Page 11 of The Captive Missing

“Veronica!” Elaine called, her wrist flicking around in the air. “Such a lovely vacation home you have here.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Riggs.” Bee ducked her head. The only people to call her by that name were her parents and the Riggs family, everyone else stuck with Bee.

“I am sorry not to have given you notice.” Lillian Durand stood off to one side, allowing the boat’s driver to carry their suitcases up to the house. “Your phone line seems to be down.”

“We are having some trouble with it,” Bee acknowledged, eyes scanning the belongings that still littered her dock. “To what do we owe this pleasure?”

Sticking her tongue in her cheek, it took everything Val had to keep from rolling her eyes. The tone of voice and cadence of speech that Bee was using were text book agency training. So polite. So formal. Enunciating each and every word. But even so, never in all their years there together had Bee been quite this polite.

“I’m afraid that Elaine is on a bit of a family errand.” Lillian linked her arm with her daughter’s before beginning a careful walk down the dock. “But seeing as we came all the way out here, I thought perhaps you’d be willing to entertain us for a few weeks.”

“Of course, Mother,” Bee responded, shoulders remaining relaxed. Any hesitancy she may have felt was well-concealed. “We have two additional guest rooms that you and Mrs. Riggs are more than welcome to occupy.”

As the two women meandered toward the house, their voices were caught up by the wind and swirled away. Left alone now, an awkward silence filled the space between Val and Elaine, one which neither of them was tempted to break. The former for lack of having anything to say and the later for having too much.

It was no secret Elaine disapproved of Val from the start. She was a proud and highly moral woman who abhorred the idea of captivity, especially when her eldest son partook in the practice. Even when Jason’s true motive for purchasing Val had been revealed, and his character eventually cleared, the initial distaste for Val had remained. She wasn’t good enough for him. Not smart enough, ambitious enough, educated enough, wealthy enough.

When Jace was added to the deal, a truce of sorts had formed between them. Though Elaine could barely tolerate Val, there was nothing she wouldn’t do for her grandchild. Their mutual love for Jace was probably the only thing the two women shared.

As the boat driver walked by, hauling with him another load of luggage, Elaine caught him by the sleeve and pressed a few folded green bills into his hand. He smiled and ducked his head before hurrying on. Elaine glanced once at Val, then headed towards the house.

Forced to trail doggedly at her mother-in-law’s heels, Val focused on the creak and sway of the wood beneath her feet. Lillian mentioned staying a few weeks. Val stifled a groan.

“Where is my handsome grandson?” Elaine asked finally. “I expected him to be rocketing about already.”

“Gabe took him for a trip to Male,” Val offered, hands clutching the empty cups and damp beach towel loosely. “They should be back any moment.”

“Well, I do have some family business to discuss with you, but I’d rather wait until Jace is tucked up in bed tonight before going into detail.”

“Of course.”

Val fought the frown that threatened to crease her brow. It was like Elaine to dangle this tidbit of information over her head for an entire evening. Brushing it off, Val tried not to let the woman get to her. After all, the “family business” was likely some small announcement meant to torture her for a day. It was already working.

The wooden steps leading up to the deck of the house were narrow, so Val paused and watched Elaine go first. Head a little thick from the alcohol, Val felt her heart trip just a little in her chest. She rarely had to deal with Jason’s mother without him and when she did, it was no easy task. Her husband did his best to protect her, always. Now the sting of his continued absence only sharpened further. How much longer would she have to wait until he came home?

When they entered the wide living room, Bee and Lillian were bustling about in the kitchen. The boat’s driver swept past them all again heading one last time up the stairs with an armload of suitcases. On his way back out, Elaine stopped him with a small hand on his arm. She took the time to thank him again and request his contact information so she could be sure to recommend him in the future.

The small interaction had Val marveling. So, the woman was not all bad. In fact, Val realized, she was downright pleasant to just about everyone else. Everyone that wasn’t a threat. Everyone that hadn’t trapped her brilliant son in a hidden marriage with an unplanned pregnancy.

Standing off to one side, Bee rolled her eyes convincingly. Val was quick to make an answering silly face before both of them instantly sobered. Best behavior girls, Val could hear her old agency trainer murmur. Always best behavior.

“Can I offer either of you ladies a fresh drink?” Bee broke the silence.

“Do you have sweet tea?” Lillian asked, so formal. They were all so painfully formal.

“I can brew some,” Bee responded, then glanced over her shoulder. “Val, why don’t you take the first shower so you’re fresh when Jace gets back?”

Val bobbed her head in acceptance before beating it up the stairs to her room. She owed Bee. Owed her big time. There was no greater gift than the offer to disappear. It was the only way they had been able to relieve stress back at Cambric. Melt away. Melt into the background, then hide. The shower was as good a place to disappear as any.

Making a brief stop in her bedroom, Val grabbed a beige sundress from a wooden hanger in the small closet. It was hot here, even at night. Tiptoeing along the hall, Val headed for the large guest bath. Unlike her own room, it was on the ocean side of the house and the view was… breathtaking.

An oversized white tub was positioned in the middle of the far wall, which was actually a floor to ceiling window. The bather could lie back, caress its smooth porcelain surface and gaze out at the ocean for hours. If Val had more time, she would have definitely chosen to linger there. But she didn’t. So instead, she ran her hand along the teakwood countertop and tossed her dress over the bowl sink.

On the opposite wall, the shower beckoned. Its oval-shaped tiles were made entirely of cerulean-blue glass. Letting out a long sigh, Val twisted on the water and shed her black bikini. At once, steam rose from the spray, obscuring the air.

She took her time, working the suds into her long hair before letting the water cascade down her back to rinse it. She stood still there, perhaps longer than she should, until the skin on her belly was a bright pink from the heat. Once she was done, she twisted the faucet off and stepped out, her bare feet dripping water on the cool tile floor.

Grabbing a plush towel, Val blotted at her hair and suppressed a smile. Rock music blasted from somewhere downstairs. That meant Gabe was home with her son. He was the only one that played that sort of music.

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