“I’m going to lift the mattress now, Bandit, so you hold on,” Cubby said.
They searched everywhere. It was Jake who found the small brown envelope in the bottom of a drawer, wedged in the pages of a book on dog essentials.
“It could be nothing.” Tex handed it to Noah. “Or something.”
He opened it and pulled out the contents. One was a credit card, the others were newspaper articles and some paper with handwriting on it.
“There’s a name on the card, Elaine May Dwight.” Was that Lani’s real name?
“I’m guessing that’s her name,” Katie said, “and it’s no shock because we knew something was off with her, that she was hiding. What we don’t know is why.”
“Jesus,” Tex said.
“What?” Noah and the others looked at him.
“I’m 90 percent sure I know that name.”
“From where?” Noah felt a fist squeeze his lungs as he looked at his friend. He’d wanted to know about her, needed to know her story. It seemed now he would.
“Not sure, but give me a minute.”
“I need to find her. Where do we start?” He looked at Katie and Cubby.
“Let’s take this to the Lair, where I have a computer and can research what we need and work out how to get her back,” Cubby said.
“If the danger she’s running from has caught up with her, there’s no time to waste,” Noah said. “We have to start looking now!”
“I understand that, but we need to do this right, and first things first, Cubby can put out a bulletin that he wants her found, and the details. We don’t know where to start, Noah, or what we’re facing. Doing this will help us with that, and likely find her faster.”
He didn’t want to wait; he wanted her back now. Was she scared? Hurting? The thought made nausea roll around in his stomach.
They ran to the Lair with Buddy on their heels. Cubby unlocked it and sprinted through the office to deactivate the alarm. The others followed silently.
“What’s going on? I saw you guys running across the street.” Buster had bruises under his eyes and wore ripped shorts and a faded sweater. He was wearing his usual worn sneaker’s. “I was out walking. Willow and Emily are down for the night.”
“Lani’s gone, and we think something from her past sparked that,” Cubby said. “Take a load off, Daddy, we’re just about to learn her identity. Katie, you call in Tank. And I’ll put out the word anyone sighting the Bronco needs to call me ASAP.”
“Okay. Elaine May Dwight.” Cubby typed the name into his laptop. “Talk to me, Tex.”
The scent of coffee soon filled the room as Katie prepared it. Everyone either stood or sat and waited.
“I think she may be the only child of Sydney and Michelle Dwight. The father is a big deal in foreign investments. He’s like this business guru and everything he touches turns to gold. He takes losses but mostly wins. My uncle knows him. He’s worth millions. But I remember there was something off that happened with them a few years ago.”
Lani was rich. Then why was she running?
“Wasworth millions. Both parents are dead in a boating accident.” Katie read the words over Cubby’s shoulder.
Noah opened the newspaper clippings he still held in one fist. One was of a much younger and happier Lani. She wore a suit and stood between who he guessed were her parents. Smiling, she had blonde hair and carried more weight.
“She’s their daughter, all right. It’s got all their names here, and a picture of Lani with blonde hair.” He handed it to Buster and then opened the paper with writing on.
“I noticed her roots were light,” he said, taking the clipping.
“It disturbs me when you say stuff like that.” Cubby glared at Buster. “Man the fuck up.”
Noah opened the piece of paper he held and looked down at the words. Lani’s handwriting.
“‘If you find this and I’m dead, you need to know that I was murdered by Barnaby Lester.’ Jesus!”
