David
Brent and Angela arrived at our home. Together, the three of us combed the house and property again, coming up empty once more. We met at the front entrance, and Brent pulled out his phone. “Time to call the police, David.”
His bodyguard had been watching the driveway to be sure no one came in while we were busy searching. He came up to us with a grim expression. “I called the office to ask if they knew where John and Jeffrey were.”
Brent and I had hired our bodyguards from the same agency, so his guy knew who my guys were. And the expression on his face told me he’d gotten some bad news. “Tell it to me straight, Morgan.” I braced myself for some shitty news.
Morgan squared his shoulders and crossed his arms over his massive chest. “They never checked in today. They didn’t go in and tell anyone that they’d been fired. And neither of their cell phones are on. Both are going straight to voicemail.”
Brent sighed. “Just like Kaye’s is.”
Morgan nodded as Angela sunk against Brent’s side. He put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. “We’ll find her, baby. Don’t worry.”
“Why haven’t they called me?” I asked. “Surely, they want money. That’s got to be all they want. They’re just pissed about being fired and want to get back at me.” My blood ran cold as I thought about what had just come out of my mouth.
They want to get back at me.
And what better way to do that than to take my woman?
The whole reason they’d been fired was because of my jealousy over Kaye. What better way to hurt me than to hurt her—or worse?
Brent made the call to the police as I struggled to accept what was going on. I looked at Angela and asked, “Should I call the kids?”
She shook her head. “Not until we know more. Don’t upset them, David.”
Sure that she was right, I went on to my next thought, directing my question to Morgan, “Should I go inside and get a gun?”
“No,” he said quickly. “Let the police handle this, Mr. Black. I don’t think your wife would want you to get hurt.”
I knew she wouldn’t, either. I knew she would tell me the same thing if she were here. But she wasn’t here. I had no idea where she could be. All I knew was that I had to get her back.
Whatever it took, I had to get her back.
In no time at all, the police were there searching our home for clues and fingerprints. I led them to the media room, almost positive that Kaye had been abducted from there. “And this is where I think she was taken from.”
Two detectives looked around the room. Detective Moore asked, “What makes you think she was taken from here, Mr. Black?”
Pointing at the table, I gave him my reason, “That coffee table is crooked. And the lavatory door was left open. The maids cleaned this morning. I know they wouldn’t leave the things this way. They’re a meticulous bunch, and everything is left in pristine condition once they’re done.”
Detective Johnson’s brows raised. “That’s it? That’s the whole reason you think this is the room your wife was abducted in? That’s pretty thin, Mr. Black.” His helpful demeanor had changed in an instant. “How have you and Mrs. Black been getting along lately?”
Brent stepped up, placing himself between the two detectives and myself. “Now listen here, guys. David didn’t have a thing to do with his wife’s disappearance. We filled you in on the two absent bodyguards that David fired earlier today. It’s those men you need to find and question as soon as you possibly can. Leave David out of this investigation. I assure you, he didn’t do anything to his wife. He’s a devoted husband and father. He’s not the man you need to worry about.”
Detective Moore looked me over skeptically. “If they were just fired, those two may simply be somewhere getting hammered over their loss. I’m not positive that they had anything to do with Kaye Black’s disappearance. Did they have a key to your home, Mr. Black?”
I nodded as I realized that they both had keys to the house as well as the code to the alarm system. In my haste to get rid of them, I’d forgotten to get the keys back and change the security codes. “Yeah. I hadn’t taken the keys away or changed the code on the alarm system.”
“Convenient,” Johnson mumbled. “So, you fired your only bodyguards. You didn’t call the security company to send another guard over. You let the men you fired leave with your house keys. And to top that off, you didn’t take two minutes to change the code on your security system. Feeling forgetful today, Mr. Black?”
Moore asked me the same question Johnson had earlier, “So, how were you and your wife getting along, Mr. Black?”
Angela burst into tears and hurriedly left the room. Brent looked at me with worry filling his face. “I’ll be right back.”
The detectives watched her as she ran out of the room, and then turned back to look at me. “And she is your wife’s best friend, right?” Detective Moore asked me.
“She is.” I shoved my hands into my pockets. I knew that if they asked Angela about how Kaye and I had been getting along, she would spill the beans. “Okay, look.” I took a deep breath to make sure my voice was steady. I didn’t need them wasting time thinking I’d done something to my wife. I needed them to get their asses out the door and find Jeffrey and John. “Kaye and I have been in a bit of a rough patch these last few months. And today, after I fired our bodyguards, we had one of the biggest arguments we’ve ever had.”
Johnson interrupted me, “Then she might’ve just left on her own. I don’t think we should do anything more until twenty-four hours have passed. She might be at another friend’s house. Maybe someone you don’t know, Black. She may just want to be away from you for a while so that she can think. People do that when they’re angry at their spouse.”
I shook my head. “Some people do, but Kaye wouldn’t do that to me. She wouldn’t leave without letting me know something.” Pacing, I worried that I wasn’t going to get much help finding my wife if this was how the cops would be handling things. “At the very least, she would’ve left me a note.”
Shaking their heads, the two walked out of the media room. Johnson called out over his shoulder. “We’ll be back to check on this situation around seven tomorrow night, Mr. Black.”
Alone and left standing in the room I felt sure Kaye had been abducted from, I watched the only help I thought I would have leave our home.