“All right, Murder She Wrote,” Gigi grumbled. “Let’s get this done.”
Joy grinned at her. “You’re a good sport.”
“One for all and all for one or some shit like that, right?” Gigi said as she followed Joy up the street.
Joy had been right about the paparazzi. They had been taken off guard by her arrival, but they bounced back quickly, shouting out questions and accusations, wondering when her trial was going to be, if it was true that she’d assaulted Prissy Penderton, and why she wasn’t at home taking care of her son instead of partying every night with no regard to his mental health.
“Holy shit, Joy,” Gigi whispered as she clung to her arm. “Is it always like that?”
“It is lately. You’d think there was nothing more important going on in the world with the way they make up the stupidest gossip about me. I’m like the most boring woman on the planet. I don’t get it.”
Gigi let out a guffaw of laughter as they headed up the walk to Carly’s house. “That’s rich.”
They came to a stop on the porch and rang the doorbell. While they waited, Joy gave her a bewildered look. “What does that mean?”
“Oh, Joy. Come on. You’re a forty-eight-year-old woman who came out of nowhere with a national ad campaign that landed you a part in a movie with two high-profile actresses. And you’re dating a famous photographer. Don’t you realize that women everywhere are awed by the direction that your life has taken? Add in the fact that you have three beautiful, well-adjusted kids, and you’re the envy of the town. Of course the gossip rags are going to write about you. You’re the new Jennifer Aniston.”
“That’s ridiculous. I will never come close to being Jennifer Aniston. You’re the one who needs to get a grip.”
“Whatever.” Gigi waved an unconcerned hand. “You get what I mean. The fact is, you’ve started over and excelled at an age when a lot of women are thinking that their best years might be behind them. You’re a freaking inspiration. Embrace it, girlfriend. You deserve it.”
Joy opened her mouth to deny her words but then closed it. Gigi made some good points, and from that perspective she could see why people might be fascinated with her life. Joy still thought the level of interest bordered on insanity, but she could at least be proud to be a role model. Only now she needed to do something about cleaning up her reputation. The gossip rags hadn’t done her any favors in that department.
The door swung open, and Baldy barked, “What do you want?”
“I need to talk to Carly. I’ve had another vision,” Joy said.
“Let her in.” Carly’s tired voice floated from behind him.
Baldy scowled but stepped aside. Joy walked in, but he moved in front of Gigi, stopping her. “Who are you?”
“That’s Gigi. She’s one of my coven sisters,” Joy said. “You can trust her. She helped with the finding spell.”
“Gary, stand down.” Carly was sitting in one of her armchairs with a hand over her eyes. She looked completely exhausted.
“You know I’m just doing my job,” he muttered but then begrudgingly disappeared into another room, leaving them alone with the actress.
“Joy, are you all right?” Carly asked without uncovering her eyes.
“Yes, but are you?” Joy sat in the chair next to her.
“No.” She dropped her hand, revealing her tear-stained cheeks and bloodshot eyes. “Not really. But that’s been the case ever since Harlow went missing.”
“What happened at the house?” Joy asked.
Carly sat up, her entire body alert. “How did you know about the house? Wait, you had a vision, didn’t you?”
Joy nodded.
“Was she there? Did you see Harlow?” Carly asked urgently.
“No. I just saw you and Baldy… I mean Gary, standing out front. That was it.”
Carly’s lips quirked the tiniest bit at the mention of Baldy, but the hint of a smile quickly vanished. “My private investigator found the house, and Gary and I went to bring her home. Only the house was empty. There were traces that someone had been there recently. Dishes were in the sink, and the radio was on.” She slumped back into her chair. “I’m pretty sure they’d just left, and now we’re out of leads.”
“How did your PI find the house?” Joy asked. Grace had been working on it through the real estate archives, but so far, she hadn’t had any luck at all.
“He traced a call to my phone and found the tower that picked it up. From there, he searched the area until he found the place.”
That was a lot simpler than searching real estate, Joy thought. “Why didn’t you tell the police?”
“That’s… private.” She glanced away and stared out the window, though there wasn’t anything to see. It was dark and the moon wasn’t even shining.
“You never told them about my visions, did you?” Joy asked.
Carly shook her head. “The ransom isn’t just for money. They’re threatening to release information about my niece that I can’t risk getting out. If the police get ahold of it, there’s no way it would remain private.”
Stunned, Joy sat back in the chair. “It’s that devastating to your niece?”
“Yes.” Carly rose. “I’m tired. If you’ll excuse me, I need to rest now.”
“Carly?” Joy asked.
“Yes?”
“Do you know how the detective knew about my visions?”
“No. But I’ve asked Gary to look into it.” She drifted up the stairs, leaving Joy and Gigi alone in her living room.
Gigi let out a low whistle. “Wow. That’s a lot.”
“Yeah.” They sat there for a minute, and Joy couldn’t help but wonder what information about Harlow was so awful that they couldn’t risk the press finding out. Carly and her immediate family were already splashed all over the press. Joy would’ve thought their lives were already an open book. It just went to show that not everything was as it seemed.
“Don’t you think it’s time you two were on your way?” Baldy asked from his spot in the doorway of what looked to be a study.
Joy stared at him, trying to figure him out. “Who are you to Carly?”
“That’s really none of your business, Ms. Lansing.” He moved to the door and held it open for them. “Goodnight.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Cars were stacked four deep in Joy’s driveway when Gigi dropped her off.
“Looks like you’re having a party,” Gigi said. “A welcome home from the clink celebration?” she teased. “If you include the paparazzi over there, you could call it a rave.”
“I hope there’s cake,” Joy said, sagging in the passenger seat and eyeing the half dozen photographers camped out across the street. “I could use the sugar jolt.”
Gigi reached over and patted her thigh. “I’m sure the amount of love waiting for you on the other side of that door will help.” There was a wistfulness in her tone that caught Joy’s attention.
“Yeah.” Joy smiled, already knowing who she’d find inside her house. All three of her children, Jackson, and Troy. She hadn’t spoken to Hunter much other than to fill him in on Kyle’s injury, so to see his car parked out front sent her heart soaring. She wondered how Troy was fairing with them all, considering he was the new boyfriend. The thought was both a happy one and a little terrifying. If they decided they didn’t like him, she was going to be crushed. She hadn’t intended to jump into a relationship with the first man who came along, but she couldn’t deny there was something between them. Something that, as much as she’d loved Paul, had never been present in her marriage. She eyed Gigi. “You know we’re your family now, right?”