is,” he said. “We can’t just sit here. Belle needs us.”
“You’re not sitting here,” Ortiz said. “You’re allowing people with the means and experience to bring your daughter home safely.”
“All seven of you,” Nathan bit out.
“More are coming. They fly in tomorrow morning. The only people allowed on or off this island. Trust us,” he said. “Belle will be okay.”
Cecilia sniffed. “Your placations would go down easier if they weren’t said to a family that has had to bury a loved one who died at his hands. We weren’t there for Arabella when she needed us. We certainly won’t fail the beautiful little girl she gifted us, in the same way. Excuse us.”
Belle’s parents marched out.
I saw why Belle had so much respect for her mom. She had this inner determination that made her the strongest person in the room, even as tears cut tracks through her makeup.
I could use some of that.
“Detective,” I spoke up. “What about the guard who attacked us? Ruben Fuller. He’s worked for my family for five years. Do you know why he did this?”
Ortiz nodded. “I’m sorry to say it was plain and simply money. His bank account received a healthy injection of cash a week ago.”
I sank in my seat, rubbing my aching head. Belle warned me about this and I didn’t listen. What was loyalty, reputation, or trust in the face of retiring on a private island?
“I’m glad he shot that fucker,” I hissed. “Saved me doing it myself.”
“Excuse me?” Ortiz asked.
“I said was there anything on his cell phone,” I said in a louder voice. “Did they talk about his plans?”
“No, nothing. The cell phone was clean. Not so much as a suspicious outgoing number he called too many times,” he said. “Your mother housed the security team at the Citrine Inn. We tore apart his room last night and turned up nothing as well.”
“The island isn’t that big,” Carter said. “Everyone knows everyone around here. How hard can he be to find?”
“If he is on the island,” he said. “If he caught that plane or took a boat out, it’s a different story.”
Nathan lurched to his feet. “If he did that, it’s because you gave him all the time he needed to get away.”
Ortiz gave us a hard look. “I know you’re upset and you have every right to be. But I’m not the enemy, Mr. Prince. Everyone in this room wants the same thing—for Belle to come home safe and sound.”
Nathan opened his mouth.
I put a hand across his chest, silently shaking my head.
“I have to go,” Ortiz said. “We’ll keep the Adlers informed. I’m sure they’ll pass the information to you.”
“No,” I said slowly. “They won’t have to because while Hanson is on the phone with them, you’ll be dialing me. You’ll let us know everything that is happening before it happens. Got it?”
He stiffened. “Of course, Mr. Desai.”
Ortiz left without another word.
“Why did you hold me back?” Nathan asked as his footsteps faded.
“Fuck him,” I said. “We’re not getting anywhere arguing with that guy. He’s better off getting subpoenas and talking to baggage handlers. The three of us are going to Citrine Inn.”
“To question the security team,” Carter stated.
“That too,” I said. “I won’t believe Fuller’s room is clean until we check it ourselves.”
“What the hell are we waiting for?” Nathan took off. “Let’s go.”
We were right behind him.
I couldn’t think about how much had changed in the last day. One moment I was sitting with Belle, dreaming up our future, and the next I was unconscious on the floor, Belle was gone, and a man was murdered ten feet from our door.
The Adlers weren’t the only ones to fly into the cove. My dad flew in two minutes after them, and then a storm of parents tried to follow. My parents were in hell, and it didn’t help that they were fielding calls by folks demanding to know what happened, if their kids were safe, and why were the police holding us?
The thirty-first marriage event at Citrine Cove was over.
The three of us walked out the gate and set down the path to the inn.
Citrine Inn was a ten-minute walk down the lane once we reached the main road. Ever the thoughtful employer, my mother set up her staff in one of the best hotels on the island, walking distance from their work, and one of these shits repays her by attacking her son and delivering his girlfriend to a delusional mobster.