“Anyone in particular stand out?” Joe asked.
“There are too many to remember.”
“Anyone ever threaten you?”
Her father let out a mirthless laugh. “Too many times to count. It’s always been things like, ‘You’ll be sorry,’ or ‘You’ll pay.’ People feel they have to say something when they’re trapped. I give as much leeway as I can, but sometimes you have to take action.”
“Could you think about it and give us a list?”
“I could, but I think it’s useless.” Her dad swept his hand toward Torie. “She’s the one threatened, not me.”
Joe shot her a helpless glance, and she knew she had to join the fray. Her dad might listen to her more than a stranger. “Dad, what better way to get back at you than to hurt your only family left? Surely you can see that. I think we have to explore every avenue.”
He pinned her with a steely stare, then gave a jerky nod. “Fine. I’ll work on a list tonight, but I think you’re on the wrong railway.”
She glanced at Joe. “Send me the pictures you took of the board game and I’ll forward them to Dad’s email. Something might jog his memory in the placement of the pieces and the tokens used.”
But she didn’t hold out much hope her dad would help. And maybe he was right. The intruder hadn’t said a word about her dad.
The door rattled, and Joe looked out. “It’s Craig.”
By the time Craig left with the car bug, the phone, and the Monopoly game, it was after nine, and Torie wanted nothing more than to go to bed. Joe left with Hailey in tow, and Torie promised to keep her safe tomorrow while he turned Simon over to the Navy.
Maybe she could call Jason Graham tomorrow while she kept Hailey.
As she locked the door behind Joe and Hailey, her gaze fell to the bookcase again. Could the key to the safe be there somewhere? She stepped to the shelves and ran her hands along the undersides of them.
On the third shelf her fingers hit something metal, and she turned on her phone’s flashlight to take a look. A small brass key was taped to the underside. She peeled it off and did a fist pump. This had to unlock the safe.
She went to the spare room and opened the closet door to find the safe again. The key slid in easily and turned, and she threw the lever to open the door. It was dark in the closet, so she turned on her flashlight again. The glow illuminated the interior, but the only item inside was a business-size envelope.
She pulled it out and saw Anton scrawled across the front. The flap wasn’t sealed so she opened it and withdrew the piece of paper inside. It was a typed letter addressed to her dad.
Anton, I can’t take this anymore. This ends tonight. You’ll only have yourself to blame at my funeral. Lily
Torie exhaled and sat back on her heels. Had her mom killed herself? The letter implied it could be true, even though she’d never wanted to believe it.
Chapter 30
Joe would miss Simon. He’d never been so fond of one his charges before.
In the prow of one of his boats, he faced the fleet sailing by. The new submarine rode high on the choppy waves, and Joe thrilled to see its majesty. He wished Hailey and Torie could see it, but they were safely at the hotel on this Wednesday morning. The wind blew through his hair, and he inhaled the invigorating scents of sea and salt. His crew exclaimed behind him, but he had to sit and soak in the moment. When had he ever seen a sight like today? Never.
The two aircraft carriers flanked the sub in a simulation of protection, and American flags flapped from the decks. American boats decked out as hostile enemy craft swarmed the starboard side in an attack. Someone onboard shouted, “Battle stations!” An order to fire came seconds later, and a loud boom followed the order. The guns held simulated ammunition, but it was awe-inspiring anyway to see the Navy chase off attacking boats.
A sense of pride rose in his chest to realize his small part in protecting American soil. He leaned over and slapped his palm against the hull of his boat. Simon’s sleek black head popped up, and Tyrone put the clamp in the sea lion’s mouth. Simon dove and they all waited. A swimmer was out there attempting to plant a fake bomb on the submarine, and Joe wanted to monitor Simon’s first test as an official Navy sea mammal.
Joe shaded his eyes from the early morning glare with his hand and watched the waves. The swimmer could come from anywhere, and he might be using a diver propulsion device to move faster through the ocean. Joe and his team had no idea how the attack would happen.
“You think Simon’s ready?” Danielle asked.
“He’s been performing well,” Tyrone said. “I think he’ll make us proud.”
“I think so too,” Joe said. “Simon’s smart.”
He reached for binoculars and searched the water with them. Nothing yet. It could be a few hours still. The wait could be part of the exercise. In fact, it might be. Would Simon perform as well if he was tired?
The morning sun rose higher in the sky as their boat tracked with the grand armada.
Tyrone jumped to his feet. “He’s located the swimmer! We’ve got him hooked.” He engaged the winch, and the line began to wind.
A few minutes later Simon’s head popped above the water, and Joe tossed him some crab. “Good boy!”
He fed him more crab as the winch continued to yank the swimmer to the boat. The guy would not be able to get away. It took ten minutes before he saw the swimmer’s form under the foamy waves.
Simon had done it even when tired. He was ready to leave the nest whether Joe liked it or not.
* * *
Over a dozen black limousines parked in a line in front of the hotel when Torie arrived with Hailey. She entered a beehive of activity in the lobby.
“What’s happening?” She stopped her aunt who was rushing past her.
Aunt Genevieve’s eyes were wide and agitated. “The bank executives are here already! They weren’t supposed to arrive for two days, and we’re not ready.”
The chaos for such a change in schedule would be massive, and Torie needed to jump in too. “Why would they change the dates without telling us?”
“They wanted to throw off the media. The state police closed the bridge behind them, and every dock and wharf is closed to boats as well after this afternoon when all the fishing and excursion boats get in.”
“Are there any guests in the rooms we were planning to use? How can I help?”
“We’d cleared out the guests to give the rooms a thorough cleaning and to put extra touches in them. But the baskets haven’t been taken to the rooms. They’re all in the Grand Dining Room. Grab a cart and take as many as you can. The room numbers are on the baskets, and you have a master key.”
Her aunt rushed off without so much as a thank-you, but Torie hadn’t expected one. This was her business, and she was expected to take responsibility.
“You can help me,” she told Hailey.
The little girl brightened at the unexpected excitement of helping out. “I’m good with decorations.”
She followed Torie to the dining room, where Torie found two carts along the wall. She had Hailey load one with gaily decorated baskets while she loaded another one. Five minutes later, they were outside the designated guest rooms. Torie unlocked all the rooms and propped them open with the lever.