Page 89 of The Beach Hut on Plum Island
“Good thinking,” Harriet said. “But before we go…” She got onto the internet and logged into her uncle’s flight plan logs.
“What are you doing?” Finn asked. “And is it illegal?”
“I’m not sure,” Harriet told him honestly. While she was pulling up the logs, another thought hit her. “Did you know that Estelle was an attorney?”
“No, I did not,” Finn said, his shoulders stiffening. “I thought we agreed not to talk about what was on the phone Estelle gave me.”
“She actually gave it to me,” Harriet pointed. “And you did say you wanted to go through it with me. Up until I called your late ex-wife a monster, we were doing well.”
“Harriet, please, can we just concentrate on your family?” Finn asked. “It’s a lot to digest on its own without throwing my crazy family into the mix.”
“Of course,” Harriet said and backed off. “Ah, here it is.” She looked at the log and frowned. “It has my uncle headed for Las Vegas?” She shook her head. “He was only going to spend six hours then and fly back to Boston. So he should only be gone for around eighteen hours. But then, why leave his pilot here? Who’s flying the jet?”
“But the flight was canceled at the last minute, and the route planned for London?” Finn’s frown matched Harriet’s. “Do you think he’s on his way to meet Liam?”
“No.” Harriet shook her head. “Has Liam even left yet?” She stared at the screen in confusion. “I have no idea why he’d change the flight plan at the last minute.”
“There are three crew and five passengers,” Finn pointed out. “Does it list their names?”
“No, that will be recorded in a separate log that none of us can access except for Murphy or now Harley,” Harriet told him,biting her lip in contemplation. “What we can do is find out if there are any of King Titus’s guests missing as well as security detail. Murphy said Titus didn’t tell him of any plans to travel. The only person who’ll be able to get that information is my father.”
“Even I know that your uncle would alert the head of security before going on a trip,” Finn said. “Which points to him potentially being kidnapped. Would Gray be able to get access to the information?”
“No, not unless something happened to my father,” Harriet said. Then, she told him that her father was still the actual reigning monarch and that her uncle was more than just a figurehead.
“Oh!” Finn nodded.
Harriet found it rather peculiar that Finn wasn’t more surprised by the information but she shook off the feeling that he already knew. It wasn’t the first time that day that Harriet had gotten the feeling he already knew about something he couldn’t possibly have known unless he was part of her family.
You’re being paranoid, Harriet,she told herself.You’ve fallen for the man, and you’re scared of what it’s going to mean when this is all over, and you have to give his ring back. So you’re just looking for excuses to push him away before this ends.
After her stern talking to herself, Harriet drew in a soft, calming breath and brushed aside those nagging thoughts to concentrate on the problem at hand.
“If my uncle has been kidnapped, I don’t plan on waiting around for a ransom note,” Harriet told him. “I need my phone.” She blew out a breath. “All my contacts are on it.” She looked at Finn. “You have Harley’s number, right?”
Finn nodded. “Do you need to call him?” he asked.
“Not yet,” Harriet said.
“If your uncle has been kidnapped, what will happen?” Finn asked, his brow furrowing.
“Plum Island will be crawling with Feds in a shake of a cat’s tail for one,” Harriet told him. “No one will be able to enter or leave. All parties, including any of Alex’s and Daniella’s wedding celebrations, will be canceled. Everyone on the island will be questioned and won’t be able to go anywhere.”
“Everyone?” Finn looked at her. “Surely they can’t lock down the entire town?” His frown deepened. “That’s ahugeendeavor.”
“Trust me, not when there’s a king that’s gone missing on American soil,” Harriet pointed out. “Which means we don’t have much time to find my uncle. This time, it won’t just be Alex and Daniella’s trip to Europe that’s canceled.”
“Okay!” Finn widened his eyes and blew out a breath. “Well, let’s try to avoid any Joyce Isles conflict and find out what happened to your uncle.” He looked at her. “As you don’t have your phone, we’ll have to do this old school.” He shook his phone. “Although we do still have my phone, and I’m sure someone you know will have the numbers you need.”
“Starting with Dawn,” Harriet said. “And she lives next door. Let’s hope she’s home.”
Harriet grabbed her card key and wallet, opting to leave her purse as it would just get in her way. She slid her slim card wallet into the pocket of her jeans as they exited her room. They stopped when they were greeted by two bodyguards.
“Oh!” Harriet’s eyes went from one to the other. “I forgot about them.” She looked at Finn.
“Princess, Mr. Shaw,” the bodyguards greeted them. “Are you going somewhere?”
“Just next door to see Miss Vanderbilt,” Harriet informed them. “No need for an escort.”
