Beach Thriller(92)
To a casual observer, Conrad appeared to be his usual self, playing up to a group of women, one in a revealing top, who were splashing drinks and fawning over him as if he were a rock star or the second coming of JFK. However, Conrad wasn’t entirely enjoying the spotlight. His eyes darted around, and his weight shifted from foot to foot in the sand. He paid scant attention to his fan club.
She doubted it was the heat from the tiki torches causing a light sheen of sweat to build on his brow. Something was making him nervous, which was understandable if he was holding a young woman prisoner. “Let’s grab drinks,” Holly suggested to Ethan. “Try to blend in.”
Cool sand slipped between her toes as they moved through the crowd to the outdoor bar. Ethan ordered a coconut water martini from the bartender while Holly continued to scan the crowd for a glimpse of her team. “Tonight is worthy of something a little stronger than water. What would you like?”
The bartender, wearing a bright Hawaiian shirt, had his back to Holly as he prepared Ethan’s cocktail, but something about him felt oddly familiar. When he turned around, Holly gasped. It was the busker. His pinched face made her flinch. What was he doing here? His lips curled into a twisted grin. “What will it be, ma’am?” His beady eyes lingered a beat too long. “Nothing,” Holly stammered, backing away. “I’m not thirsty.”
Ethan looked at her, puzzled. “A drink was your idea,” he said.
“I changed my mind.” Holly moved away from the bar before Ethan could question her more.
The busker called after her. “Did you follow the money like I suggested, Holly?” His voice carried a mocking tone. “Do it. It keeps taking you higher and higher, right up the Beauport money chain, if you know what I mean.”
Holly slipped away into the dark.
Ethan caught up with her. “What was that all about?” he asked, martini in hand.
“I have no idea. That guy freaks me out,” Holly said. She refocused her attention and scanned the crowd again.
Maeve was talking with Dr. Hill. She looked sophisticated in a high-neck, long-line maxi dress, white with a smattering of deep blue flowers. On her tall frame, the dress made Holly think of an elegant porcelain vase turned into a party outfit. Her earrings sparkled in the torchlight, and her arms were adorned with several glittering bracelets, no doubt real diamonds, which explained the armed security Holly noticed by the stairs. Unfortunately, one of the two police officers present was Tommy Boy. This was a private local party, but you’d think the president of the United States was there given the way Tommy stood puffed up and self-important.
Maeve carefully sipped her martini while Dr. Hill filled his glass from the punch bowl. The doctor seemed to enjoy the festivities, swaying to the beat of an up-tempo swing tune. Maeve remained still, radiating gentility, which Holly knew could quickly turn into a browbeating if someone failed to meet her high standards.
Except for her hair, which had changed from platinum to gray, Maeve appeared nearly ageless. If Jade were here, she most likely knew nothing about it. Maeve seemed far too composed to be carrying such a weighty secret.
The party dragged on. Locals who knew Ethan kept grabbing his attention, while all Holly wanted to do was look for Jade. But she needed her friends to keep an eye on Conrad while she and Ethan searched Miramar. Finally, Ethan spotted Serena talking with Gail and waved them over. Leave it to Serena to arrive in a bohemian evening dress—a sleeveless turquoise A-line gown embroidered with shimmering silver thread. Gail, meanwhile, looked like a middle-aged Barbie in a pink midi dress with flutter sleeves. Her bright lipstick, cotton candy nails, and signature perfume highlighted a look that matched her vibrant personality.
Gail lit up when she saw Holly and Ethan standing close. “Look at you two. If you’re not the cutest, I don’t know who is.”
The joyful reunion proved short-lived. “We need you both to keep Conrad occupied while Ethan and I look for Jade.”
Holly directed her friends’ attention to their host, who had freed himself from his fan club and now stood alone near the edge of the dance area, craning his neck as if searching for someone. He wouldn’t be by himself for long.
“Go start a conversation. Keep him busy,” Holly said.
Gail snapped to attention. “If there’s anything I’m good at, it’s keeping people talking,” she said.
“Where are you going to be?” Serena asked.
Holly turned toward the stairs. “Up there,” she said, pointing to the top of the bluff. “Jade is inside that house—I just know it—and I’m going to find her.”
Serena shivered. “Be careful,” she said. “I’m sure my premonition was a warning not just for Jade, but for you as well.”
Chapter 55
Jade
I’m the unlikely delinquent who did her science homework, so I know alcohol won’t quench my thirst—it will only dehydrate me. But my thirst got so bad I couldn’t resist having something to drink.
Necessity truly is the mother of invention. I turned a shard of glass into a makeshift knife that I used to remove the cork from a bottle of red wine.
I’m sure whoever bottled this baby in 1990 could never have imagined this scene: an underage girl held prisoner in a wine cellar beneath a stone tower using a broken glass shard to get a drink. Damn, I can’t believe it either.