and hanging up his jacket. He took some extra time fixing it on the hanger. When Angela remained quiet, he nodded toward the stairs. “I need a break. I’ve had a lot on my mind. I’m going to go to my room and make a few calls. I’ll be down later for lunch.” He headed to his room, closed the door, and called Jackson.
Jackson’s cell rang once. This time, he checked the caller ID. “Xavier, glad you were able to get back to me. Things aren’t getting any better here. I’m not getting much on audio, usually day-to-day talk. He talks to her as if she’s dirt under his feet. She doesn’t respond much. That doesn’t jive with the Kinsley I met at Lakeside. Anyway, I decided to give you a call, tell you what’s going on, and ask you about getting video in the house. I thought they might’ve found the feed, because there’s a lot of music playing all the time, but the radio plays a lot when she’s alone, too.”
Xavier laughed. “She plays loud music a lot, that isn’t unusual. Max likes to dance until Kinsley falls to the floor, then he follows her down, with sidesplitting laughter. You said she isn’t going down to her friend’s anymore?”
“Only to drop Max off when she goes to the café. Wayde takes her. Doesn’t look like she ever leaves him alone with the guy.”
“I get some relief from the fact she’s thinking clearly enough to protect Max, but I’m still not convinced either one of them are safe. I’d like to go down there and shake some sense into her. But after these last five months, I’m not sure how she’d react.”
“How do you feel about the video? I’m aware video sounds excessive, but with what we’re getting, audio is as good as not having anything.”
“I’m inclined to agree about the video. We should only put it in the main rooms.”
All of a sudden, the thought of what he might see crossed Jackson’s mind. He pushed away the bombarding images. “Isn’t going be easy getting the video in. There’s almost always someone home. There has to be a way to make contact with her without her realizing I’m watching her. Until I do, I thought my niece could accidentally run into her at the café. They met at Lakeside, and they got along well. She may be able to get some information for us. I talked to her today; she’s not busy. I’m going to ask her when she comes by this afternoon. I think she might be able to get her to open up. Any information we can get will help until the video’s in; it’s all we got.”
“Great idea. Get back to me as soon as you hear anything. I’ll call Olivia about getting video in. We’ll talk later.”
When the call ended, Xavier searched Jonathan out and found him in the garden. “Jonathan, I need to talk to you for a few minutes.”
“Yes sir, what can I help you with?”
“Jonathan, please, I’ve asked you to call me Xavier.
“A habit from the old days. Hard to break at my age.”
Xavier shook his head and smiled. Jonathan had been his chief confidant since he was a boy. He was dear to him.
They sat on the garden bench. Xavier leaned over, his forearms bracing his weight against his knees. He clasped his hands together before turning to Jonathan. “You’re the only one who knows everything, Jonathan. I’m not sure what to do anymore. I’m worried. Jackson’s getting nowhere with the audio, and there’s almost nothing on this guy’s background. Don’t you think she’d call Nick if she were in danger? If not Nick, me?”
“Yes, I’d assume she’d call you, if she were able. She might wonder, after the separation, if Nick would be there. Nevertheless, she would always believe you would be there for her. In time, you will find something on Wayde. There’s always something hidden in everyone’s past.”
“Unfortunately, I’m well aware of the secrets people keep.”
“I can’t tell you what to do, Xavier. If she thinks you’re trying to contact her and she isn’t aware of the reason, she may think the worst.”
“You mean she’ll think we’re trying to contact her about Max? That Nick wants custody? You’re right. You and I know I’d never let that happen, but she doesn’t, and the last thing I want to do is frighten her. I thought about telling Nick, not everything, just let him in on the fact I’ve been