Chapter 44

Zoey twisted her hands together nervously. She never thought that it would come to this. Chelsea was standing about a hundred yards away talking on the phone and pacing outside the community center. Bolstering her courage, Zoey made a tentative step forward. Her knees were stiff as she moved closer to the other woman, and her heartbeat was deafening as it beat loudly beneath her ribs.

About halfway there, she pulled up short. “What am I doing?”

At that moment, Chelsea turned in her direction, and their eyes locked. Chelsea waved and began to walk over. Zoey’s stomach quivered as dread washed over her. She couldn’t do it. She could not betray her brother like this. There was nowhere to run, or she would have bolted.

“Zoey, you came,” Chelsea said with a smile.

Chelsea noted the woman shuffle and fidget. Her eyes kept darting around as if she was looking for someone. Was she scared? All she’d ask was for Zoey to tell her what happened long ago between Colt and his stepfather. Why was she frightened unless she was scared of angering her brother?

“Come with me,” Chelsea said, taking her arm and leading her towards the building. “You told Colt you wanted to talk with him, but you never came back, why?”

“I can’t do this,” Zoey complained, pulling back.

“Are you scared of Jason?”

Zoey shuffled uncomfortably and looked around. Her eyes betrayed her terror, and Chelsea felt sorry for her. However, ending this vendetta between the two stepbrothers took priority. She gripped Zoey’s arm tightly and pulled her inside the building, then skirted off toward a passage leading to a locker room.

“Where are you taking me?” Zoey inquired, trying to pull away.

Chelsea tightened her grip, pulled her through the locker room door and kicked the door shut. She then leaned back against the door before letting go of Zoey. The other girl scowled at her and rubbed her arm. The area she’d gripped had turned red on her bare arm just below her shirt sleeves.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to hold you so tight,” she apologized. “I need your help to clear Colt’s name.”

“What can I do? I don’t know anything.”

“Tell me about what happened,” Chelsea urged.

“I wasn’t there when it happened; I’d already run away.”

Zoey would not meet her eyes. “I know you ran away before the incident, but I think you came back.”

The woman’s head snapped up, her eyes widening slightly before she looked away. Chelsea was only going on her gut, nothing more. It seemed she was on the right track with how the older woman was acting. She was hiding something, of that she was sure.

“I’ll call my detective buddy to investigate, and if you’re lying, then both you and Jason are going down,” Chelsea said, dialing a number on the phone.

“Hello,” a man’s voice came on the line.

She smiled. “Detective Henry. It’s Chelsea Downing. I need your help with something …”

“Okay, I’ll tell you what I know,” Zoey blurted out.

“Yes, Chelsea, tell me,” Henry said.

“My kidnapping—I think I have an idea. Can we talk later?”

“Yes, I have something to discuss with you as well,” he replied.

“Okay, Detective. Later then.”

“Bye.”

She hung up the call and looked over at Zoey, who was staring at her. Before carefully pocketing the phone, she made certain to turn on the recorder. That way, she would have whatever she said on record in the event she did not wish to say it again.

“Well?” she said after a long bout of silence.

“I came back that day, but I heard my dad screaming and beating my stepmom. I was scared, so I didn’t go in. It was late so I couldn’t leave either. I decided to stay in the shed until morning, and then I would slip away.”

“Did you see what happened?”

“They were in the kitchen. I could barely make them out through the window. This was really bad. I’m used to my stepdad, but when David, I mean Colt … his real name is David you know,” she said, trailing off the story.

“I know,” Chelsea replied, her impatience registering in her voice.

“Well, things got worse when Da … Colt started yelling at him to stop hitting his mother,” she paused, a faraway look in her eyes. “He started hitting him, and she tried to stop my dad from hitting Colt, but he hit her hard, and she fell to the floor. Poor boy saw his mother lying there and my dad coming after him. He grabbed a knife and stabbed my father, but that didn’t stop him.” She stopped talking.

“Go on.”

“I think Colt got frightened,” she chuckled at this point. “The little bugger passed out seeing all the blood. My dad laughed and reached for his bottle and took a long swig and then he gripped his chest, falling to the floor. He was there a long time. Colt came to first and saw him lying there; that’s when he panicked and started screaming. My stepmom came back too and saw what happened and told Colt to bolt.”

“Does your brother know all this?”

“Yes, he was right there in the house. I was outside, remember?”

Chelsea nodded. “Hmm. Are you willing to tell the detective this?”

