Ryan reached for her hand and held it. “I’m sorry.”
Jennie shook her head. “Not … your … fault,” she managed to say.
The car slowed as Ryan pulled into a turnout. He retrieved a box of tissues from the backseat, handed her a few, and wrapped his arms around her. Everything broke loose inside and Jennie crumbled.
When the crying finally stopped, she drew in a long shuddering breath and withdrew from Ryan’s arms. The tears in his eyes almost started her crying again. She scrubbed her eyes against her palms and blew her nose. “I’m sorry.”
“You don’t need to be.”
“I got your shirt all wet.”
“It’s okay. It needed washing anyway.” He squeezed her hand. “Feel better?”
She nodded. Strangely, she did feel better. Embarrassed, but better. “We should get going before your mother thinks we’ve disappeared.”
“I feel so bad about this, Jen. I just wish there was something more I could do.”
“Me too. I mean, that I could do.” An idea rose and broke through her grief like a colorful balloon. She grasped Ryan’s arm. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before. Gram says nothing ever happens without a reason.”
“What are you talking about?” Ryan rebuckled his seat belt and merged into the highway.
“We thought we were coming down to the beach to see your mom and get your stuff, right?”
“That was the plan.”
“I think there’s another reason for our being here.”
“Which is?” Ryan cast her an I-think-you’re-losing-it look.
“We’re going to visit Anne and Cathy’s parents.”
“The Williams? Why?”
“I’m not sure. I’d like to ask them some questions. Maybe they’ve heard from Cathy. Who knows? If Cathy did take Hannah she may be there. She might even have Nick.”
“They’re nice people, Jen. They wouldn’t dream of breaking the law.”
“You’re probably right, but it still wouldn’t hurt to stop.”
“Okay, we’ll stop. I’ll have to call my mom and let her know we’ll be late.”
For the rest of the way to the Williams’ Bed and Breakfast, Jennie imagined a dozen different scenarios. She’d drive up and find the children playing in the yard. In another she and Ryan would sneak in after nightfall and peer into every room. Though the scenes differed, they all ended happily, with Nick spotting her and flying into her arms.
Darker, more sinister endings hung on the periphery of her mind, but Jennie refused to let them in. She had to think positively.
Mr. and Mrs. Williams, though surprised by their visit, were much warmer and friendlier than Jennie expected. She’d hoped to catch them red-handed. Doing what, Jennie wasn’t sure.
When they pulled into the driveway, Mr. Williams emerged from one of the many out buildings. He wiped his hands on a rag and apologized for smelling of turpentine. He’d been refinishing a solid oak table from the stash of furniture heaped in their antique store. The store had once been a carriage house and made an excellent place for guests to browse. Following Mr. Williams in, they found Mrs. Williams in the restored 1890 mansion, baking bread, which she’d be serving to their guests at the evening meal.
“Jennie. Ryan.” She pushed a lock of her nearly white hair off her forehead. “What a pleasant surprise. I do wish it were under better circumstances.” Her cheeks were red and flushed from the kitchen’s heat, reminding Jennie of Mom’s ceramic figurine of Mrs. Santa Claus. “Bob,” she turned to her husband. “Why don’t you show our guests into the parlor? I’ll fix some ice tea and cookies and I’ll be right in.”
While Mrs. Williams may have resembled Mrs. Claus, Mr. Williams bore little resemblance to Santa, except maybe in body type. Stern, strict, Jennie could see him as the type of parent who’d spank first and ask questions later.
Bob excused himself to clean up, leaving Jennie and Ryan alone. The parlor, along with the rest of the house, was classic Victorian. They’d restored the place as closely as possible to its original glory. The home had been a former senator’s vacation home. Although Jennie hadn’t stayed there, she’d read the brochure and visited a couple of times with Gram. The ten thousand square foot house now accommodated up to thirty guests comfortably. Plenty of room to hide a college student and two small children, Jennie thought.
“I’m so glad you’ve come. Anne has been keeping me informed and I watch every newscast, but it’s good to have someone here in person. Have you heard anything?”
“I’m afraid not.” Jennie accepted the ice tea and selected a chocolate chip cookie from a sculptured pink plate. “Thanks.”
The older woman sighed, offering the same to Ryan. “The sheriff came by this morning. He said they’re questioning everyone in both families. He even searched the inn and the grounds. Imagine thinking we’d have anything to do with taking those poor children. It’s inconceivable.” She shook her head. “Still, I suppose they need to ask, what with all the strange goings-on these days.” Clasping her hands together, she closed her eyes to fight back her tears. “I’m sorry. Hannah is our only grandchild. And Cathy … It’s so hard not knowing.”
Jennie shoved her ideas of the Williams being involved in a conspiracy with Anne and Cathy out of her head. If the sisters had taken Hannah—and Nick—Jennie doubted that Bob and Emily Williams knew about it.
