Page 13 of The Beachside Cafe
“How did he die?”
“Car accident. I always thought there was something suspicious about it but could never prove anything. The police finally determined it was an accident and there was no one at fault. But I think there was. I try not to think about it because it’s been years and I never got any further than were I was to begin with. Evidence that might have been there before won’t be there now. And I never had anyone I could outright blame for it. Shame. He really was a good man.”
“I hope Alex can figure out what’s in that vial.”
“Don’t worry, Jaymee. He takes after his uncle. Smart as he can be. He’ll have our results in the morning.”
“I hope so, Cam. I hope so.”
NINE
The buzzing of her phone woke Jaymee the next morning. She squinted at the bright light when she picked up her phone and looked at the time. 8:43. Might as well have been 5:43. She felt like she’d been drugged. Cheyenne hadn’t woken her for breakfast but recently Cheyenne hadn’t been doing much of anything.
She remembered that Alex might be sending her the test results and the thought made her more alert. She pushed herself to sit up and held her phone in front of her, looking down at it. Her eyes had adjusted to the light. She put in her passcode and unlocked the phone.
Pressing the text icon, she waited for the new one to load, trying hard not to yawn. All she wanted to do at that moment was go back to sleep. Today was the day the police would allow her to file the report. She hoped to have something solid from Alex and Cameron to give them to spur their efforts to find Doug.
It was from a foreign number but that didn’t surprise her. She didn’t have either Cameron or Alex’s number saved to her phone. She pressed the message and waited for it to come up.
Instead of a text message, it was a video message.
She was staring into the very study she was in, through the window beside Doug’s desk.
Chills ran over her body.
Doug was seated at the desk, plain as day, wearing one of his favorite shirts. He was swinging back and forth, his head down a little, a phone pressed to his ear.
“Don’t tell me about numbers,” he said, startling Jaymee. She peered at her phone harder. “I know all about the numbers. You get me the fifty grand and make sure it’s in unmarked, small bills. I’m not playing with you, Marty. You get that to me or I guarantee you’re not going to want to live for the next couple of years. Maybe even your lifetime. That what you want?” There was a pause while Doug allowed Marty to answer.
He nodded vigorously, swinging back and forth in his chair, rolling a pen through his fingers.
“Okay. You do that. I’ll meet you there.”
The video changed as the house came into full view. The person making the recording was backing up. She saw the window he’d been at was open and both their cars were in the driveway.
This was madewhile she was here.
Chills covered her and her heart raced. A white piece of cardboard paper was held in front of the screen. It read in block letters “THIEVES NEVER PROSPER.”
Her breath caught in her throat and she hopped out of bed like a scared rabbit. She dressed as quickly as she could and then set her phone on the dresser on speaker phone as she dialed Cameron.
It didn’t answer at first. She made a sound of disgust and hopped toward the doorway, pulling her pants up. She buttoned her jeans, grabbed her phone and headed out to the foyer. As she went down the hall to the bathroom, she sent the video to his phone. She pulled a comb through her hair and brushed her teeth for a much shorter time than her elementary school teachers told her to.
She headed down the stairs, deciding to try Cameron’s number again. It rang in her ear just as there was a knock on the door. Instead of going to the kitchen, which was her original goal, Jaymee diverted to answer the knock.
She held the phone closer to her ear, wishing he would answer. She was about to pull open the front door when she noticed there seemed to be an echo of Cameron’s phone ringing.
She pulled open the front door and stared up at him. He, however, was looking directly down at his ringing phone without answering. She leaned over to see he was watching the video.
“There’s sound,” she pointed out.
“Of course there is.” He glanced up at her with a soft smile. “I’ve already watched it once, I’m watching without sound to see if I notice anything odd at all.”
“Other than the blackmail he’s attempting?” Jaymee couldn’t help the irritation that came to her voice. It wasn’t toward Cameron. She’d trusted Doug. Now it seemed he was involved in something and she felt betrayed and deceived.
“Yes,” the tone of his voice dropped when he replied. “When did you get this?”
“Just now. Maybe…” She glanced over her shoulder at the clock hanging on the wall. “Twenty minutes ago at the most. I sent it to you almost right away. I had to get dressed first.”
