She did a speedy walk-through of the place, seeing no one resembling the kitten-faced woman with the lemon-streaked blond hair she remembered. Neither the busboy nor the maître d’ recognized the photo she showed them. Celine must have stayed onboard, or gone somewhere else while her yacht was getting refueled.
Or she’d changed her appearance.
No doubt she’d done so a number of times over her life. She’d worked as a model before meeting John Carmichael, as Tina recalled from the brief research she’d done after the arrest. Manipulating people’s perceptions of her would be a snap.
But changing how she walked and moved was a different story. When, out the deck windows, she spotted a slim figure walking down the ramp, accompanied by two large men who might be bodyguards, she had no doubt she was looking at Linette Mansfield, aka Celine Carmichael.
She texted Jack. She’s coming toward you.
I see her
Stall her until I get back
She watched Jack emerge from the water taxi and head toward Celine’s group, then hurried toward the restaurant’s exit. In the waiting area, she got trapped in a large family group milling around as they waited for their table. Every time she tried to sidestep them, another kid seemed to pop up out of nowhere.
“Sorry,” she kept saying. “Excuse me, sorry, do you mind?” Then, finally, she raised her voice. “Police coming through, watch out.”
By the time she got outside, Jack was face to face with Celine. As far as Tina could tell, his charm wasn’t working on her. He was walking backwards down the ramp as she and her bodyguards advanced toward her yacht.
Tina winced and hoped that Jack wouldn’t end up in the water. She broke into a run and raced toward the ramp. One of the bodyguards looked around, spotted her, then tugged Celine away from Jack. The other one shoved his elbow into Jack’s rib cage and sent him reeling.
Shit, he really was going to end up in the ocean. Tina picked up the pace, catching a boot heel on a clump of grass and nearly ending up flat on her face. Jack was now bumping chests with the bodyguard, and Tina was close enough to hear him say, “Do you know who I am?”
She was going to give him shit about that later, but whatever worked.
“Hey!” she shouted. “Harbortown Police! We just want to talk.”
Celine spun around to face her. Tina saw that she had in fact changed her appearance slightly. Her hair was cut shorter and even blonder, and she wore sunglasses that hid most of her face.
Breathless, Tina reached the ramp and slowed her pace. “Remember me? Officer Chen?”
Since Tina hadn’t changed her appearance at all, it would be surprising if she didn’t.
“Leave me alone. That case was dismissed.” Celine gestured for her bodyguards to block Tina’s path. That meant that no one was paying attention to Jack. He fell back, keeping a close eye on their confrontational little group, and she could tell he had a plan. Too bad she couldn’t tell what it was.
“This is about something else. We’re looking for your brother.”
Celine froze, then immediately tried to hide it. “My brother? Now that’s a blast from the past. I don’t know where he is. I haven’t seen him in some time.”
“Where does he live? Is he still in Vermont?”
Her face paled. Good. Tina had surprised her. “Why are you looking for him?”
“Can we talk in private? It’ll just take a few minutes. I’m not sure you want this getting around.” She gestured at the bodyguards.
Celine didn’t budge. “Everyone around me has signed an NDA. They might as well be deaf and dumb.”
Okay then. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Jack sidle toward the ladder that hung over the side of the yacht. He was trying to get onboard, she realized. Shit. Was that a good idea? He’d be at the mercy of these fist-wielding mercenaries if they caught him. Getting tossed overboard would be the least of his worries.
But she knew what he wanted to do. He was going to search the yacht for Jessie. She couldn’t blame him. But without a search warrant, the most she could do was give him a chance to sneak onboard.
“As you wish,” she told Celine. The bodyguards crossed their arms over their chests and glared at her. “I have reason to believe that your brother might have kidnapped a woman.”
“What?” Celine’s mouth fell open in shock that read as genuine. “That can’t be possible. Women fall all over themselves around my brother. He’s like a puppy. Women can’t resist him.”
“I notice you haven’t used his name.”
“Excuse me?”