“No way; I promised I’d tell you, and I did. This is where my involvement ends.”

“What did you wish to tell Colt?”

Zoey shuffled her feet and stuffed her hands into her jeans pockets. She turned her head and looked around the room. Chelsea followed her eyes. The room was obviously a men’s locker room, but she knew no one would come in because they were given the building to rehearse for another half hour. Since Colt was giving a free concert, they made certain to clear the area for his comfort.

There were several lockers against the right and left walls, and a room led to what must be a men’s bathroom. She wondered if Zoey was looking for a way to escape. She waited for her to turn back around.

“Jason had help, you know … to collect the insurance money.”

“Who helped him?”

“I can’t say his name, but he worked in the DA’s office. That’s all I know.”

Chelsea was curious about how she knew this; therefore, she broached the question. “How’d you know that?”

“I stuck around for a while. With dad dead, there was no one to beat me up. I didn’t want to get involved, so I told them I wasn’t there when it happened. The guy came to talk to Jason a few times, and he told me what was happening. The insurance money was in our stepmom’s name, but the guy could make it so Jason could get it since he was the man’s son.”

“Okay, thanks. You told me a lot.”

That was fraud … insurance fraud. But would that be enough to get Jason with? He was just a kid in all this. The one they would likely prosecute would be the official from the DA’s office if what Zoey said were true. Henry had said a similar thing. She wondered if he found any more evidence on the matter.

“I can go now?” Zoey walked over and beckoned her to give way.

Chelsea raised herself from leaning on the door and allowed Zoey to pass. The woman yanked the door open, mumbling incoherently as she rushed through. Chelsea followed her out. While Zoey went back to the exit, she turned right and entered the auditorium. Reid was spinning like a gig, seemingly frustrated. When he saw Chelsea, his face relaxed, and he beckoned her over.

“Where have you been?”

“Working,” she replied in a nonchalant sort of way.

“Doing what?”

She snickered. “Stuff, okay.”

He blew out a frustrated breath before continuing, “The paper refused to retract, and the judge said there’s nothing he can do about it. The editor in chief said the story came from a source.”

“We will have to get back at these guys,” she said.

The music on the stage came to a halt, indicating that rehearsals were over. She watched as Colt high-fived all three members. Reid’s face was set in a frown as he move closer to her. She watched as Colt helped them with the packing up while Reid seemed to be breathing down her neck.

“We will … we will.”

She turned to him and said in a low tone. “Let’s get them and get them good this time.”

Before Reid could question her about it, she moved off toward the stage where Colt stood watching her. They’d finished packing up the instruments and were ready to leave. The others began taking them to the bus while Colt jumped from the stage and came to greet her.

“Where were you?” he asked, placing his arm around her shoulder and kissing her cheek.

Her heart leaped while heat ran from her face down to her belly. “Getting some fresh air,” she croaked.

It was always amazing to her just how much her body responded to Colt when he was near. All he did was kiss her cheek, and now his voice sounded like a frog lodged there. Her heart rate increased, and her skin flushed red. He started moving toward the exit, and she moved along with him, liking the security of his arms around her.

At that moment, she swore she would end all the bad publicity once and for all. She would do away with Carl and Jason altogether. Ever since the first day she became Reid’s assistant, both of them had been making trouble. Carl even tried to use her to get to Colt. She had a plan, and she would execute it. She just needed to put all the pieces of the puzzle together.

They went back to the hotel where she left Colt to take a shower. She arranged to meet Henry in the hotel lobby before going back to the suite. After her shower, she put on a summer dress, brushed her hair and let it hang loose. She must admit she looked different. Usually, she pulled her hair back at her nape, not today.

As she entered the lobby, she made out the detective standing near the front desk. When he saw her, he immediately moved toward her. Chelsea wanted privacy. The dining room was close by; therefore, she beckoned him to follow her. There were people sitting down to their meals with servers scurrying through the tables. She was about to return through the entrance when she spotted an empty two-seater in the far corner nearest to the exit.

“Are we dining?” Henry walked up next to her.

“No.” She chuckled. “I don’t want Reid or Colt seeing us together.”

“Right,” he nodded slowly, and then added. “Why is that?”

“I need to do this on my own; that’s all,” she replied, reaching the table and pulling out a chair.

She sat facing the entrance, should either of the two men come into the area. Reid was the more likely candidate as Colt rarely ever dined out. Henry sat facing her, but his eyes followed the waiters as they served the food to the other patrons.

