’s abuela to schedule a meet.”

Cookie nodded, while Jamie looked up the retirement home’s phone number. Any ideas she’d once had about how such crime families worked went out the window after the meeting in Abuela Deltone’s retirement home.

“Mrs. Deltone?” Jamie asked. “I need your help to save a friend.”