Alek gripped the handle of the other mug and stood. “And I should head out. If you don’t mind, I’ll take this on the road with me.”
Candace shook her head, took the coffee from Alek and forced him to sit down. “You’ll do no such thing. Driving tired is as bad as driving drunk. While Evelyn and I are gone, you can sleep here on the couch. After that, I don’t care what you do, but you’re not going anywhere until you get some sleep.”
“Uh, yes Ma’am,” Alek said, snapping off a mock-salute.
Evelyn kissed Alek’s cheek. She handed him her pillow. “Thank you for everything. Will you stop by the manor before you head home?”
He promised he would as he leaned against the arm of the sofa. Within seconds, he was snoring softly.
Evelyn bade her friend goodbye and crept around the apartment as she got ready for work. Before she left, she covered Alek with a blanket and kissed him on the forehead. Something stirred inside her, bringing a smile to her face. It was a feeling she hadn’t experienced since she had last seen Jeb—a conviction that he was the one. She loved him, and she wanted to be with him forever. To belong to him, and he to her.
21
Paulette pulled the door to the empty cottage closed and stared at the brass handle. “Your brother…does he usually leave his front door unlocked when he leaves?”
Vanessa shook her head. “No. But then again, he hasn’t been himself lately.”
“Is there somewhere he usually goes when he’s stressed or needs to clear his head?”
“Nowhere specific. When he’s mad or needs to think through a work project, he normally drives around in his truck for a few hours until he can sort things out. But as far as I know, he just drives around on country roads.”
“Hmm. He hasn’t tried to contact you today?”
Vanessa checked her phone. “No, and he hasn’t answered any of my calls.”
The veteran officer hooked her thumbs in her belt and strode toward her patrol car. “His phone might be dead, or maybe he wants some time alone. In any case, let me know if you get ahold of him. I’ll tell everyone at the station to keep an eye out for his truck, and if I find him first, I’ll slap him across the head and tell him to call you.”
Vanessa smiled. “Thanks, Paulette.”
Paulette tipped her hat, opened the driver’s-side door, then paused. “You planning to call Evelyn and pass on the news?”
“I was, unless you would rather do it.”
Paulette waved a gloved hand. “No, no, it’s fine. I have plenty of work to do at the station.”
Vanessa nodded. “All right. I’ll be in touch.”
Paulette tipped her hat, sank into the car, and drove away.
Vanessa waited until the cruiser was out of sight before turning around and running inside the house. She stepped into the living room to take a closer look at the discrepancies she’d noticed minutes before but didn’t mention to Paulette. Donny’s laptop was missing, which wasn’t unusual, but the charge cord was still plugged into the wall. Donny never left the cottage without a way to recharge his precious computer. And there were bits of plastic in the carpet. As much as she hated to admit it, this wasn’t the scene her brother would leave behind if he was going for a thoughtful drive. This was him fleeing the scene of the crime.
Her hopes of getting Donny professional help were slipping away, and she sat in his ergonomic computer chair. There was only one way to keep her little brother out of prison—to find him before the police did. She wheeled the chair toward the desk, trying to think like Donny would. She tapped on the wireless keyboard, moved the mouse around, and scooted closer. Her knee bumped into something soft beneath the desk.
Kneeling, she pulled the bulky object out and placed it on the desk. It was a black backpack, and it was bulging at the seams. She unzipped the main pocket and emptied its contents. There was food, water, and clothes for every season.
He was planning to run, she thought. But why didn’t he take the bag with him?
Something wasn’t right, and she feared the worst. Dialing Evelyn and bringing the phone to her ear, she hurried outside. There was no answer, and the call went to voicemail.
Vanessa waited for the tone and began to speak. “Evelyn, it’s me. I’m at Donny’s house, but he isn’t here. I…I don’t know where he is, and I’m worried about him. I’m going to look for him. Call me when you get this.”
The phone buzzed in the pocket of Evelyn’s apron, but she didn’t feel its desperate trembling. She wiped a dining room table until it shined, slung the rag onto her shoulder, and smiled at a guest. “Mrs. Mackenzie, can I take those plates for you?”
The woman looked up at Evelyn with brilliant blue eyes. “Oh, thank you, dear.”
“It’s my pleasure,” Evelyn replied. She stacked the dishes together, whisked them to the kitchen, and placed them in the sink.
“Beautiful day to stay inside, isn’t it?” Wayne asked, just below a shout.
Evelyn smiled. “And there’s no better place to be indoors than here.”
Wayne shook his head. “No, it’s supposed to rain all day. Stationary boundary, I guess.”
She nodded and gave the mostly-deaf chef a thumbs-up, then she returned to the dining room. Sonya was cleaning up after the last guest to finish breakfast, and Evelyn took out her rag to help. “I’m sorry I was late today.”
Sonya shrugged. “It was quiet this morning. All but three of the guests have checked out, and they’re leaving later this morning.”
“I still feel bad for skipping a mealtime. But on the bright side, we’ll have zero-occupancy until this evening. If you’d like, you can take the rest of the day off.”
Sonya thought for a moment. “Maybe I will. I have some shopping I want to get done, and I could clean my own house for a change. Thanks, boss.”
Evelyn finished cleaning the tables before returning to the lobby and busying herself with dusting the furniture. When a guest emerged from his room, she helped him carry his luggage to the car, gave him a small gift bag, and thanked him for visiting. Within an hour, the remaining guests had checked out. Evelyn helped Tammy clean the rooms and change the linens, then dismissed her as well. Soon, Evelyn and Wayne were the only ones left in the sprawling manor. Wayne practically lived at Kensington, keeping himself busy in the kitchen. When there were no guests to serve, he would bake cookies, muffins, and fudge for the gift bags.
Concerned that a visitor might arrive unannounced, Evelyn locked the doors before moving onto her favorite task—dusting the lounges. She propped the East Lounge door open and began wiping down the gods and goddesses perched in the corners of the room. She was still dusting the pedestals when a resounding chime echoed through the hallway and into the room.
Doffing her apron and hanging it in a closet, she hurried to the front door and peeked out the window. Alek was standing on the front porch, huddled against the relentless rain. Evelyn smiled, unlocked the heavy door, and pulled it open. “You’re supposed to be sleeping.”
Alek grinned sheepishly and stepped inside. “What can I say? The couches here are way more comfortable than Candace’s.”
“Really?” She cocked an eyebrow. “You didn’t come to see me?”
“Well…maybe.” He embraced her in a hug and, after a long moment, whispered, “How are you holding up?”
“Pretty good, all things considered.” She closed the door and twisted the deadbolt into place. “When I’m here, it feels like I can lock all the messed up stuff in my life outside.” She turned around and shook her head. “It amazes me that you’re still with me after learning how much of a train wreck I am.”