The Other Side - J. D. Robb [124]
Before he could say a word, she bolted from the room, leaving Mark and Mrs. Mellon to stare after her wearing matching looks of astonishment.
Mark was in a black rage as he drove back to the city. He’d come here determined to persuade Christina to go with him to city hall tomorrow and exchange vows. He’d even primed their friends to be ready for a post-wedding party at the club.
She hadn’t just put him off, she’d indicated that she might never be ready to tie the knot.
By the time he reached his office, he was struggling to put aside a feeling of panic. He needed an infusion of cash soon, or his troubles would become public knowledge. If that happened, all his carefully laid plans would unravel.
He needed Christina’s money, and he needed it now. There had to be a way to force her hand.
In his fury, he focused on the kid. Tyler was the key. That sick, needy little brat was the reason she’d moved back home. The reason why she insisted on being there day and night, playing the role of little mother, curtailing her social life. Eating dinner in the kitchen with the help. Laughing with that low-life carpenter. Hugging him.
In his office Mark began to pace. As he paced, a plan began to take shape.
He was in such a dark mood, he was muttering aloud under his breath. “Maybe the carpenter is a blessing in disguise. If the kid were to disappear, the authorities would need to focus on someone suspicious. Who better than an itinerant laborer? And with the kid missing, Christina would have no one to turn to except me. While she quietly falls apart, I’ll be more than happy to take charge. Of everything.”
He gave a chilling laugh while he dug through his wallet, located a slip of paper, and dialed a number.
At the sound of a slurred, sleepy voice he said, “I told you I might have need of your services again. I’ll be calling you in a couple of days to come pick up a . . . package and dispose of it where it can’t be traced. Think you can handle it?” He listened, before saying, “Good. Wait for my call.”
He was smiling as he leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers. “Now it’s only a matter of days.”
Hovering beside Mark’s desk, Vanessa looked at Ted. “Oh, darling. We have to find a way to stop this monster before he can carry out his hideous plan.”
Ted’s hands were curled into fists at his sides. It was obvious that he wanted, more than anything, to give Mark Deering the thrashing of his life. But when he tried to pummel him, his hands passed directly through Mark’s flesh.
Frustrated, Ted caught Vanessa’s hand, and together they flew through the walls of Mark’s office. “Come on, babe. Time’s wasting. We need to step up our effort to get Christina and Jake Ridgeway together.”
“What if we can’t?”
“We have no choice left. There’s no time to develop a plan B.”
Seven
Ted and Vanessa floated between Christina, working alone in her new office, and Jake, taking measurements upstairs.
“Oh, Ted, what have we done?” Vanessa watched as Jake made notations on a sheet of paper. “They’re never going to get together at this rate. And Christina and Tyler are in grave danger. I can’t bear this feeling of helplessness.”
While they watched, Jake set aside his measuring tape and descended the stairs.
Ted and Vanessa exchanged hopeful glances.
As Jake started past Christina’s office, he paused. Seeing her on the phone, he motioned that he wanted to talk to her before continuing out the door and to the driveway, where his truck was parked.
Christina replaced the receiver and hurried out of her office to follow Jake. “You wanted to talk to me?”
“Just to give you some drawings to look over before I leave.”
Hovering beside them, Vanessa sighed. “They’re wasting time. I don’t care about the sitting room shelves. They need to connect, Ted. But how?”
“Look, babe, they’re both dealing with guilt. She’s still engaged to Mark and, knowing our daughter, is too honorable to cheat on him. Jake is still grieving the loss of a wife and unborn baby, and probably suffering the same guilt