14 - J. T. Ellison [49]
“Were you able to track Giselle’s last moves?”
“It’s turning into a nightmare. Marcus has hit a dead end. Giselle and her grandparents were skiing in Gatlinburg. They had dinner, drove back to Nashville. They’d done a full day, were tired and went to bed as soon as they got home. Last time they saw Giselle, she was in their living room, reading a book. It wasn’t until they got up the next morning and went to get her for breakfast that they realized she was gone. We found her before they knew she was missing. Pattern is just the same as with the other girls. They disappear out of completely normal settings, no one misses them until it’s too late. At least maybe with Jane we’ve got a chance. If we just knew where to look.”
“That’s always the issue, Taylor. Have you heard from Giselle’s mother yet?”
“She’s doing a movie in Poland, can’t get back until tomorrow. With the media swarm, she’s going to make our lives difficult. God forbid someone get between a camera and Remy St. Claire. But we can handle her. There’s something else that’s bugging me. This damn signet ring. Why would that piece in particular be missing from the evidence room?”
“It could just be lost. It’s been known to happen,” Baldwin said. He reached for the decanter, poured them each a splash more wine.
“I know. But something about it is itching at me. You’re gonna think I’m crazy when I tell you this.”
“Tell me what? Let me guess. Your dad had a signet ring.”
She eyed him, unnerved. “How do you do that?”
“Your dad had a signet ring? I was just guessing.”
“No, it wasn’t him. I think he wore some sort of ring when I was little, but it was a class ring. He lost it, I remember that. He was furious. No, let me explain. Bear with me, okay?”
“Okay.” Baldwin sat back in his chair.
“I keep having this…vision, I guess you could call it. From when I was really little. We’d just moved into the big house—”
“Taylor, that wasn’t a big house. That was a fucking palace.”
“Oh, don’t exaggerate.”
“Honey, you had a staff that lived in the house.”
“They weren’t my staff.”
“And I suppose you did a lot of your own chores, did your own laundry, washed dishes, that kind of stuff?”
“You’re hardly being fair. It wasn’t like I asked for my parents’ lifestyle. You know that.”
“I know, sweetie. I just like to tease. Face it, you were a regular princess.”
“Yeah, the princess and the pea. Only the pea was Daddy, getting thrown in jail for bribing a judge or forgetting my birthday because he and Mom were off in Europe.”
“At least you had parents.” Baldwin looked into his wineglass, and Taylor reached over and touched his hand.
“I know. You’re right. Though sometimes I wonder if it would have been better to have been loved, then lose them, than be ignored.”
“I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, Taylor. When I lost my folks, well, it’s not something I would want to go through again. It’s impossible to understand when you’re young and you don’t have that structure anymore. One minute they’re there, the next they’re gone, and you’ll never see them again. It was rough.” He gave her a lopsided smile. “Anyway, we were talking about Versailles.”
“Oh, shut up. It was a big house, okay? Happy now?”
“Yes, dear. Tell me your vision.”
She shut her eyes and tried to conjure up the scene. “It’s not really a vision as much as a memory. Every year my parents had a huge party for New Year’s. Themed, catered, the whole works. The year we moved into the house it was a costume ball. Kitty dressed as Marie Antoinette, I remember that perfectly, down to the wide-hipped dress and the towering crown of hair. It took four people to get her into the clothes. Just crazy. So anyway, I was spying on them from the top of the stairs. There was this little space that I could fit into, and I’d sit up there sometimes and watch the parties.”
“Sound of Music.” Baldwin laughed.
“What?” She opened her eyes; he was practically fizzing with mirth.
“You know, the movie? Sound of Music? The von Trapp children were presented, did their little song…‘So long, farewell