The Other Side - J. D. Robb [127]
“What’s wrong?” Chris wondered how anyone could be worried on such an amazing day.
“It’s Tyler. Bonnie is upstairs right now, going room by room. So far, we haven’t found him.”
“Can’t find him?” Christina struggled to digest the news. “How long since you last saw him?”
“I’m not sure. Bonnie and I were with him at lunchtime. Then she read to him before his nap. That would have been around two o’clock. She retired to her own room, and when she came back around three thirty, his bed was empty. Even his blanket is missing.”
“Have you phoned the police?”
“I was waiting until I found you, hoping the lad was with you.”
With a feeling of absolute panic, Christina dialed nine-one-one.
After speaking privately with each of the three women who lived in the house and interviewing neighbors who might have spotted any strangers in the area, a police detective asked for the names of anyone who had been a frequent visitor to the Crenshaw residence.
Mrs. Mellon gave him the names and addresses of both Mark and Jake, while Christina and Bonnie continued searching every inch of the house and grounds.
Mrs. Mellon, trailed by a police officer, found Christina sitting on a garden bench, sobbing.
Taking her by the hand, the housekeeper gently led her toward the house. “Come inside, Miss Christina.”
“I can’t bear to go in there, knowing Tyler isn’t with me.”
“The police will find him. You must hold on to that thought. This kind officer has come to ask you a few more questions.”
Once inside, Christina sat quietly in a chair in the kitchen, sipping a cup of strong tea, while a police detective sat across the table from her.
“You are engaged to a Mr. Mark Deering?”
Chris nodded wearily.
“We went first to his home. He was extremely friendly and helpful, and very concerned about the missing boy, saying he was like his very own little brother. He invited us in and suggested that we might want to check out a carpenter who has been working here.”
“Jake Ridgeway.”
The detective read from his notes. “That’s right. Mr. Deering said he’d seen the carpenter palming some of the silver and crystal that you have lying about on some of the tabletops. We’re wondering if he might have thought the boy would be worth a ransom.”
“Jake?” Christina struggled to focus. She blinked. “Jake Ridgeway is a good and decent man. He would never do such a thing.”
“How long have you known this carpenter, Miss Crenshaw?”
“A few weeks. But I . . . ”
“And what do you know about him?”
“He’s been despondent over the loss of his wife and unborn child. In fact, he has started a foundation to search for a cure for the rare illness that caused their deaths.”
“Would you say he is depressed?”
“He may have been, but . . . ” She huffed out a breath when she saw the detective writing furiously in his notebook. “Jake would never harm my brother.”
“Mr. Deering suggested that you may have developed a . . . romantic attachment to the carpenter. Is this true?”
Christina saw Bonnie Waverly and Mrs. Mellon staring at her with open astonishment.
She blushed and avoided their eyes. “It’s true. But Jake would never . . . ”
The detective got to his feet. “I’m sorry, Miss Crenshaw. This happens more often than you can imagine. Faking a romance with a wealthy woman is the easiest way for a criminal to ply his trade.”
“Oh, Ted. Our poor darling. Her heart is breaking.”
“I know. But there’s no time to comfort her now.” Ted caught his wife’s hand. “I know we can’t interfere, but we have to find a way to redirect the police investigation. And quickly.”
“Where do we start?”
They flew across the countryside and dropped into Henry Wickham’s office, where his desk, as usual, was littered with reports.
Wickham was bent over, plugging in a fan. That gave them the perfect opportunity they needed.
“Here, babe. Go through these.” Ted shoved a pile of documents toward Vanessa, while he took another pile for himself.
“What are we looking for?”
“I don’t know. Anything that can get him to make some sense of this mess.”
Fingers flying, papers ruffling,