Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 91887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
When she ran off, she didn’t look like someone who had been kissed against her will. She just looked overwhelmed. I knew then she needed some space. If she needs space, I’ll give it to her, but I need to know that she’s ok.
And I don’t know that she is. I’ve got a bad feeling. I don’t get this strange vibe often, but when I do get it, I’m never wrong.
I leave the vault and head upstairs towards her suite. I reach her suite and knock on her door. There is no answer. I knock again, firmer this time.
“Jo?”
Still nothing.
“Jo, I just want to know that you’re ok. If you don’t want to talk, I’ll go, but just tell me you’re ok.”
Nothing. A muscle in my jaw ticks. I try the handle. The door is unlocked. I step inside.
Her room is immaculate. The bed made, the curtains half-drawn. Like the vault, the room is empty of her presence. She isn’t here.
Where the hell are you, Jo? I think to myself.
I step back into the hallway and head downstairs, my thoughts shifting from insecurity to irritation. If she wanted space, she could have just said so. She’s not a coward. She wouldn’t just disappear. Would she?
At the bottom of the stairs, I see Betty down the corridor, pacing restlessly by the console table beneath the portrait of Joseph.
“Betty,” I say, walking toward her. “Have you seen Jo this morning?”
Her face drains of color. And that is the moment when the first real spike of fear hits me. She wrings her hands immediately, the cloth twisting between her fingers.
“Mr. Rhodes, I …”
“What’s wrong?” I ask, my voice sharp. “Where is she?”
“I saw her. But I think I’ve made a terrible mistake,” she blurts out.
The hallway feels suddenly smaller. “What mistake? Betty, what’s happened?”
I’ve known Betty for years, almost all of my adult life, and except for when Joseph died, I have never seen her like this. She isn’t a drama queen. Something is actually seriously wrong here. Tears spring to her eyes.
“I thought I was doing the right thing. I promise I did. I didn’t mean for anything bad to happen. I just … I didn’t want to lose my job …”
“Betty.” I step closer, lowering my voice deliberately. I force myself to sound calm. “You’re not in trouble, I promise. Just tell me what happened.”
She swallows hard. “Mr. Manswell, Sheldon, he called last night.”
“Sheldon?” I repeat.
“Yes. It was quite late. Past eleven o’clock certainly. He sounded …” She hesitates. “Not himself.”
“In what way?”
“He was slurring his words. He was angry. He demanded to speak to Jo.”
My jaw clenches.
“She was already in bed,” Betty continues quickly. “I told him I wouldn’t disturb her at that hour. He didn’t like that.”
“What did he say?”
Her fingers tremble. “He said … she should enjoy her early nights while she can. Because she’s about to disappear.”
The words hit me like she poured iced water down my spine. I don’t react immediately. I can’t afford to. I need the full story, and I don’t want to scare her.
“And you’re sure that’s what he said?”
“Yes.” She nods rapidly. “It didn’t make sense. I assumed he was just drunk. I mean, he was drunk. But the way he said it …” Her voice shakes. “It made my blood run cold.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this last night?”
“I didn’t want to overreact,” she whispers. “He’s said dramatic things before. And Jo had already gone to bed. I figured he would sober up and that would be the end of it.”
“Ok,” I say carefully. “What happened this morning? Where is Jo?”
Betty presses her hands together. “I saw Jo leaving. I asked her where she was going, just conversationally. She said she was going to Sheldon’s place.”
My body goes cold. “She went to see him?” My voice is quiet now. Dangerous. If he has so much as looked at her the wrong way, it will be the last thing he does.
“Yes. I tried to tell her about the call. I did. But she said her cab was already out front and we’d talk later. I told her to be careful, but I don’t think she took it seriously.”
She stops as if the story ends there, but something tells me there’s more.
“And?”
Betty looks at the floor. “This is the part that may get me dismissed,” she says faintly.
“You are not getting dismissed,” I say sharply. “Please, just tell me.”
She inhales shakily. “I put an air tag in her jacket pocket.”
“You did what?”
“I was frightened,” she rushes on. “After what he said. I couldn’t shake it. I thought if nothing happened, she’d never know. And if something did, well, we’d know where she was.” Her eyes fill up again. “I know it was wrong, and I swear I wouldn’t have done it if I could have thought of anything else to keep her safe. I wanted to be able to find her.”