Buster sat with a thud. “That’s one hell of an opening line right there.”
“It’s a few pages, let me read it, then I’ll tell you what it says while Cubby looks up any info he can find.”
Noah read, while around him they talked, and by the end of the pages he knew exactly why Lani was on the run and that he wanted to kill the bastard responsible.
“Listen up.” All eyes turned his way.
“It says her parents died and she became friends with the family lawyers, mainly the son. After a year, they became engaged. One night she paid him a surprise visit and he was in bed with a woman. She overheard them talking. He said he’d marry Lani—or Elaine—”
“She’s Lani to us,” Tex added.
“The fiancé said he’d then get rid of her and change the will and they’d be rich.”
“Asshole,” Buster snarled.
“She tried to leave, and he heard her. Then the explanations came, how he was sorry. She didn’t buy it and said she wanted to end the engagement. He grabbed her.” Noah could feel his blood heating up. He’d kill the bastard when he got hold of him.
“What do you mean, grabbed?” Tex asked.
“Kidnapped her and put her in a room for four fucking days!” Noah got to his feet and walked in circles as he read the letter again. “He then tried to drug her, but Lani was on to it and managed to spit it out when he left the room. Short story, he was going to marry her and had a tame priest to do it. Lani knew after he’d manipulated the will she’d be a dead woman, so she climbed out the window and managed to get to her friend. Once there, she called in the police and told them her story.”
“Don’t tell me, let me guess.” Cubby held up a hand. “They didn’t believe her. These lawyers were a big deal in town and had a bit of pull?”
Noah nodded. “The police called the guy and his dad; seems the old man was in on it. They wanted Lani’s money. She said in the letter her parents made the lawyers executors, and she couldn’t get her inheritance till she turned thirty.”
“That doesn’t sound right. I don’t know anyone who has that setup,” Tex said. “Sounds like the lawyer may have changed something there.”
“Likely there was a dirty cop in on it too. It sounds like every bad movie I’ve ever watched,” Cubby snarled.
“Yes, and she realized there was no hope, so she ran again with her friend’s help. The friend, her number is here, her name is Mel.”
“Give it to me, I’ll call her,” Katie said. “That’s the name Lani said into the phone earlier.”
“There’s a lot of stuff here from the ex asshole saying he’s desperate to find her, and that he fears for her mental state,” Cubby said reading the screen. “How he wants her back because he loves her which is clearly all a cover up.”
“What if he has her?” Noah needed to move. Had to find Lani, the woman he loved with everything he had. He realized now what he’d felt for Samantha was nothing compared to this. He would have made a life with her and the child, but this… this hurt. The pain of knowing that Lani was out there somewhere scared, possibly alone… or maybe not.
“Is this Melanie Green?”
“It is. Who is this?”
Katie had put the call on speaker phone.
“I’m a friend of Lani’s, or should I say Elaine’s.”
There was silence on the other end.
“I’m from Lake Howling, Oregon, and Lani has been staying and working here,” Katie added.
“How did you get my number?”
“From a letter Lani had in her room.”
“Where is she?” There was panic in the voice now. “Has that bastard got her?”
“We don’t know but we think she’s in trouble.”
“It’s him, it has to be!”
