Chương 6
Simon was visible behind the fogged glass, pounding on the door.
Adrian tried the handle.
A metal garden latch had been threaded through from the outside.
He pulled it free.
Simon stumbled out.
“What the hell is happening?”
Adrian looked him over.
No visible injuries.
His CFO’s glasses were fogged, his expensive loafers muddy, and one knee of his trousers was torn.
“Where’s your phone?”
Simon held it up.
“No signal in there.”
“There’s Wi-Fi.”
“Not anymore.”
Adrian took the phone.
The text from Elena was still open.
Meet me in the greenhouse.
Come alone.
Please don’t call.
Adrian checked the number.
Elena’s.
“Did she send anything else?”
“No.”
“Why did you come?”
Simon’s face tightened.
“She said it was about you.”
“What about me?”
“She said you were going to do something reckless.”
“That persuaded you?”
“It sounded plausible.”
Despite everything, Adrian almost laughed.
Simon wiped rain from his face.
“What happened?”
“Your credential opened the service gate nine minutes ago.”
Simon stared at him.
“What?”
“A black Range Rover left using your authorization.”
“That’s impossible.”
“Your credential.”
“My card is in my jacket.”
He reached inside.
His hand stopped.
The pocket was empty.
Simon searched the other side.
Then his trouser pockets.
His face changed.
“I had it.”
“When?”
“At lunch.”
“Who had access to your jacket?”
Simon looked toward the house.
“Half the damn ballroom.”
Adrian took out his phone.
A new message appeared from an unknown number.
No words.
Only a photograph.
Elena sat in the passenger seat of a dark vehicle.
Her face was turned toward the window.
There was no visible blood, no restraint, no clear sign of force.
But her hands were clasped together so tightly in her lap that her knuckles had gone white.
Beneath the photograph was one sentence.
SUNDAY NIGHT, ADRIAN.
Simon read it over his shoulder.
“What does that mean?”
Adrian enlarged the image.
A reflection in the window showed part of the driver’s arm.
Dark sleeve.
Silver watch.
Nothing else.
Then Adrian noticed something near Elena’s knee.
A red folder.
The corner of it was visible beneath her coat.
Simon whispered, “Jesus.”
Adrian stared at the image.
Whoever had taken Elena had also taken the documents.
Or Elena had gone willingly and wanted him to believe otherwise.
Either possibility left one fact unchanged.
Someone expected him to sign on Sunday.
Adrian looked back at Cross House glowing through the rain, full of flowers, guests, and people still waiting for a rehearsal that no longer mattered.
For the first time all day, his next decision felt simple.
“Cancel everything.”
Simon blinked.
“The wedding?”
“All of it.”
“What do I tell people?”
Adrian put the phone in his pocket.
“The truth.”
Simon looked at him.
“We don’t know the truth.”
Adrian started back toward the house.
“Then tell them we finally noticed.”
The announcement did not happen cleanly.
Nothing in Adrian’s house did after four o’clock.
Caroline, the wedding planner, refused to accept the word canceled until Daniel repeated it twice and Simon added that there was a security concern.
“What kind of security concern?”
“The kind where you stop asking me about centerpieces,” Simon said.
Caroline stared at him.
“That is deeply unhelpful.”
“It is also the only answer I have.”
She looked toward Adrian.
He was standing near the foot of the main staircase with rain darkening his shoulders and water running from the cuffs of his trousers onto the marble.
Guests had begun gathering in the foyer.
His aunt Margaret held a champagne flute and watched him with open suspicion.
Two directors from Cross Maritime were whispering near the piano.
Elena’s brother, Noah, came in from the library carrying a deck of cards.
“Why is everyone standing around?”
Nobody answered him.
Adrian looked at Daniel.
“Get Lily and Nora somewhere secure.”
“They left.”
“When?”
“Ten minutes ago.”
“With whom?”
“Nora’s sister picked them up.”
Adrian felt a pulse of relief.
It lasted only until Daniel added, “I told an officer where they went.”
“You what?”
“Because Lily may be a witness.”
“She is seven.”
“I’m aware.”
“You said not to interview her repeatedly.”
“I said the examiner did.”
“Same principle.”
Daniel lowered his voice.
“And if Elena is missing under suspicious circumstances, the police will eventually need Lily’s account.”
Adrian looked across the foyer at the people waiting for him to tell them whether they were still celebrating.
A photographer had arrived early and was arguing with a security guard over equipment access.
Someone from the catering company rolled a cart of oysters through the back hall.
A string quartet in the ballroom stopped playing one by one when they realized nobody was listening.
Adrian rubbed water from his face.
“Fine.”
Daniel studied him.
“That did not sound fine.”
“It’s the best you’re getting.”
Caroline approached again with a clipboard pressed against her chest.
“I need wording.”
“For what?”
“The guests.”
“Tell them the wedding is canceled.”
“That is wording.”
“Yes.”
“No explanation?”
“No.”
“No postponement language?”
“No.”
“No family emergency?”
“No.”
Caroline’s eyebrows rose.
“You are going to let one hundred and forty people walk out of this house with absolutely no story?”
“I would prefer that.”
“That is not how human beings work.”
Adrian looked at her.
“You’ve met them professionally.”
“I’ve met them at weddings.”
“Worse.”
Despite herself, Caroline gave a short laugh.
Then she walked away, already typing something on her phone.
Noah reached Adrian next.
His face had gone pale.
“Where is Elena?”
Adrian glanced at Daniel.
Noah caught it.
“What happened?”
“We don’t know yet.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the only accurate one.”
“She texted me twenty minutes ago.”
Adrian’s attention sharpened.
“What did she say?”
Noah took out his phone.
“She asked if I still had Dad’s old storage key.”
“What storage key?”
Noah stared at him.
“You know, the Mercer Street unit.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Elena kept some of Dad’s stuff there after he died.”
Adrian held out his hand.
May you like
Noah hesitated before passing him the phone.
The message was short.
