The detectives rose to their feet as I stopped in front of their table. “Miss Sharpe?”
My head dipped jerkily. “Yes. What can I do for you, Detectives?”
The nearest man held up his badge. “My name is Detective Johal. My partner, Detective Tomas.”
I shook their hands, then gestured for them to sit.
Detective Johal pulled out a small black notepad. “We’re investigating the missing person’s report. Jasper King. You may have heard about it.”
“Yes, I saw the news report.”
“We understand you catered an event at the King's mansion two nights ago. Is that correct?”
My heart hammered painfully in my chest as I tried for a concerned expression. “I did. It was a gala.”
He nodded. “Can you tell us if you noticed anything strange, or out of the ordinary, that night? Any suspicious persons hanging around?”
A bead of sweat rolled down the crevice of my back. My brows knitted as I pretended to think, then shook my head. “Not at all. Everything looked fine. But, then again, I was pretty busy working, so I wasn’t paying too much attention to the surroundings.”
The detective scribbled on his notepad. “Did you see Mr. King at all that night?”
Not until I found him in the back of my van.
I shook my head. “No. He didn’t attend the event, but he’s not seen in public anymore, so I wasn’t expecting him to be there.”
I breathed an inward sigh of relief when he closed his notebook. “Okay, I think that’s about it.” Detective Johal rose to his feet, his partner following suit. He handed me a small white card. “If you think of anything else that you saw that night or anything you think could be useful to this investigation, please give us a call.”
Like the small detail of your missing billionaire being in my basement?
My conscience was working overtime today.
Standing on trembling legs, I felt my body chill as I took the card, focusing on it instead of their somber faces. “I will. I hope you find him.”
I watched them leave, and when the door closed behind them, I collapsed back into my chair. Lifting my eyes to the ceiling, I released a shaky breath. The dizzying relief that I’d felt for all of two seconds was tainted by guilt swimming through me.
What have I done?
Laughter and the clinking of glasses filled the air, customers enjoying their meals and the company of loved ones, while I sunk into despair. I’d lied to the police. That alone carried consequences. How was I supposed to get out of this? I’d worked so hard to get Cameron’s restaurant back on its feet after he passed, along with juggling my own catering service. It was my route to finally getting a nice house with more space for my grandmother, niece, and nephew!
And I’m risking it all by helping a stranger…
Maybe he’ll pay the court fees and bail.
When I was sure my legs would hold me up, I headed straight to the basement after stopping by my office to collect the bags.
I knocked lightly on the door, waiting for his okay before opening it.
“Hey.” Jasper laid on the bed, propped up by cushions, his short hair tousled from sleep.
He already looked better than he did yesterday, his eyes bright and sparkling, his lips pulled into a handsome smile. I mentally scolded myself for thinking that, but was it really my fault? No one should look that good in the morning. My eyes quickly slid over his smiling face, down over the white t-shirt covering him before I reminded myself to stop staring and focus on the matter at hand.
“Here’s the phone,” I told him. “Here’ are a couple of clothes. Andthisis from the two detectives who were waiting for me when I got back.” I sent him a look as I handed him the detective’s card.
He stared silently at the card, turning it over in his hands.
“They wanted to know if I’d seen anything unusual the night of your alleged abduction while I was working. This is really serious, Jasper. They think you’re actually missing! You should call them. Tell them this has all been a huge mistake!” I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the side of his face as I tried to gauge his reaction.
Jasper closed his eyes, releasing a heavy breath. “I never meant for any of this to get out of hand.”
