Page 5 of The Beachside Cafe
Cameron pulled in a deep breath and held it, dropping his eyes to the ground. “He has left?”
“I don’t know,” she replied. “I don’t think so. Everything was fine this morning.”
Cameron looked thoughtful, steepling his fingers together in front of him. “I assume you’ve called the police.”
Jaymee nodded again.
“And they can’t or won’t do anything?”
“No.” Jaymee’s voice wobbled as she spoke. “They put out a BOLO. They said they can’t file a missing person report for 48 hours. My daughter and I went looking for him but we didn’t see his vehicle anywhere.”
Cameron turned his head, looking thoughtful. “I’m not surprised. I’ll never understand that policy. I’m sure there’s a reason behind it but… I guess you’ve contacted your friends and the hospitals and such?”
“Yes,” Jaymee replied with another nod. “We didn’t find him anywhere.”
“You have any help looking for him? I’ll be glad to help if I can.”
Jaymee stared at him stunned.
FOUR
“What a generous offer,” Jaymee answered after a brief pause, “but I couldn’t possibly. You have a life and a schedule. You made that clear earlier.”
Cameron looked sheepish. “I came on a little strong. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound harsh.” He sighed heavily. “I’ll be honest, I wouldn’t have withdrawn my investment anyway. I was at the café earlier today, just looking in from outside, you know, while they are still working on it. It’s coming along nicely. I love the fish tank.”
Chills ran up Jaymee’s arms. “Thank you. I designed that myself.”
“Well, you deserve praise then. When was the last time you saw Doug?”
“This morning at breakfast. He seemed normal to me. Gave me a kiss before he left. Said he probably wouldn’t be late.” Her eyes darted to the clock on the wall. It was pushing eight. He was late, after all. Sadness overwhelmed her. She dropped her head to her hands and started to cry.
Cameron was next to her in the next moment, sitting on the edge of her desk. He leaned over and put a firm hand on her shoulder. “Let it out, Jaymee. It’s all right if I call you Jaymee, isn’t it?” His voice was so gentle. She felt like she’d been wrapped in a warm blanket when he spoke.
She nodded her consent.
“Okay and you call me Cameron. Or Cam. I respond to either one.”
She glanced up at him to see he was trying to inject a bit of humor into the situation. He was smiling but it was very small and very sympathetic. His hand darted to a box of tissues on the other side of the desk, picked it up and tilted it in her direction.
She pulled one out and cleaned her face. “I’m… so sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Cameron responded, shaking his head. “I’m surprised you are able to hold yourself together. I can’t imagine if I was in your shoes what I would do.”
“Are you married… Cameron?” she asked, scooting her chair back to throw the tissue in the waste bin on the side of her desk.
“I’m not married, sad to say. Was at one time but that was a lifetime ago. Now I’m on my own and that’s kind of the way I like it. It allows me to do things I wouldn’t be able to do if I had a wife.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s all right. We need to concentrate on your problem here, not my past life.” He chuckled. She tried to give him a smile but in the back of her mind, she was thinking about Doug, wondering where he could be, what had happened to him, if he was even still alive.
“I just don’t understand how this could have happened?”
“I’m sure the police asked these questions but if you don’t mind answering them for me, too. I’d like to help you out if I can.” Cameron raised his eyebrows, giving her a questioning look.
“Certainly.” She nodded, reaching out to pull another tissue from the box just as Cameron was moving it to set it back down on the desk.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” He held it out to her again.
