Page 21 of The Captive Missing

Upon entering the golden-hued box, they were transported up and up and up. When the ding of arrival finally sounded they were released onto a floor all their own. Two security guards, gun holsters barely hidden beneath smart suit coats, nodded recognition of Senior as he punched in a code and beeped their way into the hotel suite.

The space before them showcased a sweeping view of the city through a far wall of windows, its high-rise neighbors glinted in the midday sun. Shoes echoing against the travertine marble floor, Val noted a baby-grand piano tucked in one corner and an unlit fireplace along the opposite wall. In the center, two long sofas were arranged around a glass top coffee table. The two occupants that had been sitting only moments before sprang into action.

“Oh, Kelly!” Theresa exclaimed, throwing her arms around Val’s shoulders. “How are you?”

Returning her sister-in-law’s embrace, Val closed her eyes against the anxious look that clouded their younger brother’s face. Jeremy hovered just to one side, looking slightly stricken. He loved Jason to distraction, having always idolized him as a boy.

“I’m alright,” Val whispered. “It’s Val again, remember?”

“Right,” Theresa responded. “I just got so used to it back in France.”

* * *

For the rest of the day Val’s nerves were on edge. The lengthy flight combined with jet lag had her struggling to focus when Theresa detailed her itinerary or when Senior reviewed their trial strategy. Sagging finally against the back of the sofa, Val sipped on an offered cocktail and let her emerald eyes stare at the darkness that had overtaken the city skyline.

It was eleven o’clock at night and they were all huddled around Senior’s laptop, awaiting a call from the Maldives. It was eight in the morning in the islands and Jace should just be getting up. Val held her breath, hoping that the internet had been fixed so she could see her son.

As the minutes ticked by with no flash of life across the screen, Val began to wring her hands. She knew logically that everything was fine, but it wasn’t logic that ruled her now. Strung out on lack of sleep, she willed her mind not to fly in a million different directions collecting fears as it went.

Suddenly the ding of an incoming call had Theresa clapping her hands and Val blowing out a breath. Senior reached forward and tapped the keyboard in acceptance.

“Mommy!” Jace’s enormous grin spread from one side of the screen to the other.

“Hey baby!” Val had to put her hand over her mouth, working hard to keep the shiver of tears from her voice. “I miss you so, so much.”

“I miss you, too. Where’s Daddy?”

The question had everyone in the room shifting uncomfortably. Val gulped, eyes darting to Senior who took over the conversation. He explained that Jace’s daddy would be coming to visit very soon, then promptly changed the subject. The two talked about fishing, driving the speed boat and hunting for crabs on the island.

Sitting back, Val held Theresa’s hand as Elaine made an appearance, then Bee and Lillian, and finally Gabe. Each adult peered over Jace’s shoulder, competing with the little boy for screen space. Val watched them all, but wondered especially about Gabe.

She wondered if he felt the guilt the way she did. If he had reservations, or regrets. But his handsome face showed only casual interest. If what they had done that last day in Male bothered him, he didn’t let it show.

When the call ended, and the screen cut abruptly to black, Val lifted her drink to Jeremy, who went obligingly to fetch the vodka.

The entire family had agreed to keep Jace’s true identity a secret, even from their own lawyers. The less people who knew that Jace was born to a captive, the better. So, for the sake of her son, Val would have to appear as her former self in court.

She was not married to Jason. She did not have a child. These were hard concepts to wrap her mind around but Val tried nonetheless.

Chapter 9

She woke up on the morning of the court hearing to see that the sun had already risen high in the eastern sky. Nights had been hard since Jason’s arrest. Though utterly exhausted by the end of each day, Val would flop heavily into the hotel bed only to find that sleep would not come.

Alone in the center of the king-sized mattress, curtains left open to reveal the glow of city lights, she would twist and turn uncomfortably. Sometimes for hours on end. By the time unconsciousness took over, dawn was often just over the horizon.

And this day was no different, other than it was the day they had all been working towards. The hearing was scheduled for one-thirty that afternoon, just after the court returned from lunch. Shoving back the covers, Val glanced at the bedside clock and noted the time was already half past nine. She straightened her night shirt, still one of Jason’s, and rubbed at the ache that spread over her lower back.

The room was beautiful, with an attached sitting area, wide-screen television and ensuite bath. Since Val’s arrival two days before, she had not left the comfort of the hotel suite. She took her meals here, met with the Riggs legal team here, and wished she didn’t have to leave here in order to free Jason.

Pacing to the long window, Val pressed her fingers against the glass and looked down. Asphalt streets could hardly be seen through the crowd of cars that filled each lane. People, small as ants, scurried in groups, rushing down sidewalks that hugged gleaming glass buildings. In the distance, she glimpsed the park, its empty patch of green so incongruous amidst all the humanity. It was a far cry from the breathtaking ocean of the Maldives.

“Val?” Theresa knocked at her bedroom door, lifting her voice to be heard through the thick wood. “Are you up?”

“Come in,” Val responded.

“Our nail appointment is at ten, then lunch is at eleven-thirty,” Theresa reminded her. “We need to leave here by twelve-thirty to make it to the courthouse in time.”

“I thought I set the alarm on the clock,” Val explained, brushing past her sister-in-law to enter the bathroom. “I guess it didn’t go off.”

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