home.
And that’s it.
I’m still wearing last night’s make-up and underwear, which can mean only one thing—Ayden must have put me to bed.
He will always be the one to take care of me. I have come to believe that I have a guardian Angel; the fact is—I have two. One of this world and another … another who looks down on me from the stars above, and keeps me from harm. What a charmed life I lead.
As I jump up and make my way to the shower, it’s with a spring in my step and a song in my heart—it’s Izzy Marie Hill singing, “Luckiest Girl in the World.” The spray hits my face and I mumble the chorus feeling cleansed of my sins. Our bond of trust has been restored and a new chapter in the story of us is about to begin.
Wearing elasticated jeans with a side zip and a pale pink, oversized, smock top, I leave our bedroom in search of Ayden. The door to his office is ajar and Lester is spelling out the results of his report about who betrayed us. Not wanting to be left out, I push open the door, half expecting Ayden to change the subject to something less worrying. He doesn’t. Instead he stands and beckons me onto his office chair, stands and rests against the corner of the desk to my right.
“Carry on, Lester… you were saying…?”
Lester glances over at me nervously.
“Don’t worry about Beth, I think we’re all aware that she’s a big girl now and not easily fazed.”
I respond to his wink with a startled look.
Now that’s a first.
“As I was saying… I have interviewed each crew member, one by one, and can safely say that none of them gave away Mrs. Stone’s location.” He is adamant.
“What about the doc?” Ayden asks, biting his lip.
“No signs of him letting the cat out of the bag either. The only call he made was on the night of the attack, when he called you. Other than that there was no record of him communicating with the outside world through email or any other means. Looks like he was too busy having a good time.”
The two men share an in-joke; I pretend I haven’t noticed.
“That just leaves the journalist…”
“Right. I haven’t had a chance to catch up with her yet. She left before it went down and isn’t answering her phone—“
“—she isn’t answering her phone?” I ask, finding it hard to believe she would want me to come to any harm.
“That’s right, Mrs. Stone—“
Ayden is quick to interject. “Then you need to find her, Lester. She might know more than she’s been letting on.”
I keep my eyes on the floor but cannot help but shake my head. “I’ll be so shocked if it’s her.”
“The price might have been right, Mrs. Stone. It’s seems very convenient that she was out of the way when the shit hit the fan … sorry, I mean things took a turn for the worse.” He clears his throat. “I’ll go over to her apartment this afternoon and see what I can find out. She might be lying low somewhere or off to South America spending her blood money. Who knows?”
Ayden is nodding in agreement. “This is true.” He stands upright, indicating that Lester should be going about his business. “Just let me know what you find out. I’d like to speak to her before we hand her over to Pendleton and his crowd.”
“Very well.” Lester moves towards the door. “There was one other thing… “
Ayden rocks back onto the desk. “Yes?”
“Just suppose Sam Bellamy wasn’t their informant… Is there anyone else I should know about who might have had knowledge of Mrs. Stone’s whereabouts?”
Ayden considers who that person might be. “Only one.”
“Yes?”
“Charlotte.”
There is a silent pause. It causes both Lester and me to turn our heads in Ayden’s direction.
“But she’s not a suspect,” Ayden declares, unwilling to even entertain the idea.
There is a collective sigh.
“Even so, I’ll have her bank account checked for any large deposits made over the past month, if that’s okay?”
Reluctantly Ayden nods. ”Keep it discreet, for God’s sake. She’ll have me strung up if she ever finds out I even suspected her.”
Lester sneers. “Okay.” Before leaving he looks in my direction. “How are you feeling, Mrs. Stone, after your ordeal?”
I reward his concern with a smile. “Very well, thank you. I’m glad to be back in one piece.”
He nods in agreement and leaves, closing the door behind him. Ayden is about to pace