“Mrs. Williams,” Jennie began, “did Anne ever mention that she and Chuck were having marital problems?”
The older woman frowned. “Now why would you ask that? You don’t think Chuck—” She left the sentence dangling.
“Last night Chuck and Anne were having an argument. I’m sure he hit her. She denied it, but it makes me wonder.” Jennie also wondered why Emily Williams was so quick to raise the question of Chuck’s guilt.
“Chuck Stuart is a fool,” Bob answered gruffly as he entered the room. He strode toward them and sat on a frail-looking velvet loveseat with ornately curved legs. Jennie expected the couch to crumble under his weight. It didn’t. “Never did like that boy.”
“Bob!” Emily chided, apparently chafing at the thought of having their family problems aired.
“Well, it’s true, Emily. We should never have let her marry him. I tried to warn her.” Bob glanced from his wife to Jennie and pinched his lips together.
“As if we could have stopped her.” Emily shifted in her chair so she faced Jennie more fully. “We’ve been concerned for a long time, Jennie. About a month ago, Anne told us she planned to end the marriage. Their trip to the coast was an attempt to work things out.”
“If you ask me, Chuck is behind this whole thing,” Bob said. “I wouldn’t put it past him to swipe Hannah in order to get back at Anne—to hurt all of us for that matter. Though, why he’d take your little brother is beyond me.”
It was beyond Jennie too. She’d come suspecting Anne and Cathy, but after talking to the Williams, Jennie was just as confused as ever. They said their good-byes to the older couple and continued their drive down the coast. Jennie pulled her shoulder strap forward and let it snap back. Nick, Cathy, and Hannah had vanished and Jennie had no idea what to do about it. Face it, McGrady, she told herself. You don’t have what it takes to be a detective. You don’t even know where to begin.
More than anything in the world, she wanted to find Nick, and of course Hannah and Cathy. The only problem was, in order to solve a problem, a person had to think about all the possibilities. Jennie didn’t want to do that. Thinking about what could have happened to Nick was just too painful. She shared her frustrations with Ryan. “It might be better if I just let it go. The police know what they’re doing. It’s hard to admit it, but maybe I should stop trying to investigate. Every time I do something, the police have already been there.”
“You’re worrying me, Jen. I’ve never known you to give up on anything.” When Jennie didn’t answer, he reached over and held her hand. “Why don’t we just try to relax for the rest of the day. We’ll walk on the beach, have dinner with my mom and dad, then drive back to Portland. Maybe tomorrow things will seem a little better.”
Jennie squeezed his hand. “Maybe.”
Around five o’clock, they pulled into Ryan’s driveway in Bay Village. Mrs. Johnson ran out of the house and hugged them both. One of the hardest things about a crisis, Jennie decided, was trying not to fall apart when people told you how concerned they were and how they’d been praying. Ryan’s mother did all of that, then wanted to know how everyone was doing. While Ryan excused himself to do some laundry and repack, Jennie dutifully gave her a report on the rest of the family.
“Your grandmother is a sly one,” Mrs. Johnson said. “We didn’t have a clue she was planning a wedding.”
“Actually, we didn’t either,” Jennie admitted. “It was a spur of the moment thing. J.B. just hustled her off to Europe and proposed.”
“I only got to meet him briefly, but he seemed like a nice man. Helen said he works for the FBI.”
Jennie nodded.
“I have to tell you, hon, I’ve been worried about Helen doing all that traveling alone. Having a husband around will be a steadying influence on her, don’t you think?”
Steadying influence? J.B.? In his line of work? Jennie doubted it, but didn’t say so. When Ryan came in, Jennie seized the opportunity to escape. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Mrs. Johnson, but at the moment, she couldn’t tolerate any more chatting. Besides, it seemed like a good idea to give Ryan and his mom a chance to be alone together.
Using the key Gram had left with the Johnsons, Jennie crossed the lawns and let herself into Gram’s house. She hadn’t been there in over a month. Memories of Gram’s disappearance and the missing diamonds assaulted her. They’d gone through some pretty frightening moments.
But you made it, McGrady. That’s the important thing. Maybe you didn’t have all the answers, but you didn’t give up. She sank into an oversized chair in front of the picture window that offered a view of the ocean. After staring at the waves for several minutes, she began to pray, but after a few minutes just sat in silence watching the waves crash against the rocks. Jennie had received no answers, but she did feel reassured and strangely at peace. Whatever happened she’d handle it.
The phone rang and Jennie answered. It was Gram.
“Jennie? Thank God I caught you.” The tension in Gram’s voice reached through the wires and wrapped itself around her chest like tentacles of an invisible monster.
“Gram?” Jennie gasped. “What’s wrong?”