“You can order something if you like,” she suggested.

“Naw, I’m good,” he replied.

She leaned forward. “Please, it’s my treat.”

It was obvious he was hungry by the way he swallowed as a plate of shrimp pasta settled in front of the man at the next table. He observed her for a minute or two, perhaps contemplating whether he should. Finally, she shrugged, slumping back in the chair.

“Okay, if you insist,” he said, motioning over the waiter.

Within a few seconds, the tall young waiter was smiling down at them. With neatly cropped dark hair and soft brown eyes, he looked from one to the other. “What can I get you, sir, ma’am?”

With a sweet smile, she replied, “Nothing for me, thank you.”

“I’ll have a club sandwich with a tall glass of ice tea,” Henry told him.

“Be right back.” The waiter moved quickly through the tables and disappeared inside the double doors, which she assumed was the kitchen.

Henry leaned his elbows on the table, looking intently at her. “Tell me.”

“Have you found out anything more about my kidnapping?” she asked, getting straight to the point.

“I have some leads, yes, but nothing concrete. Why?”

“I think the woman whom I heard was Carl Benson’s sister.”

Henry glanced expectantly at the double doors before looking back at her. “Yes, I think the same. The only problem is, she is missing,” he said. “Don’t worry; we’re doing all we can to locate her. That girl your friend mentioned was Colt’s stepsister.”

“I figured that out.”

“Have you got something you want to tell me?”

Chelsea did not intend to give him the information she had. On the contrary, she needed him to give her more info. She wasn’t sure how to get him to tell her; he was the detective, and he would know she was fishing. An idea formed, so she ran with it, hoping it would work.

“I’m putting together Colt’s memoir … so, I was wondering if I could see the police report on his mother’s case.”

He leaned back in his seat and searched her eyes. Her breath stopped while she held his gaze as he tapped the table with his fingers. He was taking a long time answering her, so she wasn’t sure he bought it.

“Well, since there is no longer a case, I don’t see why not.”

She tried not to let out her breath all at once. “Is it possible to see both? I mean the one you did and the one before when she confessed.”

“Sure,” he nodded. “And Colt doesn’t know about this?”

“No, he’ll see it when it’s complete. Can you email them to me when you get in?”

She shoved a business card across the table. He picked it up, glanced briefly at her and pocketed it.

“Sure thing.”

The waiter returned with the order, and Henry dug right in. His sandwich was finished in three minutes with him downing the glass of iced-tea in one long gulp.

“Thanks for the meal, I was hungry.” He grinned. “But I still have a feeling there’s something more.”

“Jason, I think he knows Carl Benson’s sister, and I think he was the one to snatch me.”

“How do you figure this?” The detective raised a bushy brow.

Chelsea looked at him with an incredulous stare. She did not believe for a second that this didn’t cross his mind at all. He must be pulling her leg, right?

“It all adds up, Detective,” she replied. “Jason and Carl seem to be close. They follow us around all the time, right across the country. The day I heard the kidnappers, the man said ‘I did this for you’, and she replied, ‘I never asked you to do this. Let her go’.”

“That doesn’t mean it’s him or her for that matter.”

She was growing impatient, and it sounded in her tone. “Call it my gut feeling. I was the one kidnapped, remember?”

“Yes, I know it was you who was kidnapped, but that’s exactly what the problem is. You are emotional and need to pin this on somebody. Look, I know the guy is bad news, but without evidence, I can’t do anything. Plus, the description of the guy you gave, the smell and burliness, doesn’t fit.”

“Jason is muscular, and what if he was wearing old dirty clothes to throw me off? He did mask his voice with the voice changer. That means he would disguise himself as well.”

“I get that,” Henry said, keeping his gaze on her. “Okay, I’ll look into it, but I can’t promise anything.”

She gave him a grateful smile. “Thank you.”

“I’ll get those reports to you when I get to the office. Thanks for the meal.” He stood, and so did she. He made to move off but halted. “Are you sure you don’t remember anything else? You seem sure your kidnapper was Colt’s stepbrother.”

“As I said, Detective, it’s just a feeling. Plus, he has been blackmailing Colt. The last time they made him sign a contract of some sort so he can’t get money from his extortion anymore. I think he wanted to use me as ransom, but the girl spoiled the plans.”

“I’ll look into it,” he said before walking away.