At Wits' End - Kenzie Reed Page 0,82
website. Do you have the names of the subdivisions he’s built? Do you know what he was doing before, say, last year?’
“Our finance guy does. And Murray does.” Yeah, like he’d tell us anything negative when he’s got a small fortune riding on this deal going through.
I wonder if our real estate attorney, David Somerville, might know anything, but I doubt it. He read the original contract and advised us on some minor changes, and he’ll be there at the closing. That’s about it.
Rocco heaves an exasperated sigh. “I’m pretty busy right now with our monthly reports. And we’re preparing for a state inspection. Can I get back to you with that later?”
“Sure,” I say wearily. “I know you would have told me, but just in case, have you heard anything from my mother yet? I officially reported her missing this morning.”
“No, I would call you right away if I heard anything.” He clears his throat impatiently. “I’m sorry, Sienna, I’ve got all this paperwork.”
“Of course,” I say wearily, and I hang up the phone. I glance over at Aceto, who’s sprawled on top of his cat tower.
“Did something happen to her, Aceto? Uncle Nuccio? Can you please be Uncle Nuccio for me, just this once?”
“Naow.” He leaps off the cat tower, thuds onto the floor, and stalks off, tail hanging low like it does when he’s mad or disappointed.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
DONOVAN – IN LOS ANGELES
Graham and I are sitting in the conference room, getting ready for our meeting with Constantine, when my assistant tells me I’ve got an urgent call from Sienna.
I feel as if I’m being pulled every which way. My family, Sienna, the business…these days, I can’t seem to do anything right. Yesterday was Sienna’s birthday, and other than a quick call first thing in the morning, I barely spoke to her. I sent her a pile of presents that stacked up taller than her head, of course. And only half of them were jogging-related. I’m only part evil.
When I answer the phone, I put her on video-chat, because I miss looking at her face. She swims into view, her face pale and her eyes puffy as if she’s been crying.
I sit bolt upright. “What’s wrong?” I demand.
“My mother never showed up for her work shift yesterday. She didn’t make it to my birthday lunch, and she hasn’t been home since.” Nervously, she runs her hands through her hair, her fingers tangling in the curls. “Also, her car’s not parked in its usual space. It was a rental car, apparently.”
Oh, fucking Linda. She certainly has impeccable timing for screwing people over.
Sienna proceeds to tell me everything she’s done to try to find her. She tells me about the state of Linda’s apartment, and how nobody’s been able to get ahold of her. “I called the chief back and asked what was up with my mother’s car, if he knew if she’d returned it or not, and he won’t answer me at this point, because of privacy issues. I’m going to call a private investigator,” she says wearily.
“Can you afford a private investigator?”
She’s still insisting that she won’t take money from me. I know she’s secretly keeping a list of everything I’ve bought for her so she can pay me back. Kind of hurts my feelings, but I understand that her trust issues aren’t going to go away overnight.
She chews a fingernail, shifting nervously in her seat. “I’ll be fine.”
That’s not an answer. And I curse Linda for putting her through this, yet again.
I shake my head wearily. “Please trust me on this. Don’t bother with a private investigator just yet. You won’t like what you find.”
“What do you mean?” She looks baffled.
“Has past history taught you nothing? If you hire a private investigator, you’re just going to be throwing money away.”
Her eyes narrow. “You sound very sure of yourself. Are you saying that you know where my mother is, or why she left?”
“I have no idea where she is, and I can only speculate as to why she left. And that’s because she’s an insecure, selfish woman who’s obsessed with chasing after unavailable men, and she always puts her own needs first. I’m sorry. I know you asked me to give her one last chance. Chance given.”
“She isn’t even dating anyone!” Sienna snaps. “She. Has. Changed.”
“No, she told you she wasn’t dating anyone. That doesn’t mean she wasn’t.”
“I would have known.” Her tone turns desperate. “I know my mother. When she’s dating someone, she parades them all over