“Faraday.”
Leland’s last name. Okay, so not married. He noticed her ring finger was bare, but he was still surprised she was single. “Ms. Faraday, why do you think your uncle is on this island and why did you decide to travel all this way to look for him?”
A shadow of her earlier fear clouded her expression. She leaned forward, her voice lower than before. “I’m not sure where to start.” She tucked a strand of her lengthy black hair behind her ear. “Eric told you Leland is my uncle?”
“Yes.”
She nodded and straightened her posture. “A friend gave me some Astros tickets she couldn’t use. They were really good seats. Anyway, I hadn’t seen Leland for a couple of weeks, so I called to see if he wanted to go to the game with me. I called again and again. He never answered.” Her concern for her uncle bled through her words. “That’s unlike him. He always calls or texts right back if he misses a call. I started to get worried, so I went to his house.”
“You live in Houston?”
“Yes, not far from Leland. I guess you live in Houston?”
“Yes, but keep going. You went to his house?”
“Yeah, his car was there, but he didn’t come to the door, so I let myself in with my key. I was afraid he was inside, hurt, or something. Anyway, I’d only been inside a minute when someone broke in through the backdoor. It scared me to death.”
He could see her shoving down her panic as she relived the terrorizing experience. “Did they hurt you?”
“They never saw me. It was two men. I hid in a closet. But I didn’t have time to shut the door all the way, so I could hear them talking. And I caught a glimpse of them twice.”
“What did they want?”
“Leland! They were looking all over the house for him.They had guns.“ She looked so scared. But he realized her fear was more for Leland than for herself.
“You’re sure they didn’t see you?”
“Yes. I was in a closet under the stairs. They flung the door open once. I can’t believe I didn’t scream. I was shaking so much. My heart was pounding so hard I was afraidI was going to have a heart attack.” She took a breath and looked a little embarrassed.
“That’s understandable. Sounds like you had good reason to be afraid. Good thing you didn’t scream, though.”
“Yes. Well, anyway, I’d moved against the back wall behind some boxes. They didn’t search the closest, just glanced in. They were looking for Leland, not me. He couldn’t have fit in the spot where I was hiding.”
The waitress returned with their drinks. Jason was sure she hadn’t heard their conversation, but she apparently sensed the tension because she didn’t say a word and quickly left.
Tayla’s eyes focused on him again. “You didn’t look surprised when I said they had guns. Why? Do you know what’s going on? Why would men like that be looking for Leland? What does this have to do with WhiteRock?”
“Drink your tea.”
Her eyebrows shot up—in that way that women’s eyebrows go sky-high when they’re offended.
He instantly regretted his tone. He didn’t mean for it to sound like a command. He just needed to pause her rapid-fire questions. “Sorry. Let’s slow it down. I’ll answer your questions, but please, enjoy your tea.” He took a sipof his coffee. She tasted her tea. But he doubted her chai would brace her for everything he was about to say.
“Before I explain WhiteRock, tell me why you think Leland is here, on this island.”
She set her teacup on its saucer. “I couldn’t hear every word they said, but just before they left, I clearly heard a one-sided conversation.”
“They called someone?”
“One of them did. He told the person on the phone that Leland wasn’t there. He said, ‘We got here too late. He’s already left for Isadora. Have your guys keep an eye on The Mandeville. He’ll show up, eventually.’” She blinked her eyes as if it could chase away the disturbing memory.
She gestured to the beautiful Victorian architecture surrounding them. “I’ve never been here before, but I’ve heard of The Mandeville. And they mentioned Isadora. So, I looked it up and confirmed The Mandeville Hotel was located on Isadora Island.” She sighed. “As soon as the men left, I called the police. While I was waiting, I confirmed his suitcase and passport were gone.”
So, he was heading for Isadora just hours before Jason got the call from Eric. Not a coincidence.
She shook her head like she still couldn’t believe her own words. “I told the police everything. I told them the men were looking for Leland. They made a report about the break-in, but they couldn’t do anything about Leland, since he apparently left on his own accord.”
A spark of anger lit in her eyes. “I know it’s not illegal for a grown man to not answer his phone and leave the country without telling his niece. But itshouldbe.”
